The BIOS is equivalent to the hardware and software between the "converter", mainly to solve the hardware requirements, and according to the hardware requirements of the software to perform specific operations. Although the BIOS is also a set of programs, but it and the common installation in the computer hard disk of the program, there are many different, mainly the following two kinds of differences.
1. Programs are read in different order
When a program on a disc or hard disk is turned on, you must read it to the memory to run it, but the BIOS is running in the order before these programs. You must perform the BIOS before you can use a floppy disk, a CD, or a program on your hard disk to function correctly. Therefore, the BIOS is not placed in these storage media, but is placed directly in the specialized storage.
2. Different types of ownership
Unlike other programs, the BIOS's properties are both software and program code that is solidified within the integrated circuit, so they can be part of the hardware. So, sometimes people call it "firmware." In addition, the BIOS storage of the ROM occupied by the address is fixed, that is, the address can not be used by other programs, so that each boot to find the starting point of the BIOS program.
Often said BIOS chip actually refers to the memory bios of the ROM chip, this ROM chip is only the BIOS program carrier. Because the BIOS and ROM are inextricably linked, they are referred to as BIOS ROM.