enow.com Web Search

Search results

  1. Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
  2. Upper memory area - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_memory_area

    In DOS memory management, the upper memory area (UMA) is the memory between the addresses of 640 KB and 1024 KB (0xA0000–0xFFFFF) in an IBM PC or compatible. IBM reserved the uppermost 384 KB of the 8088 CPU 's 1024 KB address space for BIOS ROM , Video BIOS , Option ROMs , video RAM, RAM on peripherals, memory-mapped I/O , and obsoleted ROM ...

  3. Memory map - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory_map

    It is the fastest and most flexible cache organization that uses an associative memory. The associative memory stores both the address and content of the memory word. [further explanation needed] In the boot process of some computers, a memory map may be passed on from the firmware to instruct an operating system kernel about memory layout. It ...

  4. e820 - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E820

    e820 is shorthand for the facility by which the BIOS of an x86-based computer system reports the memory map to the operating system or boot loader. [1] It is accessed via the int 15h call, by setting the AX register to value E820 in hexadecimal. It reports which memory address ranges are usable and which are reserved for use by the BIOS. [2]

  5. Master boot record - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_boot_record

    From the perspective of the BIOS, the action of the MBR loading a volume boot record into RAM is exactly the same as the action of a floppy disk volume boot record loading the object code of an operating system loader into RAM. In either case, the program that the BIOS loaded is going about the work of chain loading an operating system.

  6. Power-on self-test - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power-on_self-test

    Typical POST screen (AMI BIOS) Typical UEFI-compliant BIOS POST screen (Phoenix Technologies BIOS) Summary screen after POST and before booting an operating system (AMI BIOS) A power-on self-test ( POST ) is a process performed by firmware or software routines immediately after a computer or other digital electronic device is powered on.

  7. BIOS - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS

    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]

  8. BIOS parameter block - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BIOS_parameter_block

    In computing, the BIOS parameter block, often shortened to BPB, is a data structure in the volume boot record (VBR) describing the physical layout of a data storage volume. On partitioned devices, such as hard disks , the BPB describes the volume partition, whereas, on unpartitioned devices, such as floppy disks , it describes the entire medium.

  9. Volume boot record - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volume_boot_record

    The boot code in the VBR can assume that the BIOS has set up its data structures and interrupts and initialized the hardware. The code should not assume more than 32 KB of memory to be present for fail-safe operation; [1] if it needs more memory it should query INT 12h for it, since other pre-boot code (such as f.e. BIOS extension overlays, encryption systems, or remote bootstrap loaders) may ...