Booting Windows 8: Too Fast To Interrupt

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Remember the days of people complaining about their computer booting too slow? Now, people are going to complain about it booting too fast. :D

Windows 8 has a problem – it really can boot up too quickly. So quickly, in fact, that there is no longer time for anything to interrupt boot. When you turn on a Windows 8 PC, there’s no longer long enough to detect keystrokes like F2 or F8, much less time to read a message such as “Press F2 for Setup.” For the first time in decades, you will no longer be able to interrupt boot and tell your PC to do anything different than what it was already expecting to do.
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what about when it decides to crash constantly before it even gets to the login screen? My biggest issue with this "feature" is that most of the itme when I need boot options is because I can't get windows to boot :(
 
TMCM said:
what about when it decides to crash constantly before it even gets to the login screen? My biggest issue with this "feature" is that most of the itme when I need boot options is because I can't get windows to boot :(
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Seriously, did they not do any research on WHY people need to interrupt boot? Granted, I need safe mode less and less, but it's still the primary reason I need to interrupt boot. Last time it was to deal with a screen that would blank out shortly after booting. Their simple system of menu interaction sure isn't simple when the video driver is hosed.
 
What a load of bull. It doesn't boot too fast to hit F8. It possibly does on a highly specialized device running purely out of flash. On an SSD in a normal PC it is fast, but not too much so and on a regular platter drive it sure as hell isn't too fast.

Marketing Hyperbole.
 
I guess the way to deal with this is when you build your next PC is to make sure that in the boot options in the bios is to keep your HDD as the last boot option
 
TMCM said:
what about when it decides to crash constantly before it even gets to the login screen? My biggest issue with this "feature" is that most of the itme when I need boot options is because I can't get windows to boot :(
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I would imagine that you'll get a recovery boot screen like you do now. One thing about Windows 8, even at the CP stage it's been extremely reliable. I've had the CP on four machines and in the last two months not one of them has crashed. Sure things will get flaky now and them with some things but the OS is pretty solid at this point.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
What a load of bull. It doesn't boot too fast to hit F8. It possibly does on a highly specialized device running purely out of flash. On an SSD in a normal PC it is fast, but not too much so and on a regular platter drive it sure as hell isn't too fast.

Marketing Hyperbole.
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Windows 8 + SSD + UEFI = 200 ms long POST sequence. 1/5 of a second to get into your BIOS options IS too short. Remember, UEFI is replacing BIOS on a lot of new motherboards. That is now too short to interrupt.
 
TMCM said:
what about when it decides to crash constantly before it even gets to the login screen? My biggest issue with this "feature" is that most of the itme when I need boot options is because I can't get windows to boot :(
Click to expand...

raz-0 said:
Seriously, did they not do any research on WHY people need to interrupt boot? Granted, I need safe mode less and less, but it's still the primary reason I need to interrupt boot. Last time it was to deal with a screen that would blank out shortly after booting. Their simple system of menu interaction sure isn't simple when the video driver is hosed.
Click to expand...

heatlesssun said:
I would imagine that you'll get a recovery boot screen like you do now. One thing about Windows 8, even at the CP stage it's been extremely reliable. I've had the CP on four machines and in the last two months not one of them has crashed. Sure things will get flaky now and them with some things but the OS is pretty solid at this point.
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Did any of you read the article? Here's a big heading from one section of it:
"Getting to the boot options menu (automatically) when there is a problem"
 
i got a solution, make a new interrupt method. like hold the power button down while booting up the machine to get into bios.
 
ballistic90 said:
Windows 8 + SSD + UEFI = 200 ms long POST sequence. 1/5 of a second to get into your BIOS options IS too short. Remember, UEFI is replacing BIOS on a lot of new motherboards. That is now too short to interrupt.
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Motherboards should have a "Boot to BIOS" jumper or button on them. Now send me a million dollars ASUS.
 
TheBuzzer said:
i got a solution, make a new interrupt method. like hold the power button down while booting up the machine to get into bios.
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++

Course I do trust thebuzzers programming ideas more than others
 
The whole thing is blown out of proportion by people who are sensationalist and generally clueless.

