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PC Upgrade

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17 views2 pages

PC Upgrade

Uploaded by

stephenshem111
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What Is UEFI?

UEFI is short for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface. Its purpose is to store all data about device
initialization and startup in a .efi file, which is kept on a special disk partition called the EFI System
Partition (ESP). The ESP also holds the bootloader responsible for booting the operating system.

The primary purpose of creating UEFI was to overcome the limitations of BIOS and shorten system boot
time. UEFI uses the GPT partitioning scheme and supports much greater drive sizes.

In addition, UEFI provides better security with the Secure Boot feature, preventing unauthorized apps
from booting. However, the downside is that Secure Boot prevents dual booting because it treats other
OSes as unsigned apps.

runs in 32-bit or 64-bit mode, allowing it to provide a graphical user interface:

An example of the UEFI graphical UI.

What Is BIOS?

BIOS stands for Basic Input/Output System. It is a small piece of code on a read-only flash memory chip
on the motherboard called EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). The chip is non-
volatile, meaning it retains its contents even after the power is turned off.

The purpose of BIOS is to check settings stored in a CMOS chip to determine how the user wants the
system to run and which devices to initialize - CPU, GPU, RAM, etc. After performing the device checks,
BIOS looks for bootable devices and hands over control to the OS.

BIOS works in 16-bit mode, which also limits the amount of code that can be read and executed from
the firmware ROM. The firmware uses the MBR partitioning scheme and supports up to 2 TB storage
devices.

BIOS vs. UEFI: Differences

Although BIOS and UEFI are both used to kickstart the machine hardware before the operating system
loads, there are some key differences between the two solutions.

The table below compares some of the key features of BIOS and UEFI:

BIOS UEFI
Release Date 1. 1975. 1. 2002.

Operating Mode 2.16-bit. 2. 32-bit/64-bit.

User Interface 3. Basic UI navigation using the keyboard. 3. Provides a user-friendly graphical UI
with mouse support.
Partition Support 4. Up to four physical partitions.4. Up to 128 physical partitions

Partition Size Limit 5. 2 TB. 5. 18 exabytes (~18.8 million terabytes).

Performance 6. Performs best on older 16-bit systems. 6. Faster boot time and better
performance compared to BIOS.

Storage 7. System initialization information stored in a dedicated chip on the motherboard.


7. System initialization information stored in a .efi file on the hard drive.

Security 8. Password protection. 8. Secure Boot feature.

. Short for power-on self-test, the POST is a test the computer must complete to verify all hardware is
working properly before starting the remainder of the boot process. The POST process checks computer
hardware, like RAM (random-access memory), hard drive, CD-ROM (compact disc read-only memory)
drive, keyboard, etc., to ensure everything works correctly.

POST

If all hardware passes the POST, the computer continues the boot up process and may generate a single
beep sound. If POST is unsuccessful, it generates a beep code to indicate the error encountered, and the
computer will not boot up. All POST errors relate to hardware issues with one of the components in the
computer.

If a computer were not to run through a POST and verify all required hardware is working, it would
cause other problems with the computer. For example, if the computer had RAM problems, all other
software could have problems, and you wouldn't know it was due to the RAM. Verifying the necessary
hardware passes tests ensures your computer runs more stable.

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