Vista ReadyState

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iPC

So when do we see Vista ReadyState ... the OS locked onto a USB Thumb Drive,
eventually built into the OEM MB? Gonna happen?

(copyright 2007 iPC byte me)
 
iPC said:
So when do we see Vista ReadyState ... the OS locked onto a USB Thumb Drive,
eventually built into the OEM MB? Gonna happen?

Do you mean ReadyBoost? I've not heard of Vista ReadyState.

If you do mean ReadyBoost, it doesn't make sense for OEM's to build this
into the MB as a more effective solution from a manufacturer and
end-user standpoint is to add more RAM. ReadyBoost can help if you need
a quick, but smaller boost in performance but don't have the ability or
time to add extra RAM.

ReadyBoost caches the pagefile in flash memory so that it doesn't have
to hit the HD when it needs virtual memory. But a better solution to
speeding up VM access is to eliminate the need for VM usage by adding
more physical memory.

If, instead of ReadyBoost, you were referring to BitLocker, then what is
required is a motherboard that supports TPM version 1.2. Many OEM's
already include this on their PC's. For examples:

"Which Dell systems support TPM?

The TPM 1.2 security hardware device comes standard on the following
LatitudeTM notebook systems: Latitude D420, D620, D820, OptiPlexTM
desktop systems: Optiplex 745, 740 and Dell PrecisionTM Mobile
Workstations M65, M90. Dell recommends the use of Microsoft® Windows®
XP Professional XP Professional operating system with TPM which includes
advanced security, mobility and networking features. TPM is currently
not supported by Dell on Red Hat® Linux® operating systems. Customers
who deploy TPM should also purchase Wave Systems Embassy Trust Suite
from Dell Software & Peripherals to enable full TPM features including
key archival and migration. "

http://www.dell.com/content/learnmo...=smartcard&~series=latit&~tab=recommendations

If you are looking to purchase new, ask the following questions when
requesting a BIOS:

1. Does the computer have a Windows Vista-ready BIOS? Does it pass
Windows Vista logo tests?

2. Is the BIOS Trusted Computing Group (TCG)-compliant?

3. Does the BIOS have a secure update mechanism to help prevent a rogue
(malicious) BIOS from being installed on the computer?

But, you don't necessarily need TPM 1.2 to use BitLocker with a USB
drive. From the FAQ:

"Can I use BitLocker on a computer without a TPM version 1.2?

Yes, you can enable BitLocker on a computer without a TPM version 1.2,
provided that the BIOS has the ability to read from a USB flash drive in
the boot environment. This is because BitLocker will not unlock the
protected volume until BitLocker’s own volume master key is first
released by either the computer’s TPM or by a USB flash drive containing
the BitLocker startup key for that computer. However, computers without
TPMs will not be able to take advantage of the system integrity
verification that BitLocker can also provide.

To help determine whether a computer can read from a USB device during
the boot process, use the BitLocker System Check as part of the
BitLocker setup process. This system check performs tests to confirm
that the computer can properly read from the USB devices at the
appropriate time and that the computer meets other BitLocker requirements.

To enable BitLocker on a computer without a TPM, use Group Policy to
enable the advanced BitLocker user interface. With the advanced options
enabled, the non-TPM settings appear in the BitLocker setup wizard."

http://technet2.microsoft.com/Windo...a7f5-4c97-ab41-2bcc61a58a701033.mspx?mfr=true
 
I believe that Asus has at least one board with built-in ReadyBoost at this
point. Why? Who knows!

--


Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
iPC said:
I see other software companies selling their wares on reusable USB drives. I
figured OSes might one day be marketed similarly on faster-than-hard drive
USB devices. ReadyState was just a take on ReadyBoost meaning Vista is
always in a mostly (or totally) ready state via USB perhaps bypassing the
need for full boot. Just a (misguided?) thought...

So it sounds like your real question is when might flash memory replace
the standard hard drive as the main storage device in a PC, and when
that happens will Vista support it.

To start with, as it may be of interest, is this article on installing
XP to a bootable flash drive -
http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-6346-5928902.html. Note that
the exact same steps won't work for Vista, though it might be the
starting point for a modified scenario.

Also worth noting that so far the largest flash drives released are 32
GB. Not really very big by HDD standards, but certainly large enough
for a Windows installation. And the cost/GB ratio on flash drives is
still much higher than standard hard drives.

That being said, there are IDE ready flash drives available today.
Since they utilize a standard ATA interface, nothing is required from an
OS standpoint, they are supported immediately.

And MS has been working hard to add technology to Vista to allow it to
start faster than your standard boot from a full shutdown scenario that
is typical today. Examples of this are the new sleep mode in Vista.

So I don't think your thoughts are completely misguided. Since a flash
drive would have no moving parts, a "readystate" scenario that allows
for an almost instant boot is not that inconceivable.
 
I see other software companies selling their wares on reusable USB drives. I
figured OSes might one day be marketed similarly on faster-than-hard drive
USB devices. ReadyState was just a take on ReadyBoost meaning Vista is
always in a mostly (or totally) ready state via USB perhaps bypassing the
need for full boot. Just a (misguided?) thought...
 
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