RAID Controller Hotkeys are Inaccessible in OptiPlex UEFI BIOS Mode

Summary: This article explains why RAID configuration hotkeys, such as Ctrl + I, are not available on OptiPlex systems when operating in UEFI BIOS mode.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
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Symptoms

On older OptiPlex systems that support RAID-capable chipsets, enabling RAID On in BIOS provides access to RAID management utilities during startup through hotkeys such as:

  • Ctrl + I
  • RAID-related options available from the F12 One-Time Boot Menu

These utilities allow users to create and manage RAID arrays before the operating system loads.

On OptiPlex 3040, 3046, 5040, 3050, 5050, 7050, and newer models, these RAID configuration hotkeys are not displayed or accessible when the system is configured to boot in UEFI mode, even when RAID On is enabled in BIOS.

Affected Platforms:

  • OptiPlex 3040
  • OptiPlex 3046
  • OptiPlex 5040
  • OptiPlex 3050
  • OptiPlex 5050
  • OptiPlex 7050
Note: Newer OptiPlex platforms with similar chipset architecture are affected.

Cause

This behavior is expected.

Newer Intel chipset RAID implementations do not provide access to RAID configuration utilities through startup hotkeys while the system is operating in UEFI mode. RAID management hotkeys are only available when the system is configured to use Legacy BIOS mode and RAID On is enabled.

Resolution

This behavior is expected and does not indicate a hardware or BIOS issue.

On OptiPlex 3040, 3046, 5040, 3050, 5050, 7050, and newer systems, RAID configuration hotkeys (such as Ctrl + I) are not available when the system is operating in UEFI mode.

These hotkeys are only available when the system is configured for Legacy BIOS mode and RAID On is enabled.

Note:
  • Dell did not offer these OptiPlex models with factory-configured RAID arrays. While some supported chipsets can create RAID 0 or RAID 1 arrays, chassis limitations may prevent installation of the required number of drives.
  • The RAID On BIOS setting is primarily used to support Intel Rapid Storage Technology (Intel RST) storage functionality and does not guarantee native RAID array support.
  • RAID configurations that are not officially supported by the platform may fall outside the scope of Dell Technical Support.

Affected Products

OptiPlex 3040 Micro, OptiPlex 3040 Small Form Factor, OptiPlex 3040 Tower, OptiPlex 3046 Tower, OptiPlex 3046 Micro, OptiPlex 3046 Small Form Factor, OptiPlex 3050 All-In-One, OptiPlex 3050 Tower, OptiPlex 3050 Micro, OptiPlex 3050 Small Form Factor

Products

OptiPlex 5040 Tower, OptiPlex 5040 Small Form Factor, OptiPlex 5050 Tower, OptiPlex 5050 Micro, OptiPlex 5050 Small Form Factor, OptiPlex 7050 Tower, OptiPlex 7050 Micro, OptiPlex 7050 Small Form Factor
Article Properties
Article Number: 000146850
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 07 Jul 2026
Version:  13
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