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BIOS definition - telecom
On PC systems, a set of routines that tests the hardware (e.g., disk drives, keyboard, and monitor) at startup, starts the operating system (OS), and supports the transfer of data between hardware devices at startup. Until the early 1990s, BIOS was stored in firmware , i.e., readonly memory (ROM). In contemporary computers, BIOS is written to erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) or flash memory to facilitate updates.

Webster's New World Telecom Dictionary Copyright © 2008 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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