Raspberry Pi A Getting Started Manual page 11

2.4. Setting up the boot partition
The boot partition must contain:

bootcode.bin : 2nd stage bootloader, starts with SDRAM disabled

loader.bin : 3rd stage bootloader, starts with SDRAM enabled

start.elf: The GPU binary firmware image, provided by the foundation.

kernel.img: The OS kernel to load on the ARM processor. Normally this is Linux -see
instructions for compiling a kernel.

cmdline.txt: Parameters passed to the kernel on boot.
Optional files:

config.txt: A configuration file read by the GPU. Use this to override set the video mode, alter
system clock speeds, voltages, etc.

vlls directory: Additional GPU code, e.g. extra CODECs. Not present in the initial release.
2.5. Additional files supplied by RPi Foundation
These files are also present on the SD cards supplied by the Foundation.
Additional kernels. Rename over kernel.img to use them (ensure you have a backup of the original
kernel.img first!):

kernel_emergency.img : kernel with busybox rootfs. You can use this to repair the main
Linux partition using e2fsck if the Linux partition gets corrupted.
Additional GPU firmware images, rename over start.elf to use them:

arm128_start.elf : 128MB ARM, 128MB GPU split (use this for heavy 3D work, possibly also
required for some video decoding)

arm192_start.elf : 192MB ARM, 64MB GPU split (this is the default)

arm224_start.elf : 224MB ARM, 32MB GPU split (use this for Linux only with no 3D or video
processing. It's enough for the 1080p frame buffer, but not much else)
2.6. Writing the image to the SDcard and booting GNU/Linux
The easiest way to do this is to use PiCard. It even saves you from some hassles explained above.
You will need your SD card + reader and a Linux PC to use PiCard. After that, just plug the card into
your Rpi.
2.7. Wire up your Raspberry Pi and power it up
As explained in Section 1
2.8. SD Card Cloning/Backup
Note: Update these instructions if required once they've been tried.
Raspberry Pi Getting Started Guide Page 11