14/07/2014
R.I.P. BIOS: A UEFI Primer
Introducing UEFI
So, now we have Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). UEFI doesn’t truly replace BIOS, because some form of basic IO system is still necessary just to kickstart the motherboard. UEFI is stored in the /EFI/ director in non-volatile memory, and runs between the PC hardware and firmware, and the operating system.
UEFI provides a number of advantages, though, over the traditional BIOS. For starters, UEFI is capable of addressing hard drives with capacities up to 9.4 zettabytes. Yes, zetabytes. By some estimates, that’s roughly three times more than all of the information on the entire Internet right now, so it should be sufficient for the foreseeable future.
UEFI is more like a mini operating system of its own. Instead of the rudimentary 8-bit text-based menus of BIOS, UEFI provide access to the full hardware of the PC, including the Ethernet adapter, Wi-Fi network, USB ports, Bluetooth connectivity, audio system, and graphics card. UEFI is a much richer and more capable platform than BIOS.
UEFI initializes hardware faster for a more “instant on” experience, and it allows for security and authentication before the operating system is booted. UEFI can also connect to a network. That means that even a PC that can’t boot into the operating system could be remotely accessed for troubleshooting and maintenance.
UEFI has existed PC hardware from a variety of vendors for some time now, but it has not been fully utilized or implemented. However, Windows 8 uses UEFI, so the launch of the next generation flagship OS from Microsoft will see UEFI quickly catapulted into mainstream adoption.
Buh-bye BIOS. It’s been fun.
Netwarez Tech News