In The Name Of GOD

Subject:

BIOS
Taught by: Alireza Ghorbanali

Operating system workshop

Shahid Rajaee teacher training university

Presented by: Ali Abbasi

What is BIOS?
BIOS (basic input/output system) is the
program a computer's  microprocessor  uses
to start the  computer system  after it is
powered on. It also manages data ow
between the computer's  operating system
(OS) and attached devices, such as the hard
disk, video adapter,  keyboard, mouse
and printer.

History of BIOS
The term BIOS was rst coined in 1975 by American computer scientist Gary Kildall. It was incorporated
into IBM's rst personal computer in 1981 and, in the years to come, gained popularity within other PCs,
becoming an integral part of computers for some time. However, BIOS' popularity has waned in favor of a
newer technology: Uni ed Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). Intel announced a plan in 2017 to retire
support for legacy BIOS systems by 2020, replacing them with UEFI.

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 What is Uni ed Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)?
Uni ed Extensible Firmware Interface
(UEFI) is a speci cation for a software
program that connects a
computer's  rmware  to its operating
system (OS). UEFI is expected to
eventually replace basic input/output
system (BIOS) but is compatible with it.
The speci cation is most often
pronounced by naming the letters U-E-F-I.
UEFI functions via special rmware
installed on a computer's  motherboard.
Like BIOS, UEFI is installed at the time of
manufacturing and is the rst program
that runs when booting a computer.
It checks to see which hardware components are attached, wakes up the components and hands them over
to the OS. The new speci cation addresses several limitations of BIOS, including restrictions on hard
disk partition size and the amount of time BIOS takes to perform its tasks.
Most modern computer systems are equipped to support traditional BIOS, as well as UEFI, although Intel
Corp. has stated its intention to phase out BIOS support in newer personal computers (PCs).

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 UEFI vs BIOS

Boot Loader
BIOS MBR Operating
basic input master boot
output system record
System
Kernel

UEFI GPT Operating

uni ed extensible EFI boot Kernel
rmware interface Loader
System

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How does BIOS work?

BIOS comes included with computers, as  rmware on a chip on the motherboard. In contrast, an OS like
Windows or iOS can either be pre-installed by the manufacturer or vendor or installed by the user. BIOS is a
program that is made accessible to the microprocessor on an erasable programmable read-only memory
(EPROM) chip. When users turn on their computer, the microprocessor passes control to the BIOS
program, which is always located at the same place on EPROM.
When BIOS boots up a computer, it rst determines whether all of the necessary attachments are in place
and operational. Any piece of hardware containing les the computer needs to start is called a boot device.
After testing and ensuring boot devices are functioning, BIOS loads the OS -- or key parts of it -- into the
computer's random access memory (RAM) from a hard disk or diskette drive (the boot device).

Uses of BIOS
The main use of BIOS is to act as a middleman between OSes and
the hardware they run on. BIOS is theoretically always the
intermediary between the microprocessor and I/O device control
information and data ow. Although, in some cases, BIOS can
arrange for data to ow directly to memory from devices, such as
video cards, that require faster data ow to be effective.

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The 4 functions of BIOS

BIOS identi es, con gures, tests and connects computer hardware to the OS immediately after a computer
is turned on. The combination of these steps is called the boot process.
These tasks are each carried out by BIOS' four main functions:
1. Power-on self-test (POST). This tests the hardware of the computer before loading the OS.
2. Bootstrap loader. This locates the OS.
3. Software/drivers. This locates the software and drivers that interface with the OS once running.
4. Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) setup.  This is a con guration program that enable
users to alter hardware and system settings. CMOS is the name of BIOS' non-volatile memory.

BIOS security
BIOS security is a somewhat overlooked component of cybersecurity; however, it should still be managed to
prevent hackers from executing malicious code on the OS.  Security group Cylance, in 2017, showed how
modern BIOS security aws could enable ransomware programs inside a motherboard's UEFI and exploit
other PC BIOS vulnerabilities.
Another unique exploit involving the manipulation of BIOS was  Plundervolt. Plundervolt could be used to
mess with a computer's power supply at the time data was being written to memory, causing errors that lead
to security gaps. Intel released a BIOS patch to defend against it.

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Accessing BIOS
With BIOS, the OS and its applications are freed from having to understand exact details, such as computer
hardware addresses, about the attached I/O devices. When device details change, only the BIOS program
needs to be changed. Sometimes, this change can be made during system setup.
Users can access BIOS and con gure it through BIOS Setup Utility. Accessing BIOS Setup Utility varies
somewhat depending on the computer being used. However, the following steps generally enable users to
access and con gure BIOS through Setup Utility:
• Reset or power off the computer.
• When the computer turns back on, look for a message that says "entering setup"
or something similar. Accompanying that message will be a key that the user
should press to enter system con guration. Here's an example message a user
might see: "Press [key] to enter BIOS setup." Some keys often used as prompts
are Del, Tab, Esc and any of the function keys (F1-F12).
• Upon seeing the prompt, quickly press the key speci ed.
Once in BIOS Setup Utility, users can change hardware settings, manage memory
settings, change the boot order or boot device, and reset the BIOS password,
among other con guration tasks.

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 BIOS manufacturers
BIOS, in its beginnings, was originally owned by IBM. However, some companies, such as Phoenix
Technologies, have reverse-engineered IBM's original version to create their own. Phoenix, in doing this,
allowed other companies to create clones of the IBM PC and, more importantly, create non-IBM computers
that work with BIOS. One company that did this was Compaq.
Today, many manufacturers produce motherboards with BIOS chips in them. Some examples are the
following:
• AMI
• Asus
• Foxconn
• Hewlett Packard (HP)
• Ricoh

Knowing the motherboard manufacturer is important because users may want to update their BIOS and
chipset drivers -- the drivers that enable the OS to work with other devices in the computer, such as a video
card -- to the most recent versions. Driver updates may improve computer performance or patch recent
BIOS-level security vulnerabilities. Each manufacturer has a unique way of updating these drivers.
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 Thanks
For
Your Time
Sources:
• https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/de nition/Uni ed-Extensible-Firmware-
Interface-UEFI

• https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/de nition/BIOS-basic-input-output-
system#:~:text=BIOS%20(basic%20input%2Foutput%20system)
%20is%20the%20program%20a,
%2C%20keyboard%2C%20mouse%20and%20printer.

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