Hello friends!

There are programs without which the computer cannot work. Bios is one such program. How to configure the BIOS I will tell in this publication.

The bios of a computer is a special program recorded in a special microcircuit on the motherboard. It is used to configure the critical system settings of the computer and save them during the shutdown of the computer. To do this, the motherboard is equipped with an autonomous power source - a mini-battery, the size of a coin.

Bios has its own settings menu. Its image may vary, depending on the type of motherboard, but in most cases it usually looks like this.

In most cases, there is no need to change the BIOS settings, since the default settings allow the standard user to work normally with the computer. However, sometimes it becomes necessary to change some settings. Such a need may arise:

After replacing the BIOS battery, when the system time and date get lost;

When reinstalling the operating system (see), if the system does not boot from the media that contains this OS;

If necessary, reduce the noise of the computer;

In cases where some additional devices cannot be installed correctly on the computer;

Connect or disconnect any devices to the system board as needed.

Advanced users with the help of BIOS can, if necessary, increase the performance of the computer and operate with finer settings of the computer, adjusting it to their needs. But here we will consider the most necessary basic BIOS settings that ordinary users can do.

To enter the BIOS menu, you need to hold down and hold the F2 or Delete key while loading or rebooting the computer (this also depends on the type of computer and is indicated in the user manual for the motherboard or computer). If you do not find such an indication, then you should try both options when downloading.

The BIOS menu is usually in English, but it is possible to select some other languages ​​\u200b\u200bin the “Language” item (Chinese, Korean, Japanese and others). There are no bios menus in Russian yet, so we will consider the English version.

To exit the BIOS menu and proceed to the normal boot of the computer, select the "Exit" menu section and select the first line "Exit & Save Changes" in the list that opens, which means "Exit and save changes", or "Exit & Discard Changes" - "Exit and don't save changes." Also in this section there is an item "Load Setup Defaults", the selection of which returns the BIOS to the factory settings.

Do not be afraid to experiment with BIOS settings - if you did something wrong and the computer does not want to work normally, return the factory settings and everything will return to normal.

The BIOS menu sections can be arranged both horizontally (as shown in the figure above) and vertically, in the form of line names.

We will consider the basic BIOS settings in the American Megatrends option, as the most common. But the general principle of settings remains the same in all configuration options for the BIOS menu.

Menu navigation is shown on the right side of the menu window. As you can see from the navigation, moving through sections and menu items is carried out using the Tab keys (arrow keys). Selecting a menu item and action is done with the Enter key. The "+" and "-" keys - respectively add and subtract the parameter values. Exit the menu with the Esc key.

The most commonly used actions in the menu items: "Auto" - select automatically, "Enabled" - enable, "Disabled" - disable.

There are usually seven menu sections: Main - general settings; AI Tweaker (does not happen on all motherboards) - fine-tuning the motherboard and other devices; Advanced - settings for the central processor and devices integrated into the system board; Power - computer power settings; Boot - settings for the boot order of the operating system from devices and setting a password to boot the system; Tools - tools for updating the BIOS program; Exit - exit from the BIOS program.

How to set up bios.

Consider the BIOS settings by sections of the program menu.

1. main.

This section configures the computer's system time, its system date, interface language, a summary of hard drives and CD/DVD drives, and system information.

In this section, you can change the time, date, language, connect and disconnect hard drives and drives. It is advisable not to touch the rest of the menu items.

2. AI Tweaker.

In this section, you can fine-tune the motherboard and its devices. For non-specialists in this section, it is better not to change anything. Otherwise, unknowingly, you can damage the equipment. The only thing that can be done is to adjust the DRAM Frequency item after replacing or adding computer RAM. If, after replacing or adding memory, the system fails, then you must select this item, press Enter and select the type and clock frequency in the list that opens, corresponding to the parameters specified in the instructions for the replacement unit. But if after installing additional memory problems do not appear, then you should leave the value "Auto".

3.Advanced.

Item CPU Configuration . This is where the CPU settings are made.

If you stop at this point and press Enter, then information about the processor and the technologies that this processor supports will open. By default, almost all technologies are enabled and their settings do not require intervention. But if you need to additionally enable a disabled technology, use the arrow keys to select it, press Enter and change Disabled to Enabled.

Item Onboard Devices Configuration.

Here are collected the settings of the devices available on your system

board. In this case, in order: audio codec, network

controller, controller 1394 - a device for connecting video and

photo camera, J-Micron controller (for 2 additional ports).

Existing equipment can be connected or disconnected by selecting

parameters respectively Enabled or Disabled.

Item USB Configuration.

USB Functions - USB interface settings. USB ports here

can be turned on or off.

Legacy USB Support - compatibility settings for various

standards

USB (USB 1.0, USB 2.0, USB 3.0). Here you need to set the parameter

Auto, at which the system itself will determine the type of USB.

PCIP n P - detection of Plug And Play devices by the operating system. Here it is desirable that the parameter "Yes" be set. This is necessary to prevent the OS from freezing when plug and play devices are connected to the computer.

4. power.

