What is BIOS

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Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) standard defines computer firmware interface. The fundamental purposes of BIOS is to initialize, test system hardware, and load a bootloader or operating system from mass memory. BIOS also provides an abstraction layer for hardware, a consistent way for application programs and operating systems to interact with the keyboard, display, and other input/output devices.

  • BIOS code stored in non-volatile SNOR flash memory and accessed during power up phase.
  • BIOS technology is in transitional process toward the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) since 2010. UEFI is a specification that defines a software interface between an operating system and platform firmware. UEFI images provide legacy support for BIOS services.