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Windows XP Boot Sequence

The Windows XP boot process involves several key files and steps. It starts with the POST checking hardware components. The BIOS then looks for the bootable device specified in the BIOS and loads the MBR, which starts NTLDR. NTLDR activates NTDETECT.COM to read the BOOT.INI file and identify the operating system location. It then loads HAL.DLL which passes control to NTOSKRNL.EXE, activating device drivers and services. NTOSKRNL starts WINLOGON.EXE which loads LSASS.EXE to display the logon screen.

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Nitin Belgaonkar
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113 views

Windows XP Boot Sequence

The Windows XP boot process involves several key files and steps. It starts with the POST checking hardware components. The BIOS then looks for the bootable device specified in the BIOS and loads the MBR, which starts NTLDR. NTLDR activates NTDETECT.COM to read the BOOT.INI file and identify the operating system location. It then loads HAL.DLL which passes control to NTOSKRNL.EXE, activating device drivers and services. NTOSKRNL starts WINLOGON.EXE which loads LSASS.EXE to display the logon screen.

Uploaded by

Nitin Belgaonkar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Windows XP Boot Sequence

The Windows XP Boot Process – in detail:


Files Needed: NTLDR, NTDETECT.COM, BOOT.INI, NTOSKRNL.EXE, BOOTSECT.DOS,
NTB00TDD.SYS, HAL.DLL, WINLOGON.EXE, LSASS.EXE
BOOT.INI: Provides information about the location of the Operating System. If more than one Operatig system is
installed in the computer, it is displayed during the boot process.
NTLDR: Is the Windows Boot- Strap Loader (Which means it is a special application that is responsible to start up
other files or programs which are needed to boot up Windows.)

NTDETECT.COM: transfers information about the computers Hardware to NTLDR.


BOOTSECT.DOS is required during Dual Boot situations only.
NTBOOTDD.SYS is required when SCSI or ATA devices like Hard-disk Drives need to be accessed.
HAL.DLL is the Hardware Abstraction Layer DLL file. The Windows XP disk contains many DLL files. Windows
copies all the Dll files required for your computer and names them as HAL.DLL.
The Windows XP Boot Process – Explained:
The first step in the Windows XP Boot Process is the POST (Power On Self Test) – All the important Hardware
Components are checked during this process. (Do you remember seeing the Memory getting checked at startup?) At
this stage, if any of your add-on cards have a seperate BIOS (example: your Video Card), that will also be checked.

Once the POST is done, your computer will look for the Bootable device as specified in the BIOS and will load the
MBR into Memory.

The BIOS then looks for and transfers control to a code in the MBR (Master Boot Record) – Windows XP takes
over from here. This code starts up NTLDR.

NTLDR then activates NTDETECT.COM which then reads the BOOT.INI file. Boot.ini contains information about


the location of the Operating System.
The next file to be loaded is HAL.DLL, which passes control to the Windows XP Kernel by
starting NTOSKRNL.EXE.
NTOSKRNL.EXE is responsible to identify, load and activate all the device drivers in the computer. All device
drives and Windows services will be available after this point. NTOSKRNL then activates WINLOGON.EXE. This
file (Winlogon.Exe) starts LSASS.EXE which shows up the Windows Logon Screen.
When you enter your Username and Password, your settings get loaded.

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