1.1 BIOS/UEFI

Question 1

What is the TPM

Answer 1

trusted platform module, run by BIOS

Question 2

What does TPM do?

Answer 2

it is a cyptoprocessor that can be configured in the BIOS to only boot the system after authenticating the boot device; the hardware has been tied to the system containing the BIOS and TPM, known as sealing

Question 3

What is secure boot?

Answer 3

utilized in UEFI only; forces the system firmware to check digital signatures for each boot file it uses to confirm it is the approved version

Question 4

POST

Answer 4

power on self test; a series of system checks performed by the system BIOS and other option ROMs;

Question 5

What does POST check?

Answer 5

verifies the integrity of the BIOS, primary memory, buses and boot devices

Question 6

What types of hardware benefit from a BIOS upgrade?

Answer 6

drives, a change of CPU or RAM types; very often, this hardware is recognized immediately by the BIOS and has no associated driver that you must install, so if your system doesn’t recognize the new device, the BIOS is a good start

Question 7

BIOS vs UEFI

Answer 7

UEFI has better security, which protects the pre-boot process (i.e. secure boot), faster startup, support for drives larger than 2.2 TB, support for 64-bit firmware device drivers, ability to use BIOS

Question 8

How to update UEFI:

Answer 8

1. Download update file to flash drive
2. Insert and reboot
3. Enter BIOS
4. Disable secure boot
5. Save and reboot, if step 4. completed.
6. Reenter BIOS
7. Choose boot options and boot to flash drive
8. Follow directions
9. FLASH

Question 9

What are some of the most common settings to adjust in CMOS setup? i.e. BIOS

Answer 9

• port settings (parallel, serial, USB)
• drive types
• boot sequence
• date and time
• virus/security protections

Question 10

RAM

Answer 10

most systems today detect the RAM amount and speed automatically

Question 11

Hard Drive

Answer 11

most hard disks are PNP, so they automatically report; settings detected may include the drive’s capacity, geometry, heads, and sectors (CHS)

Question 12

CPU

Answer 12

BIOS detects type and speed automatically

Question 13

Enabling and disabling devices

Answer 13

you can enable/disable integrated components in the CMOS setup; examples include built-in video cards, sound cards, or network cards; onboard I/O ports, including parallel, serial, and USB

Question 14

virtual machines

Answer 14

many computers host VMs, which are fully functional operating systems running in their own enviroment

Question 15

hard-ware assisted virtualization

Answer 15

some newer virtualization products, e.g. Microsoft Hyper-V, require that the mother support virtualization in order to run

Question 16

What is the benefit of using a virtualization product/hypervisor?

Answer 16

the hypervisor dynamically allocates memory and CPU to the VMs as required

Question 17

What security features are associated with the BIOS?

Answer 17

BIOS passwords: supervisor password vs. user password, LoJack, and drive encryption with TPM chips,

Question 18

TPM chips

Answer 18

when a TPM chips is present on the MB, additional security options become available: use of keys that unlock the drives - either with the onboard chip, or a flashdrive (can also combine with pin and password)

Question 19

Secure Boot

Answer 19

checks the integrity of system files before allowing the boot process to proceed

Question 20

POST

Answer 20

power on self test; checks the CPU, RAM, the presence of a video card, and so on; if it encounters a problem, the boot process stops; produces beep codes

Question 21

POST card

Answer 21

circuit board that fits into an ISA or PCI slot in the MB, and reports codes as the boot process progresses

Question 22

What types of basic monitoring can be done in the BIOS?

Answer 22

temperature monitoring, fan speed, intrusion detection, voltage, clock bus speed