Which BIOS is better, uefi or legacy. Uefi - what is it? Uefi bootable flash drive. Uefi installation. UEFI and bootable flash drives
UEFI BIOS has made a lot of noise in the digital world, and since all new computers and laptops already have this interface installed, we received a whole bag of letters regarding this topic in the mail. Questions are primarily of this nature.
What is UEFI BIOS and why did it replace the regular BIOS? Why can only Windows 8 be installed on a laptop with a UEFI BIOS, and no other operating system or even another operating system can be installed, then how to do this?
Why on a laptop with BIOS UEFI Is it possible to install Windows 8 of a different edition?
BIOS UEFI
After reading all the letters, I decided to answer them with one article and in such a way that everything would be clear even to a novice user.
An important incentive for writing this article was the fact that, according to my observations, a lot of people who buy new computers with an SSD drive and a motherboard that supports the new UEFI interface immediately disable this interface and install Windows 8 on a hard drive with an outdated master boot record. MBR.
What was the point then of buying a new expensive computer for 30-40 thousand rubles with an SSD drive and a UEFI BIOS, which undoubtedly gives advantages over a simple BIOS. You ask - What are the benefits? This is what I want to talk to you about.
BIOS UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is an interface between the operating system and firmware that controls low-level hardware functions. Developed by Intel. The history of the creation of the UEFI interface dates back to the first half of the 90s and at first it was called the Intel Boot Initiative, later it was given a different name EFI. The first EFI 1.02 specification was released by Intel in 2000.We all know what a BIOS is, yes, that’s right, it is a “basic input/output system”, and in human terms it is a microprogram built into a simple chip, which in turn is located on the motherboard. So, this firmware (BIOS) is an intermediary between the installed operating system and the components installed on the computer. That is, the BIOS explains to the operating system how all computer components can be functionally used: motherboard, processor, video card, RAM, and so on. The BIOS starts before the operating system and immediately checks (POST procedure) all the computer hardware listed above: processor, motherboard and everything else, setting the necessary parameters for their operation. If any component malfunctions, the BIOS emits a signal through the built-in speaker, by the nature of which you can understand which device is faulty.
In short, BIOS turns out to be a rather important thing on a computer, but... today, friends, BIOS has been replaced by a much more advanced tool called UEFI.
What's wrong with a regular BIOS?
Here are the most important reasons.
1) When you turn on the computer, the BIOS, in addition to checking the components for serviceability, checks all hard drives for the MBR (master boot record), which is located in the zero sector and has a size of 512 bytes; when a boot record is found, the BIOS starts the boot record the code is in the MBR, then the operating system is loaded. On a computer with a regular BIOS and a hard drive (having an MBR (Master Boot Record)), volume addressing is done in such a way that the maximum addressable space on the hard drive can be a maximum of 2TB, that is, the operating system will NOT see more than 2TB of disk space on a 3TB hard drive, which you will agree is not very convenient given the current capacity of hard drives.
2) On computers with a regular BIOS, hard drives (having a master boot record MBR) have a limitation on the creation of primary partitions, that is, only 4 primary partitions can be created on an MBR disk - three main and one additional partition in which logical disks can be created, You can install an operating system on the logical one, but it will not start without a boot manager on the main partition). And UEFI BIOS works with hard drives that have a GUID partition table (GPT), such hard drives can be divided into 128 primary partitions.
3) And most importantly, UEFI BIOS is much safer. It is no secret that there has long been a rootkit capable of injecting its code into the BIOS chip and loading itself before the operating system, thereby gaining unlimited control of the system itself. This is not possible in UEFI BIOS, it has a secure boot procedure “Secure Boot”,
Based on special certified keys from Microsoft. Looking ahead, I will say that because of this very secure boot, ordinary users cannot install anything other than Windows 8 on computers with UEFI BIOS, since only Windows 8 today has these same certified keys (further in the article there is more complete information about this ).
Advantages of UEFI BIOS
So, let's take a look at the new UEFI BIOS one by one and find out its main advantages over a regular BIOS. The UEFI interface is a mini operating system, or in other words, an improved and completely redesigned mechanism that will soon completely replace BIOS. Firstly, UEFI took a lot from its predecessor and is intended primarily for the interconnection of the operating system and the hardware installed on the computer, that is, all the components of the computer. When you turn on the computer, the UEFI interface must test all equipment for serviceability and then pass the baton to the operating system bootloader.
1) BIOS UEFI has its own very convenient and intuitive graphical control interface with mouse support. There is support for the Russian language.
2) UEFI BIOS works with hard drives that have a GUID partition table (GPT), such hard drives can be divided into 128 primary partitions (by the way, only 4 primary partitions can be created on an MBR disk - three main and one additional partition in which logical drives can be created , you can install an operating system on the logical one, but it will not start without a boot manager on the main partition).
