Module 5:

Assemble Computer Hardware

BIOS (Basic Input-Output System)
Configuration
 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you master
the nature of TLE/TVL. The scope of this module permits it to be used in many
different learning situations. The language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary
level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the
course. But the order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with the
textbook you are now using.

The module is compose of one lesson, entitled:

 Lesson 1: BIOS (Basic Input-Output System) Configuration

What’s In

Describe the computer peripherals being connected to the PC on each item

number.
 Notes to the Teacher
Let the students analyze the form above and upon
reading the module, they will be able to realize if their
answers are correct or not.

What’s New?

Observe the picture below and answer the corresponding Guide

Questions on your notebook or journal.

Guide Questions

1. Describe what is seen on the picture.

 2. Have you encountered something like this before? If Yes, what did you
do? If NO, if ever you will encounter it, what will you do?
3. When do you think this notice usually happened?
4. Research on what is possible problem encountered on this picture, and
the solution for it.

What’s Is It ?

BIOS (Basic Input-Output System) – is

a ROM chip found on motherboards that
allows you to access and set up your
computer system at the most basic level.
- It includes instructions on how to
load basic computer hardware.
- It also includes test referred to as
a POST (Power On Self Test) that
helps verify if the computer meets
requirements to boot up properly.
If the computer does not pass the
POST, you will receive a combination of beep indicating what is malfunctioning
in the computer.

Your computer’s BIOS is the first thing that loads when you start your computer. It
initializes your hardware before booting an operating system from your hard drive or
another device. Many low-level system settings are only available in your BIOS.

Functions of BIOS
POST – test the computer
hardware and make sure no error
exist before loading the operating
system.
Bootstrap Loader – locate the
operating system. If a capable
operating system is located, the
BIOS will pass control to it.
BIOS drivers – low level drivers
that give the computer basic
operational control over your
computers hardware.
BIOS or CMOS Setup – configuration program that allows you to configure hardware
settings including systems settings such as computer passwords, time and date.
Modern computers predominantly ship with UEFI firmware, which is the successor to
the traditional BIOS. But UEFI firmware and the BIOS are fairly similar. We’ve even
seen modern PCs refer to their UEFI firmware settings screen as the “BIOS”.
UEFI stands for “Unified Extensible Firmware Interface”. It’s the successor to the
traditional BIOS. UEFI offers support for boot volumes over 2 TB in size, support for
more than four partitions on a drive, faster booting, and enables more modern
features. For example, only systems with UEFI firmware support Secure Boot to secure
the boot process against rootkits.
Whether your computer has a BIOS or UEFI firmware doesn’t matter much in most
situations. Both are low-level software that starts when you boot your PC and sets
things up. Both offer interfaces you can access to change a variety of system settings.
For example, you can modify your boot order, tweak overclocking options, lock down
your computer with a boot password, enable virtualization hardware support, and tweak
other low-level features.
When you turn on your computer, the BIOS does several things. This is its usual
sequence:
1. Check the CMOS Setup for custom settings
2. Load the interrupt handlers and device drivers
3. Initialize registers and power management
4. Perform the power-on self-test (POST)
5. Display system settings
6. Determine which devices are bootable
7. Initiate the bootstrap sequence

Whenever you turn on your computer, the first thing you see is the BIOS software
doing its thing. On many machines, the BIOS displays text describing things like the
amount of memory installed in your computer, the type of hard disk and so on. It
turns out that, during this boot sequence, the BIOS is doing a remarkable amount of
work to get your computer ready to run. This section briefly describes some of those
activities for a typical PC.
After checking the CMOS Setup and loading the interrupt handlers, the BIOS
determines whether the video card is operational. Most video cards have a miniature
BIOS of their own that initializes the memory and graphics processor on the card. If
they do not, there is usually video driver information on another ROM on the
motherboard that the BIOS can load.
Next, the BIOS checks to see if this is a cold boot or a reboot. It does this by checking
the value at memory address 0000:0472. A value of 1234h indicates a reboot, and the
BIOS skips the rest of POST. Anything else is considered a cold boot.
If it is a cold boot, the BIOS verifies RAM by performing a read/write test of each
memory address. It checks the PS/2 ports or USB ports for a keyboard and a mouse. It
looks for a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus and, if it finds one, checks
all the PCI cards. If the BIOS finds any errors during the POST, it will notify you by a
series of beeps or a text message displayed on the screen. An error at this point is
almost always a hardware problem.
 The BIOS then displays some details about your system. This typically includes
information about:

