bios uefi

The BIOS will soon be dead: Intel has announced plans to completely replace it with UEFI on all their chipsets by 2020. But what is UEFI, and how is it different from the BIOS we’re all familiar with?

BIOS即將失效：英特爾已宣佈計劃在2020年之前用所有晶片組上的UEFI完全替換它。但是UEFI是什麼？它與我們都熟悉的BIOS有何不同？

Both UEFI and BIOS are low-level software that starts when you boot your PC before booting your operating system, but UEFI is a more modern solution, supporting larger hard drives, faster boot times, more security features, and—conveniently—graphics and mouse cursors.

UEFI和BIOS都是低階軟體，可在啟動作業系統之前在啟動PC時啟動，但是UEFI是一種更現代的解決方案，支援更大的硬碟驅動器，更快的啟動時間，更多安全功能以及(方便地)圖形和滑鼠遊標。

We’ve seen newer PCs that ship with UEFI still refer to it as the “BIOS” to avoid confusing people who are used to a traditional PC BIOS. Even if your PC uses the term “BIOS”,modern PCs you buy today almost certainly ship with UEFI firmware instead of a BIOS. Here’s why.

我們已經看到帶有UEFI的較新PC仍將其稱為“ BIOS”，以避免使習慣於傳統PC BIOS的人感到困惑。 即使您的PC使用“ BIOS”一詞，您今天購買的現代PC也幾乎可以肯定帶有UEFI韌體而不是BIOS。 這就是為什麼。

什麼是BIOS？ (What Is a BIOS?)

BIOS is short for Basic Input-Output system. It’s low-level software that resides in a chip on your computer’s motherboard. The BIOS loads when your computer starts up, and the BIOS is responsible for waking up your computer’s hardware components, ensures they’re functioning properly, and then runs the bootloader that boots Windows or whatever other operating system you have installed.

BIOS是Basic Input-Output系統的縮寫。 它是駐留在計算機主機板上晶片中的低階軟體。 BIOS在計算機啟動時載入，BIOS負責喚醒計算機的硬體元件，確保它們正常執行，然後執行引導Windows或任何其他已安裝作業系統的載入程式。

You can configure various settings in the BIOS setup screen. Settings like your computer’s hardware configuration, system time, and boot order are located here. You can access this screenby pressing a specific key—different on different computers, but often Esc, F2, F10, or Delete—while the computer boots. When you save a setting, it’s saved to the memory on your motherboard itself. When you boot your computer, the BIOS will configure your PC with the savedsettings.

您可以在BIOS設定螢幕中配置各種設定。 諸如計算機的硬體配置，系統時間和啟動順序之類的設定位於此處。 您可以通過在計算機啟動時按特定的鍵(在不同的計算機上有所不同，但通常是Esc，F2，F10或Delete)來訪問此螢幕。 儲存設定後，設定將儲存到主機板本身的記憶體中。 當您啟動計算機時，BIOS將使用儲存的設定來配置PC。

The BIOS goes through a POST, or Power-On Self Test, before booting your operating system. It checks to ensure your hardware configuration is valid and working properly. If something is wrong, you’ll see an error message or hear a cryptic series of beep codes. You’ll have to look up what different sequences of beeps mean in the computer’s manual.

在引導作業系統之前，BIOS將通過POST或開機自檢。 它檢查以確保您的硬體配置有效並且可以正常工作。 如果出現問題，您將看到錯誤訊息或聽到一系列神祕的嗶聲程式碼。 您必須在計算機手冊中查詢不同的嗶嗶聲的含義。

When your computer boots—and after the POST finishes—the BIOS looks for a Master Boot Record, or MBR, stored on the boot device and uses it to launch the bootloader.

當您的計算機引導時(以及POST完成後)，BIOS會查詢儲存在引導裝置中的主引導記錄或MBR，並使用它來啟動引導載入程式。

You may also see the acronym CMOS, which stands for Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor. This refers to the battery-backed memory where the BIOS stores various settings on the motherboard. It’s actually not accurate anymore, since this method has been replaced with flash memory (also referred to as EEPROM) in contemporary systems.

您可能還會看到首字母縮寫詞CMOS，它表示互補金氧半導體。 這是指電池後備記憶體，BIOS在其中將各種設定儲存在主機板上。 實際上，它不再準確了，因為在現代系統中，該方法已被快閃記憶體(也稱為EEPROM)所取代。

為什麼BIOS過時 (Why the BIOS Is Outdated)

The BIOS has been around for a long time, and hasn’t evolved much. Even MS-DOS PCs released in the 1980s had a BIOS!

