NETTUR TECHNICAL TRAINING FOUNDATION

DIPLOMA IN COMPUTER ENGINEERING–CP08

PC HARDWARE

SUBJECT CODE: CP 08 04 02

PREPARED BY: Mr.Loganathan B(NEC)

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

 Unit-3
The BIOS and the Boot Process

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

Unit 3.0: THE BIOS AND THE BOOT PROCESS 4hrs

3.1 An Introduction to the BIOS. The BIOS Utilities and

Programs,BIOS Manufactures 0.5hr

3.2 Booting the Computer, System Boot Sequence, Cold Boots

versus Warm Boots 1hr

3.3 The POST Process, BIOS Startup Screen, System

Configuration Summary 1hr

3.4 The BIOS Configuration,BIOS Updates and Flash

BIOS 1hr

3.5 Flashing Dangers, Dealing with Corrupt BIOS, Flashing

Security 0.5h

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

Layer Diagram

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

 BIOS Functions
Basic Input / Output System (BIOS) BIOS perform the
following vital & useful functions for the PC:

 Hosting the setup program for the hardware .

 Testing the system in a process known as POST.

 Controlling all the aspects of the boot process.

 Producing audio and video error codes when there is

a problem during the POST .

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

 Providing the computer with basic instructions to control
devices in the system.

 Locating and executing any BIOS codes on expansion cards.

 Locating boot sector from any drives to start the

operating system.

 Ensuring hardware and system compatibility.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

BIOS Manufacturers
The most well known BIOS manufacturers are:-

• Award.

• AMI (American Megatrends Inc).

• Phoenix.

• IBM -> For IBM PC’s.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

• BIOS manufacturers license their BIOS ROM to motherboard
manufacturers who install them on their motherboard and
assume the support of BIOS as well.

• Previously AMI was the sole BIOS provider to INTEL. Presently

80% of all motherboard of INTEL include Phoenix BIOS.

• In 1998 Phoenix purchased Award and now markets the Award

BIOS brand under the phoenix name.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

 3.2 BOOTING THE COMPUTER

BOOTING THE COMPUTER

 The process used to start up a PC each time it is powered ON is
‘BOOTING PROCESS’.

 PC’s are self starts, when you press the power switch, the PC verifies
its hardware configuration, runs a few functions tests, and then get its OS
loaded into memory.

 This process is performed under the guidance of BIOS. When the

computer boots up, the BIOS is behind the scenes causing and
managing actions that are taking place.

BOOTING

COLD BOOTING WARM BOOTING

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

 Cold Boots Vs Warm Boots
Cold Booting
 cold boot (also called a "hard boot") means to start up a computer
that is turned off. A cold boot performs a "power on self test" (POST)
It is typically performed by pressing the power button on the
computer.

Warm Booting: A warm boot is sometimes necessary when a program

encounters an error from which it cannot recover.

 Warm Boot is performed by Pressing Reset Button or

CTRL+ALT+DEL keys in DOS mode or clicking Restart Menu in
Windows OS. This warm-boot procedure usually does not go through
the complete boot process; generally, it skips the power-on self test
(POST) to save time.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

SYSTEM BOOT SEQUENCE:

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

 SYSTEM BOOT SEQUENCE:
1. The following are typical steps normally performed during system boot
sequence.

RESET CPU
POWER ON SMPS Chipset or 8284

Absents of PG(Power Good) signal as a input to 8284 from SMPS that

results in Reset signal. Once PG signal is present that results in absent of
reset signal
The next sequence is that the processor will release the first physical
address FFFF0H .That is JUMP ADDRESS
2. CPU reads its first instruction from Jump address .
CPU executes the first instruction which copies the BIOS program from
ROM BIOS chip into system memory and starts BIOS running.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

3. POST – Power ON Self Test
- Verifies and tests hardware configuration. In case of errors it signals
them using beep codes. If the POST finds no problems, the boot process
continues.

4. The system BIOS looks for the Video Adapter BIOS & execute it. The
information about the video card is displayed on the monitor’s screen.

