如果您是普通的计算机用户(computer user)，您可能听说过BIOS、UEFI BIOS、BIOS故障或双 BIOS(Dual BIOS)主板，但您可能想知道这些术语的含义。除了听起来很奇怪的首字母缩写词之外，什么是BIOS ？BIOS有什么作用？对计算机的操作有那么重要吗？如果您想找到这些问题以及更多问题的答案，请阅读这篇文章：
什么是 BIOS？
BIOS 是低级软件，更准确地说，是您启动计算机时运行的第一个软件。(BIOS is low-level software, more precisely the first software to run when you power up your computer.)为了更好地理解低级软件的含义，您应该知道您在计算机上常用的程序，例如浏览器、媒体播放器或办公套件，都是高级软件(browsers, media players, or office suites, are all high-level software)，因为它们与操作系统(operating system)交互。
操作系统被认为是中级软件(The operating system is considered to be mid-level software)，因为它与高级软件交互，以及通过其驱动程序和BIOS直接与硬件组件交互。
换句话说，BIOS 是低级软件，因为它直接控制计算机内部硬件组件的工作方式(BIOS is low-level software because it directly controls the way the hardware components inside your computer work)。BIOS提供了许多服务，允许用户和更高级别的软件配置计算机内部硬件组件的设置，并从这些硬件部分获取直接信息。
例如，用户和安装在计算机上的应用程序都可以识别计算机机箱(computer case)内冷却器的转速(rotation speed)或某些组件的温度，包括但不限于处理器或显卡。
BIOS 是什么意思？
BIOS一词BIOS is an acronym for Basic Input/Output System。您应该将其视为允许通信并促进计算机硬件组件与用户或安装在该系统上的软件之间的数据传输的软件。
BIOS 有什么作用？
BIOS(BIOSes)是大小接近 16 MB 的小程序。现代 BIOS(Modern BIOSes)提供用户界面（设置实用程序(Setup Utility)），用户可以在其中配置硬件设置。计算机 BIOS(Computer BIOSes)通常让您可以访问大量可以调整的设置。但是，笔记本电脑或平板电脑通常带有简化的BIOS(BIOSes)，其中用户只能设置时间和其他一些东西，例如启动顺序(boot order)。
更高级主板上的BIOS(BIOSes)，例如游戏计算机上的 BIOS，可能更加复杂。在此类主板上，BIOS包括配置处理器 ( CPU ) 时钟和电压、RAM 延迟(RAM latency)、PCI Express 速度(PCI Express speed)等的方法。
如果您不知道它们的作用，那么在BIOS中配置高级设置可能不是一个好主意。设置错误的值可能会使您的系统无法启动，因为硬件组件有限制，高于或低于支持的值可能会阻止它们正常工作。
例如，要求处理器以高于其支持的最大限制的频率工作可能会立即使其过热，从而使您的计算机陷入无休止的重启循环(restart loop)。为确保您的安全，您应该仅在阅读系统手册后更改BIOS设置，并且确定您知道其硬件部件的限制。
BIOS必须处理的另一项工作是在系统断电时存储配置设置。为此，它有少量的易失性CMOS 存储器(CMOS memory)，由电池供电，如下图所示。术语CMOS 代表 Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor(CMOS stands for Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor)，代表用于制造此存储芯片(memory chip)的技术过程。在计算机上，CMOS是保存主板BIOS硬件设置的内存芯片(memory chip)。
如果CMOS 内存(CMOS memory)芯片的电池没电了，不能再提供能量，BIOS就只能使用其内置的默认(built-in default)设置。它必须这样做，因为它不记得您所做的自定义设置。
UEFI BIOS 是什么？
UEFI 代表统一可扩展固件接口，(UEFI stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface,)您可以将其视为现代且功能更强大的BIOS。它具有与传统BIOS(BIOS)相同的作用，但它包含更多功能，例如加密或远程诊断和计算机修复(computer repair)，即使没有安装操作系统(operating system)。
UEFI BIOS由Intel发明，于 2005 年首次发布。UEFI在过去几年变得流行，因为Windows 10等现代操作系统为其提供了原生支持。就像(Just)传统的BIOS(BIOSes)一样，UEFI BIOS(UEFI BIOSes)也是由主板制造商定制的。在平板电脑和笔记本电脑上，UEFI BIOS通常只显示几个自定义选项。例如，在下图中，您可以看到它在联想 Legion Y520(Lenovo Legion Y520)游戏笔记本电脑上的样子。
在台式计算机上，尤其是为游戏而设计的计算机上，UEFI BIOS为您提供了更多自定义选项和有关系统的信息。例如，以下是您在华硕(ASUS)制造的游戏主板上获得的内容：
如果您想知道如何访问UEFI BIOS或如何找出您拥有的BIOS，我们相信其中一些教程可以帮助您：
- 如何从Windows 11进入(Windows 11)UEFI/BIOS（7 种方式）
- 如何在 Windows 10 中进入 BIOS
- 如何从Windows中检查(Windows)BIOS 版本(BIOS version)（8 种方式）
- 如何通过5 个步骤更新计算机主板的BIOS
我的电脑(computer boot)可以在没有BIOS的情况下启动吗？
BIOS必须处理的最关键任务是从机械的硬件手势（例如触摸计算机上的电源按钮(power button)）过渡到更抽象的级别，例如在屏幕上显示操作系统(operating system)的徽标。这意味着，当您启动系统时，BIOS是第一个运行的程序。
