Startup Files

For Windows Vista to start, the system and boot partitions must contain the files listed in Table A-2.

Table A-2. Windows Vista Startup Files

File Name

Disk Location

Description

BootMgr

Root of the system partition

The Windows Boot Manager.

WinLoad

%SystemRoot%\System32

The Windows Boot Loader.

BCD

\Boot

A file that specifies the paths to operating system installations and other information required for Windows Vista to start.

Ntoskrnl.exe

%SystemRoot%\System32

The core (also called the kernel) of the Windows Vista operating system. Code that runs as part of the kernel does so in privileged processor mode and has direct access to system data and hardware.

Hal.dll

%SystemRoot%\System32

The HAL dynamic-link library file. The HAL abstracts low-level hardware ...

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