Which BIOS is better, uefi or legacy. How to disable secure boot in BIOS

Hello, dear readers! Today we will talk about one seemingly complex topic, which will sound like this: UEFI Boot - what is it? and how to disable UEFI in BIOS.

Of course for simple user all these names and abbreviations do not mean anything, but nevertheless, when buying modern desktop computers and laptops, you will still come face to face with these concepts.

Yes, friends, this is the same settings section on a blue background, which you can enter at the very beginning when you turn on the computer. Here's a picture to refresh your memory:

Many more enthusiasts here have tried to play with the voltage and frequency of the main processor in order to increase the power of their machine. So, the BIOS microprogram was replaced by another, more modern one.

And as you already understood, it is called UEFI. Among the new innovations in it, we can note support high resolutions screen, very large disks and working with a mouse.

If you read all the lines above and didn't understand anything at all, then take a look short video to consolidate the topic:

So, it should definitely be said that a full-fledged UEFI system is not yet implemented in all modern computers. But some of its new functions, hitherto unseen, have been successfully implemented into the old BIOS shell.

And one of them, the so-called UEFI Boot (full name Secure Boot). The purpose of its work is to prevent substitution of the system boot source, thereby reducing the use of unlicensed software.

That is, the picture turns out to be such that now we will not be able to boot, for example, from a flash drive or third party drive. After all, in this situation, on the list available devices they simply won't exist:

But really, decide this problem it is possible and very easy. To do this you need to make a couple of settings and that’s it. So let's get to work. So to speak, enough theory.

And in order to disable UEFI functions in the BIOS, you must immediately enter it. As mentioned above, to do this you need to click certain combination keys immediately after turning on the computer.

Thus we disabled main function UEFI protection from third party downloaders. Then you should go to the “Boot” section and set the parameters as in the screenshot below:

After this, we should have a list of available devices. Now, by changing their position in the list, you can manipulate download sources. Again, using the author’s example, this can be done with a keyboard shortcut Fn+F5/F6:

Well, after all the parameters have been entered, all that remains is to save the changes. This is done in the "Exit" menu by selecting "Exit Saving Changes":

That's all, my friends, now you know exactly the answer to the question: UEFI Boot - what is it and how to disable UEFI in the BIOS. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments.

Well, if you suddenly want to learn more about UEFI BIOS, then watch a short video where this topic is covered more widely.

BIOS is a well-known term among computer owners that has been used for many years. In the fall of 2017, Intel announced its plans to completely abandon BIOS on all of its platforms by 2020. Instead of BIOS it will now be used only UEFI, which may lead many to logical question: why is UEFI better than BIOS and what is the difference between them?

BIOS chip on motherboard Gigabyte.

UEFI and BIOS belong to the category of so-called “low-level” software, which starts even before the computer starts loading the operating system. UEFI is more modern solution and it supports large number convenient functions, useful on modern computers. It often happens that manufacturers call UEFI on their computers with the traditional word “BIOS” so as not to confuse the user. Still, there is a big difference between UEFI and BIOS, and modern computers are mostly equipped with UEFI.

What is BIOS

BIOS is short for “ BasicInput-OutSystem" or " basic system I/O". It lives on a special chip inside the motherboard (pictured above) and does not depend on whether it is installed in computer hard disk. When you turn on your computer, the first thing that turns on is the BIOS. This system is responsible for “waking up” the hardware components of your computer, checking them normal functioning, activation of the bootloader and further start of the operating system.

BIOS as old as time.

The user can configure a large number of different parameters within the BIOS. Component configuration, system time, boot order and so on. You can enter the BIOS using special key when turning on the PC. It may be different for different computers. For example, Esc, F2, F10 or Delete. The manufacturer himself decides which one to choose. After changing the settings, all parameters are written to the motherboard itself.

The BIOS is also responsible for a process called POST – “ Power-OnSelf-Test” or " power-on check". POST checks the suitability of the computer configuration and the health of the hardware components. If something goes wrong, a corresponding error is displayed on the screen or the computer begins to make a number of certain sounds (there is also the concept of POST codes, and some motherboards even have a corresponding display installed to display them). The intensity of these sounds depends on the type of error, and in order to decipher them, you need to refer to the manufacturer’s website or the user manual.