BIOS的工作是启动冷却器、检查功率水平、运行一些快速测试以评估系统硬件的健康状况、加载基本硬件组件的驱动程序，然后开始引导操作系统(operating system)。如果在此过程中出现任何故障，BIOS会显示一条消息，通知您出现了什么问题。在下面的屏幕截图中，您可以看到一个可能的错误示例。
什么是双 BIOS？
BIOS是位于主板上的小型只读内存芯片(memory chip)。该（BIOS）内存芯片(memory chip)上的软件是由主板制造商创建的。不幸的是，如果内存芯片(memory chip)出现故障，则无法再加载BIOS，因此无法使用主板。这就是为什么一些主板制造商在其主板上使用双 BIOS(Dual BIOS)配置的原因。双 BIOS(Dual BIOS)意味着有两个芯片用于存储BIOS：一个用于主BIOS，一个用于备份副本(backup copy)。
如果主BIOS 芯片(BIOS chip)出现故障，系统会要求您重新启动计算机，并使用备用BIOS 芯片(BIOS chip)以默认设置加载BIOS 。
BIOS 是何时以及为何发明的？
BIOS是 1975 年由一位名叫Gary Arlen Kildall的(Gary Arlen Kildall)计算机科学家(computer scientist)发明的。在BIOS出现之前，操作系统(operating system)是计算机启动时运行的第一个软件。这意味着计算机只能运行内置操作系统(built-in operating system)。此外，操作系统故障(operating system failure)使运行它的计算机变砖，因为没有其他软件可以修复它，因为它无法在操作系统(operating system)之前运行。
BIOS提供了额外的灵活性，允许用户安装他们想要的操作系统(operating system)或在发生错误时修复当前的操作系统。(operating system)
现在您知道BIOS是什么以及为什么它对计算机的健康至关重要
正如您在本文中看到的，BIOS是任何计算机的关键组件，知道如何使用它可以提供更大的灵活性甚至性能优势。知识渊博的用户和 IT 专业人员可以使用BIOS来尽可能发挥他们计算机的最大性能。如果您不是专家，那也没关系。默认BIOS设置通常适合家庭用户的需求，即使您不摆弄它的BIOS ，您的系统也应该可以正常工作。希望这篇文章对您有用，如果您有任何问题，或者您想在评论部分添加什么内容，请告诉我们。
What is BIOS? What does BIOS mean?
If you are a casual computer user, you may havе heard about the BIOS, UEFI BIOS, BIOS failures, or Dual BIOЅ motherboards, but you might be wondering what these terms mean. What is a ΒIOS except for a weird-sounding acronym? What doеs BIOS do? Is it that impоrtant for the operation of a computer? If you want to find the answers to these queѕtions and more, rеad this article:
What is BIOS?
BIOS is low-level software, more precisely the first software to run when you power up your computer. For a better understanding of what low-level software means, you should know that the programs which you commonly use on computers, such as browsers, media players, or office suites, are all high-level software because they interact with the operating system.
The operating system is considered to be mid-level software, as it interacts with both high-level software, as well as directly with hardware components through its drivers and the BIOS.
In other words, the BIOS is low-level software because it directly controls the way the hardware components inside your computer work. The BIOS provides a number of services that allow users and higher-level software to configure the settings of the hardware components inside computers, and also to get direct information from those hardware parts.
For example, both the users and the apps installed on a computer can identify the rotation speed of the coolers inside the computer case or the temperatures of some components, including but not limited to the processor or the video card.
What does BIOS mean?
The term BIOS is an acronym for Basic Input/Output System. You should think of it as the software that allows communication and facilitates data transfers between the hardware components of a computer and the users or the software installed on that system.
