Basic input/output system

Aside from the processor, the most important chip on the motherboard is the basic input/output system (BIOS) chip. This chip is a special memory chip that contains the BIOS software that tells the processor how to interact with the rest of the hardware in the computer. The BIOS chip is easily identified if you have a non-clone computer (e.g. Compaq, IBM, HP, etc.), this chip will have the name of the manufacturer and usually the word BIOS. For example, the BIOS chip for a Compaq will say something like Compaq BIOS on it. For clones, the chip will usually have a sticker or printing on it from the three major BIOS manufacturers (AMI, Phoenix, and Award). 

HOS stands for Basic Input/Output System. The BIOS communicates between the computer and devices. The BIOS is usually stored in ROM. It was created by IBM to act as a translator to run the same operating systems on different hardware platforms. When the operating system needs to access a piece of hardware, it would now ask the BIOS, rather than just taking control of the hardware. The use of BIOS prevented programs from fighting over hardware. As long as the operating system (such as DOS) uses the BIOS for its hardware requests, it can run on different hardware platforms. The BIOS creates a standard reference point for many different types of hardware. 

ROM ROM stands for read-only memory. It is called read-only because it can t be written to. Once the information has been written to the ROM, it can t be changed. ROM is normally used to store the computer s BIOS, because this information normally does not change. The system ROM in the original IBM PC contained the Power-On Self Test (POST), basic input-output system (BIOS), and cassette BASIC. Later IBM computers and compatibles include everything but the cassette BASIC. The system ROM enables the computer to pull itself up by its bootstraps, or boot (start the operating system). 

The next topic you learned about was the Basic Input Output System (BIOS). The BIOS is the software hard-coded into a chip on the motherboard and manages the relationships between the hardware resources of a computer and the operating system. In this section you learned about the different brands of BIOS software and the major differences between them. 

The system BIOS (basic input/output system) is software (usually stored on a ROM chip) that contains all of the code required to control the keyboard, display screen, disk drives, serial ports, and various other PC components. Basically, the BIOS determines what a computer can do without accessing any outside software. 

BIOS (basic input/output system) The ROM-based software on a motherboard that acts as a kind of interpreter between an operating system and a computer s hardware. 

NetBIOS Acronym for Network Basic Input/Output System. In networking, a layer of software, originally developed in 1984 by IBM and Sytek, that links a network operating system with specific network hardware. NetBIOS provides an application program interface (API) with a consistent set of commands for requesting lower-level network services to transmit information from node to node. 

Network Basic Input/Output System See NetBIOS. 

Basic Input-Output System (BIOS) Computer program that allows the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer to communicate with other computer hardware. 

A read-only memory (ROM) chip contains instructions for the basic input-output system (BIOS) that all the peripheral devices use to interact with the CPU. This process is especially important when a user first turns on a computer for the boot process. 

In many systems, it is desirable to have the system level software (for example, basic input/output system [BIOS]) stored in a read-only format, because these types of programs are seldom changed. Many embedded systems also use read-only memory to store their software routines because these programs also are never changed during their lifetime, in general. Information stored in the read-only memory is permanent. It is retained even if the power supply is turned off. The memory can be read out rehably... 

Basic process control system (BPCS) System that responds to input signals from the process, its associated equipment, other programmable systems, and/or an operator and generates output signals,... 

Definition of the Facility - A general description of the facility is identified. Input and outputs to the facility are noted, production, manning, basic process control system (BPCS), ESD, fire protection philosophy, assumptions, hazardous material compositions, etc. 

MINICOMPUTERS. The next step up is a minicomputer based integrator, which may service up to perhaps two to three dozen chromatographs simultaneously. Examples of this class are the 3352-B system of Hewlett-Packard and the PEP-2 system of Perkin-Elmer. The minicomputer may have multiple input/output devices to service two or more locations independently, and may make the computer available (through a language like BASIC) to do further calculations on chromatographic results or to do general laboratory calculations. 

Auxiliary Equipment. A high-speed reader, high-speed punch, disks, cassette recorder, or line printer provide greater input-output efficiency. While they are unnecessary with the basic system for day-to-day operation... 

Any device connected to the computer but not essential for its basic operation can be called a peripheral device. Peripherals also may be regarded as those devices connected to the computer via a cable. With the possible exception of the hard drive that contains the operating system, most storage devices can be regarded as peripherals. Other peripherals include printers, scanners, cameras, and other devices for getting data in or moving data out, typically called input/output devices or I/O devices. 

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