How a computer boots up:

BIOS and DOS

BIOS and DOS control the operation of the other classes of software. The BIOS is located in a ROM IC
device on the system board. Therefore, it is commonly referred to as ROM BIOS. The DOS software is
normally located on a disk.
BIOS Instructions
When a PC is turned ON, the entire system is reset to a predetermined starting condition. From this state, it
begins carrying out software instructions from its BIOS program. BIOS is permanently stored in the ROM
memory ICs, located on the system board, and stores all the inherent intelligence that the system has to
begin with.
Power-On Self-Test
During the execution of the BIOS firmware routines, three major sets of operations are performed. First, the
BIOS performs a series of diagnostic tests (called POST or Power-On Self-Tests) on the system, to verify
that it is operating correctly.
Detecting Errors
If any of the system's components are malfunctioning, the tests cause an error message code to be
displayed on the monitor screen, and/or an audio code to be output through the system's speaker.
Initialization
The BIOS program also places starting values in the system's various programmable devices. These
intelligent devices regulate the operation of different portions of the computer's hardware. This process is
called initialization.
As an example, the locations of the computer's interrupt handler programs are written into the interrupt
controller.
Master Boot Record
Finally, the BIOS checks the system for a special program that it can use to load other programs into its
RAM. This program is called the Master Boot Record.
The boot record program contains information that enables the system to load a much more powerful control
program, called the Disk Operating System, into RAM memory.
Operating System Takes Control
After the Operating System has been loaded into the computer's memory, the BIOS gives the Operating
System control over the system. The total "intelligence" of the system is greatly increased over what was
available with just the ROM BIOS program alone. From this point, the Operating System oversees the
operation of the system.
Operating Systems
Operating Systems are programs designed to control the operation of a computer system. As a group, they
are some of the most complex programs devised. Every portion of the system must be controlled and
coordinated so that the millions of operations that occur every second are carried out correctly and on time.
Disk Operating System
A Disk Operating System (DOS) is a collection of programs used to control overall computer operation in a
disk-based system. These programs work in the background to enable the user of the computer to input
characters from the keyboard, to define a file structure for storing records, or to output data to a monitor or
printer. The disk operating system is responsible for finding and organizing your data and applications on the
disk.
Command.com includes: choice.com, diskcomp.com, diskcopy.com, edit.com, format.com, graphics.com,
help.com, keyb.com, loadfix.com, mode.com
DOS Sections
The disk operating system can be divided into three distinct sections:
Boot files, which take over control of the system from the ROM BIOS during startup
File management files, which enable the system to manage information within itself
Utility files, which enable the user to manage system re-sources, troubleshoot the system, and configure
the system
Application Programs
The operating system acts as a bridge between the application programs and the computer, enabling the
user to create files of data pertaining to certain applications.
Graphical User Interface
The operating environment referred to as a Graphical User Interface (GUI) has gained widespread
popularity in recent years.
Icons
GUIs use a graphical display to represent procedures and programs that can be executed by the computer.
These programs routinely use small pictures, called icons, to represent different programs. The advantage
of using a GUI is that the user doesn't have to remember complicated commands to execute a program.