Eyal Goldshmid| Special to TCPalm
Q: I have a Lenovo Ideapad 330 laptop with Windows 10. Recently I received a number of emails from Lenovo stating that I should install "BIOS Update 10 (64-bit)" to optimize the computer. I have no idea what this is and do not want to install something I know nothing about. Could you provide me with more information and let me know if I should install this update or not?
— Kathy S., Vero Beach
A: BIOS is an abbreviation for "Basic Input/Output System" and is a physical ROM chip found on all motherboards inside computers. The item itself provides most basic hardware functionality capabilities for the system and often serves as the main behind-the-scenes connection between a machine's hardware and software components.
As with all things relating to computers, the BIOS does need to be updated now and then over the course of a system's lifespan and often those updates come to you via the computer manufacturer itself and not Microsoft or Windows, since the manufacturer tends to be responsible for your machine's hardware upkeep.
Research on the Lenovo website shows that there is indeed a BIOS update for your make and model that was released in the middle of 2021 and it is labeled as being "critical" — i.e. important to install. Provided that the emails you received are valid (that they came from Lenovo and not another entity — if you're not sure please call Lenovo directly to confirm this at 855-253-6686) this update should be installed on the system at your earliest convenience, as according to Lenovo's support page on the update, this installation addresses some security vulnerabilities in the BIOS.
For more information on this update, including installation instructions and download options, please visit this URL on the Lenovo Support site: support.lenovo.com/us/en/downloads/ds503471-bios-update-for-windows-10-64-bit-notebook.
Untangling the web
"We [heart] short film." So states the "About" page of this streaming media site, which (as the name suggests) has posted a free short film for the public to watch weekly since 2007. Topics range from traditional love stories to absurdly skewed comedy to political and social statements, and everything in between, as well as a fun mix of live-action, animated and free form styles. The films themselves originate from all over the world (feel free to submit your own creation via the "Submit" link found here) and nearly all titles are 20 minutes or less in length, making it an easy once-a-week stop. Bonus: The site is also a great place to stream the yearly list of Oscar-nominated shorts.
Contact Eyal Goldshmid at egoldshmid@yahoo.com.
