Käivituslaadurid

Käivituslaadurid are essential software components that initiate the operating system on a computer. Their primary role is to load the operating system kernel into memory and then transfer control to it, allowing the system to begin its startup process. Without a käivituslaadur, the computer's hardware would not know how to access and run the operating system. These programs reside in a specific, protected area of storage, typically on the hard drive or solid-state drive, and are executed by the system's firmware (like BIOS or UEFI) when the computer is powered on.

The process typically begins with the firmware searching for a bootable device. Once found, it loads the käivituslaadur from a designated boot sector or partition. The käivituslaadur then identifies the operating system kernel and its associated files, loads them into RAM, and prepares the system environment. It can also offer options to the user, such as selecting which operating system to boot if multiple are installed, or booting into recovery modes. Common examples of käivituslaadurid include GRUB (GRand Unified Bootloader) for Linux systems and the Windows Boot Manager for Microsoft operating systems. The functionality and appearance of käivituslaadurid can vary significantly depending on the operating system and the underlying hardware architecture.