Questions tagged [bios]

The BIOS (basic input/output system) of an IBM-compatible PC is a ROM which performs the POST (power-on self-test), initializes the peripheral devices, and provides a basic firmware interface.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
129 votes
3 answers
501k views

What is the difference in "Boot with BIOS" and "Boot with UEFI"

Now Windows 8 supports the UEFI bootloader and I have read that its different from the BIOS, but it's unclear to me after many searches on the Google. Some points in mind are below:- As we all know, ...
avirk's user avatar
  • 15.8k
8 votes
5 answers
16k views

How to enable 4GB in my Windows 7 64 bit?

I have the following machine configuration: Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 1 x 2048 MBytes memory chip 2 x 1024 MBytes memory chip 1 x Radeon HD 4870 Motherboard : Gigabyte 945P-S3 Windows 7 RTM 64-bit In ...
ArielBH's user avatar
  • 195
167 votes
14 answers
440k views

VT-x is not available, but is enabled in BIOS

Recently I started having an issue with VT-x on my Windows 10 running on HP EliteBook. I was using Oracle VirtualBox to run some VMs on it before and VT-x was enabled in BIOS and was working fine. I ...
SergeyOvchinnik's user avatar
8 votes
6 answers
22k views

Reset or remove the BIOS password on my laptop

I have a laptop but forgot the BIOS password. I cannot go beyond the BIOS password screen and need to continue. Is there any way I can reset or even remove the BIOS password on my laptop?
0xFaCeB00c's user avatar
21 votes
7 answers
29k views

Is there any way to boot Windows 7/8 using BIOS on GPT?

I'd like to know if there's a method to get Windows 7 or Windows 8 Developer Preview to install to a GPT disk on my traditional IBM PC BIOS setup. Windows 7, of course, rejects my GPT partition, ...
John Chadwick's user avatar
3 votes
7 answers
3k views

Where did the other .8 GB of RAM go? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Why does Windows only show about 3.5 GB of my more than 4 GB of RAM? I have this system, which has 2 times 2 GB SDRAM installed. When I check the system BIOS it shows as 4 ...
user avatar
35 votes
8 answers
183k views

Is it possible to recover a computer from a failed BIOS update?

While attempting the update the BIOS on an Asus motherboard, i learned the Asus Update Utility for Windows doesn't fully support Windows 64-bit. It was able to erase the BIOS without problems, but ...
Ian Boyd's user avatar
  • 22k
18 votes
5 answers
153k views

Bypass BIOS password set by faulty Toshiba firmware on Satellite A55-S1065 laptop?

I want to rescue this 7 year old laptop that has been crippled by a glitch in its BIOS: 'A "Password =" prompt may be displayed when the computer is turned on, even though no power-on password has ...
blee's user avatar
  • 1,864
14 votes
3 answers
36k views

Is it possible to update BIOS to UEFI?

I just ran the Windows 8 Upgrade Assistant on an older machine (just for fun) and was informed that due to lack of UEFI firmware, Secure Boot would not be supported. Is it possible for motherboard ...
Karan's user avatar
  • 56.4k
2 votes
1 answer
103k views

Remove BIOS password for HP ProBook 4530s ( Reset BIOS )

I’m locked up beyond BIOS of my HP ProBook 4530s. Long time ago I put a password on it, But now I don’t remember it. I have to reset the BIOS password, But I found that it doesn't relate to the CMOS ...
Omid PD's user avatar
  • 143
21 votes
6 answers
85k views

How to tell if the Windows Installer boots in EFI or BIOS?

I have a Windows 7 x64 install USB and want to know if the installer has booted into EFI or BIOS mode. I found a solution here, but it doesn't work since notepad couldn't find: \Windows\Panther\...
Duong Thang's user avatar
13 votes
4 answers
54k views

BIOS Hard Drive Password Security?

