Why isn't thumb drive type memory, which does not need a battery, used to
hold the BIOs?

Re: Why isn't thumb drive type memory used to hold the BIOs? by Mark

Mark
Thu Apr 03 16:39:25 PDT 2008

They have not yet made, as far as I know, a thumb drive that remembers the
time.

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Mark L. Ferguson
.

"b11_" <b11@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:5282B5F4-6978-4207-A2FC-92EC38C739D3@microsoft.com...
> Why isn't thumb drive type memory, which does not need a battery, used to
> hold the BIOs?


Re: Why isn't thumb drive type memory used to hold the BIOs? by Bob

Bob
Thu Apr 03 16:44:09 PDT 2008

"Mark L. Ferguson" <MarkLFerguson@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
message news:33156AD4-F93B-4E53-A372-D468F8CB8D29@microsoft.com...
> They have not yet made, as far as I know, a thumb drive that remembers the
> time.

Indeed. Flash RAM is already used, the battery is needed to run the clock.


Re: Why isn't thumb drive type memory used to hold the BIOs? by b11

b11
Thu Apr 03 16:59:00 PDT 2008

Mark:

What does the number 3 to the right of your name indicate?
_______________________________________________________

"Mark L. Ferguson" wrote:

> They have not yet made, as far as I know, a thumb drive that remembers the
> time.
>
> --
> Was this helpful? Then click the Ratings button. Voting helps the web
> interface.
> http://www.microsoft.com/wn3/locales/help/help_en-us.htm#RateAPostAsAnswer
> Mark L. Ferguson
> .
>
> "b11_" <b11@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:5282B5F4-6978-4207-A2FC-92EC38C739D3@microsoft.com...
> > Why isn't thumb drive type memory, which does not need a battery, used to
> > hold the BIOs?
>

Re: Why isn't thumb drive type memory used to hold the BIOs? by b11

b11
Thu Apr 03 16:58:01 PDT 2008

But I read that when the battery expires, the BIOs settings are lost!
____________________________________________________________

"Bob Campbell" wrote:

> "Mark L. Ferguson" <MarkLFerguson@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
> message news:33156AD4-F93B-4E53-A372-D468F8CB8D29@microsoft.com...
> > They have not yet made, as far as I know, a thumb drive that remembers the
> > time.
>
> Indeed. Flash RAM is already used, the battery is needed to run the clock.
>
>

Re: Why isn't thumb drive type memory used to hold the BIOs? by Mark

Mark
Thu Apr 03 17:03:23 PDT 2008

More than 50 posters have checked the item to indicate my answer was
'useful' to their query. The link in my signature will explain that.

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Mark L. Ferguson
.

"b11_" <b11@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:BF805AB5-701E-43A5-8C2C-8359EBD203D3@microsoft.com...
> Mark:
>
> What does the number 3 to the right of your name indicate?
> _______________________________________________________
>
> "Mark L. Ferguson" wrote:
>
>> They have not yet made, as far as I know, a thumb drive that remembers
>> the
>> time.
>>
>> --
>> Was this helpful? Then click the Ratings button. Voting helps the web
>> interface.
>> http://www.microsoft.com/wn3/locales/help/help_en-us.htm#RateAPostAsAnswer
>> Mark L. Ferguson
>> .
>>
>> "b11_" <b11@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:5282B5F4-6978-4207-A2FC-92EC38C739D3@microsoft.com...
>> > Why isn't thumb drive type memory, which does not need a battery, used
>> > to
>> > hold the BIOs?
>>

Re: Why isn't thumb drive type memory used to hold the BIOs? by Gary

Gary
Thu Apr 03 20:08:25 PDT 2008

User settings are lost, so if the battery goes you just end up with the
default factory settings of the bios/motherboard.

"b11_" <b11@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:BAF574A8-8148-4A53-9B6C-A81E8813DF1A@microsoft.com...
> But I read that when the battery expires, the BIOs settings are lost!
> ____________________________________________________________
>
> "Bob Campbell" wrote:
>
>> "Mark L. Ferguson" <MarkLFerguson@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
>> message news:33156AD4-F93B-4E53-A372-D468F8CB8D29@microsoft.com...
>> > They have not yet made, as far as I know, a thumb drive that remembers
>> > the
>> > time.
>>
>> Indeed. Flash RAM is already used, the battery is needed to run the
>> clock.
>>
>>

Re: Why isn't thumb drive type memory used to hold the BIOs? by SG

SG
Thu Apr 03 21:37:00 PDT 2008

Hi,

Something you may be interested in reading........
http://www.answers.com/topic/keydrive?cat=technology

Also USB drives are already being tested to replace the Hard Drive and not
to many years from now I'd say a Hard Drive just like the Floppy will be a
thing of the past. One other thing, if you are in the market for a new Pin
Drive, Wal-Mart has the 8GB SanDisk on sale for $79.00 bucks. The first one
I owned was a 32MB by MicroVault and was $99.00, unbelievable :>)

--
All the best,
SG

Is your computer system ready for Vista?
https://winqual.microsoft.com/hcl/

"b11_" <b11@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:5282B5F4-6978-4207-A2FC-92EC38C739D3@microsoft.com...
> Why isn't thumb drive type memory, which does not need a battery, used to
> hold the BIOs?


