Editing Boot disk (section)

== Process ==
The term ''boot'' comes from the idea of lifting oneself by one's own [[Bootstrapping|bootstrap]]s:<ref>a series of self-sustaining processes that proceed without external help: {{cite web
   |url=http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/290800.html
   |title='Pull yourself up by your bootstraps' - the meaning and origin of this phrase
   |first=Gary |last=Martin |website=Phrasefinder |accessdate=June 23, 2018}}</ref> the computer contains a tiny program (bootstrap loader) which will load and run a program found on a boot device. This program may itself be a small program designed to load a larger and more capable program, i.e., the full operating system. To enable booting without the requirement either for a [[mass storage]] device or to write to the boot medium, it is usual for the boot program to use some system [[RAM]] as a [[RAM disk]] for temporary [[computer file|file]] storage.

As an example, any computer compatible with the [[IBM PC]] is able with built-in software to load the contents of the first 512 bytes of a floppy  and to execute it if it is a viable program; boot floppies have a very simple loader program in these bytes. The process is vulnerable to abuse; data floppies could have a virus written to their first sector which silently infects the host computer if switched on with the disk in the drive.