I have a Dell Latitude E6400 and I would like to know how secure setting a BIOS HDD Password is? Does this apply some form of encryption to the contents of the drive or is it just some simple lock on ...
user10762's user avatar
  • 383
35 votes
4 answers
99k views

Virtual box is not working on windows 10

I have installed virtual box But when I tried to run it. It shows me an error as: I have been trying everything for whole day. Like there are answers related to this question as: VT-x is not ...
Himanshu's user avatar
  • 761
24 votes
6 answers
84k views

How to know if my BIOS supports UEFI?

I recently bought a new Dell notebook for my girlfriend and I want to know if the computer comes with a UEFI BIOS, unfortunately I didnt find any information in the manual or on Windows, is there some ...
Diogo's user avatar
  • 30.5k
8 votes
3 answers
80k views

How to unlock an ATA password-locked HDD with an upper-case password if the BIOS accepts only lower-case?

I accidentally locked an HDD with an ATA password, trying to issue a secure erase command. It was on Linux, I entered this command : hdparm --security-erase PWD /dev/sda So the password is PWD (no ...
Hey's user avatar
  • 1,261
47 votes
3 answers
157k views

What does "Legacy USB Mouse" support in a BIOS mean?

What does a "Legacy USB Mouse" option in a BIOS mean? Yes legacy usually means older revision, or obsolete. So legacy usb mouse means support for "old style usb mouses". That's not really ...
Ian Boyd's user avatar
  • 22k
22 votes
8 answers
178k views

Cannot enter BIOS due to broken screen

Lately my laptop (HP g42 247sb) screen is damaged, so I hook it up with an external monitor (LG something) and it works fine now. The only annoying thing is I cannot navigate the BIOS menu for some ...
gamer's user avatar
  • 221
7 votes
5 answers
23k views

I get a red bar when trying to install windows 7 DVD, and it freezes

I get a red bar when trying to install windows 7 DVD, and it freezes. I read here https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windows/en-US/aee2b86b-ab1d-409a-b8ca-e0f6a4c90b3c/windows-7-pro-...
barlop's user avatar
  • 23.8k
1 vote
1 answer
3k views

Does my CPU/motherboard support VT-x?

I have the same problem described here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/51863722/visual-studio-2017-android-device-manager-thinks-whpx-is-not-properly-installed i.e. I cannot run Android Emulators ...
w0051977's user avatar
  • 225
15 votes
4 answers
27k views

Is it possible to boot Linux from a GPT disk on a BIOS system?

I have an AMI BIOS computer [Asus EB1501P] with a Seagate ST9250315AS 250GB HDD. Is it possible to boot Linux from a GPT disk on such a BIOS system?
SebMa's user avatar
  • 1,773
5 votes
4 answers
57k views

Will the Samsung Series 9 models boot from USB?

I'm thinking about getting either one of these Series 9 Models: NP900X3C-A01US - Win 7 NP900X3C-A05US - Win 8 I'd want to do a complete wipe on either one, but what to make certain that the unit is ...
Chace Fields's user avatar
  • 1,159
24 votes
8 answers
24k views

How can I take screenshots of the PC before it boots up?

How can I take a screenshot of the PC before it has started up? For example: If I wanted to take a screenshot of my BIOS and send it to the Network Admin for review Windows installation screenshots ...
xorpower's user avatar
  • 1,719
17 votes
7 answers
85k views

How to move an existing installation of Window 7 64bit to UEFI (from legacy)

I have a laptop that has Windows 7 64 bit Enterprise edition. It is already filled with plenty of Software and drivers. The laptop (Dell E6220) supports booting through UEFI, but the insatllition was ...
Ran's user avatar
  • 173
16 votes
8 answers
15k views

Can a virus melt the CPU?

I was just wondering if a virus could melt a CPU by altering te voltage in the bios. :) (and no, I'm not planning on making that kind of a virus...)
kajdehoop's user avatar
  • 343
10 votes
5 answers
142k views

How can I change my BIOS splashscreen?

