PC BIOS Settings

BIOS / UEFI settings, including boot options, secure boot, enabling XMP memory profiles, and BIOS passwords. Also information on the differences between a legacy BIOS and a UEFI BIOS, and how to enter the BIOS.
If you like this video, you may also enjoy the following:
Explaining PCIe slots:
• Explaining PCIe Slots
Explaining RAM:
• Explaining RAM
More videos on computing topics can be found on the ExplainingComputers channel: / explainingcomputers
You may also like my other channel, ExplainingTheFuture, at: / explainingthefuture
#BIOS #UEFI #ExplainingComputers

[@amancalledoss38]

This is a perfect video , I know so many people who are quite comfortable using their PC or laptop but are filled with horror having to open up the BIOS so I've added this to my watch list called "save me diesel" that I can direct people to when I get that phone call which starts out ,"hey not seen you in ages fancy popping round for a cuppa" which translates really to " something has gone wrong with my computer and I don't want to fork out more than a cup of coffee to fix it" Thanks Chris

[@mikaelgaiason688]

lol, I'm a mechanic. I feel you "Hey man, hows it been? Long time no see." "It's been good, how about you? Hows the car running." It's easier for me to just ask right up front. That way I don't have to watch them squirm trying to work it into the conversation. Someday I'm going to send everybody bills. Or tell them to actually learn a useful skill they can trade with.

[@amancalledoss38]

@@mikaelgaiason688 you are a better person than me lol , when I get that call from a "friend" I havent heard from in 6 months I want them to work for it . I have a friend who works for the RAC just down from me that poor guy works 10 hour days in all wethers then usually has 3 to 4 cars parked on his drive or outside his house at any given time all waiting from mates who just want him to take a quick look at their car so I know how you guys feel too

[@kvanku]

I know this was a year ago but it’s useful because I built my first pc with my dad and it helped me a lot!

[@robertbethune6669]

This is so cool.

[@gabay1953]

In two words - well done, it's a shame there are no more like you on the net Thank you

[@wee535]

Glad to see Will from Stranger Things is doing good

[@ahmaddiamond7]

PERFECT EXPLANATION! I honestly wanted the video to be longer. His easy and fluid way of explaining make me want more without getting bored or confused or lost! thank you sir💙

[@ExplainingComputers]

You're welcome!

[@KTHKUHNKK]

@@ExplainingComputers Plus you are brilliant as usual. Keith Kuhn

[@cdl0]

One more thing . . . . . be aware that manufacturers normally provide updates to BIOS versions which may fix faults, improve security, or provide support for new hardware. Instructions for how to install a new BIOS will be found in the relevant manual.

[@icenesiswayons9962]

Another great video, I thought I knew most all of the bios setting/regulations, but the newer uefi systems has shown me I'm still learning. Thanks again Mr Chris:-)

[@byonbill9499]

I have been using PCs and their BIOS for almost forty years and this info is still useful, THANKS Chris

[@BabyShark__007]

Thank you 🙏 Bios was such a messy place to explore for me but now i have a confidence 😊

[@Vazgen_Ghazaryan]

All your videos are so deep, thorough, and well organized :) Thank you for your effort.

[@hubbaba]

Wow, I have had DDR4 ram for 3 years and it was set in the BIOS to DDR3. Just tweaked and now I'm at 2400. Thank you very much! I never would have known this otherwise.

[@gusgone4527]

@@AnOliviaShapedGremlin Probably a silly question but have you checked if the memory modules are compatible with your specific motherboard? Just a thought.

[@gusgone4527]

@@AnOliviaShapedGremlin Try asking Corsair.

[@raphaelcharlespinon]

As early as now. I am teaching my kids about technology. Since I am a technology migrant, they should know more than me. These videos of yours are very helpful. Keep up the good work! ♥

[@robertfletcher3421]

Great one Chris. I have just been in and changed my XMP settings to On. As I don't play games and no interest in overclocking I tend to leave things at default. BIOS documentation is often confusing. Some follow up to this would be great.

[@ivanwill]

As much as I know about BIOS, and here I am, still learning new things. Thanks for sharing...!

[@EnVideoZone]

Thorough, deep and remarkably clear. This applies to every video you do. Thank you very much.

