[ubuntu-uk] Windows 8 (a pox on it)

[Rowan Berkeley]

On 15/02/13 17:34, Gareth France wrote:
> On 15/02/13 17:31, Rowan Berkeley wrote:
>>
>> Thanks for all that, Alan. So, concretely, let's take for instance the
>> Compaq machine which I successfully converted from Windows 8 to Ubuntu
>> 12.10 using a USB stick. Given that F2 no longer works, and that the
>> Windows 8 machinery for getting into UEFI us no longer there, how in
>> fact would I get into UEFI on that machine if for some reason I needed
>> to? The answer is, install Boot-Repair from repositories:
>> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Boot-Repair
>>
> I don't understand this whole 'F2 no longer works' thing. Bios was
> accessed through a wide array of keys depending on who made the machine.
> Del, CTRL+S, F1, F2, CTRL+ESC and the list goes on. Surely UEFI is
> accessed in exactly the same manner isn't it?
>
Not according to this guy:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-access-the-bios-on-a-windows-8-computer/

He says: "Windows 8 hardware uses the UEFI replacement for the 
traditional BIOS, like Macs do. Some solid-state drive-equipped Windows 
8 PCs boot so fast that you’d only have a 200 millisecond (that’s 0.2 
seconds) window of opportunity to press the key combination."

He then proceeds to explain how to use Windows 8's own access to UEFI 
feature.