UEFI vs Legacy BIOS: Advantages of UEFI over Legacy BIOS

TECHNOLOGY / March 12, 2024 / admin / 1

In this article, we will be talking about UEFI vs legacy BIOS and some of the advantages of UEFI.

UEFI vs legacy

UEFI (universal extensible firmware interface)

This is a standard firmware interface for PCs designed to replace the BIOS. It was created by over 140 technology companies as part of the UEFI organization, including Microsoft. And It was designed to improve software compatibility and address BIOS limitations.

It is the software that takes charge when you boot your system, thereby telling it how to start working.

Furthermore, it also uses the GPT(Guid Partition Table) system instead of using an old filing system like the BIOS to manage how data is stored on your computer, thereby allowing for larger storage set-ups.

Some Advantages Of UEFI include:

1. There is better security, thereby helping to protect the pre-startup (POST) or the pre-boot process against Boot kit attackers.
2. It has support for modems and 64-bit firmware device drivers that the system can use to address more than 17.2 billion Gigabytes of memory during start-up.
3. It has support for drivers larger than 2.2 terabytes.
4. It enables faster start-up time and resuming from hibernation compared to BIOS.
5. The capability to use BIOS with UEFI hardware.
6. It also comes with a graphical interface, thereby making the setup and configuration easy.

Legacy BIOS

The legacy BIOS (Basic Input and Output System) was originally developed in the 1970s, and it’s a very essential component of the computer that plays an important role in the booting process of the computer.

When the computer is turned on, the legacy BIOS will run a test to make sure that everything is working properly; that is, it will conduct the POST (Power On Self Test). It will check to see if the memory or any other important parts of the computer are ready to go.

And after the tests, it will look for the main instructions to start the computer. It relies on the Master Boot Record (MBR) to find this information. The MBR tells the computer where to find the next set of instructions and helps to organize things, though there is a limit to how much this MBR can handle, such as the 2.2 terabytes partition size cap.

Some features of the BIOS include:

1. It has basic security features such as user authentication and password protection, but it lacks the advanced security features that are found in UEFI, which are Secure Boot.
2. It helps the computer to manage interruptions from different devices, thereby ensuring proper operation.
3. Since it’s been around for a long time, it is widely compatible with various operating systems and hardware.
4. It also provides basic input and output functions, thereby allowing communication between the hardware components like the mouse, keyboard, and operating system.

Though, despite the founding of UEFI, legacy BIOS is still in use, especially in older systems, because it’s simple and easy to use. But even at that, industry today is gradually changing to UEFI because of its support for modern technologies.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What Is Firmware?

This refers to software instructions that are usually stored on a ROM chip (a non-volatile memory). The firmware exists on most PC components, such as hard drives, printers, network adapters and video adapters.

It is just like the brain of your gadgets, which gives orders to your devices, telling them how to start. That is, it provides the necessary information for the hardware components to work together.

But unlike regular software, which you can easily change or update. These instructions are always available, so they are not reprogrammed every time the computer is turned on.

CSM vs UEFI

CSM (Compatibility Support Module) is also a firmware technology that is used in computer systems, especially during the booting process.

But it is designed to provide compatibility with legacy BIOS. That is, it allows UEFI systems to also work with devices and operating systems that rely on Legacy BIOS. Thereby, ensuring a smooth transition between the old and new technologies.

It also lets your computer start up in two ways: either using the faster method (UEFI) or the older method (BIOS). So it gives you options depending on what your computer needs.

It also uses the MBR partitioning scheme, as used in Legacy BIOS. So it allows newer systems to work with older storage devices that use MBR for data storage.

So CSM is just like a layer that allows UEFI-based systems to work with Legacy BIOS components, while UEFI is just an advanced firmware introduced to replace BIOS and offers improved performance.

Firmware

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