释义 |
BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) On PC systems, a set of routines that tests the hardware (e.g., disk drives, keyboard, and monitor) at startup, starts the operating system (OS), and supports the transfer of data between hardware devices at startup. Until the early 1990s, BIOS was stored in firmware , i.e., read-only memory (ROM). In contemporary computers, BIOS is written to erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) or flash memory to facilitate updates. 74570c02.qxd 9/11/07 12:18 PM Page 61 |