Tech

How to enter the BIOS of your computer

BIOS is crucial for the operation of a computer. It offers useful tools for boot configuration, as well as access to security settings. When working with computers, understanding the importance of the BIOS becomes basic and therefore it is necessary to know how to access it.

 

Knowing the BIOS

Knowing what the BIOS of a computer is is essential for anyone interested in computing and to understand how this type of equipment works.

BIOS stands for Basic Input Output System or Basic Input and Output System in its Spanish translation. This system is embedded in the form of ROM memory on a special chip on the computer’s motherboard.

The BIOS, in this sense, is an element that is essential for the operation of the system, since it is required to boot the OS, becoming the method of communication between the software and the hardware of the computer.

On the other hand, it should be noted that booting BIOS on laptops does not differ from how it would be done on a desktop, since everything is based on a series of actions combined with pressing the correct keys, to boot from there before the OS starts..

Why is it important to be able to access the BIOS?

Considering that the activation of the BIOS could be the first step that the computer takes to get up and running, it is necessary to know what can be done by accessing this system level on the motherboard.

In this sense, it is necessary to mention that, to install something on a laptop without an operating system, you must be able to access the BIOS. These computers, by default, consider the hard disk as the priority boot system; which, for various reasons, can be affected and need formatting.

Through the BIOS you will be able to change the boot system, in order to properly format the disk and reinstall the OS of your choice, obtaining a new and clean copy.

On the other hand, systems can sometimes experience hangups when BIOS boot parameters, such as date, time, or data between logged in users, are altered. When this happens, it will also be necessary to be able to access this part of the system and thus rectify the problem that is causing the malfunction.

As you can see, having an access key to your computer when everything else fails will give you the chance to recover it without taking too drastic measures. For this and many other reasons, it is considered relevant to know how to access the BIOS of any computer.

Methods to access the BIOS of the computer

Considering the above, you can imagine that access to the BIOS must be given before the computer starts as such. However, depending on the system, it is possible to configure this boot for an upcoming OS reboot. In addition, it is important to emphasize that carrying out this type of method to enter the BIOS can be applied in portable and desktop models, as long as you know what is the appropriate combination of keys to press for it. 

Access from OS

The Windows 10 BIOS could be one of those that offers a more direct access, since it allows you to enter from the same running system.

To access the BIOS in Windows 10 you must click on Start, and then enter Settings. When the window opens, find the Update and security option and select it. This will refresh the window and you will now see the Recovery section on the left side of the screen.

Once you have clicked on Recovery, you will need to choose Advanced Startup from the menu on the right and reboot the system. When this happens, a light blue screen will appear, where you will see several options to choose from. Choose Troubleshoot, then Advanced Options, and finally UEFI Firmware Settings. By doing this, the computer will reboot again and directly enter the BIOS main menu interface.

keyboard access

When it comes to computers, one of the keys that usually provides access to the BIOS is Delete. To enter this section of the board, you will have to press the Start key on the computer and when the screen comes on again during the reboot, continuously press now the Del key until you enter the BIOS. This applies to different versions of Windows, in case you are also interested in knowing how to enter the BIOS in Windows 7 or Windows XP, for example.

This simple method is usually useful to enter the Acer BIOS, for example, or also to enter the HP BIOS, since they are part of the main brands and manufacturers that work with computers today. You could use the same thing if you need to enter the Lenovo BIOS, although here it can vary and be the F2 key, the one that gives you access.

The keys to enter the BIOS may vary from one computer to another, due to factory settings, system specifications or any other detail. In addition, you also have to consider that BIOSes also work with other devices in regular use apart from computers, such as smartphones, portable GPS, smartwatches and more.

 

BIOS on Mac OS

Although the BIOS is pretty much exclusive to computers running Windows or Linux, it is possible to access a much simpler and more restricted version of a BIOS on an Apple computer, although it won’t offer the options that might be found on a PC.

To do this, you will need to completely turn off the device and then turn it back on. Before the screen activates, press the Option + O + F key combination and wait for a window to appear that you can recognize as the BIOS due to the style of its interface. 

Here you can enter commands to make changes, but it is not recommended to access this part of the system if you do not have full knowledge of what you are doing.

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