[@resrussia]

Thanks for a very lucid introduction to BIOS/UFEI and how to set the options. I remember the day when there were no BIOS settings - settings were hardware based using DIP switches or jumpers on either the component or the motherboard. Your explanations as always are clear, and like how you encourage users to explore how to set BIOS including giving information to how reset the settings. Keep up the excellent work!

[@techg8233]

EVEN a starter can understand this video ..such a humble ,neat ,pure ,Gradual,generous , video it was ..

[@rindeldonnet7356]

Literally the best bios settings video I have seen! And I have been studying PC's for almost 4 whole days.

[@Felix-ve9hs]

I still love the white, black and blue style of the "legacy BIOS", the modern UEFI GUI's look so cluttered in comparison

[@user-qf6yt3id3w]

UEFI Bioses are ugly but I like the way I can launch a UEFI shell and list files on an NTFS filesystem on a RAID array of NVMe drives on a UEFI system and have it work. Another interesting thing about UEFI is that it means Intel and AMD could at some point get rid of Real Mode in the CPU completely and have it boot up in x64 Long Mode. Virtual x86 and 16 bit mode has already been killed off on x64 systems. I could see modern CPUs booting into 64 bit x64 long mode but supporting 32 bit applications for a while and eventually getting rid of 32 bit support too. Getting rid of support for 32 bit application will take a long time though - support for 16 bit applications was around right up to the point 64 bit applications started to be supported. UEFI is a mixed bag, but you can see it has enabled support for things that would have been hard to support with legacy Bioses. In the future it will allow a lot of legacy stuff to be potentially dropped.

[@fnjesusfreak]

AMI's Aptio looks a lot like classic BIOS.

[@elimalinsky7069]

I've seen some UEFI interfaces that mimic the old BIOS interfaces. I too find the old DOS-era interface much more pleasant to the eye, readable and I would even say more logical and easier to use in how the menus are arranged.

[@Z098]

The older Bios interface take up less space than the graphical UEFI interfaces. So the graphic means losing other features, unless the motherboard has higher than normal amoutn of storage for UEFI.

[@yellowmarshmellowpuffnob6922]

Yeah I wish they made a UEFI bios that all old bios users can understand

[@bipedalbob]

Awesome tip about plucking it's battery to restore to default settings in bios, never heard that before. That helps to alleviate the fear of screwing up your computer entirely when doing any changes in BIOS.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

Another clear and informative video ! As an overclocker who is used to tinkering with the BIOS or UEFI settings, I'm not fazed by doing so, but it's a potentially hazardous and confusing subject for most people. I hope this video will help them. 😃

[@twmbarlwmstar]

I find it easier with the AMD and UEFI these days? Just a standard overclock for the AMD chips (well I don't know about threadripper, I don't have that sort of money). Intel are a bit more involved

[@MRSZ5440]

Sir, I also have to admit you have some of the best well explained computer videos on KZbin I've been working on computers since 1986 when we had to flash BIOS thanks for showing different ways now days.

[@MrBubbagump58]

Thanks. This video really cleared up some questions about BIOS that I've had for a long time.

[@GeoffreyWoolfendenbonbon]

Another excellent video Chris , anyone thinking of building a computer for the first time this should be near the top of videos to watch.

[@waburden]

Excellent work! Everything well explained and in the correct order. Thank you Chris!

[@HowToBreakIt]

Great video as always, Chris! They go great with my morning cup of joe

[@budthespud3226]

How fortunate this video came up, I just built a new PC, second one I've built, and I wasn't 100% sure what I was doing when it came to BIOS settings the first time.

[@jamesparker6876]

An excellent explanation of the BIOS settings. I will now be able to adjust my new build. Thank you for your help.

[@62shalaka]

Another informative and well produced video! Keep up the good work!

[@chriholt]

I'm not BIOS-phobic, but this was still a very well-presented lesson, and would be helpful to those who may be hesitant to even take a look at what the BIOS is all about. Thanks as always!

[@santaclase3410]

Thankget well everbody 🥰🥰🥰s forn sharing🥰🥰🥰Thanks forn sharing🥰🥰🥰 ReSet🥰🥰🥰369

[@GretschProf]

I just like this guy. He always puts out good info in a very understandable form.