This "problem" already exists for virtual machines and the solution is that you can tell the VM to boot into the bios during the next reboot. It's expected that W8 will have an option which allows you to set the BIOS and Windows startup behavior for the next boot.

For times when there is an issue with Windows you will get the "Start Windows Normally" screen except that this choice will appear earlier than in the current Windows to catch things that are happening prior to where the check happens in W7.

Bunch of FUD in the original article.
 
ballistic90 said:
Windows 8 + SSD + UEFI = 200 ms long POST sequence. 1/5 of a second to get into your BIOS options IS too short. Remember, UEFI is replacing BIOS on a lot of new motherboards. That is now too short to interrupt.
Click to expand...

And just how many new PC's are going to have that setup? Not that many. Don't get me wrong, it will eventually hit that point but hardly on the average PC anytime in the near future.

I repeat..Marketing hyperbole. Just because it can do it in a carefully constructed environment, doesn't mean it is going to do it in the real world. The machine I have win 8 on is fast...Real fast. With UEFI I am sure I could come close to near instant boot up, but I have no need to bother it at the moment as it is a test platform. I have Win 8 installed on a 7200rpm drive and an SSD. I have more than ample time to execute boot interruptions and that is the type of PC that most Win 8 users will have.
 
ballistic90 said:
Windows 8 + SSD + UEFI = 200 ms long POST sequence. 1/5 of a second to get into your BIOS options IS too short. Remember, UEFI is replacing BIOS on a lot of new motherboards. That is now too short to interrupt.
Click to expand...

Uhm yeah, tell that to my Z68/Z77 boards.

1) AsRock Z68M-ITX/HT - i actually had to slow down the POST sequence by 3 seconds, because my SSD with the system was not detected at all at cold startup.
2) ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z - POST sequence up until Windows starts loading takes about 5 to 10 seconds.
3) Same as Gene-Z is valid for my P8Z77-I Deluxe or P8B WS.

So your 200ms POST sequence will be very, very rare condition, and not a general result of UEFI usage.
 
I think I'm going to install W8 on my desktop tonight and see what happens. If booting can occur "too fast" I'll experience it.

But I'm not holding my breath.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
And just how many new PC's are going to have that setup? Not that many. Don't get me wrong, it will eventually hit that point but hardly on the average PC anytime in the near future.

I repeat..Marketing hyperbole. Just because it can do it in a carefully constructed environment, doesn't mean it is going to do it in the real world. The machine I have win 8 on is fast...Real fast. With UEFI I am sure I could come close to near instant boot up, but I have no need to bother it at the moment as it is a test platform. I have Win 8 installed on a 7200rpm drive and an SSD. I have more than ample time to execute boot interruptions and that is the type of PC that most Win 8 users will have.
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WIt's not about boot-up. Even with XP, there is a limited portion of time when the boot loader, not the OS, is being loaded for you to interrupt it. On a fresh load its roughly a second on XP. Onindow 7 on a standard hard drive its about half a second. Faster CPU (SB), larger cache (12MB), a SSD (256GB M4) and a quasi UEFI bios (DX79SI) and it is already nearly impossible for me to get to the startup menu without an improper shutdown, or the OS CD on Windows 7. If the tighten up the boot loader any more (Secure Startup anybody?) then it would be impossible to hit the button in time and even if you somehow hit it exactly the right moment, chances are by the time it hits the computer, the OS is already loading.
 
faugusztin said:
Uhm yeah, tell that to my Z68/Z77 boards.

1) AsRock Z68M-ITX/HT - i actually had to slow down the POST sequence by 3 seconds, because my SSD with the system was not detected at all at cold startup.
2) ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z - POST sequence up until Windows starts loading takes about 5 to 10 seconds.
3) Same as Gene-Z is valid for my P8Z77-I Deluxe or P8B WS.