How can I change my BIOS splashscreen? I have an AMD Athlon64 PC with Windows 7. I have a MS-7367 motherboard. My BIOS = American Megatrends, Inc. v3.0. (date: 06/06/2007) (got the info from CPU-Z)
Deniz Zoeteman's user avatar
7 votes
3 answers
29k views

How can I enable AHCI mode after Windows Vista install in IDE mode and before/for Windows 7 clean install? [duplicate]

I just purchased a 2 TB Fantom USB 2.0/eSATA external hard drive. Unfortunately it revealed my oversight when my first custom system was built last summer. I installed Vista Home Premium 64-bit ...
Donat's user avatar
  • 221
3 votes
1 answer
8k views

CPU Does not run at full speed

I've been experiencing a problem with my processor's speed lately. The CPU is running 797MHz, instead of it's full performance. In the past, it's been running well, until yesterday when it suddenly ...
Barking Dog's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
3k views

Does booting work in pairs like BIOS/MBR, UEFI/GPT?

Disk 0 - It is a HDD. It's partition style is Master boot record. (MBR) It's the disk in which I wanna install Linux and dual boot. Disk 1 - It is a SSD. It's partition style is GUID partition table. (...
user1178153's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
29k views

Samsung NP530 laptop cannot enter BIOS setup

My friend has a Samsung NP530U3C and he has changed the BIOS to CSM only. Now its stuck on a loop and will not boot up, the options "F2 setup" and "F4 recovery" are there but they do nothing. I have ...
Tony's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
2 answers
22k views

Harddisk SMART failure detected, turn off check on every boot

I have windows 10, updated to 1903 a few days ago. I have the Asus z170 motherboard and have three Hard drives, one an SSD which has my windows installed on it and another one is 1tb Seagate and ...
krv's user avatar
  • 669
50 votes
4 answers
10k views

How computers display raw, low-level text and graphics

My ever-growing interest in computers is making me ask deeper questions, that we don't seem to have to ask anymore. Our computers, at boot, as far as I understand it, are in text mode, in which a ...
Doddy's user avatar
  • 1,018
49 votes
2 answers
509k views

What is CSM option

What is the CSM option in BIOS? If I can't boot into Windows any more, is it because CSM is disabled? Would an ASUS K55 come with this option diabled?
Ken's user avatar
  • 499
45 votes
2 answers
27k views

Does Windows 8 support UTC as BIOS time?

Is there any way to use Windows 8 with time in UTC in BIOS? I know there is a way to do it in Windows 7 (in this question: Does Windows 7 support UTC as BIOS time?), but this solution makes my system ...
Roren's user avatar
  • 553
44 votes
7 answers
82k views

Using virtual box is it possible to set your virtual machine time to be different from host time

Using virtual box is it possible to set your virtual machine time to be different from host time. Say 1 year into the past. If I wanted to run the windows XP images provided by Microsoft from here. ...
nelaaro's user avatar
  • 13.5k
29 votes
5 answers
136k views

Use bluetooth keyboard to access/edit BIOS?

Can I use a bluetooth keyboard to enter BIOS and edit the values there? I'm thinking of two scenarios: A new machine - no OS (yet). So to me seems no possibility to pair the keyboard. Hence no access ...
Siim K's user avatar
  • 7,912
25 votes
4 answers
261k views

What does the BIOS setting 'XHCI Pre-Boot Mode' do?

I have a BIOS setting called XHCI Pre-Boot Mode. If I have this enabled, USB devices which aren't plugged in at boot, are never recognised. If I set it to Disabled then USB devices work normally. The ...
Jamie Kitson's user avatar
22 votes
5 answers
294k views

How can I update a BIOS without battery?

I want to update a BIOS to a new version. While the update process executes, was given this error: The battery must be charged above 10 before the system bios can be flashed My equipment is: ...
ozkank's user avatar
  • 351
22 votes
7 answers
55k views

Force Windows 8 to use UTC when dealing with BIOS clock

I have Arch Linux + Windows 8 on my laptop. In previous versions of Windows, there is a DWORD in the registry (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\TimeZoneInformation\...
jiehanzheng's user avatar
15 votes
5 answers
48k views

Possible to install 64-bit Windows on 32-bit UEFI?

