BIOS

(Basic Input Output Service)

• Contains system data used by the ROM

BIOS service routines.

• Serves as a standardized communication

interface between the computer’s hardware
and the operating system.
 BIOS
• Is a small ROM chip on the PC’s motherboard.
• A basic software program containing all BIOS
functions is permanently stored in the ROM.
• This software functions as a basic operating
system.
• Is responsible for starting the PC.
• This hardware integrated with software is also
referred to as firmware.
 BIOS History
• Intel developed the 8086 and 8088 in the
end of the 70s.
• IBM decided to make an affordable
computer out of the 8088.
• Microsoft created the operating system
(DOS).
 DOS
(Disk Operating System)
Fundamentals
• Consisted of two parts
The BIOS itself is one part of the operating
system.
The other part consists of the operating system
program files.
– Program files consist of
• Utilities
• A kernel that is loaded into the main memory when
the computer boots.
 Cloning
• IBM introduced the complete PC with the
operating system in 1981.
• IBM owned copyrights to the BIOS.
• IBM published all the assembly language
source code for the IBM PC/XT BIOS.
• Peter Norton wrote the landmark book
Inside the IBM-PC.
• Microsoft made DOS available to other
licensees.
 Clones
• Compaq developed a BIOS by 1983. Also
introduced their own PC.
• Phoenix Technologies released a BIOS
package (IBM-compatible BIOS and a
version of DOS).
• Manufacturers of today, such as AMI,
Award and MR-BIOS, all developed their
own source code for an IBM-compatible
BIOS.
 Functions of the BIOS
• When you first turn on your PC
– Your PC requires information
• to detect PC components
• To find the operating system(floppy disk, hard
drive, or a CD-ROM)
– This information is stored in the BIOS
 Flow Chart of BIOS Functions
 

Turn on Computer

Pass through POST Error Free Output to Monitor

NO
YE
S
Plug’n’Play

Pass through POST Error Free

Test Boot Drive

Bootable media found NO Pass through POST Error Free NO

YE
S
Pass through POST Error Free
Load boot program

Start operating system

 POST
(Power On Self Test)
• Takes place right after you power on.
• Contains diagnostic routines for
– initializing the hardware and peripherals
• the video card, the main memory, the processor, the
keyboard, etc.
– Checking their functions
• Error message on screen if an error is
detected. If monitor cannot be detected, the
beep codes are output by the system loud
speaker.
 Plug and Play
• Bios next looks for additional BIOS
memory chips – might be on a Plug and
Play card such as video card or a SCSI
controller.
– If present, they run their routines and
supplement or replace some functions of the
system BIOS.
• If components no longer match the data
stored in the CMOS (i.e. hardware change),
message appreas on screen to update.
 Plug and Play
• After all hardware components have been
found and checked, Plug and Play goes to
work.
• Interrupts and DMA channels of the plug-in
cards in the ISA and PCI buses are queried
and distributed.
• Onboard hardware, located on motherboard
and in its ISA/PCI slots, are configured for
operation.
 Bootstrap Loader
• BIOS next accesses the first sector of the
hard drive, alos termed the boot sector, and
starts the “bootstrap loader”
– A small program that knows the file structure
of the storage medium and can call the
operating system’s start routine.
 Operating System Kernel
• Next, the operating system kernel is read
into main memory and control of the
hardware passes onto the operating system.
 An Interpreter
• In old operating systems (DOS 6.2), the
BIOS acts as a mediator (or interface)
between the hardware and the software.
• New operating systems, circumvent the
BIOS and communicate directly with the
hardware through the appropriate drivers.
 BIOS Updating
• The BIOS is manufactured on FLASH
technology. It is easily updated.

• Previous versions of BIOS were developed

on ROM, EPROM,and EEPROM chips.
 DOS
(Disk Operating System)
Fundamentals
• Consisted of two parts
The BIOS itself is one part of the operating
system.
The other part consists of the operating system
program files.
– Program files consist of
• Utilities
• A kernel that is loaded into the main memory when
the computer boots.
 Microsoft Kernels
• Kernel of a Microsoft operating system consists of
– Msdos.sys
– Io.sys
• MSDOS.sys controls the keyboard input and the
screen output.
• IO.sys communicates with the BIOS and contains
the actual program code of the operating system
and a process control for the hardware.
BIOS Data Area, at Segment
0040h
HEX OFFSET Description
0000 - 0007 Port addresses, COM1 - COM4
0008 - 000F Port addresses, LPT1 - LPT4
0010 - 0011 Installed hardware list
0012 initialization flag
0013 - 0014 memory size, in Kbytes
0015 - 0016 Memory in I/O channel
0017 -0018 keyboard status flags
0019 alternate key entry storage
001A - 001B Keyboard buffer pointer (head)
001C - 001D keyboard buffer pointer (tail)
001E - 003D Keyboard typeahead buffer
003E - 0048 Diskette data area
0049 Current video mode
004A - 004B Number of screen columns
004C - 004D Regen buffer length, in bytes
004E - 004F Regen buffer starting offset
0050 - 005F Cursor positions, video pages 1 -8
0060 Cursor end line
0061 Cursor start line
0062 Currently displayed video page number
0063 - 0064 Active display base address
0065 CRT mode register
0066 Register for color graphics adapter
0067 - 006B Cassette data area
006C - 0070 Timer data area
 Other BIOS chips in Your PC
• They have the same functionality as the
system BIOS
– Control the corresponding device
• Contain software similar to the system
BIOS.
• Manufactured with FLASH technology to
be upgraded easily.
 Video BIOS-ROM
• Contains the basic data
– Initialization routines
– BIOS functions
– Character sets
• Initializes the registers of the VGA chip
• Sets the interrupt vectors for the interrupts
 Video Interrupt
• There is a software interrupt that permits the
software to communicate with the video card.
• INT 10h
• Can access the registers through it
• Can control the mode, character input/output,
and read/write pixels.