CompTIA A+ 220-1201 (3.5 - The BIOS)

BIOS - Basic Input/Output System

The software used to start your computer

- The firmware - System BIOS, ROM BIOS

- ROM or flash memory

• Initializes CPU and memory - Build the workspace

• POST - Power-On Self-Test

• Look for a boot loader - Start the operating system

Legacy BIOS

• The original / traditional BIOS

- It's been around for more than 25 years

• Older operating systems talked to hardware through the BIOS

- Instead of accessing hardware directly

• Limited hardware support

- No drivers for modern network, video, and storage devices

UEFI BIOS

• Unified Extensible Firmware Interface

- Based on Intel's EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface)

• A defined standard - Implemented by the manufacturers

• Designed to replace the legacy BIOS

- Need a modern BIOS for modern computers

- Graphical and text-based