BIOS: the Basic Input/Output System of the computer. Acts as a 'go-between' for the operating system and devices such as the video card, hard drive, mouse, etc. Depreciated these days, the BIOS only tells the OS what is present and how it's connected. The other important function of BIOS is to configure the PCI configuration space.

For more detail, see the Webopedia definition of BIOS

The BIOS also plays a key role in starting (booting) the computer — it is the first program to be run, before there is any access to programs available on disk. See BIOS System Boot Operations.

Contents

Resources

See ResourceRecommendations.

Recommended

• BIOS Arcana: description and translation; Wayne "Hat Monster" Hardman; viewed 17 Sept 2002 -- Helpful article explaining many of the possible BIOS settings. I learned one very important thing: don't flash a shadowed BIOS -- your motherboard may never recover.

Contributors

• SimonAshton - 15 Jan 2002
• MacADd - 19 Mar 2002
• RandyKramer - 17 Sept 2002
• WayneHardman - 22 Jun 2003
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