What does the BIOS do?
BIOSes are small programs with sizes that are close to 16 MB. Modern BIOSes offer user interfaces (Setup Utility), where the user can configure hardware settings. Computer BIOSes usually give you access to plenty of settings that you can tweak. However, laptops or tablets often come with simplified BIOSes, in which the user can only set the time and a couple of other things like the boot order.
The BIOSes found on more advanced motherboards, such as those found on gaming computers, can be even more complex. On such motherboards, the BIOS includes ways to configure the processor's (CPU) clocks and voltages, RAM latency, PCI Express speed, and so on.
Configuring the advanced settings in the BIOS can be a bad idea if you don't know what they do. Setting a wrong value can make your system unbootable because the hardware components have limitations and going above or below a supported value can stop them from working correctly.
For example, asking the processor to work at a frequency that's higher than its maximum supported limit can overheat it instantly, which throws your computer into an endless restart loop. To make sure that you're safe, you should change BIOS settings only after you've read your system's manual, and you're sure that you know the limits of its hardware parts.
Another job the BIOS has to deal with is to store the configuration settings when the system is powered off. To do this, it has a small amount of volatile CMOS memory that's powered by a battery like the one in the picture below. The term CMOS stands for Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor, and represents the technological process used to make this memory chip. On computers, CMOS is the memory chip that holds the hardware settings of the motherboard's BIOS.
If the battery of the CMOS memory chip is dead and can no longer provide energy, the BIOS has no option than to use its built-in default settings. It has to because it can't remember the custom settings that you have made.
What is UEFI BIOS?
UEFI stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, and you can look at it as a modern and more powerful BIOS. It has the same role as the traditional BIOS but it includes more features like cryptography or remote diagnostics and computer repair, even when there is no operating system installed.
UEFI BIOS was invented by Intel and was first released in 2005. UEFI became popular during the last couple of years because modern operating systems such as Windows 10 provide native support for it. Just like the traditional BIOSes, UEFI BIOSes are also customized by motherboard manufacturers. On tablets and laptops, the UEFI BIOS usually displays only a few customization options. For instance, in the picture below, you can see what it looks like on a Lenovo Legion Y520 gaming laptop.
On desktop computers, especially on those that are made for gaming, the UEFI BIOS gives you a lot more customization options and information about your system. Here's, for example, what you get on a gaming motherboard made by ASUS:
If you want to know how to access the UEFI BIOS or how to find out what BIOS you have, we believe that some of these tutorials can help you:
Can my computer boot without a BIOS?
The most critical task the BIOS must handle is making the transition from a mechanical, hardware gesture, like touching the power button on your computer, to a more abstract level, like showing your operating system's logo on the screen. This means that, when you power-up your system, the BIOS is the first program to run.
BIOS's job is to start the coolers, check power levels, run some quick tests to assess the health of your system's hardware, load the drivers for the essential hardware components, and then start booting the operating system. If there is any failure during this process, the BIOS displays a message informing you of what is wrong. In the screenshot below, you can see an example of a possible error.
What is Dual BIOS?
The BIOS is a small Read-Only memory chip that's located on the motherboard. The software found on that (BIOS) memory chip is created by the manufacturer of the motherboard. Unfortunately, if the memory chip fails, the BIOS cannot be loaded anymore, so the motherboard cannot be used. That's why some motherboard manufacturers use Dual BIOS configurations on their motherboards. Dual BIOS means that there are two chips for storing the BIOS: one for the main BIOS and one for a backup copy.
If the main BIOS chip fails, you are asked to restart the computer, and the backup BIOS chip is used to load the BIOS with the default settings.
When and why was BIOS invented?
BIOS was invented in 1975 by a computer scientist named Gary Arlen Kildall. Before BIOS came into existence, the operating system was the first software to run when a computer started. That meant that the computer could only run the built-in operating system. Furthermore, an operating system failure bricked the computer on which it was running, because no other software could repair it since it was not able to run before the operating system.
BIOS provides a plus of flexibility, allowing users to install the operating system they want or to repair the current operating system if an error occurs.
Now you know what the BIOS is and why it is vital to the well-being of computers
As you've seen in this article, the BIOS is a key component of any computer, and knowing how to use it can provide more flexibility and even performance benefits. Knowledgeable users and IT professionals can use the BIOS to squeeze the maximum performance possible from their computers. If you are not much of an expert, that's fine too. The default BIOS settings usually fit the needs of home users and your system should work fine even though you don't fiddle with its BIOS. In the hope that you've found this article useful, let us know if you have questions or if there is something you would like to add to it, in the comments section.