BIOS已經存在很長時間了，並且發展不多。 即使是1980年代釋出的MS-DOS PC也具有BIOS！

Of course, the BIOS has evolved and improved over time. Some extensions were developed, including ACPI, the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface. This allows the BIOS to more easily configure devices and perform advanced power management functions, like sleep. But the BIOS hasn’t advanced and improved nearly as much as other PC technology has since the days of MS-DOS.

當然，BIOS會隨著時間的發展而不斷改進。 開發了一些擴充套件，包括ACPI，高階配置和電源介面。 這使BIOS可以更輕鬆地配置裝置並執行高階電源管理功能，例如sleep 。 但是自從MS-DOS時代以來，BIOS並沒有像其他PC技術一樣進步和改進。

The traditional BIOS still has serious limitations. Itcan only boot from drives of 2.1 TB or less. 3 TB drives are now common, and a computer with a BIOS can’t boot from them. That limitation is due to the way the BIOS’s Master Boot Record system works.

傳統的BIOS仍然存在嚴重的侷限性。 它只能從2.1 TB或更小的驅動器啟動。 3 TB驅動器現在很常見，帶有BIOS的計算機無法從它們啟動。 該限制是由於BIOS的主啟動記錄系統的工作方式而引起的。

The BIOS must run in 16-bit processor mode, and only has 1 MBof space to execute in. It has trouble initializing multiple hardware devices at once, which leads to a slower boot process when initializing all the hardware interfaces and devices on a modern PC.

BIOS必須在16位處理器模式下執行，並且只有1 MB的空間可以執行。BIOS難以一次初始化多個硬體裝置，這導致在現代計算機上初始化所有硬體介面和裝置時引導過程變慢。電腦

The BIOS has needed replacement for a long time. Intel started work on the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) specification back in 1998. Apple chose EFI when it switched to the Intel architecture on its Macs in 2006, but other PC manufacturers didn’t follow.

BIOS已需要更換很長時間了。 英特爾於1998年開始就可擴充套件韌體介面(EFI)規範開展工作。蘋果在2006年改用Mac上的Intel體系結構時選擇了EFI，但其他PC製造商沒有效仿。

In 2007, Intel, AMD, Microsoft, and PC manufacturers agreed on a new Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) specification. This is an industry-wide standard managed by the Unified Extended Firmware Interface Forum, and isn’t solely driven by Intel. UEFI support was introduced to Windows with Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows 7. The vast majority of computers you can buy today now use UEFI rather than a traditional BIOS.

在2007年，英特爾，AMD，微軟和PC製造商就新的統一可擴充套件韌體介面(UEFI)規範達成了一致。 這是由統一擴充套件韌體介面論壇管理的行業範圍內的標準，並非僅由英特爾推動。 Windows Vista Service Pack 1和Windows 7向Windows引入了UEFI支援。您現在可以購買的絕大多數計算機現在使用UEFI，而不是傳統的BIOS。

UEFI如何在BIOS上進行替換和改進 (How UEFI Replaces and Improves on the BIOS)

UEFI replaces the traditional BIOS on PCs.There’s no way to switch from BIOS to UEFI on an existing PC. You need to buy new hardware that supports and includes UEFI, as most new computers do.Most UEFI implementations provide BIOS emulation so you can choose to install and boot old operating systems that expect a BIOS instead of UEFI, so they’re backwards compatible.

UEFI取代了PC上的傳統BIOS。 在現有PC上無法從BIOS切換到UEFI。 與大多數新計算機一樣，您需要購買支援幷包括UEFI的新硬體。 大多數UEFI實現都提供BIOS模擬，因此您可以選擇安裝並引導希望使用BIOS而不是UEFI的舊作業系統，因此它們是向後相容的。

This new standard avoids the limitations of the BIOS. The UEFI firmware can boot from drives of 2.2 TB or larger—in fact, the theoretical limit is 9.4 zettabytes. That’s roughly three times the estimated size of all the data on the Internet. That’s because UEFI uses the GPT partitioning scheme instead of MBR. It also boots in a more standardized way, launching EFI executables rather than running code from a drive’s master boot record.

