Asennusmedialla

Asennusmedialla, often translated as "installation media" or "setup media" in English, refers to the physical or digital medium used to install an operating system or other software onto a computer. This media typically contains all the necessary files, drivers, and setup programs required for the installation process. Historically, installation media came in various forms, including floppy disks, CD-ROMs, and DVDs. In modern computing, it is more commonly distributed via USB flash drives or downloaded as an ISO image file.

The purpose of installation media is to provide a bootable environment from which the computer can start up and initiate the software installation. When a computer is powered on, it checks its boot order. If the installation media is prioritized, the system will load the operating system installer from it rather than from the hard drive. This allows for a clean installation, repairing existing installations, or installing an operating system on a drive that has never had one before.

Creating installation media usually involves using a specialized tool provided by the operating system vendor or a third-party utility. For USB drives, this tool formats the drive and copies the necessary files from an ISO image. The resulting media is then bootable, enabling users to follow on-screen prompts to partition their drives, select installation options, and complete the setup. The use of installation media remains a fundamental step in personal computer setup and maintenance.