Why not go back to having the operating software in EEPROM?

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techmanx

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As an old fellow who helped with the birth of personal computers, I remember that the operating system and software on computers was always written into ROM. As Microsoft windows started to get a hold on the system software this idea of having the operating system in ROM disappeared, that is except for the DOS software.
Modern Microsoft software driven computers take an extraordinary amount of time to load up the operating software from the hard drives (7 is much much faster!). This startup delay could be vastly reduced if the operating software was written into EEPROM and only updated when an operating software update was issued.
So, does anyone know a good reason why the operating system is no longer made semi permanent by installing it in EEPROM instead of the hard drive?
Regards to all,
 
Simply cost and speed - it would cost a GREAT deal more to have the OS in EEPROM, also EEPROM is generally relatively slow.

The simple OS's (such as the PET/TRS80 etc.) didn't use EEPROM anyway, they used either PROM or EPROM - and a 2K EPROM isn't much use for loading Windows 7
 
I have a 2gb silicon hard drive in my hand that is about 1"x1"x0.1". I think they come in 16gb size for more $.
In my phone there are two silicon storage areas, one is used for the operating system, the other is 2gb. (FLASH)
Most people are willing to wate 2 minutes for Windows to get up and running and save $200.00.
 
8Gx8 flash memory.

MT29F64G08TAAW Parallel interface
SDIN2B2-8G Serial interface 50mhz
 
Have you tried using the "hibernate" mode with windows. I use it all the time. It saves your computer status to the hard drive when you shut down and only takes a few tens of seconds to restore when you turn the computer back on, much faster than a normal boot. Another advantage it that you start out exactly where you left off with all the programs you were using when you went to the hibernate mode.
 

Unfortunately not all PC's have this option.
To check, Start/Settings/Control Panel/Power Options.
 
ericgibbs said:
Unfortunately not all PC's have this option.
To check, Start/Settings/Control Panel/Power Options.
Click to expand...
I think the hibernate option, which totally powers down the system, is just a function of the operating system (the "Stand by" mode, which maintains the computer in a low power state, likely does require a compatible computer). With Windows 7, I did have to download a small ap program from Microsoft to allow the hibernate option.
 

True enough. I think I have a mental block which stops me from thinking of USB drives, etc as the same storage as inside of a PIC.

Perhaps I should have said because most people don't have 10GB+ of silicon storage inside of their computer!? (yet). I know I don't. My iPhone is a different story, though.
 
Hi all, some interesting thoughts on my question, thank you.
I guess we should all wait a bit (not for Windows to speed up) but for what is coming in a short time the internal 32Gb flash drive, see here :
**broken link removed**
I guess thats fast enough not to be impatient anymore. Greetings.
 
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Why do you think it's going to be any faster than an HDD?.

Old computers didn't boot up fast because they didn't use an HDD, but because they didn't really need to boot-up at all.
 
Nigel Goodwin said:
Why do you think it's going to be any faster than an HDD?.

Old computers didn't boot up fast because they didn't use an HDD, but because they didn't really need to boot-up at all.
Click to expand...
Maybe not much faster, but it is going that way and as there are no mechanical parts the reliability should be better than mechanical drives (Thankfully most modern mechanical drives are quite reliable). By the way, even going back to programming a single processor with no keyboard and only switches, the system still needed to (boot) load the system software!
Regards to all
 

No, the 'system software' (such as it was) ran entirely from ROM (usually EPROM), so no booting required.

HDD's are really pretty reliable devices, the only ones I see fail are the 'cheap and nasty' ones, Quantum and Maxtor - and probably Seagate now as well, as they took over the previous two.
 
Sorry you do not understand the origin of boot, the expression comes from pulling up by the boot strings. Regardless of wether the system software or control software is placed, the boot expression is the act of loading in the software which can be loaded from anywhere it is stored. But I am not into being a hard drive critic so I let you carry on with that.
Regards
 
I think you mean boot strap.

I am sure there is a class of computer that could still use some from of ROM for the OS. But in general the RAM makes sense. And as mentioned earlier all you really need to get a fast start time is use a hibernate like behavior.

What is there to debate ?
 

I'm fully aware of where the expression comes from - but as I said, it doesn't apply to old computers (PET, TRS80, Apple etc.) - the system software isn't 'loaded' anywhere, it's run directly from ROM, so no 'booting' is needed.
 
That is booting! that is the system wherever it is stored it is made available to the processor. The system software is just a mass of machine code instructions that control the processor, it doesn't matter where they are situated. When the processor is cold started it so called Boots (or accesses the software) so as to perform the instructions contained in that machine code in a serial manner.
So I think arguing about the definition of Booting is a bit pointless as Booting is only a very loose slang expression adapted to mean the start up sequence of a processor driven environment.
Regards
 
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In general booting works like this.

First you need a boot loader. It can be entered with switches or contained in a boot ROM.

The function of the boot loader is to load additional code. It does not have to be an OS. In some cases the boot loader loads a more capable loader or even something like a basic interpreter or even a user absolute (machine code) file.
 

Booting is a precise term, not slang at all, and old computers didn't need to do it - nothing to boot from, or to.

As 3V0 points out, for a system that 'boots' you have a small non-booting part that then 'boots' the main software.
 
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