Unified Extensible Firmware Interface

What is Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)?

The Unified Extensible Firmware Interface or UEFI refers to a particular specification of a software interface between the operating system and the firmware.

Technically, it is superior and programmable and therefore the OEMs can add boot-time services and applications.

Understanding Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)

What is Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)

UEFI works just like BIOS but with enhanced booting speed, manageability, security and control.

Using UEFI will boot the system properly but you should do it correctly or else it will prevent the system from booting properly.

Therefore, without proper knowledge of it and an excellent reason for it, you should refrain from accessing the firmware of the motherboard.

Changing the UEFI settings will increase the speed due to faster boot time and its discrete driver support.

If you do it correctly then some of the notable benefits that you will enjoy are:

However, if you simply change to UEFI from CSM/BIOS the computer system will not boot up.

This is because Windows typically does not allow booting in BIOS mode from GPT disks.

This means you will need to have an MBR disk for that. And, since it does not support booting in UEFI mode from MBR disks, you will need to have a GPT disk.

Moreover, you should not do anything specifically if your system is running on Windows 11 because UEFI mode will be automatically enabled by default on the system.

The change in the settings will also delete all data, partitions and the operating system. This means that you will have to reinstall it right from the beginning.

However, when you make a change, make sure that you do not omit or overlook any of the requirements for it, both in your system and otherwise.

Doing so may result in a system failure and even some serious hardware issues in a few cases.

UEFI Boot Mode and Process

There are actually two boot modes such as UEFI boot mode and Legacy BIOS boot mode.

The process to follow to boot into one of these modes needs removing some files first and then following the boot up process.

To boot in UEFI mode you will need to remove the bootmgr file from Windows PE root or Windows Setup media to prevent the computer starting in BIOS mode.

And, to boot in legacy BIOS mode you will need removing the efi folder from the same to prevent the system from starting in UEFI mode.

The other processes to follow are:

UEFI Firmware Settings

The UEFI firmware settings will help you to set it up as well as fix a corrupted UEFi or even fix missing UEFI settings on your system.

Assuming that you know how to access UEFI on your computer system, there are a few different ways to set a few things in it.

Steps to follow to set Surface UEFI are:

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Settings to reset corrupted UEFI on a computer are as follows:

The steps to fix missing UEFI firmware settings are:

What is UEFI Used for?

UEFI is used to set the hardware of the computer to work even before the operating system is loaded. It is also used as a new means for the operating system and the firmware of the platform to communicate and for defining the firmware services used for booting the operating system on the platform.

It is also used for some runtime services such as:

How to Change BIOS to UEFI?

First of all, you should change it with extreme caution because any small error may result in irreversible damage.

Next you should know the prerequisites and ensure that your system is ready for upgrading into BIOS.

The things to check to ensure your computer system is ready to make a switch are:

Now you can start the conversion process by following these specific steps:

You may verify whether it has really changed from the system information.

Is UEFI Secure Boot?

It can be said so because Secure Boot is one specific attribute of the most modern Unified Extensible Firmware Interface specification.

This is called Errata C and defines the new interface between the firmware or BIOS and the operating system and also helps the computer to resist infection and attacks from malware.

This feature allows running only authentic third-party firmware code in the firmware environment of the Original Equipment Manufacturer or OEM. It ensures that in actually two steps such as;

This is actually done by following a specific verification flow and by using a precise image/key security database.

How to Check Whether the Motherboard Supports UEFI?

Typically, you can check it easily in the BIOS and look for a UEFI/Legacy or a Secure Boot option switch in the System Information tab. If you find any of them then you can rest assured that the motherboard of your computer supports UEFI.

If this does not help, then there is another easy way to check it which is through the Command Prompt. The steps to follow are:

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If you see there that the extension for the “winload” file is .exe, then the motherboard is running a legacy BIOS and if it is .efi then it supports UEFI.

Alternatively, you can check the manufacturer of the motherboard and its model name and look for System Information in their official website to find whether or not it supports UEFI.

All of the above methods are applicable if you have a Windows operating system.

However, if you are using an Ubuntu or Debian based distribution, you will have to install the efibootmgr package to find out whether or not your motherboard supports UEFI.

However, this may be a long process. The shorter and easier one is to simply find a folder called /sys/firmware/efi.

If you cannot, your motherboard does not support UEFI and if you do, it does. It is as simple as that!

How to Install UEFI on Windows 10?

Installing Windows 10 will need a GUID Partition Table and you will also have to perform Windows 10 installations to enable UEFI. The first thing to do is install UEFI Windows 10 and then confirm whether or not it has been installed correctly.

The first part of the processor involves:

Next you will need to confirm whether or not Windows has installed in the GPT partition by following these specific steps:

You will see what is loaded in the GUID Partition Table.

Is It Possible to Boot from USB in UEFI Mode?

Yes, you can boot from USB in UEFI mode but in order to do it successfully there are a few specific requirements and steps to follow.

First of all, you must make sure that the hardware of the hard disk supports UEFI. If it does not, you will first have to buy one that supports it.

Also, one of the most important things to make sure is that the system disk is in the GPT or Globally Unique Identifier Partition Table form. If it is not then you will have to convert Master Boot Record or MBR to GPT first.

Now, if both of these conditions are fulfilled, you will need to prepare the USB drive and do a few specific things beforehand.

First of all you will need to create a UEFI bootable USB, and for that you can follow these three steps using a flash drive with 8 GB of space at least.

The first method is to use the Windows Media Creation tool if your computer has a UEFI firmware. The steps to follow are:

The second method to create a UEFI boot USB is by using an open-source program, such as Rufus, and an obtainable ISO file. You will need to connect the USB flash drive to your computer system and then follow these steps:

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Now, if there is no GPT disk, you need to convert MBR using a reliable partition manager tools and following these steps:

Once it is done you are ready to move Windows 10 to the flash drive by following these easy steps:

Now, eventually you can boot your computer system from the migrated Windows 10 from USB in UEFI mode. Here are the steps to follow:

Finally, you will need to enable the UEFI boot mode to access the BIOS Setup utility and use it. The steps to follow are:

After all these steps are done, you will have the system boot up from USB in UEFI mode.

Questions & Answers:

Where is It Stored?

Pretty unlike the Basic Input Output System or BIOS, the UEFI is not stored in firmware but in a directory in a Non Volatile random Access memory or NVRAM.

This means that the UEFI can be stored in the hard drive, or in the NAND flash memory on the motherboard and even on a network share.

What Happens if UEFI Setting is Changed?

Several things can happen when you change the UEFI settings depending on the specific circumstances right from the computer failing to boot up to an increased performance.

Is It Good to Use UEFI?

Yes, it is quite a good feature to use because the newer mode of UEFI comes with much better features and functionalities over and above the security features in comparison to the Legacy BIOS mode.

Can UEFI Increase Performance?

Yes, it can and it is all due to the easy update of BIOS with its features and functionalities which includes faster boot time, discrete driver support, Secure Boot security, better programmability, higher performance, and greater scalability.

Conclusion

UEFI is very important for booting up a system and ensuring faster boot up, more security and reliability.

If your system is running on Legacy BIOS you can change into UEFI with some simple steps, provided the conditions permit, as suggested in this article.