Boot loader

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A small program that initiates the bootstrap process by loading the operating system proper.

    "In the case of a PC that runs nothing but Windows, the boot loader in the MBR is hard-coded to check for a secondary boot loader in the active primary partition. This secondary boot loader directly loads the Windows kernel."

Example

More examples

"In the case of a PC that runs nothing but Windows, the boot loader in the MBR is hard-coded to check for a secondary boot loader in the active primary partition. This secondary boot loader directly loads the Windows kernel."

Etymology

From boot + loader.