a self-contained kernel and filesystem on a floppy, usually used when you can't (or don't want to) boot off your hard disk, that contains utilities for diagnosing and manipulating hard disks and filesystems
a self-contained Linux kernel and file system on a floppy, usually used when you can't (or don't want to) boot from your hard disk
A floppy disk that can be used to start up a computer when the hard drive fails to boot. Also called emergency startup disk (ESD) or startup disk.