Where is BIOS stored on Your Computer?
BIOS stored on Your Computer : If you’ve ever looked at the motherboard you could have seen a variety of Integrated Circuit (IC) chips that were welded onto the motherboard. One of the IC chips has the code lines that contain in the BIOS.
If you just look on the motherboard might not be able locate your BIOS processor. Based on the manufacturer of the motherboard it is possible to see marks on the board that identify the BIOS chip like M_BIOS, B_BIOS, UEFI BIOS, etc.
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Where Is the BIOS Chip Located?
Two chips are essential in the BIOS. One chip is an CMOS EEPROM chip, which holds the BIOS program. The another chip is the CMOS RAM chip which is used to store bios-specific settings.
Note:BIOS settings include all the variables that are adjustable within the BIOS.
The first refers to it’s CMOS EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programable Read-Only Memory) chip, which houses it’s BIOS software. The chip is typically referred to as B_BIOS or M_BIOS when it is on the motherboard. However, these designations aren’t universal. Based on the motherboard manufacturer, the symbol that is used to indicate the BIOS’s location may be different.
Therefore, we suggest you look through the user manual of your motherboard to determine the correct designation for your motherboard, which is your BIOS chipset.
Another chip, it’s CMOS memory chip, which stores all BIOS configurations. These chips are volatile memory. This means that the chip can erase the data within it after you take away the power source. Therefore, they require an independent power source to store the data after you shut down the system. This is accomplished by using an CMO battery.
A chip which stores BIOS settings is typically located close to the battery of the CMOS.
How Does the BIOS Chip Work?
IC chip that contains it’s BIOS, is CMOS non-volatile chipset for EEPROM . It means that the chip won’t lose the data it stores even if you shut off power to your system. This is the reason why the BIOS isn’t deleted when you take out the CMOS battery, and switch off the power source in your system.
BIOS, which is the primary software your motherboard runs after you switch the power on. The motherboard is programmed in such a way that it runs the BIOS when it receives electricity. When the BIOS starts, it runs a scan of the essential hardware needed to run the system.
Once the system starts it will be prompted by the BIOS starts POST (Power-On Self-Test). When POST is running the BIOS tests and checks every hardware component that are connected to the motherboard.
These components comprise RAM the CPU Input-output Controller Hub keyboard, graphics card mouse, etc. In the event that the BIOS fails to detect vital hardware components for example, RAM and the CPU, the motherboard sends out beeps signalling a failure in detection of the component.
After you have the BIOS has completed POST, it examines the storage device for Operating System and load it into the RAM.
How are BIOS Settings Saved?
The BIOS settings you have such as voltage, current required voltage frequency, frequency, fan RPM and so on. These settings are stored in volatile memory chips which is commonly referred to as the CMOS chip. The word CMOS means Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor and is the process that is used in the majority of IC chips.
Since it is a volatile memory CMOS cannot save its data when you take away the power source. In our scenario, in which the BIOS settings are all inside the CMOS chip It will also require an independent power source.
This is accomplished by an extra battery installed located on the motherboard. It is called “CMCOS battery”. CMOS battery. CMOS battery supplies constant electricity to CMOS chip to ensure that the information within the CMOS chip remains even when you switch off power supplies to motherboard. If you take out the CMOS battery, or it is out of energy, all BIOS settings will reset to their default setting after you turn off the computer.
Is BIOS and CMOS the Same Thing?
BIOS and CMOS aren’t identical in any way. BIOS is an software that is run by the motherboard when you power on the PC. The program is stored on an additional EEPROM chip inside the motherboard. On the other hand, CMOS is a metal-oxide-semiconductor that holds a small amount of memory.
The BIOS utilizes its CMOS chip to save user-specific configurations and hardware details about the hardware components that are part of the system.
