All About Linux: BIOS--Basic Input Output System

"You take any computer out there, and you can be sure that it houses a BIOS chip. BIOS is an acronym which stands for Basic Input Output System. You have various companies like Award, Phoenix and the likes which manufacture BIOS chips and your machine will most probably be using a BIOS chip from one of these companies.This ubiquitous chip is the starting point of the booting process in your computer which eventually loads a fully functional operating system. If there is no BIOS chip, then your machine will not boot--irrespective of the type of OS you are using (this might change in the future when flash memory gets cheaper and its use becomes more prevalent)..."

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