3) UEFI BIOS makes it possible to use hard drives with a capacity of more than 2 TB, the maximum partition size can reach 18 exabytes (18,000,000 terabytes). On a computer with a regular BIOS, the installed operating system will NOT see more than 2.2 TB of disk space, which is of course inconvenient.
4) Hard drives with a GUID partition table (GPT) work only with LBA addressing, unlike MBR hard drives working with outdated CHS addressing.
6) GUID (GPT) hard drives make it easier to recover lost data.
7) BIOS UEFI has its own boot manager, which is very convenient to use if there are many operating systems on the computer; there is no need to use special bootloaders like EasyBCD.
8) UEFI BIOS is much easier to update than a simple BIOS.
9) GPT is more secure than MBR because the partition table is written at the beginning and end of the disk, providing duplication.
Secure Boot protocol
But the most important feature of the UEFI mechanism, which causes trouble for users, happens when reinstalling Windows 8 on a new computer or laptop. The UEFI BIOS has such a secure boot protocol “Secure Boot”, based on special certified keys which only Windows 8 from Microsoft has and Microsoft requires all manufacturers of computers and laptops with Windows 8 pre-installed to be enabled by default secure boot protocol "Secure Boot".
Having such keys in its distribution, Windows 8, when installed on a computer from any manufacturer, successfully passes the UEFI “Secure Boot” protocol, but none of the older Windows operating systems, as well as Ubuntu or Linux distributions, have such keys. That’s why, if your laptop has a UEFI BIOS, then you won’t be able to install any other operating system on such a laptop, there’s only one way out,
but then you will install the operating system you need on an MBR disk and will lose all the advantages of working with a hard disk with a GUID (GPT) style.
Of course, many users will think that in this way Microsoft is getting rid of competitors, but Microsoft successfully fends off such attacks by explaining that the UEFI interface with all its protocols and secure boot"Secure Boot" designed primarily for our safety and it’s hard to disagree with it (I already talked about a rootkit that can write its code into a regular BIOS at the beginning of the article).
Attentive readers may ask why Linux doesn’t come to an agreement with Microsoft and computer manufacturers and get these same keys. I found the answer in the blog of one of the Linux kernel developers - Matthew Garrett,
Matthew Garrett
It turns out that this is difficult both physically (this will take a lot of time, since you first need to agree with Microsoft, then you will have to negotiate with each computer manufacturer separately) and legally (the problems are related to the GRUB 2 bootloader, licensed under the GPLv3 license).
Many readers are interested in whether it is possible to make a bootable UEFI USB flash drive with the Windows 7 operating system?
Computers are developing more and more every day and this allows them to work even better and more reliably. Many have probably already heard about BIOS, and if you have already installed Linux, then you probably know what it is and have already had setup experience. You've probably noticed that the BIOS is difficult to configure and use. This is low level software and has remained unchanged for the past two decades. Because of this, BIOS technology can now be considered outdated and in need of replacement.
The new system - UEFI will eventually replace the BIOS, but, like most new technologies, its implementation is moving very slowly and for a long time. Users are missing out on the importance of a low-level operating system, which is exactly what UEFI is trying to address. In this article we will look at the difference between uefi and bios, try to find out which is better, bios or uefi, and also determine which is better to use.
BIOS stands for Basic Input / Output System or in Russian - basic input and output system. This is low-level software that provides a layer between the computer hardware and the operating system.
The BIOS starts as soon as you turn on the computer, checks and tests the hardware, and then loads the operating system boot loader.
The BIOS card is built into every motherboard and, in addition to preparing BIOS hardware, can be useful in a number of other cases. Since BIOS is independent of the operating system, you can access its settings without the OS installed. In addition, you can configure various hardware parameters - processor and memory frequencies, operating voltage, latency, and so on. This allows you to fine-tune your computer and get maximum performance.
Generally speaking, this is all the BIOS does, there is only a pseudo-graphical interface, key controls and only hardware settings. The BIOS bootloader takes from the master boot record - MBR, and there can only be one bootloader. Naturally, there can be no talk about choosing a bootloader.
What is UEFI?
UEFI, or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, is based on EFI - a development by Intel, which is designed to replace BIOS. The EFI standard has been developed over the past few years and has already begun to gain more popularity as manufacturers begin to use it on their devices instead of outdated BIOS technology.
UEFI supports all the features that were implemented in the BIOS, as well as many new features, which makes it the best solution for use on modern computers.
Here, in addition to initializing the equipment, reading settings from non-volatile memory and launching the bootloader, a large number of functions are supported. We can say that this is a low-level operating system. This is the main difference between bios and uefi. There is support for hardware drivers, and hence support for a mouse and graphics card; there is also a full-fledged console with support for launching applications, networking, and working with equipment. To the point where you can not only copy and move files on supported file systems, but also play discs or music if supported by EFI programs.
Although it has a significant advantage over BIOS, UEFI has some limitations on 32-bit processors. 64-bit processors fully support UEFI, but 32-bit processors do not support some functions and the operating system must emulate the BIOS environment for them in order to work normally.
