How does BIOS interact with hardware and software?

BIOS (Basic Input Output System) interacts with hardware and software by acting as a bridge between them. When you power on your computer, BIOS initializes and tests hardware components through the Power-On Self-Test (POST). It then locates the bootloader to load the operating system into memory. BIOS also contains firmware drivers that allow basic communication between hardware and the OS before more advanced drivers take over. Additionally, it provides a setup utility where users can configure system settings, such as boot order and security options.