GRUB is the main example of the Multiboot Specification , which allows a user to have more than one operating systems on their computer at once , and to choose which one to run when the computer starts . GRUB can be used to select from different kernel images available on a particular operating system 's partitions , as well as to pass boot-time parameters to such kernels . GRUB is the reference implementation of the Multiboot Specification , which provides a user the choice to boot one of multiple operating systems installed on a computer or select a specific kernel configuration available on a particular operating system 's partitions .