What Does Resetting Bios Do? (Explained)!

I find people asking what does resetting Bios do in several tech sites and forums. And in most case, the answers are not well organized and the audiences are still on search. If your one of them give a pause here.

Resetting BIOS is a very effective means of troubleshooting hardware challenges. And fixing the issue of your computer without  booting in case you forgot the BIOS passcode. It also restores things to their default settings. Thus, enabling you to fix the issue it rearranges things to bring back the previous setting. 

How then can we do this? Is it simple or difficult? What is this BIOS, and how can you reset BIOS back to defaults? We’ve looked into all these in the following sections of this article. Check them below.

What Is BIOS?

BIOS stands for Basic Input/Output System. It is the main software that operates at the beginning of your computer’s booting process. The BIOS is already integrated into the computer’s main board and is one of the rare softwares embedded in the motherboard’s hardware.

More importantly, the BIOS ensures the computer boots, and it also organizes the sequence of booting procedures to take place. Asides from that, your BIOS is used to tune-up and upgrade the values of integrated hardware components to boost their performances. Thus, the BIOS determines if your computer will respond when you turn it on or not.

Like I said, there might come a time when your computer hardware will require upgrading or resetting, and the best way to do this is by resetting BIOS. Now you  understand what a BIOS is, let’s consider the impacts of resetting BIOS on your computer.

What Does Resetting Bios Do?

Resetting Bios means restoring the previous setting without erasing any data. But still when it comes to the question of “What Does Resetting Bios Do?” there are several things to consider. Even though resetting the BIOS doesn’t delete hard disk or SSD (Solid State Drive) data, it does wipe off some CMOS (or BIOS) chip data. Well, this is to be expected if you’re resetting your computer’s BIOS.

Things such as the EPROM chips, BIOS password, and boot order are usually reset to default settings when you do so. Let’s consider them briefly.

BIOS Password

If you have forgotten your computer’s BIOS password and can’t gain access to the computer’s main screen resetting your BIOS password will be very effective.

Boot Order

When you power your computer, the booting process follows a sequence. If it in case fails to detect the programme the operating  system  will not respond.

To solve the issue you might try to change your computer’s boot order. But it might end up causing issues with your computer booting or even booting properly. By resetting the BIOS, you will revert the computer’s boot order to its previous settings.

Memory Chips

Sometimes, the problems might be on the chips installed into your computer, your RAM, or EPROM chips, and you want to erase the data stored in it (them). You can simply do all that by resetting your BIOS, and everything on your computer’s chips will be erased as well.

In this video, Johnny Phung explains how to clear the CMOS of your computer.

Is It Safe To Reset BIOS Back To Default?

Resetting your BIOS back to default is totally safe to carry out. It enhances the motherboard by reverting it back to its default settings. Basically, doing this improves your computer’s main board to operate more efficiently.

Moreover, resetting BIOS is a way of troubleshooting your computer when there are certain technical issues. This could include computer freezing. If you own an HP pc, well, good news for you. You can expand your knowledge about troubleshooting by understanding why an HP laptop keeps freezing.

People usually argue that resetting your laptop’s BIOS affects the operating system or thwarts the computer’s data saved in the hard drives. But, this is the most efficient way to diagnose and troubleshoot a large majority of computer hardware problems like RAM, GPU, battery, or even motherboard problems, among others.

Also, one of the most effective ways to wipe out your computer’s BIOS password is via resetting. Additionally, do the same for any problem related to the BIOS password. Conversely, if you want to troubleshoot the problem and discover its root cause, then reset your computer BIOS to reload a stable default.

How To Reset BIOS Settings on Windows Computers

Reset via the Computer’s UEFI Menu

The simplest method of resetting your computer’s BIOS is by resetting it internally from its BIOS menu. Also, this is the safest and most stabilized technique with the producer’s intentions. Furthermore, I recommend that you use this technique, as it’s the most effective and stress-free of all the procedures. However, in cases where you can’t access the BIOS menu, then you can alternatively use the other techniques.

For operating systems before Windows 10, the computer will provide you with some instructions while booting. The most common access to this menu is by pressing the F12 key while the computer is booting. On the other hand, Windows 10 provides users with various ways to access this menu.

