System partition and boot partition: Difference between revisions

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'''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. A standard definition for ''boot partition'' refers to the [[firmware]] disk partition on a PC's disk drive space, which 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, Thisthis firmware boot partition is intended to hold a single Operating System's '''boot code''' and controls the corresponding system partition with it, and is necessary for most [[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 ofby 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>([[root directory]]).

In Linux systems, a system partition and boot partition can be held within an operating system's main hard disk 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, separatelyseparated from each other.

==Proprietary Operation==

In the context of a server or a PC with a proprietary operating system, such as Microsoft's [[Windows 7]] and beyondlater editions, it can be understood as following ''(the namingnames of System/Boot partitionpartitions isare reversed in thetheir caseactual offunctionality for Windows systems)'':

*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, softwarethe softwares 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>

For a number ofsome Windows NT systems' disk systemsystems, a single disk partition space may behold both athe system and athe boot partition. If theythese are separateseparated, the boot partition doesmight not containhave the boot software and the system partition doesmight not haveprocess the system root.<ref name=winternals5 />

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

==Additional Information==

Some system and /boot partition like '''system_DRV''' has no ''drive lettersletter'' assigned and is required by Windows, therefore, cannot be removed. Most system and boot partition are generally termed as primary disk space. On some brands of computers, such as those by [[Lenovo]], whichthe disk drive may also containscontain a factory-fitted extended partition, (which also can be hidden); it is possible that such system partitions and boot partitions also contain and allow critical user files to be used in recovery and retrieval attempsattempts; 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==