Item Saspend Mode - is responsible for using the standby and hibernation modes. It is better to leave its parameter "Auto".

APM Configuration item - start the computer (wake up from sleep or standby mode) using some device. Select the desired device (Mouse, modem or keyboard) and change Disabled to Enabled or to the desired key.

Item Hardware Monitor - a summary of the temperature regime and settings of coolers (fans). This item should not be touched.

5 Boot.

Item Boot Device Priority– selection of device priority for loading the operating system.

During normal computer operation, you can put the system hard drive with the operating system in the first place (in this case, HDD: P1-MAXTOR STM3), and the rest of the items can be disabled.

If you need to reinstall the operating system from an optical disk, CD ROM is placed first and the hard disk is second. This scheme can be left for normal work.

If you need to boot the operating system from a USB drive, then leave the CD ROM in the first place, the USB port (Removable Device or USB Devise) in the second place, and the hard drive in the third place.

Item Hard Disk Drives - switching priorities between the hard drives of your computer. If you have several of them, then in the first place you need to put the one on which the operating system is installed so that it boots first.

Boot Settings Configuration item– settings for the first stage of booting the computer.

Here, the first sub-item of Quick Boot is the accelerated loading of the computer. It is desirable to include it, i.e. select the Enabled option. You can ignore the rest of the settings in this item.

Security item - here you can assign a password, without which it will be impossible to change the BIOS settings.

6.Tools- means for updating the BIOS program. We do not pay attention to it.

7. Exit- exit from the bios program. I talked about it at the beginning of the article. But it is worth adding that if you changed the BIOS settings, and did not remember what exactly you changed, then it is better to exit the BIOS through the “Exit & Discard Changes” item - “Exit and do not save changes”. And only if you are sure that the changes you made in the settings are correct, exit through the “Exit & Save Changes” item, which means “Exit and save changes”.

This is how the basic settings of the BIOS program are made. As you can see, there is nothing complicated about this, even a novice user can conduct them. Try, experiment, and you will succeed. If something went wrong, you can always restore the factory settings through the “Load Setup Defaults” item, which I mentioned above (unless, of course, you set a password to change the settings in the BIOS and then lost it).

See you!

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Any more or less advanced computer user should know what a BIOS is, what it is for, and how to configure it correctly. In fact, the BIOS is a very interesting thing; with it, you can configure almost all components of the system unit. Well, now let's talk about everything in order.

What is a BIOS and what is it for?

BIOS is a collection of firmware that allows you to configure individual components of the system unit, as well as the operating system bootloader and other important settings. Literally, the BIOS can be called the basic input-output system.

Many novice users ask where is the BIOS? The BIOS is located on the motherboard and this is no accident, since it is the motherboard that is responsible for the interaction and operation of all computer components.

In the photo above you can see what the BIOS looks like. Many will agree with us that the look of the BIOS is somewhat old, and to be completely honest - “wooden”. Nevertheless, the latest models of Asus motherboards have a rather beautiful and modern design, moreover, it is Russified. In this article, we will configure the BIOS using the example of the old type, since it is more difficult, and the main thing is that you understand the essence of the BIOS. If you understand the essence of how to work in BIOS with the old design, then it will not be difficult for you to figure out the new one.

BIOS functions

As mentioned earlier, the main function of the BIOS is to configure the hardware of the computer. With the BIOS, you can:

• Set the system time;


• Set download priority;


• Set the power settings of some devices;


• Enable or disable some devices, etc.

We will consider the most basic BIOS functions in more detail below, but first we will talk about the operation of the BIOS itself.

Working with BIOS

How to get into the BIOS
In order to get into the BIOS, you need to hold down the "Delete" or "F1" key on the keyboard when restarting or starting the computer, depending on the motherboard, after which you enter the BIOS.

You can control the BIOS using 5 buttons:

• Arrows - help to navigate through the sections and select the desired parameters in the settings;


• Enter - opens the selected section or setting;


• ESC - exit.

In addition, you can reset the BIOS to factory settings by pressing the F9 key, and pressing the F10 key will save the settings and exit the menu.

As for the BIOS control in the new design of Asus motherboards, it is carried out using the mouse. In principle, there is nothing complicated in managing both the old and the new BIOS.

How to reset BIOS?
Sometimes advanced users reset BIOS settings. This is done in order to return the BIOS settings to the factory settings, in case the changes they made led to problems in the operation of the entire computer or individual devices. Find contacts on the motherboard that are signed as: CCMOS, Clear CMOS or Clear RTC. Each manufacturer, and maybe even each different motherboard model, may have its own BIOS reset options. It is important to note that any work on resetting the BIOS settings must be carried out with the computer turned off, as well as with the system unit and other devices connected to it turned off from the power supply.

• The first option to reset the BIOS is with a jumper. If you find a jumper, then it will close the first and second contacts. To reset the BIOS, pull out the jumper and close the second and third contacts with it, for 15 seconds, then move the jumper to its original position.


