The new Linux-based InstantOn software — designed to help Windows XP Media Center Edition PCs boot more quickly — is aimed at taking advantage of the power of Intel’s Pentium processors, not at fixing fragmented hard drives. The software integrates into the computer’s BIOS and the OS.
Linux To Reduce Boot Time for Windows XP Media Centers
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Eugenia Loli
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now i’m *really* going to go buy that media center i’ve been eyeing up!, there finaly going to use processor power instead of just defragging my hard drive.. freaking awsome
…just because someone uses linux in something doesn’t make it news worthy, imho
But this is exactly what I like to see:) Cooperation! I don’t know if too many on either field is all that happy about this, but *shrug*. That’s one thing Microsoft can’t compete with too well – Linux’s versatility. Linux is just the kernel, *everything* else is pieced together in such a way to create a useable system. Kinda reminds me of a massive kit system;) In point of fact, that’s exactly what LFS, for example, is!
Back on topic though, I’ve seen some fantastic ‘InstantOn’ type technology going on over the past couple years, but I haven’t checked recently. I’m glad it’s gotten to the point where it’s actually getting put to use.
One thing that really interests me is about integrating into the OS. Isn’t that somethin’!? I’ve gotta wonder about the GPL aspect of that (as well as integrating into the BIOS for that matter) but a Linux based software integrating into a windows based system? Sounds like a joke! But I’m dually glad it seems to be true:)
… I wonder when microsoft will release something for Linux? *laughs* Let’s just see:)
Reading the article I don’t see where it integrates into the OS at all, rather pre-empts it. *shrug* And 10 seconds still isn’t great – it’s pretty good, but I remember someone working on something a little while back that got it on in 3 seconds. *shrug* Owell.
If they would use prmade images (kinda hardcoded suspend to disc) they could drive boottime down to ~3-4 seconds.
The Rom of my MPEG4 DVD-Player has just 4MB. With a modern HDD it takes only 0.1 Seconds to load it.
Do they realy waste 9.9 seconds in their Linux-based BIOS?
My system boots in 30secs or less, and that is including ATA100 device detection, I really don’t see the point in this unless I can get Windows up and running immediately after hitting the power button.
Speaking Of Boot Speed, linux dists certainly have a lot to improve in this area. I know, I know .. waiting some 30 seconds for a computer to boot won’t kill you .. but still
Its much harder to do that on a general-purpose computer. From a cold restart, many devices have to be initialized by writing special sequences of values to various registers. So loading a pre-initialized drive image is not enough.
Its much harder to do that on a general-purpose computer. From a cold restart, many devices have to be initialized by writing special sequences of values to various registers. So loading a pre-initialized drive image is not enough.
“… I wonder when microsoft will release something for Linux? *laughs* Let’s just see:)”
Microsoft do release a little code for Linux, mainly because Apache is so widely used they cannot ignore it…
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4415a0aa-a…
I personally would like to see more co-operation between the two camps.
does anyone know if this can be modified to boot up your favourite linux distro faster in the same way as its booting windows right now?
Sure seems to me like they are just trying to use the linux name to get publicity. Sounds like all they did was have a slimmed-down-some-what-fast-booting-linux load instead of windows and provide a few basic “multimedia” capabilities…and then when you want to use windows, they end up just booting you into windows anyway. Sort of like a boot manager with a built-in TV. Hmm…
This doesn’t boot Windows faster. It boots the Linux software to let you do media tasks supported under it. For other things, it still has to hand off to Windows.
“Moving from the quick-boot entertainment functions into Windows, however, will take users more time than the initial 10-second boot because the InstantON software must hand off the user to the Windows operating system at that point.”
From the way this sounds, it could actually increase your boot time if all you wanted was to go to Windows.
I think a better solution (and quieter/more discreet for the living room, etc. for those that care about such issues) would be the Media Center extenders. You could keep your PC booted (and in a room where you don’t mind having a PC) and get instant-on access to it at any time through the extender.
it is something in bios with mini apps that might be based on linux
windows xp boots up a lot faster than linux/oss desktop with parallel driver loading, pre-fetch, etc. Further, win2k and xp could use hibernation to resume a previuos session within 10 seconds after power-on.
