You know, a lot has been said & written regarding Windows 8 boot time being fast & faster than Windows 7. I can offer a fairly reasonable A-B comparison. I am running x64 7 & 8, duel-boot, on the same box. @ this point their content, things installed & running, about the same. But, the boot times are no where near the same!! The Win7 is several times higher than the Win8.
My last 2 bot times were 37964ms then, after disabling WLM & Skype from running @ start-up, 36380ms!!
Re: Windows 8 Consumer Preview vs. Windows 7 Start-Up Comparison (VMWare Workstation)
It could be regarded as a "chicken and egg" situation, Mike. Sinofski's original blog on this, cantered around the lesser requirement for ram, which, even in its latent state, is using appreciable amounts of power. As he said (once again directing us towards the use of Tablets/laptops .. etc ) this would mean less requirement for massive amounts of ram in such equipment, and , axiomatically, less battery consumption.
However, on stationaries today, it is obvious from info on forums, that most users are over endowed with ram on their stationaries so, on those beasts, it is not a factor. I have not tried it to its limits on a laptop, but have...
Mike, certainly, there are factors that will affect boot times. In my case, my Win7 & 8 are (now) fairly similar in content... but, no matter what...Win8 can't help but, be faster to boot than, prior OSs.
True, Joe. Would be quite an accomplishment for me to set that up but, I'm fairly certain one can find testing that's been done under those types of scenarios.
I have to agree here as well. Typically on Windows 7, it takes about 2 minutes to get to the login screen whereas in Windows 8, it takes somewheres around 30-45 seconds.
It isn't mentioned, so I have to ask!
I have a dual partition set up with Windows 7 and Windows 8. Windows 8, of course, sets up the new boot manager. I find that, excluding the delay time, which I have reduced to 3 seconds, the boot manager does boot straight into Windows 8. However, if you set Windows 7 as the default, or merely select it from the boot manager, in my case it reboots the computer first, before , then, going into windows 7. Naturally this adds an enormous time to the boot up of windows 7.
I found by re installing the Windows 7 boot manager, both boot up times were pretty much the same. This is with the same software installed.
I'm not sure I get where there is a question, here. What is it your asking??
If, this has anything to do w/ it...
I've had duel-boots, a triple for a while, too, but, anyway, since the XP Vista overlap during & after I was beta-testing Vista. Once there are 2 machines in place & 2 show on the choice screen & choose 1 & go & they are listed A & B. Whichever goes from Highlight to Enter doesn't matter... nothing should reboot or go through some cycling or … should just directly start up whichever one (the same).
And, I can tell you that if, you change the boot priority, making B boot '1st', if you don't hit anything before so many seconds
Then, @ the choice screen, they will, still, be listed A (on top) & B but, now B will be the one starting
I dunno if I'm saying anything you don't already know AND if it even points @ the query.
And, if Win 7 was in the box 1st, it has the Boot. If, you pulled the plug on 7, 8 would no longer boot. The Boot is where the 1st OS installed is, it's w/ the 1st OS put in the machine.
If you change the Boot priority so 7 started 1st... @ the choice screen 8 would still be listed as it was, on top & 7 underneath, 2nd so to speak BUT... because you are seeing it on top you think it's using 8's Boot, it's not. Now 7 would go to start 1st but, 8 would ,still be listed 1st but, the highlight would now be @ 7, positioning doesn't change.
If it, Win8, was installed on a machine 1st or by itself then it hold the Boot. If you duel-booted & 8 was 1st in the box then it would have the Boot not, 7; cus 8 got there 1st, in that scenario.
Here... I installed Win7 x86 then, Win7 x64, afterwards. When I wanted to wipe out the x86, had to move the Boot from it to the x64.
Until then, you can't boot B w/out A.
God, I trust this is making sense. Or it's clear as mud. We're not sure, @ this point...tell me later
Sorry, I just cannot read your post, but I thought what I was saying was pretty clear.I am not sure if your post refers to the same thing. The question probably is, "Is everyone experiencing this, as it is not mentioned . With the situation like this (assuming it is the same for all!) It is unfair to rate Windows 7 boot time against Windows 8.
Agreed. Unless you can truly compare Apples to Apples, with a completely clean install of both operating systems on identical hardware any comparisons would likely be skewed. Just the size of the registry alone on a Windows 7 system that had been in place for some time, compared to a fresh install of Windows 8, would likely deprecate the results, especially if you're talking milliseconds here.
Even a brand new install of Win-7, will have a larger registry than Win-8.
I'm just basing that on one thing I found just this morning.
I ran AVG Tune-Up on Win-8, to optimize my TCPIP settings. It found 48 criteria that should be optimized, but only reset one of them. The program logged an error that it could not change 47 keys.
I went into the registry, to find out why 47 different keys were not reset and to my horror, I found them NOT EVEN THERE!