On many devices you can now use two legacy bios or UEFI modes. During this, many useful functions are lost. CPU makers and operating system developers are working together to fix this problem, and they're doing a good job.
Determining the UEFI or BIOS used on your computer is very simple; you can simply look at the computer's setup interface before booting. I think you will already understand everything here.
Which technology is better?
The old BIOS technology has been the industry standard for the past twenty years and during this time it has not seen many changes due to limitations such as only one megabyte of memory, 16-bit instructions and an MBR disk partition table that supports maximum 2 TB hard drives. and no more than four sections. Twenty years ago this was quite enough, but by modern standards such restrictions are too strict.
In addition, UEFI flexibility is necessary for technologies available now or those that will become available in the future. The BIOS limit of one megabyte created a lot of problems for hardware developers, but now there is definitely enough space to load device drivers.
UEFI is modular and, thanks to the GPT partition table, can support 128 partitions up to 8 exabytes in size. It also provides tighter integration with the operating system. A very important component of UEFI is increased security. This is an important difference between bios and uefi. Users can only install registered operating systems. Each operating system is given a key built into its boot loader, and the UEFI system reads that key and compares it to its database. If this key is not in the database, the operating system will not be allowed to boot. This could cause many problems with Linux distributions, but the problem has been resolved. In addition, users can add keys to the database themselves.
Thanks to the modular structure of UEFI, new features can be added later and thereby expand the existing system. This makes such a system more promising and easier to use.
Newer UEFI systems are much easier to use and have a full graphical interface with a mouse pointer and intuitive menus. You get the opportunity to configure everything very simply. In addition, motherboard manufacturers can develop various UEFI software modules that will allow easy testing of various hardware.
Overall, when comparing UEFI and BIOS, the former wins due to its modularity, extensibility, as well as independent drivers and ease of use. It will be some time before users can choose BIOS or UEFI and the new technology will slowly replace the old one. More and more manufacturers are using UEFI on their boards and computers, and 32-bit processors are being used less and less. But as with all advancements in computing, the transition to UEFI will take a long time. You now know the difference between uefi and bios and can make the right choice when buying a new device.
What is BIOS?
BIOS (Basi Input/Output System) or basic input/output system is a set of microprograms that ensure the initial startup of the computer and initialization of equipment, recorded in a special chip on the motherboard. Provides the operating system with an API to access all existing hardware and connected devices. The main BIOS manufacturers are: AMI (American Megatrends), Award Software and Phoenix Technologies.
When the computer starts, the BIOS checks critical system components - POST, i.e. Power-on Self-test. If a malfunction or any problem is detected, the BIOS will provide information in the form of a message or, more often, a beep. If everything is ok, you will most likely hear 1 short beep and the download will continue.
Introducing UEFI
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface - a standardized extensible firmware interface. The substrate interface between computer components and the operating system. Essentially the same BIOS, only slightly improved. Does everything the same as a standard BIOS, i.e. performs a check, initializes the hardware, searches for the bootloader and transfers control to the OS. It is also equipped with a number of innovations, more on that below.
The main advantages of UEFI over BIOS:
1) It takes much less time to boot, which is achieved using parallel initialization, in contrast to the BIOS, which initializes all components sequentially. You can see the loading diagram in the diagram below. It is also noteworthy that the operating system will be able to use uefi, rather than loading its own. For example, if you are undemanding to the graphics subsystem, you can not download, and therefore not install, new drivers, but use the drivers offered by UEFI.
2) Another important advantage is that you can boot from disks with a capacity of more than 2 TB. The fact is that the BIOS used MBR (Main Boot Record) to boot - the main boot record, which can only address 2 TB of space, while UEFI uses GPT (Guid Partition Table) - this is another standard format for placing partitions on a physical hard drive, which allows you to address as much as 9 ZB (Zettabytes).
3) UEFI also acquired a graphical interface with mouse support, for some this is a plus and for others a minus. Some built-in programs have appeared, for example, a browser. Thus, uefi began to represent not only the interface between the operating system and hardware components, but also some kind of .
4) Support for cryptography and other security methods. There are many nuances about this, we won’t go into details.
There is nothing radically new, there are some improvements and improvements, but gradually uefi will completely replace bios.
Many users believe that the computer boots using the operating system, but in fact this is only partly true. In this material, you will learn how a PC actually boots and become familiar with such important concepts as BIOS, CMOS, UEFI and others.
Introduction
For many people, working with a computer begins after loading the operating system. And this is not surprising, since the vast majority of the time, modern PCs are actually used using the convenient graphical shell of Windows or any other OS. In this friendly environment for us, we not only launch programs, applications or games, but also carry out settings, as well as configure system parameters to suit our own needs.
But, despite all its multifunctionality, the operating system cannot do everything, and in some key moments, it is simply powerless. In particular, this applies to the initial boot of the computer, which occurs completely without her participation. Moreover, the launch of the OS itself largely depends on the success of this procedure, which may not occur if problems arise.