[@vio.r]

Extremly helpfull and very well explained video of the usual BIOS settings. I upgraded my antique 2008 computer and kept the hard drive as it wasn' t that old, changed it last year. In this computer the windows didn't boot because of that Secure boot feature. Didn' t knew how to find that option on Gigabyte motherboards and I can' t thank you enough. Even if I know some of the features explained here, still watched the hole video. Thank you again.

[@NewAgeDIY]

Just found time to use and change some my BIOS settings. It's been awhile but with your review a lot of things are coming back into focus. In some ways is not that difficult then motherboards of the last 15 or so years. That said they are now easer for people to use the advice settings. One thing to point out that you can use software running in Windows to overclock your system without going into the BIOS settings. If you run into problems just restart the computer and your back to your previous settings. A look at this software could be of interest to the more advanced users. I feel it's a safer way to "play with" overclockiing. Thanks again for your latest video Chris.

[@bertvantol9669]

GREAT !!! As BIOSes become more and more complex, the need for explanation is increasing. Here is where the manufacturers fall short in their explanation to the user, with the result that many people never reach the optimal settings.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Today even many motherboard manuals do not include BIOS settings! What you say is so true.

[@bertvantol9669]

Yes and that is bad because good BIOS settings are important

[@1plateclub]

For someone new to help desk, I appreciate your explanations. Its very concise and easy to understand!

[@StuartHallman]

Thank you very much for your informative videos. Their content and production are excellent. I have watched most if not all of them. They never fail to satisfy my curiosity of OS's, builds, computer info.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for watching, and your kind feedback. It is appreciated.

[@apoch003]

Great video, Chris. As usual!

[@habtamusium8646]

before this vid, i used to fear to touch bios part for i know my gap in programming , but now i get interesting to learn more , thanks !

[@matthewstuart2054]

Disappointed I only just discovered this treasured channel but very grateful I eventually did.

[@alittleolder]

Great Video. Perfect Balance of Information and Entertainment. And of course well made. We had a guy that couldn't speak english who just tried until it worked if he suspected the bios and he was the technician. Still, he got most of the stuff working still.

[@vslingam000]

Super video that explains the mysteries about BIOS/UEFI in layman's terms. Short, sharp and to the point. Even non-techies will be able to follow. This is how tech videos should be made. Subscribed, and keep 'em coming. I just love this. Tks.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for the sub. Welcome aboard!

[@mikehaldane4061]

Brilliant, I am thinking of building my own computer and this vlog provides the type of information that it is important to know about.

[@Colin_Ames]

Thanks Chris. Both my desktop and laptop are old enough to have a legacy BIOS, with which I am very comfortable. However, at some point I will have to replace one of them, so to know in advance what a modern BIOS looks like is very useful.

[@MarkTheMorose]

EC videos: as satisfying as Easter chocolate, but better for you.

[@skakdosmer]

One does not exclude the other.

[@mightymeowmixcat2370]

It's better to eat a chocolate computer than a metal one, dummy!

[@CaveyMoth]

@@mightymeowmixcat2370 I only eat properly cleaned metal computers.

[@diablonerd9612]

@@mightymeowmixcat2370 r/woooosh

[@bosunhiggs9708]

In my travels I've learned that any BIOS/UEFI password can be reset-if you know the manufacturer's code. That code could be any combination of things, like changing the date on the clock, then rebooting while holding certain keys as you stand on one foot facing north.

[@tweaker1968]

Another quality video.... Thanks Chris!

[@55ATA3]

Have a great holiday, thanks for the information on BIOS settings. This is a area that has caused so many people trouble with computers in the past. Far to many laptops that are used by company's do not have the BIOS locked and set not to boot from USB.

[@matteofeyaerts]

Can medion make legacy from uefy motherboard or can they lock features cuz i don't have any usefull features in my bios such as fan settings or even monitoring

[@mlytle0]

Very nice, very clear presentation. Looks like the latest motherboards are slightly more 'other OS' friendly than the fist UEFI ones, as long as you know what settings to use.