Alternatively, when you have powered your computer and logged into it,

• Go to the Start menu and open the Settings
• Go to the Update and Security section. Then, there’s a Recovery tab at the left sidebar; click on it.
• It will show you an option saying “Restart Now” just below the “Advanced Setup” section; click on this option once you’re ready to proceed.
• Your computer will begin to restart, and it will display a blue screen showing the advanced troubleshooting options.
• Choose the Troubleshooting option, and it will show you another set of options, click on “Advanced options.”
• Then, select UEFI Firmware Settings and choose the Restart option to continue.

After this, your computer will shut down then load a settings menu. Although the interface might differ in appearance and text wording, it won’t be very difficult tracing the reset default feature. Like as we’ve said, since interfaces might differ, just ensure to watch out for keywords like “Load Default options” or “Load Setup Defaults.” When you’re done with this, exit and restart your computer.

Removing and Reinstalling the Motherboard Battery

Now, we proceed to a more technical way of solving the BIOS-related issues, and that’s by removing and re-fixing the motherboard (or CMOS) battery into its port. However, it’s important to note that some computers don’t come with CMOS batteries installed. Essentially, it’s important to understand that these CMOS batteries contain data about the BIOS and give the motherboard a certain power supply to store the BIOS Settings.

Also, note that when you remove and re-fix your motherboard battery, the entire BIOS will reset—settings and all. So, how can we do it properly?

• Switch off your computer’s power supply and disconnect every wired connection on it.
• Ensure to ground your computer to avoid damages to the computer properly.
• Then, open the computer’s interior and locate the motherboard and CMOS battery. For a clearer understanding, the CMOS battery resembles a large wristwatch battery. Flat and round.
• When you’ve found the battery remove it and wait for some minutes. Then, replace it with the motherboard. If you feel your CMOS battery is getting weak, then you can replace it with a new one—same place, same position. Also, note to place it in rightly.

Some amazing CMOS batteries include Rome Tech CMOS Battery for IBM Lenovo Thinkpad and Sony 3V Lithium CR2032 Batteries. 

In this video, Britec09 shows us how to reset BIOS to default settings on any computer.

Erase BIOS Settings Using a Motherboard Jumper

The third and very effective technique of resetting your BIOS requires you to clear the motherboard jumper. Moreover, it’s not often seen in desktop computers. It’d require making certain upgrades to your computer’s motherboard, and you have to be more careful while carrying out this process.

First things first, check the manufacturer’s manual or find out the motherboard jumper. Then, ensure to follow the same steps given above.

• At first, switch off your computer and unplug its power supply. Also, unplug every connection and grounding all of them.
• Then, follow the instruction available in the instruction manual or follow an online guide specific to your motherboard.

Usually, you can find the motherboard jumper around the motherboard (CMOS) battery.

When to Reset BIOS Settings on Windows Computers

It’s best to reset your BIOS password when you don’t remember your computer’s BIOS password or when your computer experiences booting problems. Also, if you’re having issues with an unsuccessful setup, then you need to consider resetting your computer.

Furthermore, if you’re experiencing issues with your computer hardware components such as mal-functioning RAM, GPU, or CPU, you can and should reset your computer BIOS. Also, as we’ve said earlier, if you’re having problems with your computer booting properly or have even forgotten the password, then go on ahead and reset BIOS settings on your computer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will resetting my computer’s BIOS clean off data?

Resetting BIOS will not erase data. This is so because most operations carried out while the computer is being reset go on in the other volatile regions, such as the GPU, RAM, etc. However, resetting your computer’s BIOS will clean off BIOS data and all settings stored on the CMOS battery.

Will resetting BIOS erase Windows?

Resetting BIOS can not affect Windows. It’s not created to do so. However, as we’ve said, it will affect the BIOS data.

Conclusion

As you see, there are several implications of resetting BIOS. Notably, when you reset your computer’s BIOS, you erase every data on the CMOS battery that stores data related to power. It also wipes out data on the RAM, GPU, and CPU.

Resetting your computer’s BIOS will revert the computer to default settings, freeing up more space on your computer and allowing you to use it more optimally. Alternatively, you can reset your computer BIOS by using a motherboard jumper, removing and reinstalling your CMOS battery, and doing it internally through the computer’s BIOS menu.