此新標準避免了BIOS的限制。 UEFI韌體可以從2.2 TB或更大的驅動器啟動-實際上，理論上的限制是9.4 ZB。 這大約是Internet上所有資料的估計大小的三倍。 這是因為UEFI使用GPT分割槽方案而不是MBR 。 它還以更標準化的方式啟動，啟動EFI可執行檔案，而不是執行驅動器主啟動記錄中的程式碼。

UEFI can run in 32-bit or 64-bit mode and has more addressable address space than BIOS, which means your boot process is faster. It also means that UEFI setup screens can be slicker than BIOS settings screens, including graphics and mouse cursor support. However, this isn’t mandatory. Many PCs still ship with text-mode UEFI settings interfaces that look and work like an old BIOS setup screen.

UEFI可以以32位或64位模式執行，並且具有比BIOS更多的可定址地址空間，這意味著您的引導過程更快。 這也意味著UEFI設定螢幕可以比BIOS設定螢幕更流暢，包括圖形和滑鼠游標支援。 但是，這不是強制性的。 許多PC仍帶有文字模式UEFI設定介面，其外觀和工作方式類似於舊的BIOS設定螢幕。

UEFI is packed with other features. It supports Secure Boot, which means the operating system can be checked for validity to ensure no malware has tampered with the boot process. It can support networking features right in the UEFI firmware itself, which can aid in remote troubleshooting and configuration. With a traditional BIOS, you have to be sitting in front of aphysical computer to configure it.

UEFI包含其他功能。 它支援安全啟動，這意味著可以檢查作業系統的有效性，以確保沒有惡意軟體篡改啟動過程。 它可以支援UEFI韌體本身中的聯網功能，可以幫助進行遠端故障排除和配置。 使用傳統的BIOS，您必須坐在一臺物理計算機之前進行配置。

It’s not just a BIOS replacement, either. UEFI is essentially a tiny operating system that runs on top of the PC’s firmware, and it can do a lot more than a BIOS. It may be stored inflash memory on the motherboard, or it may be loaded from a hard drive or network share at boot.

這也不只是BIOS的替代品。 UEFI本質上是一個執行在PC韌體之上的微型作業系統，它的功能遠不止BIOS。 它可能儲存在主機板上的快閃記憶體中，也可能在引導時從硬碟驅動器或網路共享中載入。

Different PCs with UEFI will have different interfaces and features. It’s all up to your PC manufacturer, but the basics will be the same on each PC.

具有UEFI的不同PC將具有不同的介面和功能。 這完全取決於您的PC製造商，但是每臺PC的基本知識都是相同的。

如何在現代PC上訪問UEFI設定 (How to Access UEFI Settings on Modern PCs)

If you’re a normal PC user, switching to a computer with UEFI won’t be a noticeable change. Your new computer will boot up and shut down faster than it would have with a BIOS, and you can use drives of 2.2 TB or more in size.

如果您是普通PC使用者，則使用UEFI切換到計算機不會有明顯變化。 與使用BIOS相比，新計算機的啟動和關閉速度更快，並且可以使用2.2 TB或更大容量的驅動器。

If you need to access low-level settings, there may be a slight difference. You may need to access the UEFI settings screen through the Windows boot options menu rather than pressing a key while your computer starts. With PCs now booting so quickly, PC manufacturers don’t want to slow down the boot process by waiting to see if you press a key. However, we’ve also seen PCs with UEFI that allow you to access the BIOS in the same way, by pressing a key during the boot-up process.

如果您需要訪問低階設定，則可能會有細微的差別。 您可能需要通過Windows啟動選項選單訪問UEFI設定螢幕，而不是在計算機啟動時按任何鍵。 由於PC現在可以如此快速地啟動，因此PC製造商不希望通過等待是否按某個鍵來減慢啟動過程。 但是，我們還看到帶有UEFI的PC允許您以相同的方式訪問BIOS，方法是在啟動過程中按一個鍵。

While UEFI is a big upgrade, it’s largely in the background. Most PC users will never notice—or need to care—that their new PCs use UEFI instead of a traditional BIOS. They’ll just work better and support more modern hardware and features.

儘管UEFI是一項重大升級，但它很大程度上是在後臺進行的。 大多數PC使用者永遠不會注意到或需要關心他們的新PC使用UEFI而不是傳統BIOS。 它們將更好地工作，並支援更多現代硬體和功能。

For more detailed information, read Adam Williamson of Red Hat’s explanation of how the UEFI boot process is different. You can also read the official UEFI FAQ.

有關更多詳細資訊，請閱讀Red Hat關於UEFI引導過程如何不同的說明的Adam Williamson。 您也可以閱讀官方UEFI常見問題解答。

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

圖片來源： Wikimedia Commons

翻譯自: https://www.howtogeek.com/56958/htg-explains-how-uefi-will-replace-the-bios/

bios uefi