5. Next the information about system BIOS is displayed on Monitor.

a) Name of manufactures
b) Version of BIOS etc.
Device bios routines are started and information is displayed on monitor.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

6. The amount of memory is detected & displayed as Run up
counter & tested.

7. a) Loading of Device BIOS into RAM

b) Validation of device in CMOS configuration (CMOS
setup) which include
i) Devices presence
ii) Functioning of Device
iii) Speed, Access mode and other parameters of Device

c) Serial and parallel ports are assigned their

identities(COM1,COM2 &LPT2)

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

8. If BIOS supports PnP (plug & play )technology, any PnP
devices detected are configured & information is displayed.

9. Summary of PC configuration on monitor.

10. BIOS must locate the OS. BIOS check for the list order of
boot devices.
Loading of OS from one of the following & running the OS.
FDD , HDD , CD-ROM, USB & LAN
If OS is not found “NO BOOT DEVICE AVAILABLE” is
displayed.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

 3.3 POST PROCESS

• Once BIOS program is loaded to memory, the POST begins.

• POST performs a check of system components and hardware

listed in the CMOS setup to see that they are functioning
properly.

• The POST process is fast and is typically unnoticed, provided

there are no errors.

• If the POST finds problems, it signals with beep codes or it

generates error message.
.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

• The pattern and meaning of the combinations of short and
long beeps is unique to the BIOS manufacturer

 However, nearly all POST problems are fatal errors because

the POST is testing only essential system components.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

BIOS BEEP CODES:

Beeps Meaning

No beep  Power Supply failure.

Repeating short beeps  Power supply or Memory failure
1 short  Post is complete
2 short  Post error
1 long, 1 short  System board error
1 long, 2 short  Video display adapter failure
1 long, 3 short  Video display adapter error.
3 long  key board error

Table: A sample of the standard IBM Beep Code Set.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE
 BIOS startup screen:

 If the POST completes successfully, the BIOS loads the video

adapters BIOS which makes the PC display available. The
BIOS then displays its startup screen.

 This display, which varies slightly from one manufacturer to the

next, generally contains the following information.

• These are the contents of a typical BIOS start up screen:

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

• The BIOS Manufacturer and Version
Number.
• The BIOS Date.
• Setup Program Key: The key or keys to
press to enter the BIOS setup program.
(This is usually {Del}, sometimes {F2}, and
sometimes another key combination.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

• System Logo: The logo of the BIOS company, or in
some cases the PC maker or motherboard
manufacturer.
• The "Energy Star" Logo: This distinctive logo is
displayed if the BIOS supports the Energy Star standard,
which almost all newer ones do.
• The BIOS Serial Number: The serial number is the key
to upgrade the BIOS.This is normally located at the
bottom of the screen. Since BIOSes are highly
customized to the particular motherboard, this serial
number can be used in many cases to determine the
specific motherboard and BIOS version you are using.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

The keys that is pressed to gain access to the BIOS set of
Program are as follows

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

 System Configuration Summary
To indicate that the BIOS have completed its task, it displays a
summary of PC’s configuration before loading the OS.

• Processor:
It displays the processor model such as Pentium-II, Pentium, k6
Athlon, etc,.

• Co-Processor:
If it is incorporated inside the processor, it shows integrated
else if separately installed, it is indicated.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

Clock Speed:

Speed of the Processor in MHz rating.

This information is sometimes displayed with the processor
type.

Floppy Disk Drive:

Its size and capacity are indicated (E.g.3.5”/5.2”&

360KB/1.2MB/720KB/1.44MB/2.88MB)

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

• Hard Disk & CD Rom Drive:
The information is displayed for each IDE/ATA Disk drive or
ATAPI CD ROM drive detected: whether it is primary or
secondary, master or slave, the name of the manufacturer, the
drive’s capacity, and the access mode of the drive.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

MEMORY SIZE AND TYPE:

 This regards the physical memory size & type.

It also indicates how physical memory is logically allotted to the
type such as base & extended memory.

