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I have some trouble understanding the CMOS chip and the BIOS chip. Some of the terminology throws me, for instance when "go into CMOS" and "go into the BIOS" are used interchangeably.
Here's how I think it works:
The BIOS chip:
A "system rom" chip, non-volatile memory
Contains firmware that can be updated by "flashing the BIOS", but is done rarely
Contains the BIOS (instructions for checking hardware and starting an operating system)
Contains a "CMOS set up utility" for changing BIOS settings
The CMOS chip:
Volatile memory, persists as long as it has battery power
Contains the BIOS settings (things like boot order, and user and supervisor BIOS passwords)
Holds date and time information
Am I on the right track?
I got further confused last week when a friend was telling me that the BIOS chip and the CMOS chip are the same thing.
Thanks.
Here's how I think it works:
The BIOS chip:
A "system rom" chip, non-volatile memory
Contains firmware that can be updated by "flashing the BIOS", but is done rarely
Contains the BIOS (instructions for checking hardware and starting an operating system)
Contains a "CMOS set up utility" for changing BIOS settings
The CMOS chip:
Volatile memory, persists as long as it has battery power
Contains the BIOS settings (things like boot order, and user and supervisor BIOS passwords)
Holds date and time information
Am I on the right track?
I got further confused last week when a friend was telling me that the BIOS chip and the CMOS chip are the same thing.
Thanks.