Your computer may have BIOS or UEFI installed. BIOS is nothing but an intermediate program that runs before the operating system is loaded. The UEFI system may be called BIOS as they do the same thing. Whether you have a Windows computer or Linux, you may enter into BIOS settings and do some change? But how to access BIOS on your computer. This article will cover all your questions.
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What Is Bios and What Does It Do?
BIOS stands for Basic Input/Output System. BIOS is a program that comes with your computer and it generally resides on EPROM so that the processor can access it. When you switch on your computer, the processor gives control to the BIOS. BIOS then checks if there is an error with the hardware. After checking is completed, the bootloader loads the operating system to the RAM and your system gets ready to be used.
UEFI stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface. UEFI and BIOS both do the same job. BIOS vs UEFI and what performs better? UEFI is an updated version of BIOS. UEFI supports hard drives to exceed over 2 TB whereas BIOS cannot support this large volume hard drive. BIOS does not support more than four partitions on a drive whereas UEFI can support this as it is more updated than BIOS.
Though UEFI supports faster booting and other modern features, both BIOS and UEFI do the same job as they were intended to do. Both of them are low-level programs that run before the operating system comes into play.
You may have BIOS or UEFI installed on your computer. Both of them offer interfaces where you can go do changes. But what is the purpose of entering the BIOS or UEFI settings and how to get into BIOS? You can tweak a lot of things like overclocking options tweaking, changing the boot order, set a boot password, and tweaking many other low-level features.
How to Access BIOS
To do change in your BIOS, at first you need to know how to access BIOS setup. You can enter your BIOS or UEFI settings screen in various ways. But before that, you have to restart your computer.
Method 1: Use Keyboard Keys to Access or Enter BIOS
The popular and easy way to access BIOS or UEFI is by using the keyboard keys. After restarting, to access the BIOS, you have to press a BIOS key during boot-up. The procedure is given below.
During the boot-up process, you may have seen that there is a screen where you find a message saying Enter F2/DEL or other keys to access BIOS. This is not a hard format. You may see other types of messages. But the purpose is the same; entering the BIOS.
To access UEFI Firmware or BIOS, different manufacturers have different keys to access the BIOS. But most commonly, you have to press F2, Delete, and Esc buttons during the boot-up process to enter the BIOS. Other buttons may be useful if you own a computer from another manufacturer. If you get confused, just go to the manufacturer’s website and find the BIOS key for your computer.
Method 2: Use Windows Advanced Start Menu to Access or Enter BIOS
This is the method if you own a Windows computer. Some computers boot so quickly that it becomes hard to press the BIOS key on time. For this reason, you can use Windows’ advanced start menu to enter the BIOS.
- Step 1:Go to Settings.
- Step 2: Click on Update & Security option.
- Step 3:From the left panel, select Recovery.
- Step 4: Restart from advanced startup header.
- Step 5: After rebooting, click Troubleshoot.
- Step 6: Then go to Advanced options.
- Step 7: Now, click on the UEFI Firmware settings option.
- Step 8: Now, restart for confirmation.
This will take you to the BIOS or UEFI settings screen.
Method 3: Use the Terminal Application to Access or Enter BIOS (For Linux User)
This method is for the Linux user. Follow the steps below.
- Step 1: Launch Terminal Application.
- Step 2: Now, type sudo systemctl reboot –firmware and press the Enter button.
After that, you will enter in the BIOS.
Running BIOS Setup in You Computer
You already know what is BIOS or UEFI in your computer. You also know how to enter BIOS settings. But how to run BIOS setup? The BIOS or UEFI settings option will look different on different computers. If you own a PC with BIOS, then the BIOS has a text-mode interface where you can only navigate with the keyboard. Use arrow keys for navigating and Enter key for selecting. At the bottom of the screen, you will see what keys do what.
Modern computers generally have UEFI instead of BIOS as it is more updated than BIOS. UEFI gives a graphical user interface where you can use your mouse or keyboard just like any other application program.
You may have BIOS or UEFI in your computer. But both of them do the same thing. And you can change or navigate different BIOS settings by using the keyboard and mouse. You can tweak the overclocking, change the boot-order. But whatever you do in the BIOS settings, make sure you know what you are doing. Because inappropriate actions can make your system unstable.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I exit BIOS?
After changing the settings or finishing your work, simply press the F10 button on your keyboard and you will exit from the BIOS.
How do I enter BIOS and Dual BIOS settings in the Gigabyte motherboard?
To enter in Gigabyte motherboard’s BIOS, after rebooting, press the Del button, and then if you want to enter the Dual BIOS, press the function 8 or F8 button.
Conclusion
Modern computers generally have UEFI Firmware installed on the computer which is the latest version of BIOS. But they do the same thing. This program is responsible for booting the computer properly. You can go to the BIOS settings and change a lot of low-level things on your computer. But whatever you do there, you must be careful. As now you know accessing BIOS, hope your work will be a lot easier if you need to access the BIOS.
