What is a boot disk (startup disk) and why would I need one?
A boot disk (sometimes called a startup disk) is a type of removable media, such as a floppy disk or a CD, that contains startup files that your computer can use to start Windows. The startup files are also stored on your computer's hard disk, but if those startup files become damaged, you can use the files on a boot disk to start Windows.
In earlier operating systems that used the FAT or FAT32 file systems, such as Windows 95 and Windows 98, a boot disk was especially useful because it allowed a person to access files on a hard disk even if Windows was unable to start. This ability also represented a security risk, because anyone with a boot disk and access to the computer could start the computer and access any file. Hard disks formatted with NTFS have built-in security features that prevent using a boot disk to access files.
The Windows installation disc contains the files necessary to start Windows, so it is itself a boot disk. If a problem is preventing Windows from starting, you can use the installation CD to start Windows. The installation CD also contains Startup Repair, which you can use to repair Windows if a problem prevents it from starting correctly. Startup Repair can automatically fix many of the problems that in the past required a boot disk to fix.
Hard disk
The primary storage device located inside a computer. Also called a hard drive or hard disk drive, it is where your files and programs are typically stored.
FAT32
A system used to store files on a computer drive. FAT32 is based on the file allocation table (FAT) file system, but it uses 32-bit values for storing files instead of the 16-bit values used by the original FAT file system. FAT32 uses drive space more efficiently than FAT and supports volumes of up to 2 terabytes (TB) in size.
Removable media
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NTFS file system
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NTFS file system
A file system for formatting computer hard disks so they can store information. NTFS provides several improvements over earlier file allocation table (FAT) file systems, including file and folder permissions, encryption, and file compression.
File allocation table (FAT)
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File allocation table (FAT)
A file system used by MS‑DOS and other Windows operating systems to organize and manage files. The file allocation table is a data structure that Windows creates when you format a volume by using FAT or FAT32 file systems. Windows stores information about each file in the file allocation table so that it can retrieve the file later.
Help and How-to
