Linux: BIOS vs UEFI

 

BIOS vs. UEFI: Boot System Comparison

When a computer starts, it needs firmware to initialize hardware and boot the OS. There are two main types of firmware: BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) and UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). Let’s break them down:

1. BIOS (Basic Input/Output System)

✅ Best for:

  • Older systems (pre-2010).
  • Simplicity and compatibility with legacy OS.

❌ Limitations:

  • Slow boot times.
  • Only supports MBR partitioning (max 2TB disks).
  • No mouse support, only keyboard navigation.

🛠️ How to Check if Your System Uses BIOS?

  • If your boot screen has a text-based interface, it’s BIOS.
  • Run this command in Linux: 

    test -d /sys/firmware/efi && echo "UEFI" || echo "BIOS"
    If it prints BIOS, you are using BIOS.

2. UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface)

✅ Best for:

  • Modern systems (post-2010).
  • Faster boot times (supports Fast Boot).
  • Supports GPT partitioning (can use disks larger than 2TB).
  • Secure Boot feature (protects against malware).
  • Graphical interface with mouse support.

❌ Limitations:

  • May not support very old OS versions (e.g., Windows XP).
  • Secure Boot may cause issues with some Linux distributions.

🛠️ How to Check if Your System Uses UEFI?

  • If your boot screen has a graphical interface with mouse support, it’s UEFI.
  • In Linux, run:
    ls /sys/firmware/efi
    If this directory exists, your system is running UEFI.

Key Differences Between BIOS and UEFI





















Which One Should You Use?

✅ Use BIOS if:

  • You have an older system that does not support UEFI.
  • You need MBR partitioning.

✅ Use UEFI if:

  • You have a modern PC (2010+).
  • You need GPT partitioning for disks larger than 2TB.
  • You want faster boot times and Secure Boot.

How to Switch Between BIOS and UEFI?

  1. Check Boot Mode:

    • Restart your PC and enter firmware settings (Press F2, F12, DEL, or ESC during startup).
    • Look for Boot Mode (Options: Legacy/BIOS or UEFI).

  2. Change Boot Mode:

    • BIOS to UEFI: Enable UEFI Boot Mode and disable Legacy Mode.
    • UEFI to BIOS: Enable Legacy Boot Mode and disable Secure Boot.

⚠ Warning: Switching boot mode requires reinstalling the OS if your partitions use MBR (BIOS) instead of GPT (UEFI).



=======================================================================
Thank you, check out more blogs for such information..!
For any queries,feel free to reach out me on shubhammore07007@gmail.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nginx : Setting Up Nginx with Load Balancing

Image
This guide explains how to configure Nginx as a load balancer for multiple backend applications running on different ports. The setup includes three application servers running on ports 8001, 8002, and 8003, with Nginx balancing requests among them.   Nginx Configuration Details Individual Server Blocks Each backend application is configured as an independent Nginx server block: Server 1 Configuration ( server1.conf ) [root@server1 conf.d]# cat /etc/nginx/conf.d/server1.conf | grep -v "#"   server { listen 8001; server_tokens off; server_name _; client_max_body_size 35M; charset utf-8; large_client_header_buffers 4 16k; root /usr/share/nginx/server1; index index.html index.php index.cgi; access_log /var/log/nginx/access.log; error_log /var/log/nginx/error.log; } Server 2 Configuration ( server2.conf ) [root@server1 conf.d]# cat /etc/nginx/conf.d/server2.conf | grep -v "#"     server { listen 8002; server_tokens off;...
Read more

Nginx : Virtual hosting using Location directives

Image
This setup demonstrates a virtual container-based environment in Nginx where multiple locations are configured under a single server block, rather than a load-balancing mechanism. Each location serves a different application based on its respective directory structure. Nginx Configuration Server Configuration server { listen 80; server_tokens off; server_name _; client_max_body_size 35M; charset utf-8; large_client_header_buffers 4 16k; root /usr/share/nginx/server1; index index.html index.php index.cgi; access_log /var/log/nginx/access.log; error_log /var/log/nginx/error.log; location /server2 { root /usr/share/nginx/; index index.html index.php index.cgi; access_log /var/log/nginx/access.log; error_log /var/log/nginx/error.log; } location /server3 { root /usr/share/nginx/; index index.html index.php index.cgi; access_log /var/log/nginx/access.log; error_log /...
Read more

Terraform project with AWS to build infra within seconds! (Web Ec2 with eIP)

Image
1. Introduction: What is Terraform? Terraform is an open-source Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool created by HashiCorp. It lets you define, provision, and manage cloud infrastructure using declarative configuration files . Instead of manually creating AWS resources in the console, you write code that describes what you want, and Terraform takes care of creating or updating it. Why use it with AWS? a) Infrastructure as Code (IaC) You can define AWS resources (EC2, VPC, S3, IAM, etc.) in .tf files. These configurations can be version-controlled in Git. b) Multi-Cloud Support Although AWS has its own tool (CloudFormation), Terraform works with AWS + Azure + GCP + on-prem at the same time. c) Reusability & Automation You can reuse Terraform modules to deploy the same AWS setup in different environments (dev, test, prod). d) State Management Terraform keeps a state file to know which resources it manages. Makes it easy to track and update changes in AWS without accidentally del...
Read more