The World According to Mitch

The day to day ramblings of an IT Professional (and so much more…)

Windows 8: Choosing an Operating System

WP_000537I spend a lot of time switching between different operating systems.  It is simply the nature of what I do.  So the first time I created a multi-boot system with Windows 8 I was surprised to see the new Boot Configuration Device (or BCD) Menu (The ‘Choose an operating system’ menu that comes up).  I was curious as to why they had made the change?  Firstly the old one worked just fine, and secondly the new one, with the GUI requirements, seemed to use resources unnecessarily.

I got my answer last week at Microsoft TechEd in Orlando, and it makes perfect sense.

Although previous versions of the operating system have had Tablet Editions, or were modified/optimized to be touch-capable, Windows 8 is the first Microsoft operating system that is specifically designed to be touch-driven.  Because of that, even the BCD menu was designed to be optimized for touch.  If I were to select an older operating system from the list, it would work just fine.  However for the touchy-feely crowd, everyone will agree that this is easier.

I love it when there is a simple, reasonable, and logical answer to my questions!

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Mitch Garvis

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2 responses to “Windows 8: Choosing an Operating System”

  1. Shaun Avatar
    Shaun

    Looks cool. Not sure I would use it myself. Don’t see the point in Windows 8 and Windows 7 dual boot since Windows 8 Desktop really is just a version of Windows 7.

    Reply
    1. Mitch Garvis Avatar
      Mitch Garvis

      Hey Shaun. That is a good point, in addition to the fact that hey, let’s face it, most people only NEED one operating system. This article is for the people who a) are hesitant (as I had been) to take the plunge headlong into Windows 8, and b) people who need to be able to support both (and more). While everyone reminds me that as a virtualization expert I should be able to simply run Windows Server in a VM to support it, I remind them that the VM does not support installing Hyper-V (as does the dual-boot installation including, for that matter, the dual-boot-from-VHD :))

      Reply

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