What is the process of starting a computer when it is powered on or restarted by a user?

The process of starting a computer when it is powered on or restarted by a user is known as a cold boot. This term specifically refers to the action of turning on a computer that has been completely powered down. During a cold boot, the computer's hardware checks are performed, and the operating system is loaded from scratch.

This process ensures that the system initializes all components and prepares the environment for use, involving the loading of firmware (BIOS or UEFI) followed by the loading of the operating system from the storage device.

The other terms mentioned represent different scenarios. A warm boot indicates restarting a computer that is already on, by using software commands without turning off the power. A hard reset usually refers to forcing a shutdown by cutting power, often when the system becomes unresponsive. A soft reset is a system reset that does not involve cutting power, typically saving current sessions before restarting. Each term describes specific actions related to the computer's power and operation states but does not apply directly to the situation of powering the computer on from an off state like a cold boot does.