• The second option is contact closure. There are models of motherboards in which to reset the BIOS, you need to close 2 contacts with a metal object. Such an object can be a small screwdriver. That is, when the computer is turned off, close both contacts for 15 seconds, then remove the short circuit and start the computer, the BIOS settings will be reset.


• The third option is with a battery. To do this, you need to find the battery that powers the motherboard. Again, with the power completely off, pry up on the battery latch and remove it for 15 minutes. Then put the battery back in and start the computer.


• The fourth option is to click on the BIOS reset button. In some models of motherboards, resetting the BIOS settings is very simple, for this you need to press the corresponding button on the motherboard.

After you reset the BIOS - we recommend checking the time settings and boot priority.

Flashing the BIOS
BIOS firmware. Oddly enough, the BIOS has its own firmware that can be updated. Updating the firmware will eliminate some problems with the BIOS, as well as with its settings. There is no special need to update the firmware, but if you have problems with the BIOS or you have sufficient knowledge to perform this procedure, you can update the BIOS firmware. Read about how to update the BIOS in the manuals, in which this process is described specifically for your motherboard.

You can download the latest BIOS firmware for your motherboard from the official website of its manufacturer. As a rule, flashing the BIOS is done through a special utility, which is located on the disk with drivers and settings. This disk comes with the motherboard.

Learn more about updating the BIOS -.

How to set up the BIOS correctly
So, now let's look at how to properly configure the BIOS. While in the main BIOS menu, use the arrows to move the cursor to the clock and set the correct time using the "PageUp" and "PageDown" keys. Then go to the date settings and use the same buttons to set today's date, month and year. This is very important, since both the operating system itself and most programs work based on this date and time. It is worth noting that the BIOS is set to the American date format, so the month, day and year come first. To go to the next section of the settings - press the arrow to the right.

You don’t really need to configure anything in the Advanced tab, since it is responsible for the operation of devices, so let’s move on to the next tab.

The Security tab allows you to configure security. We will not touch it either, since this is not necessary for a home computer, as, for example, for an office one. Let's move on to the next section.

In the Boot section, you can set the boot priority for the operating system. Site site wizards strongly recommend that you configure the boot in order to reduce the boot time of the operating system. If a CD-ROM is installed as the primary device for loading the OS, then before loading the system from the hard disk, the bootloader will check the CD-ROM, and after a few seconds, having found nothing, it will start loading the operating system from the hard drive. Depending on the motherboard model, the boot priority settings will have different labels. The primary boot source can be called: "1st Boot Device" or "First Boot Device". Place the cursor next to this parameter and press "Enter". In the menu that appears, use the arrows to select the "Hard Disk" item and press "Enter" again. Then go to the "2nd Boot Device" or "Second Boot Device" option and set it to "CDROM". In the "3rd Boot Device" or "Third Boot Device" parameter, we recommend setting the value to "Disabled".

In order to save the settings, go to the "Exit" section and select the "Exit Saving Changes" item and press "Enter". If you only want to save the settings without leaving the BIOS, then select the “Save Changes” item. In addition, you can load the default settings from the BIOS menu by selecting "Load Setup Defaults" or exit the BIOS without saving by selecting "Exit Discarding Changes".

On this, the necessary settings were made in the BIOS.

How to set the system date and time? How do I boot my computer from a CD or flash drive? These and other common questions will be answered by getting acquainted with the basic BIOS settings and how to edit them.

Introduction

If you still don’t know what BIOS (BIOS) is and what this firmware is for, then we advise you to read our previous material that tells how the computer boots up and what role the “basic input / conclusion." In the same article, we will get acquainted with the BIOS setup program, which is most often called the BIOS (CMOS) Setup Utility.

By the way, in most cases, users use the abbreviated names of this program, calling it BIOS Setup or simply BIOS. For example, you can often hear expressions such as “enter the BIOS” or “open the BIOS”, which is somewhat incorrect, since in both cases we are talking about entering the BIOS Setup program, which is only part of the BIOS.

In most cases, BIOS Setup is used by ordinary users only to set the system time and date or select boot devices. But in fact, this program can have a lot of possibilities. With it, you can manage the operation of the processor, RAM, chipset and other important PC components, monitor the temperature regime of devices and perform many other useful actions.

Enter BIOS (CMOS) Setup Utility

In order to launch the BIOS setup program, it is necessary to press a certain key or a combination of them during the initial PC testing procedure. In the vast majority of cases, on desktop computers, the Del key is used to enter the BIOS Setup, less often F1 or F2. In laptops, on the contrary, it is the function keys (F1, F2, F11, F12) that are most often used for these purposes.

You can find out exactly which of the keys are used to start BIOS Setup from the instructions for the computer or motherboard. Also, in some cases, during the POST procedure, a hint is displayed on the monitor screen about which key you need to press to enter the settings.

True, in modern computers and laptops, on-screen prompts are becoming less and less common, but in any case, a search query on the Internet will always help you find the right key.

In addition to the need to know the right key to get into BIOS Setup, it is equally important to choose the right moment to press it. In order not to be late, it is better to repeatedly press the enter key immediately after the start of the PC boot. In most cases, this method is guaranteed to run the BIOS settings.

