What is the BIOS in a computer?

A computer owner who does not know what a BIOS is like is like the captain of a modern ocean liner who does not even know about the existence of a propulsion system and a propeller. Manned by such a person the ship is able to continue its journey only in the event that there are no unforeseen circumstances before which he (along with the captain) is completely defenseless.

About what BIOS is, you can read on numerous sites and forums on the global Internet. But the psychology of man is such that rarely anyone has a desire to just read about the device of a computer or laptop. It works, and it's okay. However, when problems arise, it is too late and far from always possible to seek an answer to the question about what BIOS is, since sometimes it is not possible to load an operating system. But everything is so simple ...

On the board of any computer system there is always a special ROM-ROM chip, in which data rewriting is possible only with special means - a programmer, a flash recording program. After power is applied to the computer circuit, the program recorded in the chip is activated and prepares the main hardware components for the further loading of the operating system. For BIOS work, there is enough motherboard (on which the chip is actually located), a processor, a memory module and a power source. Well, in order to go into BIOS settings, we need a video card, a monitor and a keyboard.

By the way, the abbreviation of BIOS of English origin and in translation means a basic input and output system. Very often this word denotes different things, so you always need to specify what you are talking about. So, talking about what BIOS is, you can not fail to point out that, in addition to the chip on the board, the firmware itself (POST), the firmware file, the interface for making corrective settings are also called exactly.

How does this program work? Here the user turns on the power button. All components, including memory, video card, keyboard, port controllers, etc. start internal self-test. If it is passed without errors, then the code of readiness for operation is set on the bus. After that (a fraction of a second), the BIOS "polls" the necessary registers, if there are no problems, "looks" if the user made adjustments to the settings. If there are no changes, standard parameters are applied. The presence of self-test errors of at least one key component interrupts the algorithm and sends a "beep-beep" to the speaker (speaker), in order of the sounds of which it is possible to determine the faulty component. Suppose that the "monitor-video card" cord was accidentally touched, because of which the latter partially jerked out of the connector on the board, violating the electrical contact. Obviously, in this state it does not work, so self-test does not start. Corollary - The BIOS stops loading the system, signaling the user a malfunction.

In addition to testing components, the BIOS program configures them by interrupts, DMA channels, and address spaces. Knowing how to configure the BIOS, you can make changes to the operation of many devices: "overclock" the processor, change the delay of memory models, etc. To get to the settings screen, you should often press the "Delete" button immediately after power-up.

The BIOS version can be updated. For this you should download a new one from the site of the motherboard developer and resell it.