BIOS and the BIOS Setup Program

Last Updated on Thu, 29 Jun 2023 | IT Essentials

The BIOS setup program is stored in the system ROM chip. It varies greatly from computer to computer. Today's BIOS setup programs include many options. To organize them, they are often grouped together. Most BIOS setup programs are menu based, including standard CMOS setup, advanced chipset setup, power management, PCI configuration, and peripheral configuration.

The standard CMOS setup includes the information for the date, time, floppy drives, hard drives, keyboard, and video card. The advanced chipset is used to fine-tune the hardware setup of the system, such as fine-tuning the processor (including enabling or disabling Hyper-Threading), cache system, memory system, or I/O system. The peripherals setup options include onboard floppy disk drives, parallel ports, and serial ports that can be disabled or configured using the BIOS setup program. Power management includes several options to extend the battery life of notebook computers and to conserve power on desktop computers.

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Readers' Questions

  • Theobald
    How would you access the system setup program on a pc?
    1 month ago
    • The system setup program on a PC can be accessed by entering the BIOS. This is usually done by pressing a specific key such as F2, DEL, or ESC at the start of the boot process.
    • simon
      Where is the bios stored on a standard pc?
      1 month ago
      • The BIOS is stored on a non-volatile memory chip on the motherboard. This chip is usually referred to as a ROM or Read-Only Memory.
      • Fre-qalsi
        Which of the following is a setting you can configure from the bios setup program?
        7 months ago
        • A) System date and time B) Order of devices to boot from C) Number of available USB ports D) System power-saving settings A) System date and time B) Order of devices to boot from D) System power-saving settings
        • Rorimac Diggle
          What is the purpose of the setup program?
          7 months ago
          • The setup program is used to install applications and operating systems onto a computer. It typically includes steps to configure the software, create user accounts, and specify settings. Additionally, the setup program may also be used to perform basic system diagnostics, such as checking the amount of RAM and disk space available, and ensure the system meets the necessary requirements for the software.
          • goytiom
            Where are bios settings stored?
            8 months ago
            • BIOS settings are stored in CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) memory, which is a type of non-volatile memory on the motherboard of a computer. The settings stored in CMOS setup or BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) are related to the system date and time, the order in which the devices connected to the system should be booted, the system hardware settings, etc.
            • hanna
              How are settings usually grouped in the bios setup utility?
              8 months ago
              • Settings are usually grouped in BIOS Setup Utility by function. Commonly, this includes categories such as: Main, Advanced, Security, Boot, and Exit.
              • eleleta
                What is a bios setup program?
                1 year ago
                • A BIOS setup program, also known as the BIOS configuration utility or BIOS setup utility, is a program built into the computer’s BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) that allows users to configure the computer's hardware settings. The BIOS setup program can also be used to update the BIOS or to reset the BIOS to factory settings.