This may be news to some, but in reality, Windows is not responsible for booting the computer from start to finish; it only continues it at a certain stage and finishes it. The key player here is a completely different firmware - the BIOS, the purpose and main functions of which we will talk about in this material.
What is BIOS and why is it needed?
The key components of any computer device are a combination of processor and RAM, and this is not without reason. The processor is rightly called the heart and brain of any PC, since all the main mathematical operations are entrusted to it. In this case, the CPU can only take all commands and data for calculations from RAM. He also sends the results of his work there. The processor does not directly interact with any other information storage, for example, hard drives.
This is where the main problem lies. In order for the processor to begin executing operating system commands, they must be in RAM. But when the PC is turned on, the RAM is empty, since it is volatile and cannot store information when the computer is turned off. At the same time, by themselves, without the participation of the system, computer devices cannot place the necessary data in memory. And here we are faced with a paradoxical situation. It turns out that in order to load the OS into memory, the operating system must already be in RAM.
To resolve this situation, at the dawn of the era of personal computers, IBM engineers proposed using a special small program called the BIOS, sometimes called the boot loader.
Word BIOS(BIOS) is an abbreviation for four English words Basic Input/Output System, which translated into Russian means: “Basic input/output system.” This name was given to a set of firmware responsible for the operation of the basic functions of video adapters, displays, disk drives, drives, keyboards, mice and other basic input/output devices.
The main functions of the BIOS are the initial startup of the PC, testing and initial configuration of the equipment, distribution of resources between devices and activation of the operating system boot procedure.
Where is the BIOS stored and what is CMOS
Considering that the BIOS is responsible for the very initial stage of booting the computer, regardless of its configuration, this program should be available for basic devices immediately after pressing the PC power button. That is why it is not stored on the hard drive, like most ordinary applications, but is written to a special flash memory chip located on the motherboard. Thus, access to the BIOS and starting the computer is possible even if no storage media is connected to the PC at all.
The very first computers used read-only memory (ROM) chips to store the BIOS, onto which the program code itself was written once at the factory. Somewhat later, EPROM and EEROM chips began to be used, in which it was possible, if necessary, to rewrite the BIOS, but only with the help of special equipment.
In modern personal computers, the BIOS is stored in chips based on flash memory, which can be rewritten using special programs directly on the PC at home. This procedure is usually called flashing and is required to update the firmware to new versions or replace it in case of damage.
Many BIOS chips are not soldered onto the motherboard, like all other components, but are installed in a special small connector, which allows you to replace it at any time. True, this feature is unlikely to be useful to you, since cases requiring replacement of the BIOS chip are very rare and practically never occur among home users.
Flash memory for BIOS storage can have different capacities. In previous times, this volume was very small and amounted to no more than 512 KB. Modern versions of the program have become somewhat larger and have a volume of several megabytes. But in any case, compared to modern applications and multimedia files, this is simply minuscule.
In some advanced motherboards, manufacturers can install not one, but two BIOS chips at once - a main one and a backup one. In this case, if something happens to the main chip, the computer will boot from the backup one.
In addition to the flash memory in which the BIOS itself is stored, there is another type of memory on the motherboard that is designed to store configuration settings for this program. It is manufactured using a complementary metal oxide semiconductor or CMOS(Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor). This abbreviation is the name given to specialized memory that contains computer startup data used by the BIOS.
CMOS memory is powered by a battery installed on the motherboard. Thanks to this, when you disconnect the computer from the outlet, all BIOS settings are saved. On older computers, CMOS memory functions were assigned to a separate chip. In modern PCs it is part of the chipset.
POST procedure and initial PC boot
Now let's see what the initial process of booting a computer looks like and what role the BIOS plays in it.
After pressing the computer's power button, the power supply starts up first, beginning to supply voltage to the motherboard. If it is normal, then the chipset gives a command to reset the internal memory of the central processor and start it up. After this, the processor begins to sequentially read and execute commands written in system memory, the role of which is played by the BIOS chip.
At the very beginning, the processor receives a command to perform self-testing of computer components ( POST- Power-On Self-Test). The POST procedure includes several stages, most of which you can watch on the PC screen immediately after turning it on. The sequence of events before the operating system starts loading is as follows:
1. First, the main system devices are determined.
3. The third step is setting up the system logic set, or more simply, the chipset.
4. Then the video card is searched and identified. If an external (independent) video adapter is installed in the computer, then it will have its own BIOS, which the main system BIOS will look for in a certain range of memory addresses. If an external graphics adapter is found, the first thing you will see on the screen will be an image with the name of the video card generated by its BIOS.
5. After finding the graphics adapter, the integrity of the BIOS parameters and battery status begins to be checked. At this moment, those same mysterious white inscriptions begin to appear on the monitor screen one after another, causing trepidation in inexperienced users due to a lack of understanding of what is happening. But in fact, nothing supernatural happens at this moment, as you will now see for yourself. The first, topmost inscription, as a rule, contains the logo of the BIOS developers and information about its installed version.
