What is BIOS?
La BIOS, or Basic Input/Output System, is essential and vital software installed on the motherboard of your computer. This little piece of software is the first to spring into action when you turn on your machine, even before the operating system. The BIOS contains instructions that control basic functions of your computer, such as booting, hardware verification, and input/output operations, among other things.
The BIOS is firmware, which means that it comes preinstalled on the computer's hardware and cannot be modified by the operating system or user programs. It can be updated, but this task must be done with caution since an error can cause the computer to stop working.
BIOS boot process
The main purpose of BIOS is to initialize your computer's hardware and make sure everything is working properly so the operating system can boot and run. This is known as the boot process, and occurs in three stages:
- System initialization: The BIOS is first responsible for initializing and verifying the system hardware.
- Power-on self-test (POST): It then performs a series of tests known as POST. If everything is correct, the system advances to the next step.
- Loading the operating system: Finally, the BIOS loads the operating system into the computer's memory and passes control to it.
It should be noted that if problems are found during the POST, the BIOS will emit error sounds, through which you can identify the hardware component that is failing.
BIOS setup
The BIOS also provides a setup menu, which allows users to view and change system settings. Here you can adjust various system parameters, including boot order, processor characteristics, system date and time, and other hardware settings.
Keep in mind that any changes to the BIOS settings must be made carefully, as incorrect settings could cause the system to fail to boot.
Update BIOS
Sometimes it may be necessary to update the BIOS to fix compatibility or security issues, or to add new functionality. However, this is a task that should be done only if absolutely necessary and following the manufacturer's recommendations, as an error during the update can cause the system to become unbootable.
Difference between BIOS and UEFI
El UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is a type of BIOS that offers more functionality and has better compatibility with modern hardware. Although the term BIOS is still commonly used, many modern systems use UEFI instead of a true BIOS.
Despite the differences, the main purpose of both is the same: to prepare the system so that the operating system can load and start working.
In summary, the BIOS It is an essential part of any computer and understanding how it works will help you get better performance from your machine and solve possible problems.
