Uefi - what is it? Loading floppy Uefi. Installing Uefi

Many of the modern brands of hardware components for PCs, as well as software, are keen to provide support for their UEFI interface products. This software solution is designed to become an alternative to the familiar to many computer enthusiasts I / O system - BIOS. What is the specificity of the software under consideration? What are the nuances of using it?

What is UEFI

Let's consider the basic information about UEFI. What is this development? UEFI is a special interface that is installed between the OS installed on the computer and the software responsible for low-level functions of the hardware components of the PC.

Sometimes referred to as BIOS UEFI. In this name, on the one hand, there is some error, because the BIOS is a software solution that operates on different principles. UEFI is developed by Intel, BIOS is software that exists in several versions supported by different brands.

On the other hand, the purpose of the BIOS and UEFI is almost the same. BIOS UEFI - formally, not quite correct word combination, but not contradictory to the logic of hardware and software algorithms of PC control.

Differences of BIOS from UEFI

But the first thing we'll pay attention to is finding the differences between the "clean" BIOS and the "classic" UEFI. The fact is that the software solution we are considering is positioned as a more perfect alternative to BIOS. Many manufacturers of modern motherboards for computers are trying to provide support for the corresponding type of software from Intel. Thus, the differences between UEFI and BIOS can be traced, having studied, first of all, the shortcomings of the second system.

The first drawback of the BIOS is that this system can not provide full utilization of disk space on very large "hard drives" - those that exceed 2 terabytes in size. Indeed, a few years ago, such quantities, characterizing the capacity of hard disks, seemed fantastic, and therefore, PC manufacturers did not particularly focus on the corresponding lack of BIOS. But today, a "hard drive" of more than 2TB will not surprise anyone. PC manufacturers began to feel that it's time to move to UEFI, which is an objective necessity, based on modern technological trends.

Another feature of the BIOS is that it supports a limited number of primary partitions on the hard disk. In turn, UEFI works with 128. In the structure of the new software solution from Intel, a new partition table is implemented - GPT, which, in fact, allows using the noted technological advantage of UEFI.

With all the marked differences between the new software environment developed by Intel and the traditional BIOS I / O system, the main functions of the respective solutions are generally the same. Except for a fundamentally new algorithm for ensuring security in the UEFI, there are not too many actual differences between the systems. Some experts believe that the new software platform allows faster boot to operating systems, others note that this is relevant only for Windows 8. Let's consider, in fact, the security system implemented in UEFI, in more detail.

New security technology

What is ahead of the new UEFI BIOS is the level of security. The fact is that there are viruses that can be embedded in the chip, where the BIOS algorithms are prescribed. After that, it becomes possible to boot the OS with extended user rights, which opens up the widest possibilities for the hacker. In turn, the new solution from Intel implemented a secure download - UEFI provides an appropriate algorithm, which is called Secure Boot.

It is based on the use of special keys, which must be certified by the largest brands of the IT market. However, as the specialists note, in practice there are not so many such companies yet. In particular, with respect to the support of the corresponding option for the manufacturers of operating systems, it is fully provided only by Microsoft and only in Windows 8. There is also information that compatibility with the new security system is implemented in some Linux distributions.

Advantages of UEFI

Obviously, the noted shortcomings of the BIOS are, at the same time, the advantages of the new software solution. However, UEFI is characterized by a number of other important advantages. Consider them.

First of all, it's a convenient, intuitive and functional interface. As a rule, it supports mouse support - which is not typical for the BIOS. Also, many versions of UEFI (BIOS this option is also not specific) provide a Russified interface.

The algorithms provided by the new software solution allow operating systems to be loaded in most cases significantly faster than using the BIOS. For example, Windows 8, installed on a computer with UEFI support, can be loaded - provided adequate processor performance and other key hardware components - in just 10 seconds.

Among other significant advantages of the software solution under consideration, which many IT specialists allocate, is an update algorithm, which is simpler than the BIOS mechanisms. Another useful UEFI option is the availability of the own boot manager in this system , which can be used if several operating systems are installed on the PC.

So, we can understand the technological advantages of the new PC management interface developed by Intel. The largest brands-manufacturers of hardware components for PC provide compatibility of the corresponding "hardware" with UEFI - Gigabyte, ASUS, SONY. The transition to a new system, as many IT experts believe, can turn into a steady technological trend. The opportunities offered to the global IT community by Intel, which developed UEFI, may well be attractive to leading software manufacturers and hardware components for PCs. Moreover, the corresponding technological options of UEFI are supported by the largest brand in the operating system market.

Facts about Secure Boot

Let's take a closer look at the advantages of the Secure Boot technology supported by UEFI. What is this concept? This is a protocol to securely boot a computer, which is designed to protect the system, as we noted above, from the penetration of viruses. However, to use it fully, the keys used by this protocol must be certified. At the moment, this criterion is satisfied by quite a few brands of software manufacturers. Among them are Microsoft, which implemented support for the corresponding algorithms in Windows 8.

It can be noted that this circumstance in a number of cases can complicate the installation on a PC running under UEFI, other operating systems. If you are installing Windows - UEFI can still show some loyalty to this - but provided that the OS version will be as close as possible to the one that is installed by the computer manufacturer. It can also be noted that some Linux distributions are also compatible with the Secure Boot option.

But even if, due to the function in question, the boot of the new OS is prohibited by the system, the UEFI interface structure provides the ability to disable the Secure Boot algorithms. It is clear that in this case the OS download will not be so secure, however, the corresponding option can be activated at any time and start working with Windows 8.

