Microsoft demonstrates eight-second boot-up in Windows 8

Microsoft has dramatically reduced boot times for the forthcoming Windows 8 operating system, demonstrating an eight-second boot from a cold start.

The fast start-up mode represents a huge leap forward in terms of boot time, according to Gabe Aul, director of programme management for Windows.

"Boot times represent an effective proxy for overall system performance, and we all know the boot experience is incredibly important for us to get right," he said on the Building Windows 8 blog.

"Data shows that 57 per of desktop PC users and 45 per cent of laptop users shut down their machines rather than putting them to sleep. Overall, half of all users shut down their machines rather than putting them to sleep."

The key difference between Windows 8 and Windows 7 is that the kernel session is now placed into hibernate mode instead of being closed down.

This significantly improves boot times because reading the system state and memory contents from the hiberfile and reinitialising drivers is much faster this way, Aul explained.

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