BIOS, EXTERNAL I/Os

INTERFACES, AND
INPUT DEVICES.
Introduction to BIOS
BIOS (Basic input and output system) can be defined
as a set of computer instructions in firmware which
controls input and output operations.
Functions of the BIOS
1. Boots the computer by providing a basic set of
Instructions.
2. Loads the operating system after turning on the
computer.
3. Performs POST( power-on-self-test)
4. Provides set-up program for changing BIOS
parameters.
5. Provides low-level routines for communication
between the OS and the hardware devices.
ADVANTAGES OF STORING
BIOS IN ROM
1. Code and data are readily available during
booting.
2. BIOS content are not corrupted by errant
applications.
BIOS HARDWARE
COMPONENTS
• BIOS ROM
• BIOS CMOS memory
THE BIOS ROM
• PC startup program (POST)
• All BIOS are contained in ROM in old days, it is now
located in the EEPROM chip, which means it can be
erased and re-written by special programs called
Flash BIOS.
THE BIOS CMOS MEMORY
• It provides a non-volatile storage for PC's control
information.
• Needs very little power to operate.
• Powered by Lithium battery.
BIOS BOOT PROCESS
• The power supply sends a signal to the components in the
system unit.
• The CPU finds the ROM chip that contains the BIOS.
• The BIOS performs the POST which checks components (e.g
mouse, keyboard connectors and expansion cards).
• The results of the POST are compared with data in the
CMOS chip.
• The BIOS looks for the system files in the floppy disk drive
and hard disk.
• The system files and the kernel of the OS load into RAM
from hard disk.
BEEP CODES
• A series of beep : BIOS program encounter
problems.
• One short beep : everything is normal
• Error can be indicated when video screen does not
function.
• Interpret the beep codes by consulting main board
menu.
POST ERROR MESSAGES
• Error messages are shown on display sytem.
• Interpret error messages by consulting owner's
manual.
BIOS
CONFIGURATION
1. Setup program interfaces
2. Typical Key Control
SETUP PROGRAM
• Hit a particular key or key combination at a right
time (usually delete key or F2 key depending on
your motherboard) to enter the BIOS setup utility.
• A BIOS setup screen is displayed.
TYPICAL KEY CONTROL
• Incorrect settings of BIOS may lead to system halt.
• Quit the setup without saving changes if you are
not sure about the changed settings.
• Boot sequence: this controls the order in which the
BIOS looks for an OS to start up.
• Performance tuning through BIOS settings: since
the BIOS settings for how the chipset is controlled
and the chipset is the key to the overall system
performance.
COMMON BIOS PROBLEMS AND
TROUBLESHOOTING TECHNIQUES
Failed to overclock: The failed to overclock error screen shows up
whenever your BIOS settings have been cleared and usually has nothing to
do with you actually overclocking your system, unless your just tried to
overclock your system.
Some common occurrences which cause this error to arise are:
• (a) your system has been physically moved.
• (b) your CMOS battery Is failing.
• (c) your system is having power issues.
• (d) overclocking your RAM or CPU. (Note Overclocking your RAM or CPU
is not highly recommended because you are basically telling your PC to
send more power to the CPU or RAM than the component was designed
for in order to increase the speed and performance of your machine).
• (e) adding a new device which is defective.
HOW TO FIX BIOS "FAILED
TO OVERCLOCK ERROR"
Set the BIOS/UEFI parameters to default, the steps
include;
1. Login into the BIOS by hitting the del key or F2 key
during your computer boot process,
2. When you see the BIOS screen pop up, navigate to
the tools tab, you should see an item called "profile",
simply use one of the profiles to load the setting your
machine initially had when your first received it,
3. Hit the F10 key or select the save and reset option.
COMMON BIOS PROBLEMS AND
TROUBLESHOOTING TECHNIQUE (cont'd)

