In the present study, the two-dimensional (2-D) stability properties of the vertical boundary layers in a cavity that is differentially heated over two opposing vertical walls is considered. The study is performed by introducing artificial, controlled perturbations at the base of the vertical boundary layer along the hot cavity wall and by following the evolution of these disturbances. For small initial perturbations, the evolution is governed by linear effects. This method accurately predicts the frequency of the bifurcation, which occurs for (much) larger Rayleigh numbers. Convective instability sets in for Rayleigh numbers much smaller than those at which the absolute instability (i.e., the bifurcation) occurs, and these Rayleigh numbers are in reasonable agreement with those for the boundary layer along a plate. The absolute instability does not result from the first wave which becomes unstable. For small Prandtl numbers (<2), the unstable waves which lead to the absolute instability are shear-driven, and a single frequency is introduced in the flow after the bifurcation. For larger Prandtl numbers, the unstable waves are buoyancy driven and no single-frequency unsteady flow is observed after the bifurcation.