BIOS Interface (CMOS) Setup Utility

The Bios Setup program has a text interface without any design tricks and is controlled exclusively using the keyboard. This is explained by the fact that the graphical shell of this application has not changed much since the 80s, so everything looks very simple and ascetic.

In general, the BIOS Setup interface is of two types: with the location of the main menu in two columns or horizontally. You can understand what type is in front of you immediately after entering the program and opening its main window.

In the first case, you will see a list of sections placed in two columns on a blue background. This option is typical for BIOS versions developed by Phoenix Technologies (AwardBIOS, Award Modular BIOS, Award WorkstationBIOS). They are traditionally used in their motherboards by manufacturers such as MSI, Gigabyte, Foxconn, ECS and others.

In the second case, a window with a gray background will appear in front of you, in which the menu with the main sections will be placed on top of the screen, in the form of a blue horizontal strip. Such an interface, as a rule, is inherent in the American Megatrends BIOS (AMIBIOS, Aptio AMIBIOS) used in ASUS, Intel, ASRock and some other motherboards.

Despite such differences in the interface of these two options, all BIOS Setup sections have a similar presentation. To verify this, let's look at the structure of the program's windows in both cases.

At the top of the screen, you will always find the name of the current section (in the case of a horizontal menu, the name is highlighted) or subsection.

The main part of the screen is occupied by an area containing a list of subsections (indicated by triangular arrows) and parameters of the selected section. To the right of the parameter names are their values. At the same time, it should be noted that if a parameter is highlighted in pale color (blue or light gray), then it either has the read-only status and is purely informational, or in order to edit it, you need to change another parameter associated with it.

The right part of the screen is usually occupied by a column that displays brief reference information on the selected parameter or subsection, as well as tips on possible actions and use of control keys (American Megatrends). In the BIOS setup program with a blue background, the function key prompt is usually located at the bottom of the screen.

As you can see, despite the different colors and slight differences in the arrangement of work items on the screen, both interfaces are inherently very similar and present information to users in almost the same way. That is why the methods of working with BIOS parameters in both cases are almost the same.

Arrow keys are used to navigate through the menu and select the desired options, subsections or sections, and the Enter key is used to open them. The "ESC" key is responsible for returning to the previous screen and exiting the current settings. Also, with this key, you can exit BIOS Setup without making changes to the settings by pressing it in the main menu. In addition, the functions of the "F1" key, which calls for help, and "F10", which initializes the exit from BIOS Setup, from any place in the program, with saving the changes made, are unchanged. The "PageUP"/"PageDown" or "+"/"-" keys are traditionally used to cycle through the available values ​​of the parameters to be changed.

In addition to the above keys, other function keys ("F2" - "F9", "F11", "F12") can also be used to work with BIOS settings, but their purpose may differ depending on the board model and its manufacturer. However, in order to understand what each of them is responsible for, it is not difficult. It is enough to refer to the prompts that appear on the screen or look through the manual for the motherboard.

Main sectionsBIOSSetupwith a columned main menu (blue background)

Each motherboard model in many cases has its own unique set of customizable parameters, but the names and thematic focus of the main BIOS Setup sections usually remain unchanged.

standard CMOS futures

This section contains the main (standard) computer settings, which include: setting the system date and time ( date, time), disk drive parameters ( IDE Channel), as well as various information about the system (information about the installed processor, the amount of RAM, and others).

By the way, setting the date and time for most users is one of the key reasons for visiting BIOS Setup.

Advanced BIOS Features

This section contains advanced BIOS settings. The most common of them include:

• CPU Cache Management
• Options related to the nuances of booting a computer. For example, here you can enable / disable NumLock mode, accelerated loading mode ( Quick Boot), as well as displaying the logo of the board manufacturer during the self-test procedure ( Full Screen LOGO Show).
• Selecting the sequence of polling boot devices ( First/Second/Third Boot Device). Another most requested feature in BIOS Setup, along with setting the date and time.
• Enable/Disable S.M.A.R.T.

It should be noted that depending on the motherboard model and BIOS modification, the set of settings in this section may vary.

Advanced chipset Features

This section describes the settings of the chipset installed in the motherboard, so the set of parameters here directly depends on its type and modification. In most cases, here are collected options that are responsible for the operation of RAM (adjusting the frequency and timings), the data exchange bus between the processor and RAM, the AGP / PCI-E graphics bus and the video adapter.

It should be noted that in some situations it is by changing the parameters of this section that you can increase the speed of your computer or, as they say, overclock it. True, recently, the options responsible for increasing the speed of the PC are most often taken out by manufacturers in a separate specialized section of the BIOS.

integrated Peripherals

This section contains parameters responsible for the operation of peripheral devices integrated into the motherboard, such as controllers for hard drives, USB ports, sound and network adapters, and others.

For example, here you can enable/disable the built-in sound card, support USB input devices, or select RAID mode to create an array of hard drives.

Here are collected options that are responsible for the power supply and power saving modes of the computer. Almost all modern computers allow you to manage power directly from the operating system, but this requires BIOS support for specialized ACPI standards, the mode and functions of which are regulated in this section.