 The processor
 The floppy drive and hard drive
 Memory
 BIOS revision and date
 Display
Any special drivers, such as the ones for small computer system interface (SCSI)
adapters, are loaded from the adapter, and the BIOS displays the information. The
BIOS then looks at the sequence of storage devices identified as boot devices in the
CMOS Setup. "Boot" is short for "bootstrap," as in the old phrase, "Lift yourself up by
your bootstraps." Boot refers to the process of launching the operating system. The BIOS
will try to initiate the boot sequence from the first device. If the BIOS does not find a
device, it will try the next device in the list. If it does not find the proper files on a
device, the startup process will halt. If you have ever left a disk  when you restarted
your computer, you have probably seen this message.
The BIOS has tried to boot the computer off of the disk left in the drive. Since it did
not find the correct system files, it could not continue. Of course, this is an easy fix.
Simply pop out the disk and press a key to continue.

Once you have entered setup, you will see a set of text screens with a number of
options. Some of these are standard, while others vary according to the BIOS
manufacturer. Common options include:

 System Time/Date - Set the system time and date

 Boot Sequence - The order that BIOS will try to load the operating system
 Plug and Play - A standard for auto-detecting connected devices; should be set to
"Yes" if your computer and operating system both support it
 Mouse/Keyboard - "Enable Num Lock," "Enable the Keyboard," "Auto-Detect
Mouse"...
 Drive Configuration - Configure hard drives, CD-ROM and floppy drives
 Memory - Direct the BIOS to shadow to a specific memory address
 Security - Set a password for accessing the computer
 Power Management - Select whether to use power management, as well as set the
amount of time for standby and suspend
 Exit - Save your changes, discard your changes or restore default settings
Be very careful when making changes to setup. Incorrect settings may keep your
computer from booting. When you are finished with your changes, you should choose
"Save Changes" and exit. The BIOS will then restart your computer so that the new
settings take effect.

How to Access Your BIOS or UEFI Firmware Settings

There’s a different process
for accessing the BIOS or
UEFI firmware settings
screen on each PC. Either
way, you’ll have to restart
your PC.

To access your BIOS, you’ll

need to press a key during
the boot-up process. This
key is often displayed during
the boot process with
a message “Press F2 to
access BIOS”, “Press <DEL>
to enter setup”, or something
similar. Common keys you
may need to press include
Delete, F1, F2, and Escape.

Some PCs with UEFI

firmware also require you to press one of these keys during the boot-up process to
access the UEFI firmware settings screen. To find the exact key you need to press,
consult your PC’s manual. If you built your own PC, consult your motherboard’s
manual.

PCs that shipped with Windows 8 or 10 may require you access the UEFI settings
screen via Windows 8 or 10’s boot options menu. To access it, hold down the Shift key as
you click the “Restart” option to restart your computer.
The computer will reboot into a special boot options menu. Select Troubleshoot >
Advanced Options > UEFI Firmware Settings to access the UEFI firmware settings
screen.

How to Change BIOS or UEFI Firmware Settings

The actual BIOS or UEFI settings screen looks different on different PC models. PCs
with a BIOS will have a text-mode interface you can navigate with your arrow keys,
using the Enter key to select options. You’ll see the keys you can use spelled out at the
bottom of the screen.

Some modern UEFI PCs have graphical interfaces you can navigate with a mouse and
keyboard, but many PCs continue to use text-mode interfaces, even with UEFI.

Whatever the screen looks like, you can use your keyboard or mouse to navigate
through it. But be careful in your BIOS or UEFI settings screen! You should only
change settings if you know what they do. It’s possible to make your system unstable
or even cause hardware damage by changing certain settings, especially ones related
to overclocking.
RELATED: How to Boot Your Computer From a Disc or USB Drive

Some settings are less dangerous than others. Changing your boot order is less risky, but
you can even run into trouble there. If you change your boot order and remove your
hard drive from the list of boot devices, your computer won’t boot Windows (or
whatever other operating system you have installed) until you fix your boot order.

Poke around and find whatever setting your looking for. Even if you know what you’re
looking for, it’ll be in a different place on different computer’s settings screens. You’ll
generally see help information displayed somewhere on your screen, providing more
information about what each option actually does.

If you can’t find the option you’re looking for in your BIOS, consult the manual or help
website for your PC. If you built the PC yourself, look at the manual or help website for
your motherboard.
When you’re done, select the “Save Changes” option to save your changes and restart
your computer. You can also select a “Discard Changes” option to restart your PC
without saving any of the changes you made.

If you have a problem after making a change, you can return to your BIOS or UEFI
firmware settings screen and use an option named something like “Reset to Default
Settings” or “Load Setup Defaults”. This option reset your computer’s BIOS or UEFI
settings to their defaults, undoing all your changes.

Image Credit: ryuuji.y on Flickr and  Thomas Bresson on Flickr