Let’s see today how to properly manage the BIOS of our PC, inside we will find important options to get the most out of it.
With these BIOS settings we can improve graphics performance, squeeze RAM memory, speed up the processor or activate remote boot systems. On some machines we will have to unlock the BIOS to show the hidden settings to which we do not have access.
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Main BIOS settings
AMD processors have some specific differences in their BIOS, we will discuss the main options and how to manage them
- Never touch a setting that we do not know how it works.
- AndroidPCtv is not responsible for any modification in your BIOS.
Accessing the BIOS from the keyboard
We can access the BIOS in several ways, the most common is by repeatedly pressing the shortcut key on the keyboard. Depending on our PC this key changes and we must try it.
- We turn off the PC and before pressing on we press one of the following keys.
- BIOS access keys: F2, F1, ESC, Delete or Delete.
- In a few seconds the BIOS will be displayed, if not, turn off and retry.
We may also be interested in booting the system from a USB drive to install Windows, it is possible to boot the boot drive selector menu.
- Boot drive keys: F5, F7
BIOS from Windows command line
- We save all our open work.
- Right-click on the Windows Start icon and open special menu.
- Start > Terminal (Administrator)
- Run the following command:
shutdown /r /fw /f
- It will show us a warning message, if it does not show it we repeat.
- If after 2 minutes it does not restart we execute it again.
- In a few seconds Windows will restart and enter the BIOS.
BIOS from Windows 11 menu
- Settings > Windows update > Advanced > Recovery > Advanced Boot > Startup > Boot Now
- Reboot > Troubleshooting > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings > UEFI Firmware Configuration
- NOTE: This method has been removed in some Windows 11 update
BIOS from Windows 10 menu
- Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Advanced Boot > Boot Now
BIOS from Linux
- Start the command line
- Execute the command:
sudo systemctl reboot --firmware-setup
- We can also have the option in the Linux reboot menu or in GRUB
Main BIOS options
The BIOS of the computers have two formats, the classic AMI BIOS of text to control with keyboard or they offer us a graphical environment with mouse option, basically the options are the same at a basic level.
- NOTE; DO NOT TOUCH anything if you do not know what you are doing
Main
Main window with the system data, here we may be interested to observe several points.
- BIOS version
- CPU model and speed
- Installed storage
- RAM and default speed
Advanced
In this section we can configure different hardware specific sections.
Power on and remote access options
- Wake on Lan: Remote power on from network
- Auto Power ON: Power on when we give it power, ideal to combine with a smart plug.
- USB Boot: Power on from keyboard or peripheral.
- CEC support: HDMI CEC control from a remote control.
- S5 RTC: Programmed power clock.
Other outstanding BIOS setting options
- CPU: Change CPU performance
- GFX: Change iGPU performance and RAM allocated to iGPU
- Memory: Adjust RAM and RAM speed
- NVMe: Disk management
- If you don’t see this options Unlock your BIOS
- Also, you can Improve your PC performance with the Advance BIOS Settings.
Security
- Secure Boot management and password access to the BIOS.
Boot
- Numlock: If Numlock is on by default.
- Fast Boot: Prevent messages at system boot.
- Change boot priority, network boot and NVMe management.
Save & Exit
- Save or not the changes when exiting and recover default values
- Boot override: Select the unit that we want to boot directly, it is temporary.
