International Journal of Research in Computer and Communication Technology, Vol 2, Issue 11, November- 2013 ISSN (Online) 2278- 5841 ISSN (Print) 2320- 5156 www.ijrcct.org Page 1123 Windows, Linux and Mac Operating system Booting Process: a Comparative Study Prof. Amar Rajendra Mudiraj Assistant Professor MIT (E), Aurangabad,Maharashtra, India. Email:amarmudiraj@gmail.com Abstract This paper presents a comparative study of Booting Paradigm of Windows, Linux and Mac, the three popular operating systems. Booting process is the essential and first step perform by the OS after this process execution all other processes can get the chance to execute , so we may say that booting is the first process because of which all other OS processes can execute. This experimental study gives an overview on the similarity and difference in Booting Process. As every operating system have to initially do the booting and as every OS providing different feature of each others, the paper is highlighting those micro and essential similarities and differences having by the operating systems during the Booting Process. Keywords: Booting, Cold booting, Worm booting, Linux Booting, Windows Booting, Mac Booting. 1. Introduction Booting Process is the first step gets happened in the computer system when you switch on the computer. In computing, booting is the initial set of operations that a computer system performs when electrical power to the CPU is switched on. The process begins when a computer is turned on for the first time or is re-energized after being turned off, and ends when the computer is ready to perform its normal operations. Booting includes four main steps in computer including power On and secondly it load the initial instructions from the ROM memory next it detect the operating system in the Hard-disk and finding other hardware attached to computer Finally it start the certain essential computer application as per the default setting done by the operating system or by the computer user The most general types of computer booting are Cold Booting and Warm Booting , The Cold Booting is the booting when the computer since to be off over a period of time. In which all the primary memory and internal setting completely cleared. In Worm Booting the computer get restart without shut- down the system, in which the system application and memory just get cleared and then reloading the operating system in primary memory. With the above two booting types we also have some other flavor in the computer booting like Sleep, Hibernate. Figure 1: Computer Booting Steps 2. Operating system overview: Operating system is the program which operates all other program in the computer system. Whenever we want to interact with the computers we must have an operating system on it. The operating system was developed for the better computer usage and providing better platform to the users application. According to the betterment and demands of the user the operating systems are get grow right from simple operating system like Command oriented (DOS), and Some GUI based Operating system Like Windows , Linux, Mac. The mention operating system are also create the differences according to their features like Number of user can work on the operating system at a simultaneously Power - ON Load Instruction from ROM Detect OS from HDD Find Attached H/W Start Initial Computer Application