Build a PC that boots instantly, and the world will beat a path to your door. Lenovo, it thinks, has figured out how to get closer to that reality.
In a filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the Purchase, N.Y.-based company says it has figured out this:
A method for reducing the boot time for a computer includes: supplying power to the computer; disabling a plurality of input/output (I/O) devices coupled to the computer; performing a boot process for the computer; and placing the computer in a suspend to memory state before a user turns on the computer. The method reduces the boot time for a computer by placing the computer in a suspend to memory mode rather than completely shutting off the computer. In this manner, when a user of the computer pushes the power button, the computer wakes up from the suspend to memory mode instead of being required to perform the entire boot process. This significantly reduces the time required to make the computer available to the user, allowing the computer to function like an appliance.
Microsoft has been working on this problem for years. Some folks, like Natalia P. Zolotareva have figured out a number of actions that can speed up Windows and boot time.
But it's still not unheard of for desktops and notebooks to take between three and five minutes to boot, on a good day. Older systems? You can press the power on button, go to a staff meeting and maybe, when you get back, you're ready to work.
Is Lenovo on to something? We'll see. In the meantime, you can email me at emoltzen@cmp.com and let me know how long it takes your desktop or notebook to boot up, and if you have any interesting time killers to help ease the waiting process.