Which OS are fully compatible with UEFI?

In very rare cases, individual IT professionals get an installation on a PC with Secure Boot support for alternative operating systems. For example, it is known that it is theoretically possible to put Windows 7 on some laptops that support UEFI BIOS. ASUS - among the manufacturers of such PCs. But this is, rather, an exception to the rules. In general, there is a low probability of successful installation of even other editions of Windows 8. However, as we noted above, some Linux distributions are also compatible with UEFI options.

UEFI Customization Features

Let's look at some of the nuances of tuning the considered software solution from Intel. An interesting option is BIOS emulation using UEFI. What is this opportunity? Indeed, in some versions of UEFI, algorithms are implemented, according to which PC control is organized in accordance with the mechanisms used by the I / O system, which is the historical predecessor of UEFI.

Depending on the particular PC, this mode can be referred to differently. Most often it's Legacy or Launch CSM. In this case, there are no difficulties with how to install UEFI in the standard boot mode.

Nuances of access to UEFI

Another noteworthy fact, which is useful to note - there are a large number of versions of UEFI. They can differ significantly in PCs produced by different brands. At the same time, the level of availability of certain functions on different computers can also vary significantly. It often happens, for example, that when the computer is booted, no menu is displayed, with which you can enter the UEFI settings. But for this case in Windows, as a rule, there is an alternative possibility to load the necessary options. You need to enter the "Options" and activate the option "Special download options".

After that, you can reboot - and the screen will display several options for downloading the PC. There is an alternative way to provide access to the corresponding UEFI options. On many PCs it works. You must press Esc at the very beginning of the computer startup. After this, the menu in question should open.

Specificity of work in different modes

It should be noted that if you change the normal UEFI mode to Legacy, preferably using the necessary programs that require disabling Secure Boot or working with BIOS emulation, re-enable the UEFI interface with all the relevant options as soon as possible. Otherwise, Windows 8, as some IT experts note, may not start. However, many PCs do not have such a problem. Some brand manufacturers introduce algorithms into the PC management structure that allow UEFI mode to be activated automatically. In some PC models, a hybrid mode is implemented, in which the UEFI system is loaded from any media, and BIOS modulation can be started if necessary. Differences in versions of UEFI may also suggest that disabling Secure Boot in the normal mode of the software solution from Intel is impossible. To do this, you must in any case activate the BIOS emulation function.

UEFI and boot flash drive

In some cases, users need to boot the operating system from the USB flash drive. The main difficulty is that the format is different from FAT32, the USB flash drive UEFI is not recognized. But this problem can be successfully resolved. How?

So, by default, bootable USB flash drives are formatted in the NTFS file system, which UEFI does not recognize. Therefore, the main task is to ensure that the corresponding hardware component has been formatted in a more universal file system - FAT32. The most interesting is that it is considered obsolete by many IT specialists. But with the example of one of the most advanced software solutions, which is certainly UEFI, we can trace the relevance of the corresponding standard.

USB Flash Drive for UEFI mode: components

What do we need in order for the USB flash drive UEFI to be recognized without problems? First of all, this, in fact, is itself a USB-medium. It is desirable that its capacity is not less than 4 GB. It is also desirable that valuable files on it not be placed, since we have to fully format the USB flash drive. The next necessary component is the Windows distribution. Let it be a 64-bit version of Windows 7. Another feature of UEFI, which should be said - 32-bit OS from Microsoft, this system does not support.

Preparing the flash drive

If we have marked components, then we can start work. First, we insert the USB flash drive into the USB port. Then - open the command line in the Windows interface. It is necessary, at the same time, that the user has administrator rights. Through the command line, you need to start the DISKPART program - just by typing this word. After that, you need to enter the command list disk, which will display a list of disks present in the system. In it you need to find a USB flash drive. If it is in the list with 2 number, then you need to enter the command seleck disk 2.

Formatting the flash drive

Next, you need to format the media. To do this, type clean. After that, you must create the primary partition on the disk. You can do this using the create partition primary command. After that, the created partition should be made active. To do this, enter the command active. After that you can display a list of sections. To do this, enter the list volume in the command line. We find the section that we created. If it is specified at number 3, then enter select volume 3. After that, you need to format it in the FAT32 system. To do this, enter the command format fs = fat32. The basic bootable media is thus ready. But that is not all. You need to assign a drive letter to the flash drive. This can be done with the assign command. After that, type exit and exit the command line.

Burning the distribution on the USB flash drive

After all the above actions, you must copy the Windows 7 distribution to a USB flash drive. You can also do this using the command line. How? For this, a special command is provided - xcopy. You need to enter it, then - specify the address of the disk with the distribution, insert the symbol *, specify the letter that corresponds to the USB flash drive intended for loading into the UEFI, and then enter the command with the / s / e symbols. Then you need to go through the command line on the USB flash drive. There you need to go to the efi \ microsoft \ boot directory. It needs to be copied to the efi \ boot folder. After that, you need to copy the file called bootmgfw.efi to the efi \ boot folder, then rename it to the bootx64.efi file.

Work with flash drive is completed. UEFI drive with the FAT32 file system, in which we just formatted the USB flash drive, will be able to recognize without problems. Accordingly, it can also be installed on a Windows 7 PC. Of course, provided that the Secure Boot algorithm is disabled in the UEFI options, which prohibits installing operating systems on the computer that are different from Windows 8.