Beeps! Your computer is telling you something.

One beep from your computer at startup can make your whole day. Just ask anyone that has turned on the
PC and suffered the agony of several beeps and then nothing.

When you purchase a computer, it will arrive with the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), pre-installed on an
EPROM (Erasable Programmable read Only Memory), chip on the main/motherboard. When you start your
computer the CPU (Central Processing Unit), sends control of the PC to the EPROM BIOS. The BIOS is part of
the POST (Power-On Self Test) of the computer. Once the BIOS receives the go ahead from the processor it starts
its magical journey through all the components and peripheral devices attached to the computer. CMOS
(complementary metal-oxide semiconductor), hold the data that is accessed by the BIOS setup. Basically, the
CMOS is the reason that you can unplug your computer and retain the startup and BIOS information. CMOS is
maintained on the motherboard in an always-on state supported by a battery installed on the main board.

Much like the human mind, when we wake up in the morning our brain remembers that we have eyes, ears, a nose
and so on. We know the town we live in. You can go to work, stop by the post office, the grocery store and back
home without having to spend time perusing a map for directions to each one. Your computer works much the same
way. Without a memory device to instruct the computer on what