Define BIOS Chip
The term BIOS stands for Binary Input/Output System. This system is the basis of most of your computer operations. When you power on a PC, the type of BIOS is generally listed. The BIOS might also report other capabilities of your computer to that initial boot screen, including hard disk or disks and their size, how much memory your computer has, and the type of Central Processing Unit (CPU) installed in your computer.
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History
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BIOS was introduced with early PCs to facilitate communication between the CPU and other computing subsystems like memory, hard disks, and video. It was devised as a solution to the problem of different addresses for different subsystems on different computers. Although early PCs had BIOS, as computers advanced, BIOS had to also advance. The limits on memory and hard drive size on many early PCs was a BIOS limitation. The BIOS was not able to see memory or hard drive space above a certain level. As memory and storage needs increased, BIOS manufacturers had to accommodate increasing needs.
What it Does
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The BIOS acts as an intermediary between the CPU and other systems. Because it sits between the CPU and systems like hard disks, Random Access Memory (RAM) and video display adapters, the CPU, operating system, and software running on the computer do not need to know the exact address of each subsystem. This information is stored in BIOS and the CPU, operating system and other programs simply request and receive information from your computer's BIOS. The BIOS directly accesses the subsystems.
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Common Settings
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Common BIOS settings include things as basic as your computer's clock and calendar. More advanced settings can include the amount of system memory allocated to video use or whether to require a password on boot. BIOS that are more modern will allow you to define the boot sequence. For example, your system could be set to boot from a USB key first, and if none is found, then the CD drive. If neither a bootable USB key nor CD drive was found in your system, it would boot from your default hard drive.
How it is Stored
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BIOS was originally stored on a chip called a Programmable Read Only Memory (PROM). Because these could only be programmed once, updating a computer's BIOS required that the entire chip be replaced. By the early 1990s, BIOS were delivered on Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM). EPROMs could be erased using ultraviolet light and then reprogrammed if a system needed a BIOS update. Reprogramming an EPROM requires you to remove the chip and place it in an EPROM reader. Most modern computers use an Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM). EEPROM can be erased and reprogrammed in your computer.
BIOS Updates
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In most cases, your computer will not need a BIOS update. However, if a serious security or performance flaw is discovered in the BIOS, your computer's manufacturer may recommend that you update your BIOS. Because it controls so many low-level computer functions, be very cautious about installing BIOS updates from anyone other than your computer's manufacturer. BIOS virus and worms, although not common, can adversely affect your computer.
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References
- Photo Credit bios chip image by Nikolay Okhitin from Fotolia.com
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