How does the system determine the location of a Linux image at startup?

During Linux system boot, the bootloader (e.g., GRUB) is responsible for determining the location of the kernel image and initrd (initial RAM disk). The bootloader reads its configuration, which specifies the paths to the images on disk, and loads them into memory.

Process:

1. BIOS/UEFI hands over control to the bootloader.
2. The bootloader reads its configuration file (e.g., /boot/grub/grub.cfg), which contains paths to the kernel and initrd.
3. The bootloader loads the Linux kernel and initrd into memory.
4. Control is transferred to the kernel.

Thus, the location of the image is determined by the bootloader settings, which are usually specified during system installation or kernel updates.