Order Of Linux (X86) Startup (Cont.) Kernel Loading - the OS loader (LILO, or whatever else) loads the kernel from a given position on the boot partition, uncompresses it in memory, and jumps into the kernel's initialization code. Kernel Startup - the kernel initializes its various drivers, loads up the memory, and "magically" puts the system into multi-process mode. Eventually, it starts up process number 1, which is normally "init". SysV Init - the "init" process starts up the various system daemons, based on the "run level" under which it was asked to execute. Eventually it loads a set of terminal handlers (getty), and moves to the background, waiting for interesting events.