- Firmware is the car’s electronics doing basic checks.
- Boot loader is turning the key to start the engine.
- Kernel is the engine running and controlling everything.
Loader stage 🚀
Boot Loader (what it is and why it exists)
Firmware can’t load the whole OS by itself. So it hands control to a boot loader. The boot loader’s main job is to load the kernel and start it.
What a boot loader is
- 🚀 A small program that starts your OS
- Loads the kernel into memory
- Passes important info (disk, boot options, etc.)
Why it is needed
- Firmware is small and general-purpose
- OS kernels are bigger and need setup
- Sometimes you choose between multiple OS options
Control transfer flowchart (click boxes)
🧠 Firmware
Finds boot option
🚀 Boot Loader
Loads kernel
⚙️ Kernel
Starts core control
This is the main “handover chain” in booting.
Examples: Windows vs Linux
| System | Boot loader example | What it typically does |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Windows Boot Manager | Reads boot settings, loads Windows kernel parts |
| Linux | GRUB | Shows menu, loads Linux kernel + init system |