Cannot get to BIOS

Question

To see if I need to update the BIOS on my T61, the directions say:
Turn off the computer.
Turn on the computer.
While the "To interrupt normal startup, press the blue ThinkVantage button" message is displayed at the lower-left area of the screen, press the F1 key.
The BIOS Setup Utility menu will be displayed. If a password prompt appears, type the correct password.
Check BIOS Version and Embedded Controller Version.
Turn off the computer.
Problem is, the "To interrupt normal startup, press the blue ThinkVantage button" message does not display; 
the blue ThinkVantage button does nothing;
Pressing the F1 key does nothing.
How do I solve this issue?
I am running as admin.
T61, 8892. XP going soon to 7. Firefox and IE.

Answer 1

Either you have something seriously wrong with your motherboard or you're not understanding what you're seeing. The machine cannot load the operating system until the bios loads and it will display a spash screen. It is possible to modify the spash screen and even replace it with a blank one, but even so you can still enter the bios by hitting the f1 key, you don't have to wait to be prompted but you do have to hit it at the right moment. By the time the OS begins to load it's too late.
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