 Base memory (Conventional memory) is always 640KB

.Extended memory represents the remaining amount of
memory.

 The amount of cache memory is displayed separately. Addition

to the size & type, the number of modules installed on the
system also displayed.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

Video Type:
It displays the video type: VGA/EGA for newer cards, CGA or
MGA for the older type card.

Serial Ports:
Number of serial ports detected and it’s IRQ (Interrupt Request)
and its I/O address is displayed.

Parallel Ports:
The available system resource to the parallel port is displayed.

Plug And Play Devices:

If any PNP cards are detected, their information is displayed.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

 3.4 BIOS UPDATES &
FLASH BIOS
• The Importance of Updating the BIOS
• Hardware updates—Newer BIOS updates will enable the
motherboard to correctly identify new hardware such as
processors, RAM, and so on. If you upgraded your
processor and the BIOS doesn’t recognize it, a BIOS flash
might be the answer.
• Security updates —The latest BIOS updates come with
security updates that help your BIOS to resist tampering.
• Increased stability—As bugs and other issues are found
with motherboards, the manufacturer will release BIOS
updates to address and fix those bugs. This can have a
direct impact on the speed of data transfer and processing.
NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE
 On most older systems, if you want to upgrade the BIOS, you
had to replace the ROM BIOS chip.

 This involved physically removing the old BIOS ROM chip &
replacing it with new ROM, containing the new BIOS version.

 The potential for errors and adding new problems into the PC,
including ESD (electrostatic discharge), bent pins, damage to
the motherboard, was very high.

 The danger was so great that to avoid the stress and the
problems, many people simply upgraded to a new computer.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

 The EEPROM (flash ROM) replaced the PROM and EPROM
as the primary container for BIOS programs.

 Some motherboards still require the physical replacement of

the BIOS PROM, but most newer platforms support flash BIOS
and flashing.

 Flashing is the process used to upgrade your BIOS under the

control of specialized flashing software.

 Any BIOS provider that supports a flash BIOS version, has

flashing software and update files available either by disk (CD-
ROM or diskette) or as a downloadable module from its
website
NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE
These are really only four things you need, to update your PC’s
BIOS by flashing:

 A flash BIOS.

 The right serial number and version information, which is used

to find the right upgrade files.

 The flashing software.

 And the appropriate flash upgrade files.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

 3.5 Flashing Dangers
 Flashing a BIOS is an excellent way to upgrade your PC to add new
features & correct old problems, provided there are no problems
while you are doing it.

 Once you begin flashing your BIOS ROM, you must complete the
process without exception. Otherwise, the result will be a corrupted
and unusable BIOS.

 If for any reason the following process is interrupted, such as

somebody trips over the PC’s power cord or there is a power failure
at that exact moment the probability of a corrupted BIOS chip is high.

 Loading the wrong BIOS is another way to corrupt your BIOS.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

NOTE: Not all manufactures include safety features to
prevent this from happening in their flashing software.

But some of larger BIOS companies like Award & AMI include
features to double-check the flash file’s version against the
mother board model, processor & chipset & warn you of any
mismatches.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

 Prevention of BIOS from corruption
while updating

The following are some of the hints to prevent corrupt BIOS.

• Avoid flashing your BIOS in an electrical storm.

• Protect your computer against power surges or brownouts
with a UPS.
• Don’t let anyone walk over the power cord during the flashing
operation.
• Check twice that you are flashing your BIOS with the current
version.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

 Flashing Security
 Another potential risk of flash BIOS is the danger of accidentally
flashing the BIOS.

 As long as an accidental operation completes and uses the

same BIOS version there is no harm done.

 To prevent an accidental flashing, some security features are

available to block the flashing operation.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE

 On motherboard that support the flash BIOS, a jumper can be
set to avoid flash updates.

 With this jumper set, the case must be opened and the flashing
security jumper removed before the BIOS can be flashed.

 The jumper also prevents virus attack that attempt to change

the code of flash BIOS.

NTTF_CP 08_SEM 4_PC HARDWARE