BIOS facts for kids

BIOS, which stands for Basic Input/Output System, is like the computer's first helper. It's a special program built into a small chip on your computer's motherboard. Think of it as the brain that wakes up your computer and makes sure all its parts, like the keyboard, mouse, and screen, can talk to each other and work properly. The word BIOS comes from the Greek word bios, meaning "life", which is fitting because it brings your computer to life!

When you turn on your computer, it goes through a process called "booting up". This is when the computer gets itself ready for you to use. The BIOS starts working right away. It performs a quick check called the Power-On Self Test (POST). During this test, the BIOS looks at important parts of your computer, like the processor, memory, and video card. It makes sure they are all there and working correctly. If everything looks good, the BIOS then searches for the operating system (like Windows or macOS), which is usually stored on your computer's hard drive. Once it finds the operating system, the BIOS starts loading it. After that, the operating system takes over, and your computer is ready for you!

Making Your Computer Faster

Some people like to make their computers run even faster than they were originally designed. This is called "overclocking". Since the BIOS controls how the computer's processor works, you can sometimes change settings in the BIOS to speed things up. To get to the BIOS setup screen, you usually press a key like Delete or F12 right when your computer is starting up. There are different ways to overclock, but often it means making the processor work at a higher speed.

However, overclocking can make your computer run much hotter. It can also sometimes damage your computer, and if that happens, your computer's warranty might not cover the repairs. Because of these risks, only people who are experts with computer hardware should try to overclock their computers.

Images for kids

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  A pair of AMD BIOS chips for a Dell 310 computer from the 1980s

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  Boot process

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  BIOS chips in a Dell 310 that were updated by replacing the chips

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  Award BIOS setup utility on a standard PC

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  BIOS replacement kit for a Dell 310 from the late 1980s. Included are two chips, a plastic holder for the chips, and a chip puller.

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  American Megatrends BIOS 686. This BIOS chip is housed in a PLCC package in a socket.

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  Compaq Portable 386 BIOS

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  An American Megatrends BIOS showing an "Intel CPU uCode Loading Error" after a failed attempt to upload microcode patches into the CPU

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  A detached BIOS chip

See also

In Spanish: BIOS para niños