0 abbreviation of Basic Input-Output System: a computer's basic firmware (= a set of programs that form part of a computer) that operates every time it starts up:
Computers using Intel processors with an out-of-date BIOS refused to function when turned on.
I started the PC and hit the Delete key to go into the BIOS setup.
Features include the ability to configure the BIOS to automatically shut parts of the machine down after specified periods of inactivity.
The company e-mailed back a one-line response: "Set your BIOS to boot off of the CD." I wrote back: "How do I do that?"
The BIOS are service routines which are invoked during the start up phase.
