BIOS Setting • • F1

• • F2 *
The BIOS or Basic Input/Output System is the basic controller that allows all of • • F10 **
the components that make up a computer system to talk to one another. But in order for this • • DEL
to happen, there are a number of things that the BIOS needs to know how to do. This is why • • ESC
the settings within the BIOS are so critical to the operation of the computer system. For
about 95% of the computer users out there, they will never need to adjust the BIOS settings
* If pressing F2 opens a diagnostics tool, your setup key is likely F10
of their computer. However, those who have chosen to build their own computer system will
** F10 is also used for the boot menu. If F10 opens a boot menu, your setup key is likely
need to know how to modify the settings.
F2.
Some of the critical things one will need to know are the clock settings, memory timing, boot
Setup keys are to be pressed as the computer is booting up. Most users will see a
order and drive settings. Thankfully the computer BIOS has come a long way in the past ten
message similar to the example below upon startup. Some older computers may also
years where many of these settings are automatic and very little needs to be adjusted.
display a flashing block to indicate when to press the F1 or F2 keys.
How to Access the BIOS
The method for accessing the BIOS is dependent upon the manufacturer of the
motherboard and the BIOS vender they have selected. The actual process to get to the BIOS is Once you have successfully entered the CMOS setup, you should see a screen similar to
identical, just the key that is needed to be pressed will vary. It is important to have the user manual the example below. Your CMOS setup may look a little different, depending on the
for the motherboard handy whenever changes will be made to the BIOS. manufacturer, but should still have most of the same options in the menu on the left or
along the bottom of the screen.
1. Power on the computer system.
Major BIOS manufacturers include:
2. Look up what key needs to be pressed to enter the BIOS. Some of the common keys
used to access the BIOS are F1, F2 and the Del key. Generally, the motherboard will post
this information when the computer first turns on.
 American Megatrends Inc.
3. Press the key to enter the BIOS after the beep for a clean POST (Power-On Self Test) is (AMI)
signaled. If the procedure has been done correctly, the BIOS screen should be displayed  Phoenix Technologies
rather than the typical boot screen.  ALi

Because of the wide variety of computer and BIOS manufacturers over the
evolution of computers, there are numerous ways to enter the BIOS or CMOS Setup. Below
is a listing of most of these methods, as well as other recommendations for entering the
BIOS setup.

Note: Apple, or Mac, computers do not have a BIOS and instead utilize an EFI, which does
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not need to modified based on the hardware in the computer, like a BIOS. The EFI provides
better integration between hardware and software for Apple computers, virtually eliminating Boot Order
the need for a BIOS.
Boot order determines which device the motherboard will look at for an operating
Computers manufactured in the last few years allow you to enter the BIOS setup using one system or installer. The options typically include Hard Drive, Optical Drive, Floppy Drive,
of the five keys shown below during the boot process. Network and Other. The standard order at first startup is Floppy, Hard Drive, Optical Drive,
etc. This will generally cause the system to find the hard drive first which will not have a Commons.wikimedia.
functional operating system on the computer.
Since we are installing a new operating system on the computer, and our 3. Go to the Exit menu and select Save and Exit to save your configuration.
installation files are stored in a CD-ROM, we need to set the computer to boot from the CD-
ROM drive instead. This allows the computer to boot from the OS installation CD that has a
bootable installer program on it. This is done in the BIOS setup.

1. In the BIOS setup screen, look for the Boot Options Menu. This is usually found at the
top of the screen. In some computers it is found in the Advance menu.

Note: You may need to consult the User's Manual on how to set the CD-ROM Drive as first boot
device.

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2. Select the CD-ROM Drive as the first boot device.

 2. Application software - is a set of computer instructions that provide more specific
Software Fundamentals functionality to a user. That functionality may be broad, such as general word
processing, or narrow, such as an organization’s payroll program.
Software consists of computer programs, which are sequences of instructions for
the computer. The process of writing (or coding) programs is called programming, and 1. Proprietary application software addresses a specific or unique
individuals who perform this task are called programmers. business need for a company
2. Off-The-Shelf Application Software can be purchased, leased, or
 A set of instructions (also called a program) that guides the hardware to rented from a vendor that develops programs and sells them to many
operate effectively. organizations.

Software Suites and Other Personal Application Software

TWO TYPES OF SOFTWARE
Software suites are collections of application software packages that integrate many
1. Systems software - is a set of instructions that serves primarily as an intermediary functions in one package.
between computer hardware and application programs and may also be directly
manipulated by knowledgeable users. Open Source Software- is software made available in source code form at no cost to
 Any software required to support the production or execution of developers.
application programs but not specific to any particular application. Common
operating systems include Windows, Macintosh OS, OS/2, and UNIX.

Categories:

1. Operating System

a. Mobile device operating systems( e.g Embedded Linux, Windows CE

Pocket PC, Windows Embedded NT 4.0, The Palm OS)

b. Desktop and notebook computer operating systems(e.g. Windows,

UNIX, Linux, The Macintosh, Enterprise server OS)

2. System Support Programs The second major category of systems software

3. System utilities -are programs that have been written to accomplish
common tasks such as sorting records, checking the integrity of diskettes (i.e.,
amount of storage available and existence of any damage), and creating directories
and subdirectories
4. System performance monitors are programs that monitor the processing
of jobs on a computer system
5. System security monitors are programs that monitor the use of a
computer system to protect it and its resources from unauthorized use, f
raud, or destruction.