Phoenix Super Fast Bios

Quick like a Phoenix?

I'm curious to learn more about this.

I can't believe people aren't going nuts over this? Loading Windows in just over a second! That's a HUGE reduction in boot times, for pretty much any computer. Combine with an SSD, and hibernation (almost) becomes redundant. My next laptop WILL have this in it!

Pretty neat, but this will suck when you're mashing the keyboard to get into the BIOS setup menu (It's NEVER just 'F1' to enter setup -- sometimes it's F2, ESC, F10, F12, or even DEL)

You'll probably be able to hold a key down when you boot, instead of rapid-clicking it during POST

Bear in mind the guy said they were using UEFI instead of BIOS. UEFI is something that I'm not seeing a ton of support for on even the most modern motherboards.

I really hope this can be a drop-in upgrade for my T400s. Otherwise I felt like I just wasted my money.

Originally Posted by Soujiro

I really hope this can be a drop-in upgrade for my T400s. Otherwise I felt like I just wasted my money.

According to this source, Phoenix is offering it to OEMs as an update to existing systems. We'll have to see if any put in the effort to make that happen though. I would love to have it on my T61!

http://blog.laptopmag.com/phoenixs-1...s-really-works

And while its true UEFI has been relatively obscure so far, there is a lot of push by companies such as Microsoft and Intel to boost adoption. Its being positioned as a replacement to BIOS.

Originally Posted by Peteman100

I can't believe people aren't going nuts over this?

Not that I'd want to stop progress (and that SSD laptop is really amazing...), but what are we talking about here? 5? 10 seconds? lol...I mean...it is "neat", but we're talking a few seconds. I think my old IBM T22 started loading windows in under 10 seconds. I'd go nuts if they could get my directTV box to start up as quick as my laptop.

Intel's boards have had UEFI support for quite some time now. So they are ahead of the curve. MSI also supports it on several board models.

Is EFI something that needs to be supported by the chipset or just the OS (Win 7 does for example)? Also, doesn't EFI introduce it's own set of problems since there is more software involved?

Originally Posted by bigdogchris

Is EFI something that needs to be supported by the chipset or just the OS (Win 7 does for example)? Also, doesn't EFI introduce it's own set of problems since there is more software involved?

Both the motherboard and the OS need to support it. It isn't a chipset level thing as far as I know. As for problems, well the biggest problem is that few operating systems support it. I believe Vista does with a patch and I know Windows 7 supports it as do some versions of Mac OS X.

UEFI is good stuff, we use alot of them at work. vista supports it out of box as does win7.
this is using a modded efi that does not load a few of the "drivers" used for a few things such as lagacy I/O like serial DB9 and LPT and most likely also not loading old IDE drivers. this is a huge speed boost to post times.

Mac OSX uses EFI, at least on Macs.
Vista and Win7 support it out of the box.
It's not a chipset limitation, it's whether or not the mobo manufacturers are willing to drop the BIOS on a board and go EFI. This will pretty much drop support for XP on that mobo, or at least make it very difficult to load XP. I think that with the release of Win7 this particular issue will fade away into the past fairly quickly.

I think we are almost to the point where this should start becoming common, I mean I think I see two more things that need to happen:
-The big OEMs (Dell, HP, etc) need to start using it.
-One of the tier 1 mobo manufactures needs to come out with a EFI board and make a big deal about it, make a lot of press and get people informed that it even exists, and excited about it.

OEM's using it will 'prove' that it works and should pave a path of compatibility/stability/etc.

Then the tier 1 mobo maker making a big deal about it will get the enthusiasts on board, spread the word, and potentially make it a big new feature that people want.

I think it's about time to move on past the trusty old BIOS. It's a bit long in the tooth these days...

I don't think we'll see serious market penetration or adoption of EFI solutions for at least another 3-5 years. In regard to legacy crap, the PC market just isn't willing to change. I'm only now seeing motherboards that have abandoned the floppy controller. We still have PS/2 ports on most motherboards even though every keyboard and mouse sold in the last 10 years has been primarily a USB device. Motherboards still have COM port headers and most integrate IDE controllers despite Intel abandoning such legacy hardware some time ago.

I could defintately find this useful on an HTPC setup, if only for the reason so it can act more like other set top boxes which load pretty fast.

Originally Posted by Raxor

I could defintately find this useful on an HTPC setup, if only for the reason so it can act more like other set top boxes which load pretty fast.

That's a good idea. The motherboard in my PC supports EFI! (Intel DX48BT2)

Linked to Front Page News...

Phoenix has unveiled the Instant Boot BIOS, which claims to cut POST time to about a second and can boot into Windows 7 in 10 seconds. Laptop Magazine saw the BIOS in all its glory running on a Lenovo T400. It’s being offered to OEM partners but there’s no word on who signed up or the actual release date.

However, we can’t help but be incredibly impressed. Phoenix has removed the BIOS bottleneck from the boot process and really put the ball into the OEM’s court. A system will load as fast as its operating system, and runtime software will let it. And even if 11 seconds is not quite Big Foot, it’s an extremely hairy animal!

It will never see the light of day. It don't fit the Mac VS PC ads. Plus you know this must add to global warming with all the extra heat to make some thing boot so fast. (its like when the car companies took the hand crank off the front of the car to start it )

Originally Posted by Dan_D

Bear in mind the guy said they were using UEFI instead of BIOS. UEFI is something that I'm not seeing a ton of support for on even the most modern motherboards.

Last I heard XP didn't support it, while OS X and Vista (as well as "7") do. Why would you want to create a motherboard that would be incompatible with at least many of the new installs?

After XP is truly killed, we'll finally get UEFI.

Originally Posted by Peteman100

I can't believe people aren't going nuts over this? Loading Windows in just over a second! That's a HUGE reduction in boot times, for pretty much any computer. Combine with an SSD, and hibernation (almost) becomes redundant. My next laptop WILL have this in it!

Would help for me - jus finished a job building 2000 T400's for a gov organisation here in the UK