Re: Why isn't thumb drive type memory used to hold the BIOs? by KingOfChaos

KingOfChaos
Thu Apr 03 22:33:08 PDT 2008


SG;671850 Wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Something you may be interested in reading........
> 'USB flash drive: Information and Much More from Answers.com'
> (http://www.answers.com/topic/keydrive?cat=technology)
>
> Also USB drives are already being tested to replace the Hard Drive and
> not
> to many years from now I'd say a Hard Drive just like the Floppy will
> be a
> thing of the past. One other thing, if you are in the market for a new
> Pin
> Drive, Wal-Mart has the 8GB SanDisk on sale for $79.00 bucks. The first
> one
> I owned was a 32MB by MicroVault and was $99.00, unbelievable :>)
>
> --
> All the best,
> SG
>
> Is your computer system ready for Vista?
> https://winqual.microsoft.com/hcl/
>
> "b11_" <b11@xxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:5282B5F4-6978-4207-A2FC-92EC38C739D3@xxxxxx> > >
> > > Why isn't thumb drive type memory, which does not need a battery,
> > used to
> > > hold the BIOs? > >

I believe Toshiba and HP are both planning systems within the next year
that contain solid state drives rather than rotary hard drives.

They'll definitely be faster, that's for sure.


--
KingOfChaos

Re: Why isn't thumb drive type memory used to hold the BIOs? by SG

SG
Thu Apr 03 23:17:04 PDT 2008

Let's hope so as the current Hard Drives have been the bottleneck for system
speed for quite some time now. I'll be to old to see it most likely, but
some day a computer will be like a TV, you turn it on and Boom it's ready to
go. BTW, don't know how old you are or if you believe in Here & After, but
if you are young enough and you do believe, then have one of these new
systems ready for me cause that's what I'll be here after :>)

--
All the best,
SG

Is your computer system ready for Vista?
https://winqual.microsoft.com/hcl/

"KingOfChaos" <KingOfChaos.37bvp4@no-mx.forums.net> wrote in message
news:KingOfChaos.37bvp4@no-mx.forums.net...
>
> SG;671850 Wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> Something you may be interested in reading........
>> 'USB flash drive: Information and Much More from Answers.com'
>> (http://www.answers.com/topic/keydrive?cat=technology)
>>
>> Also USB drives are already being tested to replace the Hard Drive and
>> not
>> to many years from now I'd say a Hard Drive just like the Floppy will
>> be a
>> thing of the past. One other thing, if you are in the market for a new
>> Pin
>> Drive, Wal-Mart has the 8GB SanDisk on sale for $79.00 bucks. The first
>> one
>> I owned was a 32MB by MicroVault and was $99.00, unbelievable :>)
>>
>> --
>> All the best,
>> SG
>>
>> Is your computer system ready for Vista?
>> https://winqual.microsoft.com/hcl/
>>
>> "b11_" <b11@xxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:5282B5F4-6978-4207-A2FC-92EC38C739D3@xxxxxx> > >
>> > > Why isn't thumb drive type memory, which does not need a battery,
>> > used to
>> > > hold the BIOs? > >
>
> I believe Toshiba and HP are both planning systems within the next year
> that contain solid state drives rather than rotary hard drives.
>
> They'll definitely be faster, that's for sure.
>
>
> --
> KingOfChaos


Re: Why isn't thumb drive type memory used to hold the BIOs? by Gary

Gary
Fri Apr 04 01:21:10 PDT 2008

By the way, EFI will soon be replacing BIOS. You can use your favorite
search engine if you want to learn more.

"b11_" <b11@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:5282B5F4-6978-4207-A2FC-92EC38C739D3@microsoft.com...
> Why isn't thumb drive type memory, which does not need a battery, used to
> hold the BIOs?


Re: Why isn't thumb drive type memory used to hold the BIOs? by SG

SG
Fri Apr 04 03:28:54 PDT 2008

Hi Gary,

I saw gateway has already tried this on a system in 2005 and it doesn't
appear to be implemented as a standard yet. Do you have a few sites that
gives more update info on this? One would think 3 years have past and not
many have picked this up yet. I saw where Phoenix says they were in no hurry
at all so it doesn't look like anyone is in a rush to change anything.

