Re: General Question About BIOS and UEFI

MikeS wrote:
> On 27/07/2021 18:24, David W. Hodgins wrote:
>> On Tue, 27 Jul 2021 10:40:03 -0400, tb <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> Newbie question...
>>>
>>> If I were to purchase some kind of mainstream desktop PC without any OS
>>> preinstalled and if I were to boot up such PC and press F2 repeatedly,
>>> would I find myself in the BIOS screen or the UEFI screen?
>>>
>>> Or maybe the UEFI screen is available only if Microsoft Windows is
>>> installed?
>>
>> It will be a uefi screen on anything produced in the last decade or 
>> so. The uefi
>> firmware is stored on the motherboard, not on a disk drive. The 
>> software is a
>> customized version of uefi firmware developed by or for the 
>> motherboard manufacturer.
>>
>> Note that different systems use different keys, so check the manual. 
>> It isn't
>> always f2.
>>
>> Regards, Dave Hodgins
>>
> As already said it will be UEFI but generally that will have a legacy 
> mode option. Legacy emulates the original BIOS allowing an old OS which 
> knows nothing about UEFI to be installed.

Except Intel has waved a magic wand, and declared that "legacy mode
shall go away, no more CSM". Which means newly purchased equipment
will be stuck in a UEFI-only world.

Then your setting choices will be "Secure Boot ON or OFF" and
a page full of "Machine Key settings".

Just as someone waved a magic wand and said "no more VGA"
a couple of years ago. Purchase converter dongles
(HDMI to VGA and DP to VGA) while you still can.

    Paul