6. Then testing of the central processor starts, after which data about the installed chip is displayed: the name of the manufacturer, model and its clock frequency.
7. Next, testing of RAM begins. If everything goes well, the total installed amount of RAM is displayed on the screen with the inscription OK.
8. Upon completion of checking the main components of the PC, the search for the keyboard and testing of other input/output ports begins. In some cases, the computer may stop booting at this stage if the system is unable to detect the connected keyboard. In this case, a warning about this will be immediately displayed on the screen.
9. Next, the detection of storage devices connected to the computer begins, including optical drives, hard drives and flash drives. Information about the found devices is displayed on the screen. If several controllers from different manufacturers are installed on the motherboard, their initialization procedure can be displayed on different screens.
Controller Definition ScreenSerialATA, which has its ownBIOS, with the output of all devices connected to it.
10. At the final stage, resources are distributed between the found internal PC devices. In older computers, after this a summary table with all detected equipment is displayed. In modern machines, the table is no longer displayed on the display.
11. Finally, if the POST procedure is successful, the BIOS begins searching the connected drives Main Boot Area(MBR), which contains data about the operating system startup and the boot device to which further control must be transferred.
Depending on the BIOS version installed on the computer, the POST procedure may take place with slight changes from the order described above, but in general, all the main steps that we have indicated will be performed when booting each PC.
BIOS Setup Utility
BIOS is a configurable system and has its own program for setting up some PC hardware parameters, called BIOS Setup Utility or CMOS Setup Utility. It is called by pressing a special key during the POST self-test procedure. On desktop computers, the Del key is most often used for this purpose, and on laptops F2.
The graphical interface of the hardware configuration utility is very ascetic and has remained virtually unchanged since the 80s. All settings here are made only using the keyboard - mouse operation is not provided.
CMOS/BIOS Setup has a lot of settings, but the most popular ones that the average user may need include: setting the system time and date, choosing the order of boot devices, enabling/disabling additional equipment built into the motherboard (sound, video or network adapters) , controlling the cooling system and monitoring the processor temperature, as well as changing the system bus frequency (overclocking).
For different motherboard models, the number of configurable BIOS parameters can vary greatly. The widest range of settings is usually available on expensive desktop motherboards aimed at enthusiasts, fans of computer games and overclocking. The most meager arsenal, as a rule, is found in budget boards designed for installation in office computers. The vast majority of mobile devices also lack a variety of BIOS settings. We will talk in more detail about the various BIOS settings and their impact on the operation of the computer in a separate article.
BIOS development and update
As a rule, for almost every motherboard model, its own BIOS version is developed, which takes into account its individual technical features: the type of chipset used and the types of peripheral equipment soldered.
BIOS development can be divided into two stages. First, a basic version of the firmware is created, which implements all functions, regardless of the chipset model. Today, the development of such versions is mainly carried out by American Megatrends (AMIBIOS) and Phoenix Technologies, which in 1998 absorbed the then major player in this market - Award Software (AwardBIOS, Award Modular BIOS, Award WorkstationBIOS).
At the second stage, motherboard manufacturers are involved in the development of BIOS. At this point, the basic version is modified and improved for each specific board model, taking into account its features. At the same time, after a motherboard enters the market, work on its BIOS version does not stop. Developers regularly release updates that can fix found errors, add support for new hardware, and expand the functionality of the program. In some cases, updating the BIOS allows you to breathe new life into a seemingly outdated motherboard, for example, adding support for a new generation of processors.
What is UEFI BIOS
The basic principles of operation of the system BIOS for desktop computers were formed in the distant 80s of the last century. Over the past decades, the computer industry has developed rapidly, and during this time situations have constantly arisen when new device models turn out to be incompatible with certain BIOS versions. To solve these problems, developers constantly had to modify the code of the underlying input/output system, but in the end a number of software limitations have remained unchanged since the days of the first home PCs. This situation led to the fact that the BIOS in its classic version finally ceased to meet the requirements of modern computer hardware, preventing its distribution in the mass sector of personal computers. It became clear that something needed to change.
In 2011, with the launch of motherboards for Intel Sandy Bridge generation processors installed in the LGA1155 socket, the mass introduction of a new software interface for booting a computer began - UEFI.
In fact, the first version of this alternative to the regular BIOS was developed and successfully used by Intel in server systems back in the late 90s. Then, the new interface for booting a PC was called EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface), but already in 2005 its new specification was called UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). Today, these two abbreviations are considered synonymous.
As you can see, motherboard manufacturers were in no particular hurry to switch to the new standard, trying to improve traditional BIOS variations until the last minute. But the obvious backwardness of this system, including its 16-bit interface, the inability to use more than 1 MB of memory address space, the lack of support for drives larger than 2 TB and other constant insoluble compatibility problems with new equipment nevertheless became a serious argument for switching to a new software solution .
What changes did the new boot interface proposed by Intel bring with it and how does it differ from the BIOS? As with BIOS, the main task of UEFI is to correctly detect the hardware immediately after turning on the PC and transfer control of the computer to the operating system. But at the same time, the changes in UEFI are so profound that it would be simply incorrect to compare it with BIOS.
BIOS is a virtually unchangeable program code embedded in a special chip and interacts directly with computer hardware using its own software. The procedure for booting a computer using BIOS is simple: immediately after turning on the computer, it checks the hardware and loads simple universal drivers for the main hardware components. After this, the BIOS finds the operating system bootloader and activates it. Next, the OS loads.
The UEFI system can be called a layer between the computer's hardware components, with their own firmware, and the operating system, which allows it to also perform BIOS functions. But unlike BIOS, UEFI is a modular programmable interface that includes test, work and boot services, device drivers, communication protocols, functional extensions and its own graphical shell, which makes it look like a very lightweight operating system. At the same time, the user interface in UEFI is modern, supports mouse control and can be localized into several languages, including Russian.
An important advantage of EFI is its cross-platform and independence from the processor architecture. The specifications of this system allow it to work with almost any combination of chips, be it x86 architecture (Intel, AMD) or ARM. Moreover, UEFI has direct access to all computer hardware and platform-independent drivers, which makes it possible to organize, for example, Internet access or disk backup without starting the OS.
Unlike BIOS, the UEFI code and all its service information can be stored not only in a special chip, but also on partitions of both internal and external hard drives, as well as network storage. In turn, the fact that boot data can be placed on capacious drives makes it possible to provide EFI with rich functionality due to its modular architecture. For example, these could be developed diagnostic tools, or useful utilities that can be used both at the initial PC boot stage and after the OS starts.
Another key feature of UEFI is the ability to work with huge hard drives, partitioned using the GPT (Guid Partition Table) standard. The latter is not supported by any BIOS modification, since it has 64-bit sector addresses.
Booting a UEFI-based PC, as in the case of BIOS, begins with initializing the devices. But at the same time, this procedure is much faster, since UEFI can detect several components at once in parallel mode (BIOS initializes all devices in turn). Then, the UEFI system itself is loaded, under the control of which any set of necessary actions is performed (loading drivers, initializing the boot drive, starting boot services, etc.), and only after that the operating system is launched.
It may seem that such a multi-step procedure should increase the overall boot time of the PC, but in fact the opposite happens. With UEFI, the system starts much faster, thanks to built-in drivers and its own bootloader. As a result, before starting, the OS receives comprehensive information about the computer’s hardware, which allows it to start within a few seconds.
Despite all the progressiveness of UEFI, there are still a number of restrictions that hinder the active development and distribution of this bootloader. The fact is that to implement all the capabilities of the new boot interface, it requires full support from operating systems. To date, only Windows 8 allows you to fully use the capabilities of UEFI. Limited support for the new interface is available for 64-bit versions of Windows 7, Vista and Linux with kernel 3.2 and higher. UEFI capabilities are also used in the BootCamp boot manager by Apple in its own Mac OS X systems.
Well, how does a computer boot from UEFI if it uses an unsupported operating system (WindowsXP, 32-bit Windows 7) or file partitioning (MBR)? For such cases, the new boot interface has built-in Compatibility support module(Compatibility Support Module), which is essentially a traditional BIOS. This is why you can see many modern computers equipped with UEFI motherboards booting in the traditional way in BIOS emulation mode. Most often this happens because their owners continue to use HDD partitions with traditional MBR and do not want to switch to GPT partitioning.
Conclusion
It's clear that, unlike a traditional BIOS, UEFI is capable of much more than just the boot process. The ability to launch working services and applications, both at the initial stage of PC boot and after the operating system starts, opens up a wide range of new opportunities for both developers and end users.
But at the same time, it is still premature to talk about a complete abandonment of the basic input/output system in the near future. First of all, you need to remember that until now most computers are running WindowsXP and 32-bit Windows 7, which are not supported by UEFI. And hard drives partitioned according to the GPT standard can mostly be found only in new models of laptops based on Windows 8.
So as long as the majority of users, due to their habits or some other reasons, are tied to old versions of the OS and traditional methods of partitioning hard drives, BIOS will remain the main system for booting a computer.
Many of the modern brands producing PC hardware components, as well as software, strive to ensure that their products support the UEFI interface. This software solution is intended to become an alternative to the input-output system - BIOS - that is familiar to many computer enthusiasts. What are the specifics of the software in question? What nuances are typical for using its capabilities?
What is UEFI
Let's look at some basic information about UEFI. What kind of development is this? UEFI is a special interface that is installed between the OS installed on the computer and the software responsible for the low-level functions of the PC hardware components.
Sometimes referred to as UEFI BIOS. On the one hand, there is some error in this name, since BIOS is a software solution that operates on different principles. UEFI is developed by Intel, BIOS is software that exists in several versions supported by different brands.