After POST completes, the BIOS looks for the Master Boot Record (MBR) that is stored on the computer's storage media. Then the bootloader is initialized and the operating system starts. BIOS also often uses the term CMOS, which stands for " ComplementaryMetal-OxideSemiconductor" or " auxiliary metal oxide semiconductor". This designation special memory, which is powered by a battery built into the motherboard. Memory keeps within itself various settings BIOS and often to reset BIOS parameters it is recommended to remove the battery from the motherboard. In modern computers, CMOS has been replaced by flash memory (EEPROM).

Why is the BIOS outdated?

BIOS is very old system, which existed back in 1980 (and was developed even earlier), at the time of the launch of MS-DOS. Of course, over time, the BIOS has developed and improved, but the concept and basic operating principles have remained the same. BIOS development is virtually zero when compared to the development of computers and technology in general.

Traditional BIOS has many serious limitations. For example, it can only start the system from a partition no larger than 2.1 TB (maximum 4 partitions) or less. In modern realities, users buy very capacious drives, the volume of which often exceeds 4 and even 8 TB. The BIOS will not be able to work with such media. This is due to how the MBR (main boot record uses 32-bit elements). In addition, the BIOS operates in 16-bit mode (as it was developed back in the 70s) and has only 1 MB of addressable space for operation. The BIOS also has problems initializing a large number of components at once, which leads to a slow startup of the computer.

The BIOS has been in need of replacement for a long period of time. Intel began developing EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) back in 1998 and Apple switched to EFI in 2006, when the transition to Intel architecture. In 2007, Intel, AMD, Microsoft and various manufacturers computers have approved the UEFI specification - " Unified Extensible Firmware Interface" or " unified extensible firmware interface"Windows gains UEFI support in Windows Vista SP1 and Windows 7. Today, almost all computers use UEFI instead of BIOS.

Why UEFI is better than BIOS

UEFI is installed instead of BIOS on various PCs that you can find in electronics stores. It should be noted right away that the user cannot switch from BIOS to UEFI on existing hardware. To do this, you need to purchase new hardware that supports UEFI. The vast majority of UEFI computers include BIOS emulation (often called Legacy BIOS) to allow the user to install and boot an older operating system that requires the BIOS to run. In other words, UEFI is backwards compatible.

A much more modern and user-friendly UEFI interface.

The new standard got rid of the unpleasant BIOS restrictions. A computer with UEFI can boot from drives larger than 2.2 TB. Theoretically, the maximum storage capacity for UEFI is 9.4 Tb (9.4 trillion gigabytes). That's a lot. The whole point is that UEFI uses the GPT scheme with 64-bit elements..

UEFI runs in 32 and 64 bit modes and also has more memory to work with. This in turn is converted to accelerated loading processor, and ease of use. UEFI systems often have beautiful interfaces that support mouse input (in the screenshot above). There are also a number of other advantages. For example, UEFI supports Secure Boot. This special procedure, which checks the operating system being loaded and makes sure that no malicious or third-party software will interfere during its loading. UEFI also supports various network functions, which is useful when solving technical problems with a computer. In traditional BIOS user must have physical access to the computer, whereas in UEFI it is possible remote access for configuration.

In general, UEFI is such a small operating system. It can be stored on the motherboard's flash memory, or it can be loaded from the hard drive/ network drive. Various computers with different UEFIs have at least different interfaces and opportunities. It all depends on the preferences of your computer manufacturer.

UEFI was a big update for modern computers, but the vast majority of users are unlikely to notice any significant difference. And many people are not interested in this question at all. Still, we must understand that the advent of UEFI instead of BIOS has become an extremely positive evolutionary change in the world of modern computers, even if all its charms and innovations remain hidden deep in the computer’s motherboard. Now the industry is still in a transition state from BIOS to UEFI, so all the delights of the new standard will be revealed in the near future. To speed up this process, Intel has decided to completely abandon BIOS until 2020, and that's a good thing.

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 the software low level, and it has remained unchanged over 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 how uefi differs from bios, we will try to find out what better bios or uefi, and also determine what is best 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 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 board 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 having the OS installed. In addition, you can configure various parameters equipment - processor and memory frequency, operating voltage, latency, and so on. This allows you to perform fine tuning 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 development Intel, which is designed to replace the BIOS. The EFI standard was developed over several recent 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, making 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. Here is support for hardware drivers, and here is support for 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 in 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 modes legacy bios or UEFI. During this many useful features 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?

