How to Adjust BIOS Up and Down

Improve your computer's efficiency by adjusting your BIOS.

Your computer motherboard has a BIOS chip that controls the input and output of each system and device in your computer. The processor and memory, keyboard, mouse, video card and disk drives are all controlled by BIOS. BIOS runs a diagnostic each time your computer is booted up to ensure your hardware is working properly with the operating system. Adjusting your BIOS can eliminate the conflicts that occur between your various pieces of hardware and improve the performance of your computer. BIOS is also used to prevent problems in your system.

Things You'll Need

• BIOS manual

Instructions

1. Turn off your computer and let it sit for a few seconds. Turn it back on. Watch for a line of text at the bottom of your screen that tells you to press a specific key to enter "CMOS" or "Setup." CMOS means complementary metal oxide semiconductor, and is a memory chip that stores your start-up information. It is battery-powered. Press it as soon as you see the message. Each computer will have a different key. However, with most systems, you press "F1," "F2," "CTRL" and "ESC," "Delete," "ESC" or "CNTR" and "ALT" and "ESC."

2. Look over the menus on the screen and determine which menu you want. Navigate these menus using the arrow keys.

3. Use "Security or Password Protection" BIOS to increase your security by adding a password that must be entered before your computer will even boot.

4. Adjust your RAM or memory source for your BIOS by going to the "Memory" menu. Typically BIOS is on a slow RAM chip, so you can adjust it to run quicker.

5. Adjust your boot sequence. BIOS follows specific start-up instructions, starting each application in line. Adjust these in the "Boot Sequence" menu. You can also request that the system boots from a CD or Zip disk to reinstall your operating system.

6. Look for "Power" to adjust the amount of power your computer uses. This will save your battery life on a notebook or laptop computer.

7. Exit CMOS. Save or discard your settings or restore your default settings before exiting. Your computer will restart if anything was changed.

Tips & Warnings

• Read the manual that came with your computer or motherboard to learn more about your specific BIOS chip. Write down your system configuration before you change anything.

• Adjust your BIOS carefully, and read your manual before adjusting anything. Your computer can become unusable if you change the wrong settings.

References

• Computer HOpe: How to Set a Computer's Date and Time
• Kelly's Korner: XP BIOS
• Tech Republic; Master Basic BIOS Settings; Ken Dwight; January 2001
• Kioskea: How to Access Your BIOS Set Up
• Internal Computer: More Energy Efficient PC By Adjusting BIOS Setting and Windows Energy Options
• Microsoft Windows: What is CMOS

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish