By
Mary Branscombe,
published on March 4, 2009
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: preboot, quickstart, hyperspace | Themes: Windows Tech Talk, Laptops and Notebooks
Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: preboot, quickstart, hyperspace | Themes: Windows Tech Talk, Laptops and Notebooks
Contents
8. Pre-Boot Speed Table
| Notebook | Task | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lenovo T400 | Boot into Windows Vista to user account logon | 1mn 15 |
| Lenovo T400 | Boot into Windows Vista to launching applications | 1mn 45 |
| Lenovo T400 | Boot into HyperSpace Hybrid | 30 seconds |
| Lenovo T400 | Boot into HyperSpace Hybrid and open browser | 35 seconds |
| Lenovo T400 | Resume into Windows Vista from sleep to user account logon | 10 seconds |
| Lenovo T400 | Resume into Windows Vista from sleep to launching applications | 20 seconds |
| Lenovo T400 | Resume into HyperSpace | 5 seconds |
| Asus S101 | Boot into Windows 7 to launching applications | 40 seconds |
| Asus S101 | Resume from hibernation into Windows 7 to user-account logon | 25 seconds |
| Asus S101 | Resume from hibernation into Windows 7 to launching applications | 35 seconds |
| Asus N80 | Boot into Express Gate | 8 seconds |
| Voodoo Envy 133 | Boot into Voodoo IOS | 5 seconds (15 seconds including launching the browser) |
| HP Elite 2730p | Open QuickLook 2 | 10 seconds |
Will you save battery?
| Battery Life Playing Video | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lenovo S10 | Battery life in Windows XP with Wi-Fi and full brightness | 2 hours 15 minutes |
| Lenovo S10 | Battery life in Windows XP with power saving | 3 hours |
| Lenovo S10 | Battery Life in HyperSpace dual with Wi-Fi and full brightness | 1 hour 50 |
While quick-start environments don't use a lot of power for email and basic browsing, playing video is just as demanding as it is in a full Windows environment, if not more so.
- Previous page How Quick is “Quick Start”?
- Next page Manufacturers’ Power-Saving Claims
I could see this being very useful for one or 2 things..like a special purpose media player that will play all movie/audio formats and allow more of the hardware power to go to the actual content instead of supporting a bloated OS.
Many years ago I wondered if it would be possible to have an "OS Chip" that was exponentially faster than a stardard hard drive for storing your OS on...it looks like we're getting there!
At the very least it will push Microsoft harder to improve boot times. I think microsoft is working hard to improve boot times, but harder works for me. Really it will all be moot once they perfect one of the super fast static memory technologies, as then the whole system can go from off to on almost instantly... measure in 10s of ms.
I think these options will be less attractive once SSDs go mainstream. Intel SSDs boot Vista in < 10 seconds. Windows 7 should be even quicker.
this is what i am wondering too. right now these SSD's are just too small and the speeds are still trivial. i see if SSD don't make it then the motherboard makers will in the future just put and expansion port on there motherboards for a flashchip just for the OS
One important thing you seem to have forgotten: Windows XP, a full-sized OS that can boot in ~20 seconds (from bootloader screen to login screen, at least on my Athlon 64 X2 system with old Barracuda 7200.7). Newer hardware should improve it and possibly break 10 sec barrier.
Shame that XP wasn't included in this Speed Table...
Conclusion: you don't need to choose between beefy Vista or crippled quickstart os'es. Just use XP (or some light Linux distro).
WTF?
Have you ever used a Mac? Open it up and it wakes up from sleep immediately! None of this boot sillyness. This has been how Mac OS X has been working since 2001. Why keep eating the MS dog food when you can eat subway???
@fuser: see the boot speed table for how fast Windows 7 can boot on a fast SSD like the one in the S101; even the team at Phoenix were impressed by it.
@Anonymous: a Windows system wakes from sleep just as quickly and has done for many years. However many people choose to hibernate or shut down to save power. The first time I shut the lid on a Mac and left it unplugged for a few days and expected it to still have power when I came back to it, I was infuriated that it had stayed in sleep and run down the battery. You're comparing apples and oranges (and I wouldn't personally call Subway a premium brand either!)
Mary Branscombe
Why not have the option to boot into Windows Mobile: that takes only a few seconds, and there are lots of apps (like MS Office compatible word processor) that open in another second or two; and the interface to WM is familiar to many PDA/smartphone users. The discontinued NEC MobilePro 900 and Psion Netbook Pro boot instantly, and Open Office's word processor or MS Word reader open instantly.
Does anyone know where to download Quicklook2