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 layout tables MBR disk, which supports hard drives maximum 2 TB and no more than four partitions. Twenty years ago this was quite enough, but 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 this problem has been resolved. In addition, users can add keys to the database themselves.

Thanks to the modular structure of UEFI, new functions can be added later and thus expand existing system. This makes such a system more promising and easier to use.

Use new UEFI systems much simpler, they 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 different software modules UEFI, which will allow you to easily test various equipment.

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 take some time until users can choose BIOS or UEFI and 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 other advances in the field computer equipment, it will take a long time to switch to UEFI. You now know the difference between uefi and bios and you can do right choice when purchasing a new device.

Many users who are not particularly knowledgeable about the settings of primary input/output systems quite often encounter huge amount various parameters, item Legacy USB Support. Nobody really understands what it is in the BIOS, why this option is needed, since its default value is usually set to Auto. However, sometimes you need to change this parameter. That is why it should be given special consideration.

Legacy USB Support - what is it?

If we talk about the function itself based on its name, it is not difficult to guess its purpose. It's easy enough to translate this term With English language. The interpretation of this option assumes support for devices that connect to a computer or laptop through the appropriate interfaces and ports, just at the level of the primary system, as was originally provided for all other hardware connected to the motherboard.

But if we talk about what it is - Legacy USB Support, in this particular case we're talking about exclusively about peripheral devices (mice, keyboards, etc.). Sometimes this parameter may also apply to removable drives information. And although this is not directly stated, quite often problems associated with the fact that some types of flash drives, when installing them as the first boot device are not detected, they are eliminated just by activating this option. However, as practice shows, this isolated cases, and they are mainly associated with devices from little-known manufacturers or specific equipment that is not initially supported in the BIOS.

How to enable Legacy USB Support?

Now a few words about what actions can be performed with such parameters. To get started, just look at its original default value. This is usually an option automatic selection support (Auto).

But what is it? In Legacy USB Support, if you expand the list of all possible options set values, you can see both activation (Enabled) and disablement (Disabled). What is this for? Only so that the user can choose whether he needs such support. Of course, in the case of flash drives, if they are not detected even if they are first inserted into the port, after which the computer is turned on and then logged into BIOS settings, activation of this parameter is mandatory. Roughly speaking, you need to first insert the USB flash drive into USB port, and only then turn on the power so that the download begins.

Is it advisable to enable this option?

But, since enabling the option is mostly associated with peripherals (most often, as already mentioned, with mice and keyboards), many users have legitimate doubts about activating it. Is the system itself unable to identify such components? It goes without saying that if we are talking specifically about the operating system in which they are responsible for the operation of such devices installed drivers, there should be no questions. But few people pay attention to the fact that when support is disabled, such devices become inaccessible the moment they turn on the computer or laptop (even before the main operating system loads).

In other words, an external USB keyboard cannot be used even to log into BIOS settings. That's why turn it off completely this parameter not recommended under any circumstances. By and large, it is better not to change the automatic value for selecting whether to enable or disable support at all! But if you are working with outdated modifications of Windows, such as the network version of NT, this option must be enabled.

When it is deactivated, quite often it will be possible to observe a loss of functionality of peripheral devices, which will be indicated in the equipment properties in the “Device Manager” (the device is disabled, it needs to be turned on, etc.). The saddest thing is that there is no way to activate disabled devices in the manager in such a situation.

Results

What is Legacy USB Support, apparently, many have already figured out. As for the main conclusion that can be drawn from all of the above, it should be noted that the default value of automatic activation or deactivation if necessary given support It’s better not to change, otherwise you won’t be able to enter the primary system later. You will have to additionally connect old PS/2 keyboards and mice. But what should you do if your laptop doesn’t have such sockets, the main keyboard is out of order, and the USB ports don’t work when support is disabled? Here's your answer!

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.

On startup computer BIOS carries out a check of 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, beep. If everything is fine, you will most likely hear 1 short signal, 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 (Master Boot Record) for booting - 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 got graphical interface with mouse support, for some this is a plus, and for some it’s 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.