[@ObsidianMercian]

Another brilliant video. Thanks once again for sharing such clear, concise and relevant information.

[@supremelawfirm]

Another EXCELLENT presentation, as always, Christopher. You are such an enormous blessing to the English speaking world of computer users. Keep up the good work!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks.

[@supremelawfirm]

​@@ExplainingComputers A while back, I mentioned how we organize the partitions on multiple drives in our workstations: [C:/E:] on the primary drive, [F:/G:] on the secondary drive, [H:/I:] on the third drive, and so on. We write a drive image of C: to G: , copy that drive image to E:, and restore the drive image on E: to F: . Then, if we need to restore the OS on C: , we merely need to boot into the BIOS and change the boot drive to the OS on F: . We've found that the restore task runs a lot faster using a fully operational set of OS programs. Also, we use RAID-0 arrays often, and the RAID device drivers are already installed in every drive image. Compare this approach with one that requires burning a CD or DVD "rescue disc" which typically take much longer to startup. Booting from a CD or DVD also requires access to the motherboard BIOS anyway, so that step is no different using our preferred scheme, as described above. If you feel your subscribers might want to see such a scheme actually work, step-by-step, your video could also include a few recommendations for OS "cloning" software e.g. Macrium Reflect, Acronis, [your favorite here], etc.

[@jonathanmaybury5698]

Thanks Chris, This is an awesome video that everybody that has a computer should watch at least once, I am so glad that you took up the challenge for my request to teach us about the UEFI BIOS I learned three things that I did not know before and one of those will be a big boost to my computer that until now I did not know existed, are you planning on a part 2 bios insight? if so I and many others would be so grateful. Thank you- Thank you-Thank you-Thank you-!!!!

[@twmbarlwmstar]

Like a mine field with UEFI I think, so much to play with and it seems every PC is different much more than every BIOS was different. Chris made it interesting though, which is not something we'd normally say about a BIOS- most will never see it. Maybe the Bios of a Pi.... (don't think they have one?).

[@john20100]

@@twmbarlwmstar I think they must do in some shape or form otherwise you would have nothing to write into or read out of.

[@twmbarlwmstar]

@@john20100 Read out of my PI?

[@JasonCarlson]

One of the best Easter vids available!! Thanks!!

[@colinhannigan9599]

Quick note: ON ASUS motherboards using Ryzen processors XMP seems to be called DOCP found in the Ai Header in Advanced mode. Took a bit if tracking down and research but worked straight off. Thank you for you video

[@h2o-fpv623]

Very nice explanation I remember when I was in school in a community college the professor was a very good in explaining computers but I couldn't understand any lol for some reason I understand u now after 20 years. Have a good day and thank u.

[@d3stinYwOw]

Classical BIOS can be graphical, too. Some older pc's had graphical bios with mouse support and C2D-era Dell laptops have graphical BIOS.

[@henryv4222]

....remember when we had to read every single thing? Not sure if I'm losing the ability to read but I'm plugging gaps in my knowledge and truly ppreciate these videos. God bless you sir!

[@john_turner]

American microtrends is completely keyboard based bios without cursor but is UEFI. I think they are the only ones left I have seen that don't let you use a mouse cursor

[@devavratkulkarni1413]

very very good explanation in the language that non-tech people can understand.. exactly what was I looking for...!

[@ericgraham7026]

Great video - I especially enjoyed learning the difference between legacy BIOS and UEFI.

[@dougholtz]

an additional comment. on newer uefi machines, one needs to enable the TPM chip and set an admin password on that uefi bios before they encrypt their hard drive with Bitlocker. there are some "gotchas" using bitlocker and TPM, especially if you are changing hard drives or upgrading versions/new installations of an O/S after enabling bitlocker. returning the machine to a non-encrypted hard drive and clearing the TPM seems necessary. maybe you've covered this in another video.

[@cravisbouyin4864]

Uefi outdoes the old Bios system to change settings by far. Well explained.

[@heywood62]

Very thorough and informative. Thank you for sharing.

