Important Notice: Our web hosting provider recently started charging us for additional visits, which was unexpected. In response, we're seeking donations. Depending on the situation, we may explore different monetization options for our Community and Expert Contributors. It's crucial to provide more returns for their expertise and offer more Expert Validated Answers or AI Validated Answers. Learn more about our hosting issue here.

What is the difference between system BIOS, the startup BIOS and the CMOS setup?

April 26, 2017BIOS CMOS Computer Computers difference hardware Setup startup system

0

Posted

What is the difference between system BIOS, the startup BIOS and the CMOS setup?

1 Answer

0

Posted

Between startup BIOS and system BIOS, I don’t know. I would assume it’s the same firmware. People talk about the CMOS usually in the context of all of the user-settable parameters which are maintained in battery-backed CMOS (low power) RAM. The UI for these parameters is provided by the BIOS firmware, but during normal operation, the parameters are used to intialize the system’s hardware. Some of the parameters are gathered automatically by the BIOS (by probing the PCI bus, etc.) and provided as a data table to the OS as it boots up. The other main function of the BIOS is to provide access to the peripherals before the OS and all of its drivers have been loaded.