Windows 2000 Startup Requirements

The data contained in the system files is required to start the Windows 2000 operating system. During the startup process, various screens and messages are displayed on your screen.

The Windows 2000 startup process requires the following steps:

1. Power-on self test (POST) processing
2. Initial startup process
3. Bootstrap loader process
4. Selecting the operating system
5. Detecting hardware
6. Selecting a configuration
7. Loading and initializing the kernel (Ntoskrnl.exe)
8. Logging on

You can begin startup by one of the following methods:

• Turn on the computer.
• In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, select Restart.

Important

Windows 2000 might not start or operate correctly if any hardware components do not initialize correctly. Startup fails if any of the files that are required to start Windows 2000 are not present in the correct folder, or if any of the files has been corrupted.

When you see Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to begin in the Welcome to Windows dialog box, the loading and much of the initialization of Windows 2000 is complete. However, startup is complete only when you can successfully log on using the Welcome to Windows dialog box.

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