So I'm just wondering (to myself) how many other keys are not there either. ???
I suppose that I could have set here and created those 47 keys, (I actually did create ONE), but that's not really how I want to spend my time today. I have too many other things to do.
Has anybody tried the "Reboot Timer" on Win-8? Win-8 would have to be the default OS for that to work.
I might just unplug my XP drive and see how it works just on Win-8.
I'll be back
The Doctor
PS: I just did a reboot timing, with Win-8 the only OS in sight and my reboot time from Desktop to Desktop was a blazing 67 seconds. For those who would like to use (or try) the reboot timer, but don't have it or know where to find it, you can download it here: Link Removed
Just download it and put it on your desktop. It's a VB Script. With Win-8 set as the default OS, run the timer to see how long it takes your PC to reboot Win-8.
Just for fun, I ran the reboot timer on Win 8 (67 sec's) and I ran it on Windows XP-Pro-SP3.
I was somewhat astounded..... with XP loaded, with six programs in my Startup folder, my reboot time was just 54 seconds.
In all honestly, my OS's are never run 'Pure Stock', but are always tweaked and tuned for optimum performance.
And, they all have to run on a 7 year old MSI Mobo, with an AMD, 2x, 5200+ cpu and six gig's of DDR2 ram.
But for the increased size of Win-8, over Win XP, the speed I'm seeing isn't bad at all.
From what I read in various tech forums where I write it does seem that most folks are experiencing huge differentials in this where 8 boots much faster. This what is what we were suppose to find due to a very different boot process in 8 that would give faster times. Lab testing, in fair A/B scenarios, support the theory, also.
It is begiinning to look like I am the only one with this issue!
Just to outline again, in case my post was not understood.
I have a dual boot , on two separate partitions, between windows 8 and windows 7. Windows 8 was installed last, so I have the new boot manager.
It takes a while on my old computer, to get to the boot manager, - many seconds longer than the Windows 7 boot manager perviously took.
Now. If I then selct Windows 8, it boots straight to the Windows 8 login/Metro. However, if I select Windows 7, it reboots my computer through the bios again and on to Windows 7, without problem. But of course, in a comparison, this reboot time adds a huge penalty to the Windows 7 boot time. Noone else seems to be experiencing this?
I try to evaluate any piece of software, even OS's as they will appear in the real world, like on a new PC right out of the store.
It's not fair to the OS or MS to install it as an afterthought or in a dual boot or virtual world.
In all fairness, to MS, and our readers, Win-8 should be installed as the only OS visible to the BIOS when the PC boots up.
That's totally easy to do, by just installing the test OS on it's own HD and making that the default boot drive.
Just a thought.
Doc
PS: I need to test it further, but I'm experiencing some difficulties with my browsers and even Windows Explorer with the new Windows 7 look software. Anyone else?
"PS: I need to test it further, but I'm experiencing some difficulties with my browsers and even Windows Explorer with the new Windows 7 look software. Anyone else? "
Maybe, suggesting it's just as well to use Win8, as is... just a thought...
Well, Drew, that's not a BAD thought, just one I'm not ready to accept yet.
I want to be able to test and evaluate all options.
We're still months away from the Retail Release of Windows 8 and when that time comes, I want to be ready for it.
I don't want to get caught with my 'pants down', so to speak, like I was with Windows XP.
XP had not been out for more than a few days, when I got my first service call on an XP machine. That day will live on, in infamy, and in my mind as one of my worse days as a computer tech. Since then, I vowed that I'd never get caught like that again.
Visduh did sneak up on me a little bit, I was pretty well prepared for Windows 7, but I want to be fully prepared for the release of Windows 8.
So, it's with that thought in mind, that I'm willing to try everything that comes along to make Win-8 more user friendly to my old customers and hopefully to a few new ones as well. I'll still be testing and tweaking right up to the day that Windows 8, is fully released.
So far, so good.
Yep, same here... that is 1 big advantage to being able to muck about w/ a new OS before public GA. Would be hell on us IT Pros & Consultants otherwise. Absolutely no dispute there! We must know an OS inside out (including available options) before our customers past, present & future ones, get a hold of them.
Hmm. I just tried switching the partitions. Still get the reboot. I have now installed several times on my own computers, and on friends and relations. They all get the same phenomena. There is nothing out of the ordinary, with my method of installation. I'll have to look deeper into this?????
Later. OK. Forget it! I've just been over to the Microsoft answers page with the query. It seems it is, in fact, the default. Why some users are not experiencing it is a mystery - but there we go!
Dave, sorry for the delayed reaction. I guess, I'm so accustomed to things, it didn't click, @ 1st, what abnormality you were describing. Because it's not, an abnormality.
You mean, if you boot to 7 it goes to the black screen (BIOS) Boot CD/ROM blah, blah, blah & then into 7. Yep, fine, normal & proper.
