The Boot Up process

The System Boot Process Explained

The typical computer system boots over and over again with no problems, starting the computer's operating system (OS) and identifying its hardware and software components that all work together to provide the user with the complete computing experience. But what happens between the time that the user powers up the computer and when the GUI icons appear on the desktop? To find out: go to Webopedia's explanation of the process

The MS-DOS Boot Process

The System Boot Sequence consists of a series of events that the system performs when it is turned on (or rebooted with the reset switch). This always starts with the special boot program software that is in the system BIOS ROM on the motherboard. The BIOS performs several steps to test the system and make it ready before an operating system can be loaded. These steps are explained in detail here: The Master Boot Record and the System Boot Sequence.

Find out more about MS-DOS

The Boot Process using a macintosh computer

From the moment a user turns on a Mac OS X system to beyond the time the login window appears, Mac OS X executes a boot sequence that readies the system for use. If you provide system services to all users, you might need to execute some code during this process. The following sections explain the basic boot sequence and the places where your code can tie into it.

BootROM
BootX, boot.efi, and System Initialization
Authenticating Users
Configuring User Sessions
Logout Responsibilities
Identifying the Scope of Processes
The Shutdown Process

Linux OS

Linux is a free Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds with the assistance of developers around the world. Developed under the GNU General Public License , the source code for Linux is freely available to everyone. Click on the link below to find out more about the operating system that is causing a revolution in the world of computers.

To find out more go to: www.linux.org/