About Bios Setup; To Run Bios Setup; About Cmos; The Post ( Power On Self Test ) - SOLTEK SL-B5A-FG Manual

SL-B5A-FG / B5A-FGR

4-1 About BIOS Setup

BIOS stands for Basic Input and Output System. It was once called
ROM BIOS when it was stored in a Read-Only Memory (ROM) chip
Now manufacturers would like to store BIOS in EEPROM which means
Electrically Erasable Programmable Memory. BIOS used in this series
of mainboard is stored in EEPROM, and is the first program to run when
you turn on your computer.
BIOS setup is an interactive BIOS program that you need to run when:
1. Changing the hardware of your system. (For example: installing a
new Hard Disk etc.)
2. Modifying the behavior of your computer. (For example: changing
the system time or date, or turning special features on or off etc.)
3. Enhancing your computer's behavior. (For example: speeding up
performance by turning on shadowing or cache)

4-2 To Run BIOS Setup

First access BIOS setup menu by pressing < DEL > key after "POST" is
complete ( before OS is loaded ). BIOS will then display the following
message:
DEL:SETUP

4-3 About CMOS

CMOS is the memory maintained by a battery. CMOS is used to store
the BIOS settings you have selected in BIOS Setup. CMOS also
maintains the internal clock. Every time you turn on your computer, the
BIOS Looks into CMOS for the settings you have selected and configures
your computer accordingly. If the battery runs out of power, the CMOS
data will be lost and POST will issue a "CMOS invalid" or "CMOS
checksum invalid" message. If this happens, you have to replace the
battery and check and configure the BIOS Setup for the new start.

4-4 The POST ( Power On Self Test )

POST is an acronym for Power On Self Test. This program will test all
things the BIOS does before the operating system is started. Each of
POST routines is assigned a POST code, a unique number which is
sent to I/O port 080h before the routine is executed.
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Chapter 4 BIOS Setup