Whenever I accidently press the off button for my sattelite TV DVR, I get very annoyed at the fact that it takes around 5 seconds for it to on again. Now, 10 seconds? I would be twice as annoyed. 30 seconds? Imagine all those story climax you would miss when you accidently press the wrong button.
this is pie in the sky… it’s hypothetical, and it’s certainly not being done in concert w/ MS
*shrugs* My XP Pro system is on a Dell OPtiplex 1.7Ghz, 384MB RAM. It takes about 10 seconds to get to the login screen after you tweek the OS a bit. Heck at this point it takes longer to get past the BIOS then load the OS.
I’ll second that motion, and the “fastboot” option does not really help the situation that much either. The only thing it skips in the “fastboot” is the RAM check., and that thakes less than a second. The POST sequence takes about 30 seconds, while XP takes about 15 to load. If there was only a way to skip the BIOS completly on bootup.
Media Centres need to be ultra quiet to not spoil the enjoyment.. this probably means they don’t have the latest processors and consequently boot more slowly than regular new desktop PCs?
What’s sad is that part of that power-on delay is probably the user waiting for Windows MCE to load Messenger, Distributed Link Tracking, uPNP, Remote Registry Service and other junk which is totally un-necessary on a media centre machine.
“Microsoft do release a little code for Linux, mainly because Apache is so widely used they cannot ignore it…
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4415a0aa-a…
Microsoft is really looking in distant future…
From link above:
“Software requirements
– Linux version 6.1 or 6.2”
Now that’s good couple of years to wait for 6.2 kernel to be released…
Speaking Of Boot Speed, linux dists certainly have a lot to improve in this area. I know, I know .. waiting some 30 seconds for a computer to boot won’t kill you .. but still
I know this is a little off-topic, but any PC I’ve seen that takes less (or equal) time to boot up than a minimally configured Gentoo box spends time setting itself up after you log in. I have a laptop that dual boots Redhat and XP. XP boots up a lot faster, but from hitting the power button to the point where they’re both fully usable, XP and Redhat take roughly the same amount of time – XP just spends time doing things after I log in, making its performance horrible for the first 15 seconds.
I’m sure they could (and will) both improve with respect to this.
Linux version 6.1 or 6.2
Those idiots at MS should know that linux 2.6 has just been released. if they are talking about a distro like redhat they should specifically mention that
I guess they mean redhat.
This System isn’t for the everage PC. It’s for things like a games console. At best you can buy a Media Center PC with larger hard disc/ram und faster CPU.
Things that don’t change the boot-sequence.
The XBOX needs 10 seconds to boot.
from:
http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg028…
> On Saturday 10 January 2004 20:13, Roger Abrahamsson wrote:
> > Hello..
> > just tried out latest cvs licq, and gets an instant crash. Running 2.6.0
> > kernel on debian(sid) and gcc version is 3.3.3
> > Any ideas why?
Nice try. Perhaps you should read a little more about the links you post: licq will crash, not the kernel.
Keep trollin’!
1. He’s testing a new patch from a CVS version, not even a beta.
2. It turned out later in the thread to be user error anyway. “Oh well, it works, and I shall now go stick my head in the snow here as punishment for not checking the config file formats.. Thanx anyways for the pointers.”
3. If you are having problems with licq, try their mailing lists, here is not the place.
4. The kernel did not crash.
I can understand that you are shocked that an app can crash in Linux, but it has been known to happen.
Why, only a few months ago I had to close and restart Mozilla after it crashed while playing a quicktime movie with the mplayer plugin.
now, if they would use linux to make boot linux in a bearable time, that would be good news.
Agreed, it’s ironic.
Of course Linux users have the freedom & the tools to tweak their boot times unlike proprietary monopolist lockinware.