On the other hand, the purpose of BIOS and UEFI is almost the same. BIOS UEFI is a formal, not entirely correct phrase, but it does not contradict the logic of software and hardware algorithms for PC control.
Differences between BIOS and UEFI
But the first thing we will pay attention to is finding the differences between a “clean” BIOS and a “classic” UEFI. The fact is that the software solution we are considering is positioned as a more advanced alternative to BIOS. Many manufacturers of modern computer motherboards are trying to provide support for the appropriate type of software from Intel. Thus, we can trace the differences between UEFI and BIOS by studying, first of all, the shortcomings of the second system.
The first disadvantage of BIOS is that this system cannot ensure full use of disk space on very large “hard drives” - those that exceed 2 terabytes in volume. Indeed, just a few years ago, such values characterizing the capacity of hard drives seemed fantastic, and therefore PC manufacturers did not particularly focus on the corresponding drawback of the BIOS. But today you won’t surprise anyone with a hard drive larger than 2TB. PC manufacturers began to feel that it was time to switch to UEFI, that this was an objective necessity based on modern technological trends.
Another feature of BIOS is that it supports a limited number of primary partitions on the hard drive. In turn, UEFI works with 128. The structure of the new software solution from Intel implements a new partition table - GPT, which, in fact, allows you to use the noted technological advantage of UEFI.
With all the noted differences between the new software environment developed by Intel and the traditional BIOS input/output system, the main functions of the corresponding solutions are generally the same. Apart from the fundamentally new security algorithm in UEFI, there are not too many actual differences between the systems. Some experts believe that the new software platform allows operating systems to boot faster, others note that this is only relevant for Windows 8. Let's take a closer look at the security system implemented in UEFI.
New security technology
Where the new UEFI BIOS system is ahead is in the level of security. The fact is that there are viruses that can penetrate the microcircuit where the BIOS algorithms are written. After which, it becomes possible to load the OS with extended user rights, which opens up the widest possible opportunities for a hacker. In turn, the new solution from Intel implements secure boot - UEFI provides an appropriate algorithm called Secure Boot.
It is based on the use of special keys, which must be certified by the largest brands in the IT market. However, as experts note, in practice there are not too many such companies yet. In particular, with regard to the support of the corresponding option by operating system manufacturers, it is fully provided only by Microsoft and only in Windows 8. There is also information that compatibility with the new security system is implemented in some Linux distributions.
Benefits of UEFI
It is obvious that the noted disadvantages of the BIOS are, at the same time, the advantages of the new software solution. However, UEFI is characterized by a number of other important advantages. Let's look at them.
First of all, it is a convenient, intuitive and functional interface. As a rule, it implements mouse support - which is not typical for BIOS. Also, many versions of UEFI (BIOS does not have this option either) provide a Russified interface.
The algorithms provided by the new software solution allow loading operating systems in most cases significantly faster than when using BIOS. For example, Windows 8 installed on a UEFI-enabled computer can boot—provided the processor and other key hardware components have adequate performance—in literally 10 seconds.
Among other significant advantages of the software solution under consideration, which many IT specialists highlight, is a simpler update algorithm compared to BIOS mechanisms. Another useful UEFI option is that a given system has its own, which can be used if several operating systems are installed on the PC.
So, the technological advantages of the new PC management software interface, which was developed by Intel, are clear to us. The largest brands of PC hardware components ensure compatibility of the corresponding hardware with UEFI - Gigabyte, ASUS, SONY. The transition to a new system, as many IT experts believe, can turn into a sustainable technology trend. The opportunities offered to the global IT community by Intel, which developed UEFI, may well be attractive to leading manufacturers of software and hardware components for PCs. Moreover, the corresponding UEFI technological options are supported by the largest brand in the operating system market.
Facts about Secure Boot
Let's take a closer look at the advantages of Secure Boot technology supported by UEFI. What is this concept? safe booting of the computer, which is designed to protect the system, as we noted above, from the penetration of viruses. However, for its full use, the keys used by this protocol must be certified. At the moment, very few software brands satisfy this criterion. Among these is Microsoft, which has implemented support for the corresponding algorithms in Windows 8.
It may be noted that this circumstance in some cases can complicate the installation of other operating systems on a PC running UEFI. If you have to install Windows, UEFI may still show some loyalty to this - but provided that the OS version is as close as possible to the one installed by the computer manufacturer. It may also be noted that some Linux distributions are also compatible with the Secure Boot option.
But even if, due to the function in question, loading a new OS is prohibited by the system, the structure of the UEFI interface provides the ability to disable Secure Boot algorithms. It is clear that in this case, loading the OS will not be so safe, however, the corresponding option can be reactivated at any time and start working with Windows 8.
Which OS are fully UEFI compatible?
In very rare cases, individual IT specialists manage to install alternative operating systems on a PC with Secure Boot support. For example, it is known that it is theoretically possible to install Windows 7 on some laptops that support UEFI BIOS. ASUS is among the manufacturers of such PCs. But this is rather an exception to the rule. In general, the probability of successful installation of even other editions of Windows 8 is low. However, as we noted above, some Linux distributions are also compatible with UEFI options.
