The EFI/UEFI firmware will load files stored on the ESP to start Windows operating system and other utilities. The EFI system partition (ESP) is a partition on a data storage device that is used by computers adhering to the EFI/UEFI. However Windows 8, 8.1 and 10 were designed to install on the UEFI BIOS using the EFI bootloader and GPT.
As a part of the UEFI/EFI, it is also used on some BIOS systems due to the limitations of Master Boot Record (MBR).īesides, Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 could install on a Legacy BIOS using MBR. The GPT (Globally Unique Identifiers Partition Table) is a standard for the layout of the partition table on a physical storage device used in a Desktop or server PC. The Bootloader is a program that loads the Windows 10/8/7 operating system or runtime environment for the computer after these self-tests, which makes it to be an essential component of the boot process. It replaces the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) firmware interface, but the UEFI/EFI firmware implementations provide legacy support for BIOS services.
The EFI (Extensible Firmware interface), which has been deprecated by Intel, is the predecessor of UEFI. The interface consists of data tables that provide a standard environment for booting an OS and running pre-boot applications.
The UEFI (United Extensible Firmware Interface) is an updated version of BIOS which defines an interface between an operating system and platform firmware.