[@MrNeuroamante]

Muchas Gracias Mr. Barnat muy ilustrativo el video su canal es único en su clase

[@DrNPCabd]

Great video Chris, you are my PC building guru!!! A suggestion for a next video, what I consider the forbiden fruit: PC drive encryption, how to manage it. Title suggestion: "drive encryption for dummies." My best regards, Sir.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Good video idea, noted.

[@ShaidaMuhammad]

Best Video Ever Explained Respect from Pakistan.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks.

[@ShaidaMuhammad]

You are truly welcome Sir

[@srtcsb]

Thanks for another great video Chris.

[@edgardocrespo3840]

Very informative video and gives me the confidence to to at least look and see inside my pc. One thing I missed was the part that indicates the TPM of the PC which is one of the pre requisite to upgrade to Windows 11. They say it’s in the Bios. Thanks for any additional info, and more power 5o you.

[@shakti999]

I have several old computers, desktop and laptop. I want to clean/erase the hard drives, but have found doing so to be mystifying . Could you/ would you be so kind as to make a video about that, tools free and how to use them, especially creating images on usb drives,? I think many people would benefit and be served by such knowledge . I think such a video by you would prove very popular too. Thanks, hope to see it.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Very good video idea; noted.

[@edwinbarton2285]

Some older systems also featured a graphical 'BIOS' interface long before UEFI came into being, I remember working on some old Compaq systems that had one.

[@persona83]

Now that you mentioned, I remembered my first PC had an American Megatrends BIOS which ressembles a Windows 3.1 interface. Even mouse support.

[@philipbrady7635]

i really can't add anything to the glowing comments below except to echo them. wonderful video, perfectly explained. beautiful pace to your speaking. perfect in every sense, thanks again for another great video

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thank you! 😊

[@manuelmatarueda897]

This video, and your channel is amazing. Just one point. The advice os setting up an administrator password for laptops is great, but it also should be checked that the boot setup is straight to the operative system first. In case we have the USB boot first and Legacy disabled, which in many cases is the usual, the "hacker" could easily start the computer with a Linux live. Thanks for your videos.

[@DrFunFong]

I was needing a video that focused on the different technology switch choices such as the AWARD IDE vs ACHI switches and their impact on more modern peripherals such as NVMe drives. Also had to understand the difference between PIC/PEG/PEG2 switches on AWARD BIOS. I asked BARD and got answers I needed.

[@Zenas521]

I hope your ester went well. This video definitely went well. I find the new UEFI fascinating sense my laptop is the only system that I own that has one. I do appreciate the overview on BIOS in general. Could their be a part 2 with a focus on UEFI technology on the horizon? Thank you for sharing.

[@abhijitborah]

Thanks for creating this much needed information.

[@angelrivera8013]

Appreciate the detailed educational video! Now, what would you advice on newer laptops that do not have the "Launch CSM" option in the Bios to allow booting Linux from a usb? I was considering modifying the Bios with AMI tools to allow such configuration. I'm just trying to install Windows 7 and dual boot with Linux with the option to use a Linux live usb from time to time like MX Linux. I have an Asus Vivobook 15 X512DA with a Ryzen 7 3700u CPU. Thank you in advance! 🙏🏼

[@samghost13]

Very well! The Bios is mostly overseen by new or un-experienced users. MSI and ASUS are the best ones in my opinion. MSI was very fast with new updates/beta updates. Community is great and that MSI Boards last forever! Thank you very much Sir!

[@johanb.7869]

Very informative and thanks for making this.

[@geoffreyjohnstone5465]

The Ronseal of KZbin content providers. It does exactly what it says on the tin. You should just makes a load of tutorial videos and bundle them together. Compulsary viewing in my book

[@abhishek_01]

Ty this is so so much helpful. Keep it up the good work

[@sonicrainboom7987]

Very well done and straightforward.

[@R.-.]

Happy Easter! I wish single-board computers. phones and tablets also had a UEFI BIOS, so one Operating System image would install on any device that has a compatible CPU. The BIOS is one thing IBM got right. All these devices today are way more powerful than the original IBM PC. A flash BIOS could be integrated into the CPU chipset, to avoid the need for any extra circuitry on the main board.