I recently purchased an HP Stream 7, which I was led to believe would have Windows 8.1 64-bit installed. However, it has 32-bit Windows, even though it has a 64-bit processor. Installing 64-bit has ...
Atlantic's user avatar
  • 272
8 votes
2 answers
80k views

After Windows 10 upgrade I can no longer access BIOS

I posted a question recently regarding my Windows 10 upgrade which ended up with a black screen and cursor. QUESTION I reverted back to Windows 8.1 using the "Revert to previous build" option in ...
djtwigg's user avatar
  • 251
8 votes
6 answers
122k views

How do I enter the BIOS on Windows 10?

Before my family's laptop was upgraded to Windows 10, upon each power-up following a shutdown, it would briefly display Press ESCAPE to enter BIOS, now, following the upgrade it simply turns on, then ...
JimBobOH's user avatar
  • 229
5 votes
2 answers
11k views

How to verify a self-encrypted drive (SED) is really encrypted?

I have a Dell Precision M3800 that is supposed to have a self-encrypted hard drive. I'm running Windows 10. In the Storage Management screen, the disk claims to be a 'LITEONIT LMT-256L9M-41 MSATA ...
mwhidden's user avatar
  • 153
4 votes
2 answers
6k views

Half of installed RAM is hardware reserved

After a rather arduous and convoluted series of problems that left me without a desktop for ~80 days, I've finally got the thing up and running, having replaced the power supply, motherboard, graphics ...
user968270's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
20k views

Upgrade memory from 4GB to 16Gb, but Hardware Reserved memory got 8GB

I want to upgrade my laptop memory from 4GB (Hynix-BUS 1600-DDR3-PC3 12800-voltage 1.5v), to two 8GB memories (total:16GB - Kingmax-BUS 1600-DDR3-PC3 12800-voltage 1.35/1.5v) OS: Windows 7 64bit ...
Dr.jacky's user avatar
  • 133
47 votes
5 answers
399k views

How to create an EFI System Partition?

TL; DR How do I create an EFI system partition from scratch? How do I put the EFI firmware on it onces it is created? Long version I hava Toshiba T430 laptop. I received it with Windows 7 installed (...
Alexander Popov's user avatar
35 votes
10 answers
20k views

Why must a computer have a BIOS?

The BIOS software is built into the PC, and is the first code run by a PC when powered on ('boot firmware'). When the PC starts up, the first job for the BIOS is the power-on self-test, which ...
Diogo's user avatar
  • 30.5k
35 votes
5 answers
99k views

Demystifying SATA hotplug

I have a BIOS that has an option to enable hot-plug on individual ports. I have a sliding enclosure for HDD and SSD (nothing more than a pass-trhu to power and a sata port) that allow me to cut power ...
gcb's user avatar
  • 4,863
35 votes
16 answers
643k views

Can't boot from USB - even with BIOS set correctly

I can't boot from USB even though the BIOS is set to boot from USB first. Windows Boot manager somehow seems to be taking precedence. I have Windows 7, Linux Mint and Ubuntu installed on my hard-drive....
Newb1's user avatar
  • 451
29 votes
4 answers
273k views

What exactly is "UEFI with CSM" boot mode?

Under this question, I was told that "UEFI with CSM" is essentially BIOS mode. It made me quite confused because what I've learnt over the years is far from that. As per my observation, I think CSM ...
iBug's user avatar
  • 11k
18 votes
1 answer
244k views

Boot from USB not working - Acer Aspire E1-522

I've been trying to boot a Windows 7 (yup) USB in this laptop, but neither using UEFI nor Legacy boot would work. In UEFI, always boot the HD even if it's last in priority list. In Legacy boot, ...
Suzamax's user avatar
  • 183

1
2 3 4 5
9