Failed device: Failed device error is the second most

common instance of a BIOS error screen. This
happens when a new flashdrive, USB device, or hard
drive is connected to your device.
HOW TO FIX BIOS "FAILED
DEVICE ERROR"
• Simply disconnect the new device from your
Computer.
COMMON BIOS PROBLEMS AND
TROUBLESHOOTING TECHNIQUE (cont'd)

CPU Fan error: This error most often occurs when

the settings in the BIOS have been reset, often due to
an improper shutdown or a power outage.
HOW DO WE FIX BIOS "CPU
FAN ERROR"?
• It is recommended you check the BIOS under the
hardware monitor section to verify that the CPU fan
is actually spinning if you receive this kind of error.
COMMON BIOS PROBLEMS AND
TROUBLESHOOTING TECHNIQUE (cont'd)

Boot device error: This error is a common

occurrence among modern motherboards (which
support UEFI). The DVD drive or hard drive may be
set to boot as a UEFI(Unified Extensible Firmware
Interface) and may not always work.
SOLUTION TO BOOT
DEVICE ERROR
• Login into the BIOS press the F7 key to access the
advanced view mode If applicable,
• Navigate to the boot menu and scroll down until
you see the boot options, as well as the primary
hard drive and the DVD drive option,
• Make sure that the primary boot options are not
the UEFI variants, as they will list twice,
• Hit the F10 key or select the save and reset option.
EXTERNAL I/Os
INTERFACES
Input and Output interface is that which provides a method for transferring information
between internal and external I/O devices. Peripherals connected to a computer need
special communication links for interfacing them with the central processing unit.
The purpose of communication link is to resolve the differences that exist between the
central computer and each peripheral.
Major differences are;
- peripherals are electromechanical and electromagnetic devices and their manner of
operation of the cpu and memory, which are electronic devices. Therefore, a conversion of
signal values may be needed.
- The data transfer rate of peripherals is usually slower than the transfer rate of CPU and
consequently , a synchronization mechanism is needed to settle the difference.
- Data codes and formats in the peripherals differ from the word formation the CPU and
memory.
- The operating modes of the peripherals are different from each other and must be
controlled so as to not disturb the operation of other peripherals connected to the CPU.
 To resolve these differences, computer systems
include special hardware components between the
CPU and the peripherals to supervise and
synchronize all inputs and out transfers, these
components are called the Interface units because
they interface between the processor bus and the
peripheral devices.
I/O BUS AND INTERFACE
MODULE
• It defines the typical link between the processor and several
peripherals. The I/O bus consists of data lines, address lines and
control lines.
• The I/O bus from the processor is attached to all peripherals
interface, to communicate with a particular device, the
processor places a device address on address line.
• Each interface decodes the address and control received from
the I/O bus, Interpret them for peripherals and provides signal
for the peripheral controller, it also synchronizes the data flow
and supervises the transfer between the peripherals and
processor. Each peripheral has its own controller, for example
the printer controller controls the paper motion, the print
timing.
The control lines are referred to as an I/O command.
The commands are as following;
- Control command: A control command is issued to
activate the peripheral and to inform it what to do.
- Status command: A status command is used to test
various status conditions in the interface and the
peripheral.
- Output data command: The data input command
causes the interface to respond by transferring data
from the bus into one of its registers.
- Input data command: The data input command is
the opposite of the data output. In this case the
interface receives an item of data from the
peripheral and places it in its buffer register.
INPUT DEVICES
• Input devices are hardware devices that allow data
to be entered into a computer.
• Input devices are part of the four main hardware
components of a computer system.
• The Image below shows where input devices fit into
a computer system
CATEGORIES OF INPUT
DEVICES
There are many different kinds of input devices. They
are split into two categories namely;
1. Manual input devices: Data is input into the
computer by hand, manual input devices require
humans to do most of the work needed to get data
into the system (e.g keyboard, mouse, tracker ball,
joystick, graphic tablet, digital camera, web cam,
microphone, touchscreen.
2. Direct input devices: Data is input into the
computer directly by a machine or device. Direct
input devices do not require much human interaction
to get their data into a computer system e.g Barcode
scanner, magnetic stripe reader, OMR reader, OCR
reader, biometric scanner, sensor.
COMMON INPUT DEVICES
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Tracker all
- Graphics Tablet
- Digital Tablet
- Joystick
- Digital Camera
- Webcam
- Microphone
- Touchscreen
• The Keyboard is the most common and widely used input
device. It is made up of buttons called 'keys'. The keys are
arranged into sections:
• Alphabet keys
• Function or F keys (F1, F2, F3)
• Numeric keys (one set above the alphabet keys and a
numeric keypad on the
• right)
• Arrow keys
• Command keys (insert, delete, home, end, page up/down).
Keyboard (cont'd)
• Keyboards are used to input Text, numbers and
instructions into the computer.
• Most keyboards use a QWERTY key layout. This
name comes from the first six letters on the top
row of the alphabet keys.
Keyboard (cont'd)
Special keyboards called “Ergonomic
keyboards” have built-in-hand-rest which
prevents health issues such as RSI (Repetitive
Strain Injury).Ergonomic keyboards have
natural shape to reduce stress on wrist and
hands, below is a picture of an ergonomic keyboard.
Keyboard (cont'd)
- Concept keyboard: it is a specialized keyboard with no
pre-set keys. It relies on a touch sensitive screen with
the key or overlay displayed on the screen. Each key can
be programmed with a wife range of different functions.
The overlay is often used as a quick and easy way to
input items without needing to type anything or use a
mouse, such is used in some restaurant, where the
assistant will normally be using a concept keyboard.
Pictures and icons can replace words and means the
assistant can quickly enter the order without having to
use a keyboard.
Keyboard
- Numeric keypads: are used for entering numbers
into a computer system. Some numeric keypads
allow you to enter simple text and symbols. Numeric
keypads are found in ATM (Automatic Teller
Machines), telephones and chip and pin device.
Electronic point of sale (EPOS) terminals has numeric
keypads in case the barcode reader fails.
COMMON KEYBOARD PROBLEMS AND
TROUBLESHOOTING TECHNIQUE

