Saturday, May 17, 2008

All About Your Computer's BIOS

Are you confused by the computer BIOS? The BIOS is a fundamental component of any PC and if you really want to get into the guys of a computer, its good through understanding what BIOS Is all about.

This article gives you a summary of what BIOS is and how you can play with the basic and advanced options in a typical BIOS configuration.

Definition

First up, lets just define what the BIOS is. The BIOS stands for the Basic Input-Output System of a PC. It is stored on a BIOS chip on the motherboard and it is the interface between your operating system and the computers hardware. All the software actions you make, e.g. click a in Windows XP, are translated into machine instructions which pass through the BIOS and then subsequently to your monitor, graphics card and what not.

The BIOS is a crucial component of a PC If it fails, your PC isnt going to boot up. I always skip a heartbeat if I see any funny behavior with a PCs BIOS. Because it spells (almost certainly that is) doom for the computer. Make sure youre very, very careful if you intend to fiddle around with the BIOS in anyway. Children, dont do this at home without the supervision of a technie.

Basic Options

Lets run through the basic options of a BIOS setup. Right after you power up the computer, there is usually a key you can hit (usually F8) which allows you to access the PCs BIOS.

In the basic menu in the BIOS, you should see settings for configuring hard drives and boot up options. You can specify which are your primary and secondary hard risk and which will boot up first. You can also specify if the floppy disk or CD Rom boot support before or after the hard disk.

Advanced Options

If you go in to the Advanced Options menu, you can delve into the advanced options for the BIOS configuration. If youre into overclocking, you can specify a different CPU frequency than the default. But be very careful when you do this you may end up burning your CPU chip if you dont know what youre doing.

In the advanced options menu, you can also change memory frequency and timing, as well as the AGP speed for your graphics card. Again, exercise extreme care when playing around with these settings. You can damage your PC if you don't know what you're doing.

There are many other options in a computers BIOS you can play with. Some of them include password and security options to limit access to the system, or stuff like power saving options. You can also control things like whether the Numlock key should be on or off when you first start the system.

Conclusion

I hope the article has helped you understand a little of what goes into a com0utpers BIOS and how you can make use of it. Remember, the BIOS is such a fundamental component of any PC that you MUST exercise extreme caution when meddling with it. If youre not sure dont change anything. Its best to understand the BIOS properly from an expert or read a good book before changing it in any way.

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on building computers. Visit his website at http://www.build-your-own-computers.com for tips and tricks on assembling a PC, as well as buying good computer components.

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Windows Vista Repair

Now that just about everyone knows how to use the XP Recovery Console Microsoft's newest OS does not contain one. Not to worry we have a detailed article that will walk you through how to use these great new features in Vista.

The Purpose of this article is to teach you how to make vista repairs if you are having startup issues or you can't seem to use the vista system restore option. There are two ways to use these options and they depend on if you have a Windows Vista install disk or if Vista was pre-installed on your OS you will have a ghost image on your hard drive.

If you have the windows vista repair disk: (This should be your backup copy of Vista if you made one) PLEASE NOTE: This Vista install CD can be run from within Vista. Just insert the CD once Vista has loaded up and go to install, go > Install Now > Upgrade.

1. Boot up with the Vista install disc

2. You should see a screen that says "Windows is loading files"

3. After a few minutes you will get a language option. Select your language and hit next.

4. On the install screen select "Repair your computer"

5. Windows will find your copy of Vista on the machine

6. Select your copy of Vista and click next

7. You will now see the following options.

* Startup repair - This automatically fixes problems that are preventing Windows from starting
* System Restore - This will Restore Windows to an earlier point in time
* Windows Complete PC Restore - This will completely restore your entire PC - programs, system settings and files - from a back up that you have previously created (Available in Windows Vista Business, Enterprise and Ultimate editions only)
* Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool - This checks your computer's memory hardware for errors
* Command Prompt

8. Assuming you are using this option because you were unable to boot to Windows Vista select the system Restore option and then select the date you would like to go back to. If your OS is fine you can always use the startup repair option.

Pre-Installed and OEM versions: (please check with your manufacturer fist. They may have replaced these tools with their own.
1. Turn your computer on and start pressing the F8 key. If you see the Windows Vista Logo you have gone too far and need to reboot and try again
2. You will get an advanced options screen. Select the "Repair your computer option" and hit enter.
3. Select your language and hit next.
4. Enter your user name and password and then next.
5. The recovery options should now appear.
6. In most cases just using the system restore to set your computer back will solve your issue. If this is not the case try the Startup repair option.

For all your computer repair needs please go to windows Vista repair. If you would like to just have your computer fixed for you right now online and at a great price then you should consider online computer repair

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