For Computers Running On Win NTFS

Power On Self Test

First stage of system startup: The system BIOS finds the MBR and transfers it to memory.

The BIOS then transfers execution to the MBR which then finds the partition table and loads the active partition to the memory.

Then the sector 0 or boot sector begins the operating system boot or boot loader process.

The boot loader then finds the NTLDR (NT loader) file that is always on the root or floppy.

Other files are required to boot the NT system are NT Detect.com (gathers info about attached hardware) and Boot.ini.

The NTLDR switches memory to a 32-bit flat memory model. NTLDR is able to read both FAT and BTFS mini-file systems.

Boot.ini is then loaded, read, and displayed on the screen.

The user is now presented with a choice of booting into NT, choosing a hardware profile, or, more importantly, choosing the Last Known Good configuration. NTLDR now loads again and starts NTOSKRNL.exe.

The kernel load and initialization phase begins when NT switches the screen background to blue. The blue screen indicates that NT is loaded. A service pack number as well as the number of processors and the amount of

The final stage is when the monitor switches to the graphics RAM installed are listed. The device drivers are now loaded and the system fully initializes and loads WINLOGON.exe and the login menu appears.