BIOS Configuration

Before you even begin the Mythbuntu installation, there are a few things that you might want to configure on your system through the BIOS setup program. Boot the system into the BIOS setup screen by pressing the proper key on the keyboard (e.g. "Del") at bootup. Here are some option settings to consider:

Usually on the Main screen:

     Legacy Diskettes:             Disabled
     HDD SMART Monitoring:         Enabled

If you are using a motherboard with a built-in display adapter, you can usually find its configuration on the Advanced Configuration screen. Look around -- sometimes its on the Southbridge configuration page:

     Shared or Stolen Memory:      32M (or whatever the lowest number is above
                                   32M)
     Mythbuntu composes frames and loads them into the frame buffer as the
     become available.  As such, the CPU does all the work and there is no need
     to provide the GPU with a large frame buffer.  However, if you are using
     VDPAU, that's a whole 'nother story.

If you have an AMD processor and a motherboard that supports it, you can usually find the AMD-specific options on the Advanced Configuration screen:

     AMD Virtualization:           Disabled
     AMD Live!:                    Enabled
     AMD Cool 'n' Quite Function:  Auto (or Enabled)

Usually on the Power/APM Configuration screen:

     Restore on AC Power Loss:     Enabled

Usually on the Power/APM Configuration or Hardware Monitor screen:

     Q-Fan Controller:             Enabled

On the Boot/Boot Device Priority screen:

     1st Boot Device:              CDROM (this allows you to attach a CDROM as
                                   a diagnostic tool at any time)
     2nd Boot Device:              Hard Disk
     3rd Boot Device:              Disabled
     4th Boot Device:              Disabled

On the Boot/Boot Settings Configuration screen:

     Case Open Warning:            Disabled
     Quick Boot:                   Enabled
     Bootup Num-Lock:              Off
     Full Screen Logo:             Disabled
     Halt On:                      All, But Keyboard

You might want to take a quick look through all of the other BIOS settings to see if there are any that make sense for a TV watching application (e.g. quiet is good, unattended is good, always on is good). Don't forget to save the settings when you're all done.