Also here you can specify what actions should take place when you press the power button, set the conditions for turning on the PC and switching it to low power consumption or exiting hibernation.

PnP/PCI Configurations

This section contains the control parameters of the Plug and Play technology, which is responsible for the distribution of resources between PC devices and their quick configuration, as well as the settings for the operation of the PCI bus. As a rule, these functions are successfully performed by the system and do not require manual intervention. Therefore, in modern computers, this section may be absent altogether.

PC Health Status( H/ W monitor)

Modern motherboards are always equipped with sensors that monitor the operating temperatures and voltages of the main devices, as well as the speed of rotation of the cooling fans. All their indicators are displayed in this section.

In addition, in PC Health Status, you can control the fan operation modes and configure alert options in case of overheating, the cooler stops or the case cover is opened.

frequency/ Voltage control

This section contains parameters that are responsible for setting the operating frequencies and voltage values ​​for the processor, RAM, video card and other devices. By default, all frequencies and voltages have recommended values ​​and are adjusted automatically, which guarantees reliable system operation.

However, the value of some parameters in this section can be changed manually. This makes it possible to overclock the processor, memory and other components, forcing them to work at higher frequencies. It is only necessary to remember that, on the one hand, overclocking allows you to increase the overall performance of the system, and on the other hand, it can cause PC malfunctions and cause overclocked hardware to fail (for example, when setting too high voltage values). So you have to be very careful here.

It is worth noting that many major motherboard manufacturers list options for setting frequencies and voltages in a special section with the original name, for example MB Intelligent Tweaker (M.I.T.) or Cell Menu .

load Fail- Safe Defaults

This is not a partition, but a command that resets all BIOS settings to their default values, which guarantee stable operation of the entire system. After selecting this item, a window will open in front of you, in which you will need to confirm the reset by pressing the "Y" key.

A command that sets the BIOS settings in such a way that the optimal performance of the computer is ensured while maintaining the stability of all its components. However, the parameters that are subject to automatic change depend on the model of the motherboard and may vary.

However, please note that such optimization of settings in some cases may lead to unstable operation of the system due to the incompatibility of the installed equipment. Then you should return to the default settings using the command Load Fail-Safe Defaults and try to configure the desired parameters manually.

Set Supervisor Password

A command that allows you to set, remove or change the administrative password, which is used for full access to all BIOS settings, as well as when booting the PC.

Set User Password

A command that sets a user password that allows access to view BIOS settings. That is, most of the settings will be closed for editing. Also, this password can be used when booting the computer.

Main sectionsBIOSSetupwith horizontal main menu (gray background)

As we have already noted, the BIOS setup interface exists in two main versions, which differ not only in the external design and location of the main menu, but also in the layout of the parameters in sections. So now let's get acquainted with the second type of interface, which is used by such motherboard market leaders as ASUS or AsRock.

Main

Based on the name, according to the developers, this section contains the main BIOS settings, which include time and date, parameters of installed disk drives and general system information (BIOS version, processor model, amount of installed memory). In this way, Main is almost a complete analogue of the already familiar section .

As you probably already guessed, the most requested option in this section is setting the system date and time.

Advanced

As a rule, this section has the largest number of options for configuring components and PCs and includes several significant subsections at once. Here are the parameters responsible for the operation of the central processor ( CPU Configuration), RAM, video adapter, chipset ( chipset), PCI data bus and Plug and Play technology ( PnP/PCI Configuration, PCI PnP), built-in peripherals ( Onboard Device Configuration), USB ports ( USB configuration) and other equipment.

Also in this section you can find overclocking options that allow you to manually set the frequencies and voltages of the processor, memory, and the PCI-E bus. In some cases, users can additionally adjust RAM delays (timings / latency). In many motherboard models, the parameters responsible for overclocking are placed in a separate subsection (for example, Jumper FreeConfiguration) or even an independent section of the main menu ( AITweaker, Overclocking or ExtremeTweaker).

Due to a sufficiently large set of components and a variety of parameters, the section Advanced practically does not have a unified structure. Depending on the board model and BIOS developer, the number of subsections/settings and their names can vary greatly. Indeed, if compared with the BIOS Setup version, which has a blue background, it turns out that in the section Advanced collected the contents of five sections at once: Advanced BIOS Features, Advanced Chipset Features, Integrated Peripherals, Frequency/Voltage Control and PnP/PCI Configurations.

power

This section is identical in content and essence to the sections and PC Health Status (H/W Monitor).

Here are the parameters responsible for the power supply and energy saving of the PC, monitoring the operating temperatures and voltages of its main components, as well as controlling the fan speeds.

Boot

Already from the name it is clear that this section is responsible for configuring the boot parameters of the computer. It is here that the settings for determining the sequence of polling boot devices and enabling / disabling the “Num Lock” key are located, which are in demand by many users (subsection Boot Settings Configuration).

In many cases the section Boot includes subsection Security A containing commands to set, remove, or change administrative and user passwords. In some versions of BIOS Setup, password management parameters can be placed in a separate section of the same name.

