INTRODUCTION

ROM (Read Only Memory) An acronym for Read Only Memory, ROM is computer memory on which data has been prerecorded. The programming code and/or data on a ROM chip is written to the chip at the factory. It can be read, but it cannot be erased or removed. It's permanent. ROM retains its data or content even when the computer is turned off, unlike a computer's main memory (RAM), which needs a constant charge of electricity to keep its information. For this reason, ROM is considered to be 'non-volatile' and RAM is 'volatile'.

ROM chips are used in all kinds of electronic devices from calculators to video games. Most personal computers have several applications of ROM memory. These chips often store permanent and critical information and programs that don't need to be changed, or don't need to be written to. Most personal computers have a small amount of ROM that stores the code that starts up or boots the computer. Early computers also used ROM to store the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) which acts as a translator between the PC's hardware and the operating system. There are two main reasons that read-only memory is used for certain functions within the PC:

Permanence: The values stored in ROM are always there, whether the power is on or not. A ROM can be removed from the PC, stored for an indefinite period of time, and then replaced, and the data it contains will still be there. For this reason, it is called nonvolatile storage. A hard disk is also non-volatile, for the same reason, but regular RAM is not. Security: The fact that ROM cannot easily be modified provides a measure of security against accidental (or malicious) changes to its contents. You are not going to find viruses infecting true ROMs, for example; it's just not possible

Different ROM-type memories contain these essential start-up data, i.e.:

The BIOS is a program for controlling the system's main input-output interfaces, hence the name BIOS ROM which is sometimes given to the read-only memory chip of the mother board which hosts it.

The bootstrap loader: a program for loading (random access) memory into the operating system and launching it. This generally seeks the operating system on the floppy drive then on the hard disk, which allows the operating system to be launched from a system floppy disk in the event of malfunction of the system installed on the hard disk. The CMOS Setup is the screen displayed when the computer starts up and which is used to amend the system parameters (often wrongly referred to as BIOS). The Power-On Self Test (POST), a program that runs automatically when the system is booted, thus allowing the system to be tested (this is why the system "counts" the RAM at start-up).

Given that ROM are much slower than RAM memories (access time for a ROM is around 150 ns whereas for SDRAM it is around 10 ns), the instructions given in the ROM are sometimes copied to the RAM at start-up; this is known as shadowing, though is usually referred to as shadow memory). ROM

A diode normally allows current to flow in only one direction and has a certain threshold, known as the forward breakover, that determines how much current is required before the diode will pass it on. In silicon-based items such as processors and memory chips, the forward breakover voltage is approximately 0.6 volts.

By taking advantage of the unique properties of a diode, a ROM chip can send a charge that is above the forward breakover down the appropriate column with the selected row grounded to connect at a specific cell. If a diode is present at that cell, the charge will be conducted through to the ground, and, under the binary system, the cell will be read as being "on" (a value of 1). Iif the cell's value is 0, and there is no diode link at that intersection to connect the column and row. So the charge on the column does not get transferred to the row. The way a ROM chip works necessitates the programming of complete data when the chip is created. You cannot reprogramme or rewrite a standard ROM chip. If it is incorrect, or the data needs to be updated, you have to throw it away and start over. Creating the original template for a ROM chip is often a laborious process. Once the template is completed, the actual chips can cost as little as a few cents each. They use very little power, are extremely reliable and, in the case of most small electronic devices, contain all the necessary programming to control the device.

Types of ROM PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory)

Remember, all a computer can understand is 1s and 0s. That's how a transistor works. It either allows electricity to pass or it doesn't. There's either an electrical charge, or there isn't. It's on or off (1 or 0). These memory chips are made up of millions of tiny transistors that hold the 1s or 0s. Just like millions of tiny switches or fuses. With a ROM chip, these switches are permanently set at the factory in their respective on or off (1 or 0) positions. In the case of a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory), the chip is manufactured with all its little switches or fuses intact, or set to '1' (blank memory). When these chips are programmed, with the use of a device called a PROM programmer (or burner), a high voltage electronic pulse destroys selected switches, burning in the settings that need to be change to a '0'.

So PROM is programmable, but only once. Like ROM, it's permanent, or non-volatile. It cannot be erased. EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory)

An EPROM is a special kind of PROM chip that can be reprogrammed. Its information is stored as electrical charges deposited on the chip (1s and 0s). EPROMs are easy to spot on your computer's motherboard. They're still in the form of a DIP chip like ROMs and PROMs, but they'll have a metallic-like label on top of the chip (usually displaying the serial number, version, date and manufacturer's name). This is for good reason. The label is covering a small window. An EPROM can be erased by removing it from the circuit, and shining an ultraviolet light through the window on top of the chip. It can then be reprogrammed using an EPROM burner. EPROMs are still considered non-volatile, they won't lose their information when the computer is turned off. EEPROM (Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) EEPROM doesn't have to be removed and sent back to the manufacturer to be reprogrammed. It can be electronically reprogrammed while in circuit using a software program designed specifically for that purpose. Also, EPROM has to be erased entirely and then reprogrammed. With EEPROM, a single byte can be erased and re-written. In fact, EEPROM is erased and written one byte at a time, which makes it quite slow as memory goes. Still, it allows manufacturers the ability to put configuration settings on an expansion card's EEPROM chip. By using software that came with a device, DMA channels, IRQs and I/O addresses can be assigned without the use of jumpers and DIP switches. The resource settings for software configurable devices can be changed without even opening the computer's case. Electrically alterable read-only memory (EAROM) EAROM is a type of EEPROM that can be modified one bit at a time. Writing is a very slow process and again needs higher voltage (usually around 12 V) than is used for read access. EAROMs are intended for applications that require infrequent and only partial rewriting. EAROM may be used as non-volatile storage for critical system setup information; in many applications, EAROM has been supplanted by CMOS RAM supplied by mains power and backedup with a lithium battery. FLASH ROM (Flash Read Only Memory) FLASH ROM is a type of EEPROM, but its information can be erased and written to in blocks instead of single bytes. This tends to make it faster than regular EEPROM. It also requires less voltage to perform the procedure.

FLASH ROM is now commonly used to store the BIOS information for personal computers. This allows BIOS manufacturers the opportunity to provide updates via the Internet, and it allows users to possibly gain access to new features that weren't originally supported by their computer. It's important to get the right Flash Program for each particular BIOS. Don't use one you got from a friend or some unknown website. Go to the manufacturer's website and have your BIOS and motherboard's version and model number, serial number and date handy. Print out the instructions and follow them closely. Check out any information on backing up and restoring your previous BIOS if something should go wrong. Flashing the BIOS should not be done every time an upgrade is available. In my opinion, it should only be done when a required feature is not supported and the only other recourse is a new motherboard, because if things go wrong, that could be what you're replacing. Don't flash it just for the sake of flashing it. If you don't need the upgrade, don't flash your BIOS. Making a mistake in the procedure, losing power, or using the wrong image file could be disastrous.