Introduction

Boot loader is an integral part of Windows CE Operating System development process and in some cases part of the final product solution. Purpose of the boot loader is following:

1. 
   Place the Operating System image into memory.
   
2. 
   Jump to Operating system startup routine.
   
3. 
   Boot loader can obtain the OS image in a number of different ways:
   
   1. 
      Cabled connection(such as Ethernet)
      
   2. 
      Through USB or serial port.
      
   3. 
      It can also load the Operating System from a local storage device such as compact flash, a hard disk or a disk-on-chip.
      
   4. 
      It may store the image in Random Access Memory or in a nonvolatile storage like
      

2. EEPROM

3. Storage device

Boot loader is typically used during the development process to save time. Rather than transferring the developmental image to the target device through a manual process such as flash programming, the boot loader allows the developers to quickly download the new development image to the target device.

In many final product solutions the boot loader is removed from the product and the Operating System image is stored on the device and bootstrapped by system-reset process.

But there are platforms that do not efficiently support this ability, such as X86 platforms or platforms that perform pre boot task.

Most common form of boot loader is one that downloads Operating System image over the Ethernet into a target device RAM and much documentation is available on that.