A+Software Chapter 3 Solutions

Software Review Questions
October 30


1. What is the difference between a hard boot and a soft boot?
A hard boot occurs when the computer is first turned on. A soft boot involves using the operating system to reboot the computer without turning off the power.
2. What are the four main parts of the boot process?
The four main parts of the boot process are:
1 BIOS checking Hardware -- FROM BIOS startup program surveys hardware resources and needs and assigns system resources to satisfy those needs
2 Loading the OS – The FROM BIOS searches for and loads an OS. Most of the time, the OS is loaded from drive C, but it can also be loaded from a floppy drive, CDROM or zip drive. Configuration information on the CMOS chip tell startup bios where to find the OS.
3 The OS initializing itself – The OS checks some of the same things that Startup BIOS did—available memory and whether the memory is reliable. The OS loads files which support the mouse, CDROM drive,...