25-05-2012, 10:55 AM
BIOS & POST
BIOS & POST.doc (Size: 38.5 KB / Downloads: 25)
1. Startup Routines : These are executed when you switch on Power. Within it the POST is stored . This program check processor Video Adapter, ROM, RAM, Hard Disk Interface, Keyboard Interface & CD/DVD Interface & If there is any error the program will prompt you by displaying specific error codes or if the display card is not working then through specific sequences of beeps via inbuilt speaker.
2. Initialization Programs : It is another important part of ROMBIOS. It includes creating interrupt vector Memory location (IVT) So that when interrupts occurs the computer switches to proper ISR Program. It also includes initialization of various programmable peripheral ICs. Before initialization it always checks CMOS Setup about various peripheral in system.
3. Boot strap loader : It attempts to read the 1st sector of 0th track of any Hard disk in C: if any Hard disk (If present). On 1ST Sector & 0th Track MBR is stored which Transfers Control to another Program DBR which in turn loads system files & Operating system from disk.
Power On self Test (POST) :
• When the computer is switched on the PC gets initialized. This initialization includes some test routines that are stored in the ROM BIOS ( Basic Input output system) These routines are known as POST programs, POST is checking video port, keyboard and memory before boating the computer from hard disk.
• POST tests each & every part of computer in turn. When the POST is in processing, the lights on Keyboard start flashing & printer head gets initialized POST routines provides basic check of your computers integrity. POST usually indicates problem but it does not tell cause of failure.
• POST failures found during POST are indicated by an error code on monitor/ sometimes beeps are given by speaker in IBMPC.
• These error codes displays number to indicate probable location of problem. There are various different codes for different problems as listed below.
Problem Error
Area Code No
1. System Board 100 Range
2. Battery Error 161
3. Time & Date Error 163
4. Memory Error 200 Range
5. Keyboard 301,303,304
6. Keyboard Fuse 305
7. Parallel Port 401
8. Math Co-processor 701
9. Serial Port 110 to 1200 Range
10. Painting Device 8600
Formatting Steps
Before you partition and format your hard disk, make sure that you do the following:
1. Prepare the hard disk according to the manufacturer's instructions i.e If you are using an IDE hard disk, set the jumpers and the cabling according to the role of the hard disk (for example, master or Slave)
2. Determine the type of file system that you want to use i.e. You can use either the NTFS or FAT file System
3. If the hard disk already contains data, back it up.
4. If you have software that you want to reinstall, verify that you have the disks, Make sure that you have the original CDs or floppy disks so that you can reinstall the software programs after you partition and format your drive.
5. If you have updated device drivers for peripheral devices, back them up,
6. Configure your computer to start from the CD or DVD drive, To start your computer from the Windows CD, your computer must be configured to start from the CD or DVD drive. In some cases, you may have to modify your computer's BIOS settings to set this configuration.
Formatting the hard disk using the Windows Setup program
You can use the Windows Setup program to partition and format the hard disk. To do this, use the following steps:
Step 1: Partition the hard disk
a. Insert the Windows CD into your CD or DVD drive and then restart the computer to start the Windows Setup program. If you are prompted, select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD or DVD drive.
b. At the Welcome to Setup page, press ENTER.
Note If you are using the Setup disks, the setup prompts you to insert the Windows CD.
c. Press F8 to accept the Windows Licensing Agreement.
d. If an existing Windows XP installation is detected, you are prompted to repair it. To bypass the repair, press ESC.
e. Create a new partition by selecting the non-partitioned space where you want to create a new partition.
f. To create the partition with the maximum size, press ENTER. To specify the partition size, type the size in megabytes (MB) for the new partition, and then press ENTER.