[@povilasstaniulis9484]

Early UEFIs had text-based UI, very similar to that of old legacy BIOSes. The earliest UEFI that I've seen looked like a legacy BIOS with "UEFI Boot" option added as an afterthought (IIRC, that system had a Pentium 4 or Core 2 in it). Nowadays, most desktop board manufacturers just use AMI's Aptio UEFI BIOS and put their own UI on top of it. @6:46: There's an EFI boot option for the CD drive. This is probably not a legacy BIOS but an early UEFI. I bet it would be able to boot from EFI-formatted HDD as well. @9:20: Not entirely true. Secure Boot isn't vendor locked. You can boot any OS as long as it's bootloader is signed with a trusted key. By default, most BIOSes come with only Microsoft's keys in their keystores, but you can easily add your own keys. Also, modern versions of Ubuntu (and probably Linux Mint as well) come with signed bootloaders which can boot with Secure Boot enabled without any modification.

[@yash1152]

> _"but you can easily add your own keys"_ how??

[@Subswithnovideos-sr7po]

Thanks after 20 minutes of searching on google and everything else in this video i found xmp

[@IEnjoyCreatingVideos]

Nice video Chris! Thanks for sharing it with us.👌👍😎JP

[@gwojcieszczuk]

Small correction about Secure Boot: Official Ubuntu Desktop/Server, RHEL and SLES do support fully UEFI with secure boot enabled. This is because the default boot loader on such installations is SHIM which is signed with MS keys.

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks for this.

[@tonya9614]

Love your method of delivering information!

[@ExplainingComputers]

Thanks so much!

[@ashleyhaydon9504]

Easy to understand - well done and thank you

[@dougieroberts7045]

Excellent, I learned a few things there, great video, well explained

[@send2gl]

Always previously used Legacy BIOS on my Win10 laptop to boot in to Linux but recently loaded dual boot with EUFI. Didn't realise so many options available - shall have to delve deeper 😎

[@mitchelvalentino1569]

Great video. This is a confusing topic for some people. Yet your explanation is clear as always. Thank you.

[@gomariussmith]

Very comprehensive video. I appreciate how you always dumb it down for non-IT professionals and give some much needed history lessons as well! I have Gigabyte Aorus z490 master rev1.0 motherboard, that has 3 x M.2 pcie slots. I bought a firecuda 520 ssd, which didn't perform to specification. Then bought a Samsung 980 pro, but seems my samsung 980 pro nvme ssd can't read / write faster than 3Gb/s, but should be able to do double that rate. Is there settings in Bios that need to be enabled to utilise Gen 4 drives' full capability or is there another factor that should be considered why I don't achieve my ssd's best performance?

[@abloke7212]

Gigabyte Aorus z490 master rev1.0 motherboard - All of the PCI Express slots conform to PCI Express 3.0 standard. Samsung 980 Pro has PCIe 4.0 interface while being backward compatible for PCIe 3.0 for added versatility.

[@roberthatcher2773]

Excellent as always! Thanks.

[@rabhihaythem9490]

As someone said " This channel is a real mine gold "

[@leyon27]

Great video, so helpful and clear, thnx and keep going

[@mattparker9726]

@ExplainingComputers One thing I want to ask you in advanced bios on my HP OEM (which I got to by pressing control f10 for anyone with an HP OEM system) in order to see if I could disable a whitelist on my x16 pcie slot in order to start using my new GPU, there is an option called "Slot Security" it can be enabled and disabled, and the 16x slot is there. When I previously tried to install the card (a 1650 super) the pcie slot didn't even power on. That's how I learned of the whitelist. By disabling this 'slot security' on my 16x slot, would this remove the whitelist and allow me to install the card? OR would it simply disable the slot in it's entirety? Thanks Christopher.

[@Predator12121]

Excellent vid! Thank you!

[@flaviomiranda7834]

Great content, sir. It helped me a lot, thank you.

[@muhammadnurazlansaadon1504]

Great.... i learn bios because... setting date and time, sata configuration as.. and more.....

[@KowboyUSA]

Sunday morning tradition: watching the new EC video. It's a dandy.

[@Ferruccio_Guicciardi]

Thanks a lot ! I just upgraded a 14 year old system ! Very handy video !

[@josecardenas9066]

BIOS it has been like the forbidden fruit until now, thanks for this video.