System partition and boot partition: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:49, 7 February 2016

Revision as of 07:23, 7 February 2016

Line 4:

{{Redirect|SYSTEM.DRV}}

'''System partitionPartition''' and '''bootBoot partitionPartition''' 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, this firmware boot partition is intended to hold a single Operating System's '''bootBoot codeCode''' 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==

Line 12:

*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 a single logical 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, separated 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 later editions, it can be understood as following ''(the names of System/Boot partitions are reversed in their actual functionality 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 the [[boot loaders,sector]] theand softwares responsible for booting one or more OS'; Microsoft call it the "boot device".<ref>{{cite book |last=Andrews |first=Jean |first2=James |last2=Chellis |title=A+ Guide to Software |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=9781285414980 |page=21 |edition=6th}}</ref><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 some Windows NT disk systems, a single disk partition space may hold both the system and the boot partition. If these are separated, the boot partition might not have the boot software and the system partition might not process 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 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 partition for [[booting]].

Line 27:

==See also==

*[[Sandbox (computer security)]]

*[[Windows NT startup process]]

*[[Windows Vista startup process]]