What Does Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) Mean?

A basic input/output system (BIOS) is a preinstalled program used during startup on Windows-based computers. The CPU initially accesses the BIOS, after which the operating system is loaded.

Techopedia Explains Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)

The BIOS is built-in software that contains generic code required to control the keyboard, display screens, disk drives and other functions. The primary purpose of the BIOS is to set up hardware and further load and start an operating system. BIOS is placed in a nonvolatile ROM chip inside the computer, ensuring the availability of BIOS at all times and preventing accidental disk failure. The BIOS checks every hardware connection and locates the devices, after which the operating system is loaded into computer memory.