Firmware vs. Operating system - What is the difference?

[Windows Central Question]

When I use the Windows Device Recovery Tool, I see a firmware-number and a operatingsystem-number for my device. What ist the difference?

 

[xandros9]

The OS is high-level stuff like what runs the web browser and whatnot. It's most of the software on the device.

Firmware is under-the-hood software that talks to the device's hardware and bridges the gap between the OS and hardware in a nutshell.

 

[Guytronic]

To add:
Firmware is usually on-chip and normally needs a specific utility to update or "flash"
Operating systems are usually installed on-drive and can be uninstalled by the user