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In computing, BIOS (/ ˈ b aɪ ɒ s,-oʊ s /, BY-oss, -ohss; Basic Input/Output System, also known as the System BIOS, ROM BIOS, BIOS ROM or PC BIOS) is a type of firmware used to provide runtime services for operating systems and programs and to perform hardware initialization during the booting process (power-on startup). [1]
Windows 8.1 was made available for download via MSDN and Technet and available as a free upgrade for retail copies of Windows 8 and Windows RT users via the Windows Store. A server version, Windows Server 2012 R2, was released on October 18, 2013. Windows 8.1 aimed to address complaints of Windows 8 users and reviewers on launch.
Windows RT is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft and released alongside Windows 8 on October 26, 2012. It is a version of Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 built for the 32-bit ARM architecture (ARMv7), [6] designed to take advantage of the architecture's power efficiency to allow for longer battery life, to use system-on-chip (SoC) designs to allow for thinner devices and to provide a ...
Windows 8 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft.It was released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012, made available for download via MSDN and TechNet on August 15, 2012, [6] and generally released for retail on October 26, 2012.
Standard PC BIOS is limited to a 16-bit processor mode and 1 MB of addressable memory space, resulting from the design based on the IBM 5150 that used a 16-bit Intel 8088 processor. [8] [34] In comparison, the processor mode in a UEFI environment can be either 32-bit (IA-32, AArch32) or 64-bit (x86-64, Itanium, and AArch64).
Unlocking the bootloader allows installing and running unsigned code on a device, including user customized software. Operating outside the manufacturer specification might usually result in voiding any warranties and may make the device susceptible to data theft, as the integrity of the operating system (as intended by the manufacturer) can no longer be guaranteed. [1]
ASUS has also been working with Microsoft in developing Windows 8 convertible tablets. [46] In 2013, ASUS revealed an Android-based tablet computer that, when attached to a keyboard, becomes a Windows 8 device, which it called the Transformer Book Trio. [47] The keyboard can be attached to a third-party monitor, creating a desktop-like experience.
In-place upgrades are supported from most editions of Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 and Windows 8.1 with Update 1, while users with Windows 8 must first upgrade to Windows 8.1. Changing between architectures (e.g., upgrading from 32-bit edition to a 64-bit editions) via in-place upgrades is not supported; a clean installation is required.