BIOS setup

A program used to edit hardware settings in the BIOS of a PC. On earlier PCs, users had to change a setting when a new drive was added, but auto-detect features were later added. Although some settings are quite arcane and modified only by experienced technicians, users sometimes may need to make a change, such as the boot order of the PC (see first boot sequence).

From CMOS to Flash
The BIOS setup has also been called the "CMOS setup" or "CMOS RAM," because settings were initially held in a battery-backed CMOS memory circuit. Subsequently, BIOS settings were stored in non-volatile flash memory.

Accessed at Startup
The BIOS setup is accessed at startup. Soon after a PC is turned on, a short screen message typically passes by very quickly indicating which key to press (usually Esc, F1, F12 or Del). See BIOS, hard disk configuration, BIOS Upgrades and CMOS.

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References in periodicals archive

The 15th edition of the book also includes a DVD-ROM, which contains more than two hours of video on PC system layers and BIOS basics, BIOS setup, physical ROM, the ATA interface, memory and optical drives, amongst other things.

REVIEW: Upgrading and Repairing PCs

If your system grabs a chunk of memory for graphics use, you should be able to reduce the amount used by entering the BIOS setup (usually by pressing the Del or Esc key during start-up), albeit at the expense of graphical quality.

Carol Vorderman's internet column: www.help.desk

Enter the BIOS setup at boot time (see your PC's documentation).

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