Windows 8 UEFI vs legacy bios

Jimbo22

Windows Forum Team
Staff member
Joined
Aug 27, 2008
What is the difference between the UEFI BIOS vs the legacy BIOS? Is there a difference in system performance using the UEFI BIOS?
 
A Google search shows a wealth of information.

So true. In fact I was just about to make a thread on the subject. I am beginning to believe that, as far as straightforward help is concerned, help forums have become redundant. It is easier, for a variety of suggestions, to google.
Most questions relating to OSs are now repetitive, as are the answers.
 
You guys are correct with doing a google search, which I should've probably done. I should have stated in my post, that I've seen post, after post, in this forum and many others that users with UEFI BIOS are having problems of one kind or another. So I was really wondering if the benefit of having a mobo with EUFI was really worth getting and using.
 
I don't believe the impression that some folks are having problems with it is really important. Folks in the Windows 7 forum have problems with Legacy installs...

But I feel the largest problem folks may have is they do not know they have UEFI, and/or do not know what it is. Since the new computers seem to be shipping with UEFI installs, and Windows 8 secure boot, using some devices, such as video cards, or dual boots are going to cause problems.

I don't think there are any performance issues that might cause you to need a UEFI bios, but they are claimed to be more secure. If you wanted to run a larger Hard Drive as your boot device or wanted the Windows 8 security, it would be needed.
 
I think Clark, sorry Saltgrass, has hit on the defining issue about users not fully aware of what they are buying. Many, many issues can simply be avoided if a little research is undertaken first before either purchase is made or the machine arrives. I build my own machines anyway so reading up on the spec, tech and reviews are vital if I want my machine to run as it should... Then again the more people did this the less we would be needed.. :)
 
Generally, the only people we see here are those more intrepid individuals that take on the added chores of setting their PCs up differently than the manufacturers (both OEMs and MS) wish they would. Those people who wish to try new things or set up dual boots, or "play" with new OSs, etc. These are the people who frequent these forums. The "average Joe" most likely does not come here, and most probably does not know we exist.

Those individuals who do come here start as raw beginners in this exciting new endeavor, customizing their PCs and trying new things. I believe that slowly these individuals see how we give advice, and in many cases how we get the information we give and learn from that so that the next time they may spend more time investigating before posting.

Unfortunately every couple of months we see a new group of individuals that are starting as those raw beginners and so we go through the same process again.

In my case I am just beginning to learn about UEFI and GPT because I do not have one of these new PCs. As is the case with this question, I do not have the answer at the tip of my tongue, but as I learn more about UEFI I will be better able to answer questions without referring to a web site. In this case however, many of the sites we refer to explain things far better than a short post in a thread, hence the referral to a separate web site.

No one coming here for advice should take offense to this as it is a process we all go through as much as the posters.
 
The website generates stats that show users come to forums for many different reasons. Some have issues, some want advice and some just come for a look see. We can determine this though the statistics that the site generates over a period of time, it's actually quite amazing some of the details that get revealed and I think I'm right in saying that the only country we've yet to have a visitor from is North Korea but Mike will know more about this.
 
Yes. It is fascinating looking through the stats and the forum map. I am a little surprised with the map, though. Where do the actual map placements come form? I can see that, for example, where I live, (Scandinavia - Denmark) we are very thin on the ground, yet I have many Computer "nerd" acquaintances here, several of which are on the forum.
 
Hmm... I'm not too sure Dave. According to the map I live near Brighton.. I'll check with Mike on how the data is collected.
 
I don't think it is something to fuss over, as it is an extra. I was just curious. There is one registered user shown in Denmark, where I live, there seems to be only one - it isn't me, although the map says so. I live about 100kms from the flag. But I guess it is country specific, rather than actual abode specific. Without that detailed information, I doubt the exact location would, in any case, be available.
 
The main reason UEFI was created was because of the limited amount of allocation space in the legacy BIOS and the limitations that this implementation posed. With UEFI BIOS, you can download firmware updates directly from what would traditionally be the "BIOS" screen. You can boot from disks over 2TB, the design is modular, and its CPU independent. Whereas, the traditional legacy BIOS is very much dependent on the architecture of the CPU and its related chipset. UEFI/EFI is more of a modular system being developed for all types of systems, irregardless of the architecture. I think the big thing is network support, as this alleviates a lot of problems with hardware firmware in the future.
 
Back
Top Bottom