![]() Stage four sees Windows really getting started, as the kernel initialises your CPU, memory manager, process manager and other core system services. Otherwise it loads the boot drivers that are specified in the System part of your Registry, and passes control to the Windows kernel. This file also handles displaying the boot menus for multiple operating systems, accessing Safe Mode and other start-up options. If you're waking up a hibernating PC, this will restore your saved memory so you can carry on where you left off. In the third stage, the Volume Boot Sector loads the first Windows file ('NTLDR' in XP or earlier, 'bootmgr.exe' in Vista). Once this has been discovered, it loads the first sector in that partition – the Volume Boot Sector – and gives it control. Stage two sees the tiny MBR scan through all the partitions on your boot drive, looking for one marked as bootable. When it finds one, this is loaded into memory and given control. ![]() The BIOS then works its way down the boot device list (maybe your DVD drive first, hard drive second) looking for something that has a bootable first sector (a Master Boot Record, or MBR). After taking its settings from CMOS RAM and carrying out some very basic hardware tests, this scans your PC, initialising expansion cards, looking for devices and allocating system resources to any that it finds. Turn your PC on, and the system passes through six separate stages before you're able to use it. The right BIOS tweaks will optimise your hardware, and changing key Windows settings ensures you'll get the best possible boot performance. ![]() Taking a closer look at how Windows 7 boots, for instance, reveals the most useful ways to improve start-up performance on XP and Vista systems. And that's fine – there are simple alternatives. Of course, you might not be keen on handing over a big pile of cash to Microsoft, especially to fix problems that really should have been addressed in Windows Vista. ![]()
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