POST

Power-on self-test (POST) is the common term for a computer's pre-boot sequence. Though the same basic sequence is present on all computer architectures, it may go by different names such as initial program load (IPL), booting, or bootstrapping. The term POST, however, has become popular in association with and as a result of the proliferation of the PC. It can be used referring to the code that controls the pre-boot phase or when referring to the phase itself.

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