Are you confused by the computer BIOS? The BIOS is a fundamental
component of any PC and if you really want to get into the guys
of a computer, it's good through understanding what BIOS Is all
about.
This article gives you a summary of what BIOS is and how you can
play with the basic and advanced options in a typical BIOS
configuration.
Definition
First up, let's just define what the BIOS is. The BIOS stands
for the Basic Input-Output System of a PC. It is stored on a
BIOS chip on the motherboard and it is the interface between
your operating system and the computer's hardware. All the
software actions you make, e.g. click a in Windows XP, are
translated into machine instructions which pass through the BIOS
and then subsequently to your monitor, graphics card and what
not.
The BIOS is a crucial component of a PC If it fails, your PC
isn't going to boot up. I always skip a heartbeat if I see any
funny behavior with a PC's BIOS. Because it spells (almost
certainly that is) doom for the computer. Make sure you're very,
very careful if you intend to fiddle around with the BIOS in
anyway. Children, don't do this at home without the supervision
of a technie.
Basic Options
Let's run through the basic options of a BIOS setup. Right after
you power up the computer, there is usually a key you can hit
(usually F8) which allows you to access the PC's BIOS.
In the basic menu in the BIOS, you should see settings for
configuring hard drives and boot up options. You can specify
which are your primary and secondary hard risk and which will
boot up first. You can also specify if the floppy disk or CD Rom
boot support before or after the hard disk.
Advanced Options
If you go in to the Advanced Options menu, you can delve into
the advanced options for the BIOS configuration. If you're into
overclocking, you can specify a different CPU frequency than the
default. But be very careful when you do this - you may end up
burning your CPU chip if you don't know what you're doing.
In the advanced options menu, you can also change memory
frequency and timing, as well as the AGP speed for your graphics
card. Again, exercise extreme care when playing around with
these settings. You can damage your PC if you don't know what
you're doing.
There are many other options in a computer's BIOS you can play
with. Some of them include password and security options to
limit access to the system, or stuff like power saving options.
You can also control things like whether the Numlock key should
be on or off when you first start the system.
Conclusion
I hope the article has helped you understand a little of what
goes into a com0utper's BIOS and how you can make use of it.
Remember, the BIOS is such a fundamental component of any PC
that you MUST exercise extreme caution when meddling with it. If
you're not sure - don't change anything. It's best to understand
the BIOS properly from an expert or read a good book before
changing it in any way.
About the author:
Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on building computers. Visit
his website at
Build-Your-Own-
Computers.com for tips and tricks on assembling a PC, as
well as buying good computer components.
