What is EEPROM?
| Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM |
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A user-modifiable read-only memory (ROM) that can be erased and reprogrammed or written to repeatedly through the application of higher than normal electrical voltage. Unlike EPROM chips, EEPROMs do not need to be removed from the computer to be modified. However, an EEPROM chip has to be erased and reprogrammed in its entirety, not selectively. It also has a limited life - that is, the number of times it can be reprogrammed is limited to tens or hundreds of thousands of times. In an EEPROM that is frequently reprogrammed while the computer is in use, the life of the EEPROM can be an important design consideration. With normal ROM you have to replace the chip (or chips) when new BIOS instructions are introduced. With EEPROM, a program erases the controller's memory and then downloads the new BIOS code into it. This feature is also called flash BIOS, some modems and graphics/video cards may be flashed as well. |
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