System partition and boot partition: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 10:43, 6 February 2016

Revision as of 06:15, 7 February 2016

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{{Redirect-distinguish|System partition|EFI System partition}}

{{Redirect-distinguish|Boot partition|BIOS boot partition}}

{{Redirect|Windows Disk Partition Features}}

{{Redirect|SYSTEM.DRV}}

'''System partition''' and '''boot partition''' are the [[computing]] terms for the [[disk partition]] of a [[hard disk drive]] within a [[Personal Computer|PC]], that must exist and be configured for some [[Operating System]] (OS) to function correctly. AnA acceptedstandard definition for these''boot termspartition'' refers to the [[firmware]] disk partition on a PC's disk drive space, thatwhich holds the '''Boot Loader's''' ___location and grants selection access to the available operating systems on the PC to be used and managed by the ''system partition''. Typically, This firmware diskboot partition is intended to hold a single Operating System's '''boot code''' and controls the PC'scorresponding system partition with it, and is necessary for certainmost [[proprietary software|proprietary]] or certain personalized computer system. Some system partitions and boot partitions are '''hidden''', and/or assigned without a drive letter. It is up to the [[Privilege escalation#Jailbreaking|user's unique situation]] to decide if this configuration is a [[closed software|restrictive]] or a [[computer security|security feature]].

==Personalized Operation==

In the context of personalized operating systems, system partition and boot partition can act as follow:

*The ''disk partition'' might be a manual input decision in the hands of the user or it might be automated by a [[Linux distribution|distro]], as in the case of certain Linux systems and lesser known system platforms.

*The ''boot partition'' is a [[primary partition]] that contains the [[boot loader]], a piece of software responsible for booting the OS. For example, in the standard [[Linux]] directory layout ([[Filesystem Hierarchy Standard]]), boot files (such as the [[Linux kernel|kernel]], [[initrd]], and boot loader [[GRUB]]) are mounted at <code>/boot/</code>.<ref>{{cite book|last=Petersen|first=Richard|title=Ubuntu The Complete Reference|year=2009|publisher=McGraw-Hill|___location=New York|isbn=0-07-164368-0|page=473|chapter=Chapter 21: Basic System Administration}}</ref>

*The ''system partition'' is the disk partition that contains the operating system folder, known as ''system root''. By default, in Linux, operating system files are mounted at the <code>/</code> (the [[root directory]]).

In Linux systems, a system partition and boot partition can be held within an operating system's main hard or logical disk space, without requiring a separate disk entity; if both <code>/boot/</code> and root directory are in the same partition. Or they can also occupy a single disk partition of their own, separately from each other.

==Proprietary Operation==

In the context of a computerserver or a PC with a proprietary operating system, such as Microsoft's [[Windows 7]] and beyond, it can be understood as following ''(the naming of System/Boot partition is reversed in the case of Windows)'':

*The ''disk partition'' is generally created automatically during factory configuration and assemblage (not to confuse with [[Windows 8]] computers' required firmware attachment of [[EFI]] or [[UEFI]] in lieu of a [[BIOS]]).

*The ''system partition'' is a partition that contains boot loaders, software responsible for booting one or more OS'.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Mitch|last1=Tulloch|first2=Ingrid|last2=Tulloch|title=Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking|year=2002|publisher=[[Microsoft Press]]|___location=Redmond, WA|isbn=0-7356-1378-8|page=1087|edition=2nd}}</ref><ref name=winternals5>{{cite book|last1=Russinovich|first1=Mark E|last2=Ionescu|first2=Alex|last3=Solomon|first3=David A|title=Windows Internals|year=2008|publisher=Microsoft Press|___location=Redmond, WA|isbn=0-7356-2530-1|page=970-1|edition=5th}}</ref>

*The ''boot partitions'' are the disk partition that contains the operating system folder, known as ''system root'' or <code>%systemroot%</code> in [[Windows NT]].<ref>{{cite book|first1=Mitch|last1=Tulloch|first2=Ingrid|last2=Tulloch|title=Microsoft Encyclopedia of Networking|year=2002|publisher=[[Microsoft Press]]|___location=Redmond, WA|isbn=0-7356-1378-8|page=174|edition=2nd}}</ref>

AFor a number of Windows NT systems' disk system, a single partition may be both a system and a boot partition. In caseIf they are separate, however, the boot partition does not contain the boot software and the system partition does not have the system root.<ref name=winternals5 />

Before [[Windows 7Vista]] and Windows 7, the system and boot partitions were, by default, the same and were given the identifier "C:". After [[Windows 7XP]], however, [[Windows Setup]] creates, by default, a separate system partition that is not givenassigned with an identifier - and therefore is hidden. The boot partition which contains the [[user space]] is still given "C:" as its identifier letter. This configurationtype of setting is suitable for runningthe system partition to run full disk encryption programs such as [[Veracrypt]], [[TrueCrypt]] or Microsoft's [[BitLocker]], whichsince the Windows system requires a separate, unencrypted system partition for [[booting]].

==Additional Information==

Some system and boot partition like '''system_DRV''' has no ''drive letters'' assigned and is required by Windows, therefore, cannot be removed. On some brands of computers, such as [[Lenovo]], which also contains a factory-fitted extended partition, it is possible that such system partitions and boot partitions also allowcontain and containallow critical user files to be used in recovery attempts and retrieveretrieval attemps; however, these recovery partitions can be removed under certain conditions to gain extra hard drive space if the user requires it. Under this circumstance, creating backups and/or reallocating the partitioned space is common place.

==See also==

*[[Sandbox]]

*[[Windows NT startup process]]

*[[Windows Vista startup process]]