What do you mean by booting a computer

A boot sequence is the initial set of operations that the computer performs when it is switched on. Every computer has a boot sequence. Computers powered by the central processing unit can only execute code found in the systems memory.

Modern operating systems and application program code and data are stored on nonvolatile memories or mass storage devices. When a computer is first powered on, it must initially rely only on the code and data stored in nonvolatile portions of the systems memory.

Often, multiple-stage boot loaders are used, in which several small programs of increasing complexity sequentially summon one after the other, until the last of them loads the operating system. If the computer cannot boot, you may receive a boot failure error.

This error indicates the computer is not passing POST or a device in the computer, such as the hard drive or memory , has failed. You may also hear a beep code to help you identify which hardware is failing during the POST. If operating system files cannot be loaded because it's not found or files are corrupt , an error message is shown. The error message or blue screen helps identify why the operating system cannot be loaded. You may also see errors if a hardware driver is corrupted or cannot be loaded for another reason.

Sometimes the operating system can continue loading even if a hardware driver cannot be loaded. However, it would encounter problems with that hardware.

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