Do you know, what is the first code to run on your computer? It is the BIOS software which initializes the entire process of your computer. As soon as you turn on the switch, it conducts the Power-On-Self-Test (POST) and then passes the control over to operating system. Many people are of the notion that it is the operating system which controls the entire process but it is not so.
BIOS conducts POST that initializes the computer components such as CPU, hard drive, video card, mouse and keyboard. The next work is to locate the boot loader, the contorl goes to the operating system and you can work with your PC. The processes which you can control through BIOS interface are setting the system clock, enabling a hardware or disabling it, setting passwords, configuring hardware. Initially, BIOS used to be stored onto the ROM of the motherboard. Then, the manufacturers started storing it in flash memory which made it feasible to upgrade BIOS once the computers are sold. It is only Windows computers which have a BIOS, the non-Windows computers have Extensible Firmware Interface(EFI). However, the dominant one is the BIOS.
Does Mac OS X have a BIOS?
Openfirmware of Mac OS X has the same functionality as BIOS of Windows, it also checks the function of hardware and direct the process to Mac. Openfirmware interface can be accessed by pressing and holding the power button for 10 seconds, at the same time press “CMD,” “OPT,” “O,” and “F” keys. Once the required modifications are done, you can exit either by typing “bye” or “boot” or “mac-boot” depending upon the version of your Mac OS X.
Reset your BIOS password in a number of ways:
Obtain the backdoor BIOS password:
Backdoor password is the one which is set by the manufacturer every year. This password is used for maintenance and testing. Backdoor password will work even if you have a manual password set for your BIOS. Depending upon the manufacturers, backdoor passwords are revived over a period of time.
Reset/Remove BIOS password by software:
You can also reset or remove your BIOS password using BIOS/CMOS Password recovery Tool. This is a third party software which is not too expensive to purchase. Once it is installed, you can recover your BIOS password on your monitor. There are certain versions of BIOS on which this tool has been proved to be effective: ACER/IBM BIOS, AMI BIOS, AMI WinBIOS 2.5, Award 4.5x/4.6x/6.0
Remove CMOS battery and Reset your BIOS password:
It is a common method of resetting BIOS password by removing CMOS battery provided the battery is not soldered to the motherboard. Once the battery is removed, the BIOS will get back to its factory settings and the password will be removed.
Steps to reset BIOS password by removing battery:
Turn off your PC and unplug the power supply.
Open the case of the computer.
Locate the battery on motherboard, remove it carefully and wait for few seconds.
Put the computer case back and boot your PC.
If an error message says “CMOS Checksum Error-Defaults Loaded”, then your BIOS password has been reset.
After all, decision is yours which method to go for.
-Authored by Sara Bruce. Sara Bruce is an SEO analyst and an avid Blogger. For other reviews and any tech support related queries, do visit
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