BIOS: WITHOUT WHICH YOUR COMPUTER WILL NOT START

Today is the age of computer. Computers are being used in every field. Computers have become so indispensable in some areas, where no work is possible without them.

Computers and the Internet are being used for various purposes such as banking and financial institutions, agriculture, hospitals, factories, other business areas, schools, campuses, government offices, etc. Computers and the Internet may have played a significant role in the lives of some of us. For entertainment, we use computers and the Internet to get information.

Just as we humans begin our day with a computer or a phone, so a computer begins with a BIOS. In the absence of computer or phone, our day may start, but in the absence of BIOS, no one can start computer or phone. Why is BIOS so important? What is BIOS? How does it work? Let's talk about BIOS which is one of the most important part of our computer.

When you open the computer, a page appears on it first. In fact, it is called BIOS. Like other software, BIOS is a type of software. This is the most important part of the computer. The full form of BIOS is 'basic input output system'. Which means, the basic system of input and output. It is a software attached to the motherboard. Which plays a big role in getting your computer system started.

BIOS is the first software to start working after opening the computer. If there is no BIOS, the computer will not start. When Windows starts, BIOS operates POST (Power on Self Test). Which ensures that all computer hardware such as RAM, processor, keyboard, mouse, hard drive, USB port, sound card, video card are ok. After making sure it is ok, configuration starts. Then Windows loads into the computer memory. After loading, our computer starts.

Once started, other software or programs can be run according to our needs. If something goes wrong during the self test, the BIOS provides a code to the computer to fix it. Such code is often heard as a beep when running a computer. Which helps the computer to run the system easily by automatically resolving it.

Where is the BIOS located? BIOS is located in ROM (Read Only Memory). It easily identifies all the hardware there. This especially helps for booting computer operating systems. The BIOS is already installed on the computer. Only then can other hardware be installed on the CPU. This is the stable memory of the computer which is installed inside the ROM which is placed on the motherboard of our computer.

We cannot delete it even if we want to. It can be updated and installed from time to time. It is also called EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory). Which can be electronically deleted or programmed. The motherboard is connected to a chip called CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) in which all the settings of the BIOS are stored. CMOS works on a battery that protects all settings in the BIOS. With the help of this, the BIOS facilitates the booting process of the computer.

CMOS is a small cell that preserves basic computer information such as date and time. If the battery runs out or is removed, all BIOS settings are reset. Even when we turn off and restart the computer, the basic information like time, date, etc. has not changed, as all its settings are saved in the BIOS which is powered by the battery of CMOS.

What could be the function of BIOS?

The BIOS performs a variety of tasks, from simple to complex. Some working styles can be changed manually while some are edited by system. Here are some of the key ones:

- When the computer starts, then first the BIOS checks all the settings in the CMOS, so that the rest of the thing can work well.

- The BIOS then loads the device drive, which acts as a bridge between the operating system and the device. That way, the entire hardware interacts with the software.

- The BIOS then prepares various resistors for use.

- Once the resistor is ready, the BIOS tests all hardware devices such as keyboards, mouse, etc. This process is called POST (Power on Self Test).

- After the test, the BIOS finds a bootable medium, then reads the same medium and loads the required file into RAM. The operating system opens only after this process is completed.

Thus the BIOS controls the entire computer system. This means that all the activities in the system run through it.