Tools

Most motherboards from the popular ASUS manufacturer contain an additional section that contains auxiliary tools for updating the BIOS ( EZ Flash 2), disable/enable mini-OS on the Linux kernel ( Express Gate), creating profiles of individual BIOS settings ( O.C. Profile), as well as checking the connection of the network cable during PC boot ( AINET 2).

exit

This section is responsible for exiting the BIOS settings menu and combines commands such as:

• Exit & Save Changes- provides an exit from the program with preservation of all changes made by you.
• Exit & Discard Changes- exits the program without saving all the changes made.
• Load Setup Defaults- returns BIOS settings to default values ​​(factory reset).
• Discard Changes- Cancel the changes made without exiting the program.

After selecting any of the above commands, a window will appear in front of you in which you need to confirm its execution by pressing the “Y” key and then “Enter”

Setting the time and date

When you turn on a new computer for the first time, it’s better to immediately take care of setting the correct system time and date in the BIOS, thereby setting a baseline for both the operating system and software that can function without an installed OS.

To get into the BIOS settings menu, immediately after the computer starts booting, press the desired key (usually "Del" or "F2"). After the main BIOS Setup menu appears in front of you, in order to achieve the task, we perform a few simple manipulations.

BIOSSetup with blue background

Use the arrow keys to move the cursor to a section and press "Enter" ("Enter"). Often this section is the first and nothing needs to be moved anywhere, but there are exceptions.

In the window that opens with options, on top we find the two parameters we need - Date (Date) and Time (Time). Use the arrows to move between parameter values. To set values, you can use both the "+" / "PgUp" or "-" / "PgDn" keys, as well as direct entry of numbers from the keyboard. The “Enter” key is used to fix the set values.

The general algorithm of actions here is quite simple: place the cursor on the desired field (highlighted in red), enter or select its value and press "Enter". Next, go to the next field and repeat everything until all parameters are set.

After all the values ​​​​are entered, to save the changes, press the "F10" key. In the red window that opens, enter the letter "Y" by pressing the key of the same name on the keyboard. After the reboot, the new time and date values ​​will take effect.

BIOSSetup with gray background

Use the "←" and "→" keys to select a section Main, although in most cases this will not be necessary, since it is almost always located first and opens by default immediately after entering BIOS Setup.

We find in this section the parameters System Date (System date) and System Time (System time) and move the cursor there using the "↓" and "" keys. Further, to enter values, we use either the number keys directly, or the “+” and “-” keys. To move between fields within one parameter, the “Tab” key is used here. After entering the required value, press "Enter".

Boot device change

When installing an operating system or carrying out maintenance work with an already installed OS, it is often necessary to ensure that the computer is booted not from a hard drive, but from an optical media, USB flash drive, or some other storage device. Therefore, one of the most popular tasks for which ordinary users have to "climb" into the BIOS settings is the need to change the boot device.

BIOSSetup with blue background

After opening the BIOS Setup program, use the arrows to move the cursor to the section and press "Enter".

Use the "↓" key to go to the parameter (First boot device) and press "Enter" again.

Next, you will see a window with a list of devices that you can select as bootable. If you plan to start the PC from an optical disk, then use the arrows to select the CDROM value and then, as usual, "Enter". If you need to boot from a flash drive or an external portable drive, then select the USB-HDD option. In the same way, you can select the second and third boot devices ( SecondBootdevice and ThirdBootdevice).

At the same time, it should be taken into account that if several hard drives or solid-state drives that contain the system and are bootable are installed in the computer at once, then a special item is intended to indicate the sequence of their polling. HarddiskBootpriority.

In order for all the settings you have made to take effect, do not forget to press the "F10" key, then "Y" and finally "Enter".

BIOSSetup with gray background

After opening the BIOS settings window, use the "→" key to select the item Boot and press "Enter". Next, you may expect two options, depending on the BIOS version.

In the first case, you will immediately see a list of boot device assignments. They are designated as 1st, 2nd and 3rd Boot Devices (the first, second and third boot devices, respectively). Moving through the list is done with the "↓" keys, selection of values ​​(HDD, CDROM, USB, Removable) - with the "Enter" or "+/-" keys.

In the second case, section Boot will contain several subsections, among which in this situation we are interested in the item Bootdevicepriority. Move the cursor over it and press Enter. Immediately after that, a window will open in front of you with a list of boot devices, the selection of which is carried out in exactly the same way as described above.

The owner of several drives should pay attention to the subsection Harddiskdrives. It is in it that the priority boot disk is selected among the hard drives installed in the computer. If you have several optical drives installed, then in this case the choice of a priority device among them can be organized in the subsection CDROMdrives.

After completing the settings, it remains to press the "F10" key, and then "Enter" to save the changes made.

Conclusion

Despite the fact that the BIOS is still the most common system used for initial hardware setup and PC booting, its time is inexorably coming to an end. Today, most motherboards are equipped with a new promising software boot interface - UEFI, which has a modern graphical shell and has much more functionality.

