analogies for understanding computers

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Could this be a good long-running thread that is also helpful?

Here's mine... PLEASE... correct it if I am in error... I'm trying to learn

The Terms
MBR (Master Boot Record)
and
BIOS (Basic Input Output System)

My Analogy

-My pickup truck(a particular partition on my hard drive) sits out on my street(my computer).
-Before I can start it and drive away... I need my keyring.
-Where are the keys? In my jeans(BIOS)... in one particular pocket(MBR).
-So, I'm at my jeans(the BIOS), go to that particular pocket (the MBR), grab my keyring(the Master Boot Table).
-YIKES! I look at my keyring(MBT) and lo-and-behold... there's all these keys(code) on it!
-GREAT! Now I have to search for the correct key(code) with which to start my truck(partition) so I can drive down the street(computer).
-So, now I find the correct key(Master Boot Code) which will start my truck(partition) as opposed to some other vehicle(partition) on my street(computer)

so... do I have the basic concepts of how the MBC, MBT, MBR, and BIOS are related and what they do in this relation?


eta: I do realize that the BIOS is doing a 'whole heck of a lot more' than what I've described above... but for now I just want to understand the relationship between these terms for future reading purposes. I also know that every drive has it's own MBR.

Thanks

Ooh! Ooh! I'm the second poster!

Can anyone do this for GUID?

hey that acutally makes sense, and great anology,

heres one i heard about browsing history and cookies (told to me by an aol tech actually) that each page in browser history is like one person entering and staying in a small room and as you browse more people enter and none leave, (he was trying to tell me to make virtual memory bigger on harddrive) then said basically you are adding people to the room and locking the door and now you cant fit anymore people in (browse) until you let them out (clear browsing history)

I'm back on here after recent surgery to my computer and illness to myself.

thanks for the contribution doordoctor!

Never thought about browsers that way.
I'm still needing to reinstall windows and install ubuntu to my macbook, but the new hard drive is in and working great.
What I learned about MBRs and GUID, etc. really helped me through the transformation and migration of my laptop.