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BIOS Password? What is that?
Did you know you can access the BIOS on your motherboard? And moreover, did you know you can set a password for this BIOS? Before changing your BIOS password there are few things to consider.
First, what is the BIOS anyway? BIOS is an acronym for basic input/output system. It is the built-in software that determines what a computer can do without accessing programs from a disk or other storage device. On PCs, the BIOS contains all the code required to control the keyboard, display screen, disk drives, serial communications, and a number of miscellaneous functions.
The BIOS is typically placed in a ROM (Read Only Memory) chip that comes with the computer (it is often called a ROM BIOS). This ensures that the BIOS will always be available and will not be damaged by disk failures. It also makes it possible for a computer to be self-bootable. Because RAM (Random Access Memory) is faster than ROM, though, so many computer manufacturers design systems so that the BIOS is copied from ROM to RAM each time the computer is booted. This is known as shadowing.
Many modern PCs have a flash BIOS. This means that the BIOS has been recorded on a flash memory chip, which can be updated if necessary. Software can be downloaded from a manufacturer and burned to the ROM.
The PC BIOS is fairly standardized, so all PCs are similar at this level (although there are different BIOS versions). Additional DOS (Disk Operating System) functions are usually added through software modules. This means you can upgrade to a newer version of DOS without changing the BIOS.
PC BIOSes that can handle Plug-and-Play (PnP) devices are known as PnP BIOSes, or PnP-aware BIOSes. These BIOSes are always implemented with flash memory rather than ROM.
Now, back to the password issue. The password you set is recorded in the computer’s non-volatile memory along with other system settings. When you start your computer, you are prompted to type the password in to continue.
The first problem with BIOS passwords is that people forget them. This is bad. The second problem is that motherboard manufacturer’s have made it simple to reset or work around the password making the password relatively useless.
The summary: Don’t set a BIOS password is you don’t need to. Think to yourself—who is going to try to access my BIOS in the first place. Have you even accessed your BIOS? Anyway, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.