So your 200ms POST sequence will be very, very rare condition, and not a general result of UEFI usage.
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Uh huh. Is UEFI actually enabled? In my workplace we rely heavily on BIOS interrupts for imaging purposes, and we ensure that on the newer motherboards, the UEFI functions are never actually enabled. I'm not an expert on your specific boards, but the UEFI functions I'm familiar with need to be enabled.
 
ballistic90 said:
Uh huh. Is UEFI actually enabled? In my workplace we rely heavily on BIOS interrupts for imaging purposes, and we ensure that on the newer motherboards, the UEFI functions are never actually enabled. I'm not an expert on your specific boards, but the UEFI functions I'm familiar with need to be enabled.
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You would order your machines with the BIOS configuration that suits your imaging needs and reconfigure the BIOS after the fact with their utility if need be.
 
Eulogy said:
Did any of you read the article? Here's a big heading from one section of it:
"Getting to the boot options menu (automatically) when there is a problem"
Click to expand...

Yea I don't understand the whining when the options aren't going away , they are in fact going to get easier to access versus smashing the F8 key until it boots into the MS-DOS look alike menu with boot options.

Relax everyone.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
What a load of bull. It doesn't boot too fast to hit F8. It possibly does on a highly specialized device running purely out of flash. On an SSD in a normal PC it is fast, but not too much so and on a regular platter drive it sure as hell isn't too fast.

Marketing Hyperbole.
Click to expand...
Well, I just tried it. No dice. Did you actually try it?
 
Sounds like there may need to be either BIOS updates or something ruther so if ya needed to you can get a chance to get into your BIOS...UEFI i guess now.
 
Anybody here think that W8 marks the begining of the end of computer repair sidework? If you just have to click a few buttons to restore your computer AND not lose your data, who needs tech support?
 
fdiaz78 said:
Anybody here think that W8 marks the begining of the end of computer repair sidework? If you just have to click a few buttons to restore your computer AND not lose your data, who needs tech support?
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No way. It'll make things more stream lined but unless MS starts doing the Apple strategy to selling desktop's the repair industry will do just fine.
 
That will do wonders the next time I need to override the standard windows startup because it's been infected with malware. :rolleyes: *Yes that's sarcasm*
 
fdiaz78 said:
Anybody here think that W8 marks the begining of the end of computer repair sidework? If you just have to click a few buttons to restore your computer AND not lose your data, who needs tech support?
Click to expand...

Except nasty viruses have the ability to kill previous versions and keep you from running system restore. It's happened to me twice.
 
fdiaz78 said:
Anybody here think that W8 marks the begining of the end of computer repair sidework? If you just have to click a few buttons to restore your computer AND not lose your data, who needs tech support?
Click to expand...

Nope just makes it easier for me to fix em by just clicking a few buttons to restore their computer. The easier they make PC's able to be fixed, the more the users ignore them.
 
TMCM said:
what about when it decides to crash constantly before it even gets to the login screen? My biggest issue with this "feature" is that most of the itme when I need boot options is because I can't get windows to boot :(
Click to expand...

You really have to wonder what the meetings and discussions at MS are like these days. Is it just a dart board with random ideas, are they making bets and dares to each other to see just what they can mess up and get away with, or have places like Google sapped other tech firms of logical minded people?
 
ballistic90 said:
Uh huh. Is UEFI actually enabled? In my workplace we rely heavily on BIOS interrupts for imaging purposes, and we ensure that on the newer motherboards, the UEFI functions are never actually enabled. I'm not an expert on your specific boards, but the UEFI functions I'm familiar with need to be enabled.
Click to expand...

Good luck not using UEFI on ASUS and ASRock Sandy Bridge/Ivy Bridge boards. The only one not using UEFI for Sandy Bridge boards was Gigabyte. Everyone other manufacturer and even Gigabyte since the current board generation use UEFI.

UEFI motherboards do the POST sequence just like BIOS did before, it takes 1-10 seconds for every single board on the market.
 
When windows 8 can't start properly it goes automatically in safe mode .... it's a non-issue.
I like the fast booting and haven't had any problems since i installed w8 cp.
 
Sometimes, I can't get into safe mode on my Win 7 setup, because the boot loader loads Windows too fast. It is a good thing I have AHCI mode enabled on my 790GX board, that is my prompt to hold down F8.
 
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