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

[Gareth France]

On 15/02/13 17:40, Rowan Berkeley wrote:
> 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.
>
Most modern BIOS machines are the same and have been for years. That is 
why the BIOS settings included 'Quick boot' settings, allowing you to 
decide how long you are given to hit the relevant hot keys. There simply 
must be a way to access the settings without an OS installed otherwise 
you've got a wide open hole through which to brick your machine.