Important Windows 7 Startup Files
Monday, 03 January 2011 01:43 | 
Written by Michael | 
The system and boot partitions must contain following files for Windows to start.
| File Name | Disk Location | Description |
| BootMgr | Root of the system partition | The Windows Boot Manager |
| WinLoad | %SystemRoot%\System32 | The Windows Boot Loader |
| Ntoskrnl.exe | %SystemRoot%\System32 | The core (also called the kernel) of the Windows operating system. Code that runs as part of the kernel does so in privileged processor mode and has direct access to system data and hardware. |
| BCD | \Boot | A file that specifies the paths to operating system installations and other information required for Windows to start. |
| Hal.dll | %SystemRoot%\System32 | The HAL dynamic-link library (DLL) file. The HAL abstracts low-level hardware details from the operating system and provides a common programming interface to devices of the same type (such as video adapters). |
| Csrss.exe | %SystemRoot%\System32 | The Win32 Subsystem file. The Win32 Subsystem is started by Session Manager and is required by Windows to function. |
| Services.exe | %SystemRoot%\System32 | The Service Control Manager is responsible for starting and stopping services and is a required feature of Windows. |
| Smss.exe | %SystemRoot%\System32 | The Session Manager file. Session Manager is a user-mode process created by the kernel during startup. It handles critical startup tasks including creating page files and performing delayed file rename and delete operations. |
| Winlogon.exe | %SystemRoot%\System32 | The Logon Process file, which handles user logon requests and intercepts the Ctrl+Alt+Delete logon key sequence. The Logon Process is started by Session Manager. This is a required feature. |
| System registry files | %SystemRoot%\System32 \Config\System |
The file that contains data used to create the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM. This key contains information that the operating system requires to start devices and system services. |
| Device drivers | %SystemRoot%\System32 \Drivers |
Driver files for hardware devices, such as keyboard, mouse, and video. |
| Lsass.exe | %SystemRoot%\System32 \Drivers |
The Local Security Authentication Server process is called by the Logon Process when authenticating users and is a required feature. |
Older news items:
- 03/06/2010 06:18 - New improvements for IT administrators in Windows 7
- 06/01/2010 00:52 - Features Available in All Windows 7 Editions
- 17/12/2009 23:05 - Windows 7 - 32 Bit or 64 Bit
- 17/12/2009 03:54 - What's New in Windows 7
Last Updated (Monday, 03 January 2011 02:15)
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