Fundamental Computer Operation

Booting

Booting is the process of starting the computer or preparing the computer for use.

Starting up a Micro Computer System

When the power button is pressed to boot up, the PC goes through a process called power- on – self test (POST). This POST enables the computer to read several files to remind itself what it should be doing and to perform a complex series of tests to make sure all its hardware components are working properly.

When the computer is booted up, an electrical current travels to the microprocessor and resets the chip to clear its memory. During reset, the microprocessor sends a command to the computer’s read only memory (ROM) chips to run the computer’s basic input/output system (BIOS) boot program. Thereafter, the boot program connects the hard drive, loading windows XP/VISTA/7 core system files through the microprocessor and loading the device driver software needed to allow communication between the operating system and the PC’s hardware.

After communicating with the video card to create the desktop environment, windows operating system then opens the Startup folder which is immediately accessed from the hard drive and loaded through the microprocessor into RAM, after which the computer is ready for use.

There are two types of booting:

1. Cold booting
2. Warm booting

Cold booting: The process of switching the computer by pressing the power switch on the system unit.

Warm booting: The process of restarting the computer by pressing the reset button on the system unit or by using the ctrl + Alt + Del key.

EVALUATION

1. Define booting.
2. List and explain the two types of booting.

READING ASSIGNMENT

Modern Computer Studies by Victoria Dinehin pages 63- 65

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

1. The process of starting up computer is referred to as ………. (a) booming

(b) switching (c) booting  (d) starter

• The two types of booting are ….. and …….. (a) cold and warm booting  (b) cold and hot booting (c) warm and hot booting  (d) none of the above
• The process of switching the computer by pressing the power switch on the system unit is called …… booting.  (a) cold booting (b) hot booting (c) weather  (d) cold
• The process of restarting the computer by pressing the reset button on the system unit or by using the ctrl + Alt + Del key is called……… (a) cold booting (b) hot booting  (c) warm booting (d) CPU
• BIOS means ……………. (a) basic input/output system  (b) base input/output system  (c) boot inside/outside storage  (d) basic inside/outside system

THEORY

1. Define booting
2. List and explain the two types of booting
3. State the acronym for the following: (i) POST   (ii) BIOS