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What is BLOS on a computer?

BIOS, or ROM-BIOS in full, is an abbreviation for Read-Only Memory Basic Input/Output System, which is actually a set of programs solidified into a computer that provides the lowest, most direct hardware control. To be precise, the BIOS is a "converter" or interface between the hardware and the software program (although it is only a program itself), responsible for addressing the immediate needs of the hardware and executing the specific requirements of the software for the operation of the hardware.

I. Functions of BIOS

Functionally, BIOS is divided into three parts:

1. Self-test and initialization procedures;

2. Hardware interrupt processing;

3. Program service requests.

Below we will introduce the function of each part one by one:

(I) Self-test and initialization

This part is responsible for starting up the computer, there are three specific parts, the first part is used for the computer just connected to the power supply to the hardware part of the detection, also called power-on self-test (POST), the function is to check whether the computer is good, for example, there is no fault in the memory and so on. The second part is the initialization, including the creation of interrupt vectors, set up registers, initialization and detection of some external devices, etc., which is a very important part of the BIOS setup, mainly on the hardware settings of some of the parameters, when the computer startup will read these parameters, and compare them with the actual hardware settings, and if they do not match, it will affect the startup of the system.

The last part of the bootloader is the bootloader, which functions as a bootloader for DOS or other operating systems.

The BIOS reads the bootloader record from the start sector of the floppy disk or hard disk, and displays the absence of a bootloader device on the monitor if no boot loader is found. The BIOS is a new, powerful, and reliable device that can be used for a variety of purposes, such as to provide a more efficient and effective way to boot a computer.

(2) program service processing and hardware interrupt processing

These two parts are two independent content, but in the use of closely related.

Program service handlers are mainly for application programs and operating systems, and these services are mainly related to input? output devices, such as reading disks, file output to printers, and so on. In order to complete these operations, the BIOS must deal directly with the computer's I / O devices, it sends commands through the port, to transmit data to a variety of external devices as well as receive data from them, so that the program can be separated from the specific hardware operation, and hardware interrupt processing are dealt with separately to deal with the needs of the PC hardware, so these two parts of the software and hardware services, respectively, combined together, so that the computer system normal operation.

The service functions of the BIOS are implemented by calling interrupt service programs, which are divided into many groups, each with a specialized interrupt. For example, video service, interrupt number 10H; screen printing, interrupt number 05H; disk and serial port services, interrupt 14H, etc.. Each group is further subdivided into different service numbers based on specific functions. Application programs need to use which peripherals, what operations only need to be in the program with the appropriate instructions can be, without direct control.

II. Types of BIOS

Because BIOS deals directly with system hardware resources, it is always aimed at a certain type of hardware system, and various hardware systems are different, so there are different kinds of BIOS, with the development of hardware technology, the same kind of BIOS has appeared in different versions, the newer versions of the BIOS is more powerful than the old version. The newer versions of BIOS are more powerful than the older ones.

The main BIOS on the market today are AMI BIOS and Award BIOS.

1. AMI BIOS

AMI BIOS is AMI's BIOS system software, first developed in the mid-80s, and used by most 286 and 386 computer systems.

In the 1990s, AMI continued to introduce new versions of BIOS to keep up with technological developments, but when green and energy-efficient systems began to gain popularity, AMI seemed to be lagging behind, and Award BIOS took the opportunity to greatly increase its market share. During this period, AMI developed and launched WIN BIOS with windowing functionality, a BIOS setup program that is very easy to use, and with the main window of the BIOS, you can easily access and control your PC's hardware. This BIOS setup program is very easy to use, and the various markings on the main window are relatively intuitive. For example, a small rabbit represents the optimized default settings, while a small turtle represents the conservative settings, a skull is used to represent the anti-virus settings, and the paintbrush and palette represent the color settings.

AMI WinBIOS has been available in several versions, and the more commonly used ones are the Win BIOS for Pentium motherboards, with features such as Plug and Play, Green Energy Saver, and PCI bus management.

2. Award BIOS

Award BIOS is a BIOS product developed by Award Software, which is currently very popular, and many 586 motherboards use Award BIOS, which has a full range of features and provides good support for various operating systems.

Award BIOS
Award BIOS is a free download from the