System BIOS
The basic input\output system, or BIOS, is the software that a computer’s microprocessor runs when it is turned on. Additionally, it controls the flow of information between the operating system of the computer and any attached hardware, including the hard drive, video adapter, keyboard, mouse, and printer.
System BIOS functions and operations
here are some functions and operations performed by system BIOS:
Power On Self Test(POST):
system BIOS performs a self-diagnostic test of the computer’s hardware during the POST process. It checks the system memory, process, and other key hardware components to ensure that they are functioning properly.
Boot device selection:
system BIOS determines the boot device order, which is the order in which the computer searches for an operating system. It is typically checks the hard drive, CD/DVD drive, and USB devices in a pre-determined order until it finds a bootable device.
Hardware configuration:
system BIOS configures the computer’s hardware setting based on the values stored in the CMOS memory. This includes setting for the processor, memory, hard drive and other hardware components.
System security:
system BIOS provides a security mechanism that protects the computer from unauthorized access. It may requires a password to enter the BIOS setup utility, or it may have other security features such as a TPM chip.
System updates:
System BIOS can be updated to provides bug fixes, new features or to support new hardware. Updating the BIOS can be a risky operation, however, as a failed update can cause serious problems with the computer’s hardware.
System recovery:
System BIOS provides a mechanism for recovering from a failed boot process. It may include recovery partition on the hard drive or a bootable recovery CD/DVD that can be used to restore the system previous state.
Introduction to motherboard
a circuit board for a computer system is referred to as the often motherboard, often known as logical board or main board. The motherboard is the largest component in the computer system and is responsible for controlling every other component and creating a connection between them all.
Motherboard form factors
the size, configuration, or physical arrangement of computing device is referred to as a form factor in components. Brief comparison of the motherboard form factor:
| Form factor | Manufacture/date | Dimension |
| standard-ATX | Intel 1995 | 12*13 in |
| Micro-ATX | Intel 1997 | 9.6*9.6 in |
| Mini-ITX | VIA 2001 | 6.7*6.7 in |
| Nano-ATX | VIA 2003 | 4.7*4.7 in |
Peripheral component interconnect (PCI) local bus
The PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) local bus is a computer bus used for attaching hardware devices in a computer. It serves as a standardized interface connecting peripherals like network cards, sound cards, and graphics cards to the motherboard of a computer. Developed by Intel, PCI has undergone several revisions, with the most common versions being PCI, PCI-X, and PCI Express. It has largely replaced older bus architectures like ISA and VESA Local Bus due to its higher bandwidth and better performance.
Power: the internal power supply, parts of power supply
an electronic circuit known as a power supply transforms the voltage of AC to DC voltage. An internal power supply is a device created to transform AC voltage from the mains to one or more DC voltages so that the computer or computer server can be powered. There are four main component of power supply, they are:
Transformer:
This component is responsible for stepping up or stepping down the voltage level of the input AC (alternating current) power. It consists of primary and secondary windings, where electromagnetic induction occurs, transforming the input voltage to the desired output voltage.
Rectifier:
The rectifier converts the AC voltage from the transformer’s secondary winding into DC (direct current). This is typically achieved using diodes to allow current flow in one direction only, resulting in a pulsating DC voltage.
Filter:
After rectification, the output voltage still contains ripples due to the pulsating nature of the DC waveform. The filter stage smoothens out these ripples, usually through the use of capacitors and sometimes inductors, resulting in a more stable DC voltage.
Regulator:
The regulator ensures that the output voltage remains constant regardless of variations in input voltage or load conditions. It provides a stable DC output voltage by adjusting the voltage across its terminals. This can be achieved using various types of voltage regulators, such as linear regulators or switching regulators.
Introduction to hard drives
A hard drive, often referred to as a hard disk drive (HDD), is a non-volatile storage device used to store and retrieve digital data. It’s a crucial component of most modern computers, serving as a primary storage medium for operating systems, software applications, user files, and other data.
Hard disk drive components are:
Platters:
Platters are circular disks made of a rigid material (usually aluminum or glass) coated with a thin layer of magnetic material. Data is stored on the surfaces of these platters in the form of magnetized regions.
Spindle:
The spindle is a central rod or axle around which the platters rotate. It is driven by a motor and maintains the rotational speed of the platters, typically measured in revolutions per minute (RPM). The spindle motor is crucial for ensuring the proper operation of the drive.
Read/Write Arm:
The read/write arm is an actuator arm equipped with one or more read/write heads. It moves across the surface of the platters to position the heads over specific tracks where data is read from or written to the disk. The arm’s movement is controlled by the actuator.
Actuator:
The actuator is the mechanism responsible for moving the read/write arm across the platters. It typically utilizes a voice coil motor (VCM) or similar electromagnetic mechanism to precisely position the arm. The actuator’s movement is controlled by signals from the disk controller.
Read/Write Heads:
Read/write heads are small electromagnetic devices located at the end of the read/write arm. They are responsible for reading data from and writing data to the magnetic surface of the platters. Each platter surface has its own read/write head, and the heads are mounted on a single arm assembly.
Controller Board:
The controller board, also known as the PCB (Printed Circuit Board), houses the electronic components that control the operation of the hard drive. This includes the disk controller, which manages data transfer between the drive and the computer, as well as other circuitry for power regulation, error correction, and communication with the host system.
Cache (Buffer):
Some hard drives include a small amount of cache memory (also known as a buffer) on the controller board. The cache temporarily stores frequently accessed data to improve performance by reducing access times and smoothing out data transfers between the drive and the computer.
Partitioning, Partition Size and Drive Lettering
On secondary storage, one or more regions are created using disk partitioning disk slicing so that each region can be maintained independently. Partitions are the name for these areas. It is often done first, before any file systems are created while preparing a newly inserted drive.
Types of Partition
Primary partition:
One file system is present on the primary partition which is normally where the boot files for the main operating system kept. It has a maximum of four primary partitions on the disk and can be made active.
Logical partition:
Data can be stored in a logical partition, but it cannot an operating system. Frequently used as a technique for organizing disk storage space is the only restriction on the number of logical partitions.
Extended partition:
A designated location for logical disks. There should only be one primary partition on the disk.
Windows Partition
–The partition must have at least 20 gigabytes (CIR) of drive space for 64-bit versions, or 16 GB for 32-bit versions,
–The Windows partition must be formatted using the NTFS file format
–The Windows partition must have 16 GB of free space after the user has completed the Out Of Box Experience (OOBE) and Automatic Maintenance has complete.
Drive Lettering
An individual letter from A to Z known as a drive letter is given to a physical computer drive or drive partition. For instance, the drive letter C. is allocated to a computer’s 3 1/2″ floppy diskette drive.
Formatting and Types
Not merely referring to a file system, the word “format” is frequently used to describe how other objects are organized. A drive (hard disk, floppy disk, flash drive, etc.) is formatted when all the data on the selected partition is deleted and a file system is created to make it ready for use by an operating system. NTFS is the most widely used file system that supports Windows, however FAT32 is also occasionally used.
The Disk Management tool in Windows is typically used to format a partition. A free disk partition software program or the format command in a command- line interface like Command Prompt can also be used to format a drive.. There are two types of formatting:
-high-level
-low-level.
High-level formatting entails writing the file system to the disk so that software reading from and writing to it can organize and comprehend the data.
The disk’s tracks and sectors are highlighted during low-level formatting.