1. A method of installing an image of system software, comprising: prior to booting the system software: (i) loading an executable image of the system software using a boot loader, wherein the executable image includes a kernel of the system software and a copy of the kernel, (ii) executing the kernel of the system software, and (iii) in response to executing the kernel of the system software, generating the image of the system software from the loaded executable image that includes the copy of the kernel; and storing the image of the system software in a storage device from which the system software is to be booted, including copying the copy of the kernel to the storage device, wherein the executable image further includes a partition table for partitioning the storage device, wherein generating the image of the system software comprises creating a plurality of pointers that each points to a different directory object, wherein storing the image of the system software in the storage device comprises compressing each of the directory objects referenced by the plurality of pointers and writing each of the compressed directory objects to a partition of the storage device specified by the partition table of the executable image.