Issue: The keyboard is not working.

• Make sure the keyboard is connected to the
computer If not,connect it to the computer.
• If you are using a wireless keyboard, try changing
the batteries.
• If one of the keys on your keyboard gets stuck,turn
the computer off and clean with damp cloth.
• Use the mouse to restart the computer.
INPUT DEVICES (cont'd)
• Mouse: The mouse enables you to control what
happens on the screen by moving the mouse on
your desk and pointing, clicking and selecting items
on the screen. A mouse is also called a "pointing
device". Pointing devices are used to control cursor
and click icons and options on graphical user
interface (GUI) operating systems.
Types of mouse;
• Ball mouse (mechanical mouse): uses a ball under
the mouse to detect movement.
• Optical mouse: uses reflected lights to detect
movement.
Note: mouse comes in to varieties, which are;
1. Wired mouse and
2. Wireless mouse.
TROUBLESHOOTING A
MOUSE
If the mouse is not working correctly;
• Check if the mouse is securely plugged into the
computer, if not plug correctly.
• Check to see if the cord has been damaged, if not
the mouse may need replacing.
• If you are using a cordless mouse, try pushing the
connection button to simply reestablish a
connection.
• Clean the mouse, especially on the bottom.
INPUT DEVICES(cont'd)
Tracker ball: Tracker ball is similar to mouse but the ball
is on top of the device. Screen pointers are controlled
by rotating the large ball with your hand.
Joystick: Joysticks have similar functions to that of
mouse and tracker ball to control a pointer on a screen.
Joysticks are also popular devices for gaming.
Graphics Tablet: is a flat rectangular pad, which can be
drawn on with a special pen called stylus. Whatever is
drawn on to the tablet can be seen on a computer
screen.Anything drawn onto the tablet can be saved as
images.
THE END
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