--
All the best,
SG

Is your computer system ready for Vista?
https://winqual.microsoft.com/hcl/

"Gary Mount" <gary_mount@telus.net> wrote in message
news:OdZAgzilIHA.4244@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> By the way, EFI will soon be replacing BIOS. You can use your favorite
> search engine if you want to learn more.
>
> "b11_" <b11@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:5282B5F4-6978-4207-A2FC-92EC38C739D3@microsoft.com...
>> Why isn't thumb drive type memory, which does not need a battery, used to
>> hold the BIOs?
>


Re: Why isn't thumb drive type memory used to hold the BIOs? by RalfG

RalfG
Fri Apr 04 06:32:47 PDT 2008

Twenty some-odd years ago there were already computers that came with the OS
on ROM, or PROM. Quick booting relative to the others but a bit difficult to
update or upgrade. That would have been one or another version of DOS at the
time, TRSDOS comes to mind and IIRC Wang had their own proprietary OS on
ROM, with MSDOS emulation. Ah the nostalgia... upgrading to 640k RAM could
cost you $10. per 2k chip and a big 30MB harddrive could set you back $400
or more. :-)

"SG" <sorry@nomail.com> wrote in message
news:OCfPxthlIHA.1768@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Let's hope so as the current Hard Drives have been the bottleneck for
> system speed for quite some time now. I'll be to old to see it most
> likely, but some day a computer will be like a TV, you turn it on and Boom
> it's ready to go. BTW, don't know how old you are or if you believe in
> Here & After, but if you are young enough and you do believe, then have
> one of these new systems ready for me cause that's what I'll be here after
> :>)
>
> --
> All the best,
> SG
>
> Is your computer system ready for Vista?
> https://winqual.microsoft.com/hcl/
>
> "KingOfChaos" <KingOfChaos.37bvp4@no-mx.forums.net> wrote in message
> news:KingOfChaos.37bvp4@no-mx.forums.net...
>>
>> SG;671850 Wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> Something you may be interested in reading........
>>> 'USB flash drive: Information and Much More from Answers.com'
>>> (http://www.answers.com/topic/keydrive?cat=technology)
>>>
>>> Also USB drives are already being tested to replace the Hard Drive and
>>> not
>>> to many years from now I'd say a Hard Drive just like the Floppy will
>>> be a
>>> thing of the past. One other thing, if you are in the market for a new
>>> Pin
>>> Drive, Wal-Mart has the 8GB SanDisk on sale for $79.00 bucks. The first
>>> one
>>> I owned was a 32MB by MicroVault and was $99.00, unbelievable :>)
>>>
>>> --
>>> All the best,
>>> SG
>>>
>>> Is your computer system ready for Vista?
>>> https://winqual.microsoft.com/hcl/
>>>
>>> "b11_" <b11@xxxxxx> wrote in message
>>> news:5282B5F4-6978-4207-A2FC-92EC38C739D3@xxxxxx> > >
>>> > > Why isn't thumb drive type memory, which does not need a battery,
>>> > used to
>>> > > hold the BIOs? > >
>>
>> I believe Toshiba and HP are both planning systems within the next year
>> that contain solid state drives rather than rotary hard drives.
>>
>> They'll definitely be faster, that's for sure.
>>
>>
>> --
>> KingOfChaos
>


Re: Why isn't thumb drive type memory used to hold the BIOs? by wrat

wrat
Fri Apr 04 09:28:34 PDT 2008


Did anyone ever answer this?

It's because CMOS memory is a) very low power and b) so cheap
it's basically free. A 2GB piece of flash is still a coupe of bucks,
multiplied by however many hundred thousand motherboards you're making.


Re: Why isn't thumb drive type memory used to hold the BIOs? by b11

b11
Mon Apr 07 15:49:02 PDT 2008

So the battery keeps the time and keeps the BIOS settings in memory. Have I
got that correct?
_______________________________________________________________

"Gary Mount" wrote:

> User settings are lost, so if the battery goes you just end up with the
> default factory settings of the bios/motherboard.
>
> "b11_" <b11@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:BAF574A8-8148-4A53-9B6C-A81E8813DF1A@microsoft.com...
> > But I read that when the battery expires, the BIOs settings are lost!
> > ____________________________________________________________
> >
> > "Bob Campbell" wrote:
> >
> >> "Mark L. Ferguson" <MarkLFerguson@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
> >> message news:33156AD4-F93B-4E53-A372-D468F8CB8D29@microsoft.com...
> >> > They have not yet made, as far as I know, a thumb drive that remembers
> >> > the
> >> > time.
> >>
> >> Indeed. Flash RAM is already used, the battery is needed to run the
> >> clock.
> >>
> >>
>