Features of UEFI setup
Let's look at some of the nuances of setting up the software solution in question from Intel. An interesting option is BIOS emulation using UEFI. What is this opportunity? Indeed, some versions of UEFI implement algorithms by which PC management is organized in accordance with the mechanisms used by the input/output system, which is the historical predecessor of UEFI.
Depending on the specific PC, this mode may be called differently. Most often this is Legacy or Launch CSM. However, there are no difficulties with how to install UEFI in standard boot mode.
Nuances of accessing UEFI
Another interesting fact that is useful to note is that there are a large number of versions of UEFI. They can vary significantly between PCs made by different brands. At the same time, the level of availability of certain functions on different computers can also vary significantly. It often happens, for example, that when the computer boots, the menu with which you can enter the UEFI settings is not displayed. But in this case, Windows OS usually provides an alternative option for downloading the necessary options. You need to go to “Settings” and activate the “Special boot options” option.
After this, you can reboot - and several options for loading your PC will appear on the screen. There is an alternative way to provide access to the appropriate UEFI options. It works on many PCs. You need to press Esc at the very beginning of the computer boot. After this, the menu in question should open.
Specifics of operation in different modes
Please note that when changing the normal UEFI operating mode to Legacy, it is advisable to use the necessary programs that require disabling Secure Boot or working with BIOS emulation, and re-enable the UEFI interface with all the corresponding options as soon as possible. Otherwise, Windows 8, as some IT specialists note, may not start. However, many PCs do not have this problem. Some manufacturer brands implement algorithms into the PC management structure that allow you to activate the UEFI mode automatically. Some PC models implement a hybrid mode, in which the UEFI system boots from any media, and BIOS modulation can be started if necessary. Differences in UEFI versions may also mean that disabling Secure Boot is not possible in the normal operating mode of the Intel software solution. To do this, you will have to activate the BIOS emulation function in any case.
UEFI and bootable flash drives
In some cases, users need to boot the operating system from a flash drive. The main difficulty is that a UEFI bootable flash drive having a format other than FAT32 is not recognized. But this problem can be successfully resolved. How?
So, by default, bootable USB flash drives for Windows are formatted in a format that UEFI does not recognize. Therefore, the main task is to ensure that the corresponding hardware component is formatted in the more universal file system - FAT32. The most interesting thing is that many IT specialists consider it outdated. But using the example of one of the most modern software solutions, which is, of course, UEFI, we can trace the relevance of the corresponding standard.
Flash drive for booting in UEFI mode: components
What do we need to ensure that the UEFI bootable flash drive is recognized without problems? First of all, this is, in fact, a USB drive itself. It is advisable that its capacity be at least 4 GB. It is also advisable that no valuable files be placed on it, since we have to completely format the flash drive. The next component we need is a Windows OS distribution. Let it be the 64-bit version of Windows 7. Another feature of UEFI that should be mentioned is that this system does not support 32-bit operating systems from Microsoft.
Preparing a flash drive
If we have the marked components, then we can start working. First, insert the USB flash drive. Then, open the command line in the Windows interface. It is necessary, however, that the user have administrator rights. Through you need to launch the DISKPART program - simply by entering this word. After this, you need to enter the list disk command, which will display a list of disks present in the system. You need to find a USB flash drive in it. If it is number 2 in the list, then you need to enter the command select disk 2.
Formatting a flash drive
Next you need to format the media. To do this, you need to enter the clean command. After this, you need to create a primary partition on the disk. This can be done using the create partition primary command. After this, the created partition should be made active. To do this, enter the active command. After this, you can display a list of sections. To do this, enter list volume in the command line. We find the section that we created. If it is listed as number 3, then enter the command select volume 3. After this, you need to format it in the FAT32 system. To do this, enter the command format fs=fat32. The basic bootable media is thus ready. But that is not all. You need to assign a drive letter to the flash drive. This can be done using the assign command. After that, enter exit and exit the command line.
Burning the distribution to a flash drive
After all the steps described above, you need to copy the Windows 7 distribution to a USB flash drive. This can also be done using the command line. How? There is a special command for this - xcopy. You need to enter it, then specify the address of the disk with the distribution kit, insert the * symbol, indicate the letter that corresponds to the flash drive intended for loading into UEFI, and then enter the command with the symbols /s /e. Then you need to go through the command line to the flash drive. There you need to go to the efi\microsoft\boot directory. It needs to be copied to the efi\boot folder. After this, you need to copy the file called bootmgfw.efi to the efi\boot folder, and then rename it to the bootx64.efi file.
The work with the flash drive is completed. A UEFI disk with the FAT32 file system, which we can just recognize without problems. Accordingly, you can install Windows 7 on a PC from it. Of course, provided that the Secure Boot algorithm is disabled in the UEFI options, which prohibits the installation of OSes that differ from Windows 8 on the computer.
