| boot block n. An area of a disk having information for loading the operating system that is needed to start a computer. |
boot block operating system
A program at some fixed location on a hard disk, floppy disk or other media, which is loaded when the computer is turned on or rebooted and which controls the next phase of loading the actual operating system. The loading and execution of the boot block is usually controlled by firmware in ROM or PROM.
(1997-07-03)