Initialization Functions

The BIOS starts to work as soon as you switch your system on. When all modern Intel microprocessors start to work, they immediately set themselves up in real mode and look at a special memory location that is exactly 16 bytes short of the top of the 1MB real-mode addressing range—absolute address 0FFFF0(hex). This location holds a special program instruction, a jump that points to another address where the BIOS code actually begins.

The term cold boot describes the process of starting your computer and loading its operating system by turning the power on. If your computer is running, you cold boot by first switching it off and then back on.

Warm boot describes the process of restarting your computer and loading its operating ...

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