Master Boot Records and Partition Tables

Table of Contents

1. Master Boot Record

The first 512 bytes of a computer disk is for the master boot record and partition table.

master-boot-record.png

2. Master Boot Code

The first 446 bytes of the MBR contain the boot code—code like the first stage of GRUB boot loader that allows you to load an operating system.

3. Partition Table

The final 66 bytes contain a 64-byte partition table and a 2-byte signature.

Author: Bernt Hansen