What is BIOS? - easily explained
Every time you start your computer, you will briefly see the BIOS of your PC. In this article, we will tell you exactly what that is and what you can do with it.
10 facts about the BIOS
You can understand exactly what BIOS is by the following ten facts:
- BIOS is short for "basic input / output system" . It is the firmware of every PC that has been stored on a small chip on the motherboard of almost all computers since 1970.
- The basic settings of the BIOS are stored in the "CMOS static RAM", which is powered by the mainboard battery. Therefore, all information is stored - even if you disconnect the PC from the power.
- The basic functions of the BIOS are a self-test of the most important hardware components (POST) and an initialization of the hardware. This means that your operating system can only communicate with all components. In the event of errors, warning tones are output, the meaning of which can be found in the manual.
- The most common BIOS systems are from ATI, IBM, AMI, Award / Phoenix. They usually contain their own BIOS menu, the so-called setup. There you can perform special tasks and adjust the performance of the PC. However, there are differences between the actual BIOS and UEFI.
- You can find out how to call up the BIOS menu in your own practical tip. Here we also explain how to find out your BIOS version in Windows.
- We also explain in a practical tip what you can do if the BIOS does not start.
- If you replace certain hardware such as the processor, an update is sometimes necessary. We will explain how to carry out a BIOS update briefly and concisely in an extra practical tip and extensively in a step-by-step guide.
- In the BIOS you can, for example, switch on the USB keyboard, change the boot order or activate the Turbo Boost. The onboard sound and the network can also be activated here. You can change the BIOS language so that you can find your way around quickly
- If your PC hangs in the BIOS, this practical tip will help.
- You can protect the BIOS against unauthorized access with your own password. This protection is difficult to avoid.
In addition to the BIOS, you will always find the term legacy. Read more about this on the next page.