Monday 24 March 2014

What Is BIOS And CMOS?

BIOS is the interface which is built-in to a computer system's firmware used to configure the computer system hardware in very basic ways. BIOS can be used to enable or disable hardware integrated into the motherboard such as IDE controllers, USB hosts, audio controllers, video, and more. 

It is often accessed by pressing F2 during startup, but this can change from manufacturer to manufacturer. 

CMOS is a type of circuitry often powered by a battery which allows the information in BIOS to be stored. If the CMOS battery is drained or removed all the system configuration data in BIOS will be reset to factory defaults every time the computer is shut off. These small batteries are also commonly used in calculators, hearing aides, and wristwatches. 

Due to the close relationship between the BIOS and the CMOS in the computer system, the two phrases are often incorrectly used as synonyms for each other. Some users will refer to opening the BIOS menu as "going into CMOS" or replacing the CMOS battery as "fixing the BIOS battery." However, none of this is seen as grammatically incorrect in common day-to-day conversation.

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