Nevertheless, it is too early to write off the "old lady" BIOS. After all, the mass introduction of UEFI began just a few years ago, while the BIOS has been the main boot system for several decades. Therefore, for a long time, a huge number of computers with BIOS will be used by many users.

Today I will tell you how to enable booting from a USB flash drive in the BIOS of various manufacturers. It doesn't matter which version you have, the order of gestures will be as follows:

1. We insert our bootable USB flash drive into the USB port of your computer. I recommend inserting it into the port located directly on the motherboard, i.e. from the back of the system unit.

2. Turn on the computer and press the key Delete(or F2) to get into the BIOS. Depending on the manufacturer and BIOS version, other keys (Esc, F1, Tab) may also be used, so you need to carefully read the prompts on the screen.

In BIOS, we can only navigate through the tabs using the keyboard.
Below I will describe this process in detail using the most used BIOS versions as an example.

Attention! Remember that if you are installing the operating system from a USB flash drive or CD and have selected a boot device in the BIOS, and not in the boot menu, then after the first automatic reboot of Windows, you must enter the BIOS again and return to boot from the hard drive. If this is not done, autoload from a USB flash drive or CD will work again, and Windows will again begin the first stage of the procedure. installation.

Configuring Award Bios to boot from a USB flash drive

Award Bios:

First, let's check if the USB controller is enabled. We go to "Integrated Peripherals". We go down with the arrow on the keyboard to the item “USB Controller”. Press the “Enter” key and in the window that appears, select “Enable” (also using “Enter”). Opposite “USB Controller 2.0” should also be “Enable”.

Exit this tab by pressing Esc.

Then we go to "Advanced BIOS Features" - "Hard Disk Boot Priority".Now in my example, the hard drive is in the first place, and the flash drive should be.

We stand on the line with the name of our flash drive (Patriot Memory) and raise it to the very top using the “+” key on the keyboard.

Exit here by pressing "Esc".

Configuring AMI Bios to boot from a USB flash drive

If, upon entering BIOS, you see such a screen, then you have AMI Bios:

First, let's check if the USB controller is enabled. Go to the tab "Advanced" - "USB Configuration".

Opposite the items “USB Function” and “USB 2.0 Controller” should be “Enabled”.

If this is not the case, we stand on this line and press the “Enter” key. From the list that appears, select “Enabled” (also using “Enter”).
Then exit this tab by pressing “Esc”.

Go to tab "Boot" - "Hard Disk Drives".

Now I have a hard drive in the first place, but I need to put a USB flash drive here. We become on the first line, press “Enter” and in the window that appears, select our Patriot Memory flash drive.

It should be like this:

We leave from here through "Esc".

Select "Boot Device Priority". Here, the first boot device must be a USB flash drive.

Press Esc.

Then we exit the BIOS, saving all the settings made. To do this, go to "Exit" - "Exit & Save Changes" - "OK".

Setting up Phoenix-Award Bios to boot from a USB flash drive

If, upon entering BIOS, you see such a screen, then you have Phoenix Award BIOS :

First, let's check if the USB controller is enabled. We go to the “Peripherals” tab - opposite the items “USB Controller” and “USB 2.0 Controller” should be “Enabled”.

Then we go to the “Advanced” tab and opposite “First Boot Device” we set “USB-HDD”.

After that, exit the BIOS, saving the changes. To do this, go to "Exit" - "Save & Exit Setup" - press the key "Y" - "Enter"

That's practically everything you need to know in order to boot from a USB flash drive. In my article, I described the process of setting up the Bios of the most popular versions: Award and AMI. The third example shows Phoenix Award Bios, which is much rarer.
In different versions of the BIOS, the described procedure may be slightly different. But the main thing is that you understand the principle of tuning itself.

By the way, I would also like to add: in order to choose which device to boot your computer from, it is not necessary to change the settings in the BIOS. You can call up a special menu immediately after turning on the computer to select boot devices (this can be done by pressing F8, F10, F11, F12 or Esc). In order not to guess with the keys, we look carefully at the monitor immediately after turning it on. We need to have time to see an inscription like this: “Press Esc to selest boot device”. In my case, it was necessary to press “Esc”.

How to properly configure BIOS on a computer? BIOS - Basic Input / Output System (basic input / output system) is responsible for the initial boot of the device and initialization of the equipment on a personal computer or laptop.

Today, BIOS has a lot of versions and boot options. But what it is and why, and most importantly, how to set it up, few computer users know.
First of all, let's figure out what it contains in itself and what can be done with it. And so, usually the BIOS consists of several parts. Information, Advanced, Main, Power Security, Boot, Exit.

Now in order.
In the Information or Main section you will find information about your PC, namely: data and characteristics about the process (frequency, number of cores, etc.), RAM (volume, frequency), hard drive (about "volume and technical data ), video (integrated, discrete, size).

In Advanced, you can make changes to the settings of the device as a whole or individual components.

