MakeUseOf - UEFI

How to Update Your UEFI BIOS in Windows

Russ Ware — Sun, 23 Apr 2023 16:16:17 GMT

Most PC users go without ever updating their BIOS. After all, PC performance is often unaffected by your BIOS version. So why would you? Two words: continued stability.

The 8 Best Ways to Fix the "Windows Operating System Not Found" Error

Dan Price — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 14:32:15 GMT

Out of all the errors, glitches, and problems you might encounter while using Windows, few generate as much fear as the dreaded "Operating system not found" screen. Visions of losing your entire media collection, your work, and your precious photos all flash before your eyes.

5 Ways to Fix Missing UEFI Firmware Settings in Windows 10

Modisha Tladi — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 16:15:17 GMT

The UEFI BIOS is a special software program that connects your computer’s firmware to its operating system (OS). In fact, the BIOS is the first program that runs when you turn on your PC. It checks to see what hardware components your PC has, wakes the components up, and hands them over to the OS.

How to Install Windows 10 From a Bootable USB Drive

Christian Cawley — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 18:15:15 GMT

Need to install a fresh copy of Windows? Booting Windows 10 (and Windows 7) from a USB stick is straightforward. Within minutes, you can have a fresh new version of Windows installed on your PC, laptop, or media center.

How to Fix the "This PC Can't Run Windows 11 Error"

Tashreef Shareef — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 15:15:16 GMT

Microsoft Windows 11 is here, and you can use the company's PC Health Check app to check if your PC meets the minimum system requirements to install Windows 11. Unfortunately, for many users, running the PC Health Check app returns the This PC can't Run Windows 11 error.

3 Reasons Why You Should Update Your PC's BIOS

Arol Wright — Fri, 30 Sep 2022 18:45:14 GMT

The benefits of updating your PC's BIOS are often understated. After all, the process of updating it is pretty scary—if something goes wrong, your PC can become a paperweight. That, in addition to the perceived lack of notable benefits, means that many people aren't actively doing so unless they actually need to.

MBR vs. GPT: Which Should You Use for Your SSD?

Joe Keeley — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 14:00:14 GMT

When you connect a drive to Windows, you need to choose between Master Boot Record (MBR) or GUID Partition Table (GPT). These are methods that hold information about how the data is stored on the drive. But how do you know which one to use?

How to Enable EFI on VirtualBox Virtual Machines Running Linux

David Delony — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 22:00:14 GMT

While BIOS-based machines are the standard for VirtualBox, in the real hardware world, almost all new PCs use EFI firmware. It's easy to use the new standard to set up Linux virtual machines, even if it is officially experimental.

How to Convert Legacy BIOS to UEFI in Windows 10 and 11

Zainab Falak — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 18:15:14 GMT

Every time you turn on your computer, you are sometimes greeted by a screen that displays the manufacturer's information. This is called the BIOS, and it has two main types; Legacy BIOS and UEFI. Older motherboards have legacy BIOS firmware while modern computers come with the UEFI BIOS.

How to Convert MBR to GPT Without Losing Data in Windows

Gavin Phillips — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 11:50:21 GMT

Your hard drives all need one thing to keep track of what's on them: a partition table. The partition table describes the partitions (sections) of the drive and helps your system find the files you need.

What Is the Motherboard BIOS Quick Flash Button and How Does It Work?

Gavin Phillips — Sun, 12 Sep 2021 20:01:47 GMT

If you've bought a new motherboard in recent years, you might have noticed a new addition to the input/output (I/O) area: a BIOS Quick Flash button.

What Is a Firmware Update and Why Does Your Device Need One?

Calvin Ebun-Amu — Sun, 22 Aug 2021 17:16:11 GMT

You may or may not have come across the term "firmware" before. However, if you own a piece of computer hardware, you use firmware. But what is the meaning of this term? What is a firmware update? What is it used for, and why does your device need one?

Is a Computer's BIOS Considered Software, Hardware, or Firmware?

Calvin Ebun-Amu — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 12:45:30 GMT

Hardware, software, and firmware are major components of the computers and other electronic devices that we use today. The internal workings of electronic devices such as computers are based on these components.

What Is a Bootloader? How Does a Bootloader Work?

Calvin Ebun-Amu — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 22:00:08 GMT

A bootloader is very important for operating systems. Yet, it is often overlooked as a key component of computers. This is because it plays its role in the background, helping to activate the correct operating system. Most of the processor boards in our devices have programs pre-loaded on them. These programs are known as bootloaders.

How to Access the BIOS on a Windows 8 Computer

Georgina Torbet — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 18:00:01 GMT

Windows 8 is may be a few years old now, but it's still commonly used. And one change that you might not be aware of on newer Windows machines is a different method for accessing a computer's BIOS. No longer do you press a certain key during the boot process to reveal the BIOS---instead, an option to access the BIOS is located in Windows 8's boot options menu.

The BIOS Explained: Boot Order, Video Memory, Saving, Resets & Optimum Defaults

Christian Cawley — Thu, 19 Dec 2019 19:00:24 GMT

Older desktop and laptop computers feature hidden software called the BIOS. Making changes to this can improve how your computer works---or impede it from running properly.

Why Does My Motherboard Have a Battery?

Christian Cawley — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 16:00:49 GMT

If you're using an older desktop computer or a laptop, your computer's motherboard contains an integrated battery. But unlike a standard laptop battery, the motherboard's battery doesn't power your computer while you're using it.

What Is UEFI And How Does It Keep You More Secure?

Georgina Torbet — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 21:00:00 GMT

When you first start up your computer, you'll see a bunch of text scrolling past on the screen. Most people just ignore this and wait for the Windows login screen to appear. But if you ever need to do troubleshooting or to tweak some settings on your computer, there's a really useful tool you can access from here called UEFI.

How to Disable UEFI Secure Boot to Dual Boot Any System

Gavin Phillips — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 21:00:00 GMT

Have you ever tried to install a second operating system alongside Windows? Depending on the OS, you might have encountered the UEFI Secure Boot feature.

What Is the "LoJax" UEFI Rootkit Developed by Russian Hackers?

Gavin Phillips — Thu, 01 Nov 2018 16:00:00 GMT

A rootkit is a particularly nasty type of malware. A "regular" malware infection loads when you enter the operating system. It is still a bad situation, but a decent antivirus should remove the malware and clean up your system.

The Right Way to Access UEFI Settings on Windows

Ben Stegner — Thu, 29 Jun 2017 14:30:59 GMT

When was the last time you accessed your UEFI menu? Perhaps you went in to troubleshoot a problem, or maybe you needed to adjust a gaming-related setting. Some folks may have never even been to that part of their computer.

How to Check If Your PC Uses UEFI or BIOS Firmware

Dave LeClair — Mon, 25 Apr 2016 12:30:27 GMT

If you have a Windows 7 or 8.1 machine that you want to migrate to Parallels and it's not working correctly, or you just want to know if you system is using UEFI or BIOS, getting the information is a little complicated. But don't worry, because we'll show you how to find out which boot environment your computer is using.