Short for
Basic Input/Output System, the
BIOS (pronounced bye-oss) is a ROM chip located on all motherboards
that allows you to access and set up your computer system at the most
basic level. In the picture below, is an example of what a BIOS chip may
look like on your computer motherboard. In this example, this is a
picture of an early AMIBIOS, a type of BIOS manufactured by the AMI. Another good example of a BIOS manufacturer is Phoenix.
The BIOS includes instructions on how to load basic computer hardware and includes a test referred to as a POST
(Power On Self Test) that helps verify the computer meets requirements
to boot up properly. If the computer does not pass the POST, you will
receive a combination of beeps indicating what is malfunctioning within
the computer.