You can overclock the processor, video, RAM frequency (remember, if you do this incorrectly, this will lead to device failure, if you do not have the necessary experience and knowledge, it is better not to do this)

In the Power section, we can configure how our computer will start and shut down, as well as improve energy savings, and get information about how much and what our components consume.

Boot is important when we need to choose which device our system will boot from and set their order (optical drive, USB, HDD, etc.)

This is necessary when installing the operating system, or when diagnosing software (of the same operating system).

Exit will help us save our changes, or load the default or optimal settings for your system.

Remember that you make all changes under your own responsibility and they can dramatically affect the operation of your computer.

Almost all motherboards have a speaker (beep), and when you turn on the computer and hear a one-time squeak, this BIOS sends a signal to the speaker so that it squeaks 1 time. The BIOS is essentially needed to interrogate the equipment, for the correct transfer to the “next step (I will explain later)”. BIOS has a clock, thanks to them in your computer in a de-energized state - the time does not go astray. The BIOS also includes a minimum package of parameters for the operation of the motherboard and devices on it, but let's talk about everything in order.
BIOS setup

What are bios

BIOSes are different, looking at the picture above, you can understand that outwardly they can be very different from each other. But, the main feature of each BIOS is that they are all similar. Therefore, if you understand one BIOS, then understanding the second one will not be difficult for you. Further in the article, I want to open each tab and talk about all the functions so that you can understand how you can configure bios.

How to set up BIOS - Main

The "Main" tab contains information about the current time, date and main devices on the board.
System time - current time in Hours:minutes:seconds format (can be configured);
System Date - current date in the format "Day of the week day / month / year" (it can be configured);
BIOS Version - the current version of your BIOS, on the developer's website you can download the BIOS update and install them, read the article on how to update the BIOS;
Processor Type - information about the processor that is installed in your motherboard at the moment;
Processor Speed ​​- processor clock speed, measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz);
Microcode Update - stability update version for processor microcode;
Cache Size - processor cache size, measured in KB or MB;
Total memory - the total amount of random access memory (RAM), which is installed in the motherboard;
DDR3_A1-A2 / B1-B2 - slots for installing RAM, contain information about the type of RAM (ddr - ddr4), the frequency of operation of each bar and the amount of built-in memory, if "None" - then the slot on the motherboard is empty.

How to set up BIOS - Advanced

The tab "Advanced" contains information about the main parameters of the system. Many Advanced systems are different, so do not be surprised if you see other options in this menu, as I said - the principle is similar.
JumperFree Configuration - setting the voltage and frequency of the processor, memory, etc.;
CPU Configuration - setting the parameters of the central processor, or viewing its current parameters (cache, frequency, multiplier, etc.);

Chipset - chipset setting (south/north bridge);
Onboard Devices Configuration - setting up "onboard" devices, such as a network (LAN);
PCIPnP - setting the parameters of Plug and play devices, as well as PCI / VGA (palettes);
USB Configuration - setting USB - ports, you can change the parameters of the speed of the ports, disable / enable ports;

Interesting fact: Advanced most often has a processor overclocking menu. If anything, here is a small article about overclocking, if anyone is interested.

BIOS setup - Power

The Power tab contains settings and information related to the computer's power.
Suspend Mode - selection of the operating mode of the motherboard in economy. mode (depending on the PSU and the motherboard itself);
ACPI 2.0 Support - enables or disables the power management interface version 2.0;
ACPI APIC support - enable or disable the extended interrupt controller;
APM Configuration - allows you to turn on and off the power supply to the keyboard / mouse PS / 2, PCI / PCIE, etc.;
Hardware Monitor - contains information about the processor temperature, cooler rotation speed and incoming voltage;

An interesting fact: in some versions of the BIOS - in the "Power" menu, the rotation speed of the coolers can be adjusted manually.

BIOS setup - Boot

The Boot tab is probably one of the most interesting tabs. In it, you can configure the boot order of the OS from different media.
Boot Device Priority - allows you to build the boot order. If you put cd-rom in the first place, then before starting the normal boot of Windows from the hard disk, the system will first check the CD-ROM, and if there is no disk in the drive (or there is no suitable data on the disk), the system will go to the second step and start loading Windows on your hard drive;
Hard Disk Drives - option to select the 1st hard drive. If your computer has several hard drives, then some BIOSes can only accept 1 in the boot queue. Sometimes, to install Windows from a USB flash drive, you need to select your USB flash drive in this menu, and only after that it will appear in the Boot Device Priority menu;
Boot Settings Configuration - adjustment of secondary boot parameters (power Num, Quick boot, logo, etc.);
Security - allows you to set passwords for editing BIOS parameters;

Bios tab Tools

The "Tools" tab usually contains a BIOS update utility. For more details, read our article on how to update the BIOS. In a nutshell, I want to say that you need a flash drive and a firmware file, said from the official website of the motherboard manufacturer (in this case, Asus).

How to set up BIOS - Exit

The Exit tab contains the final step in setting up the BIOS:
Exit & Save Changes - Exit and save changes;
Exit & Discard Changes - Exit without saving changes;
Discard Changes - discard changes;
Load Setup Defaults - Apply all Default settings;