InstantGo

InstantGo (formerly Connected Standby) is a Microsoft specification for Windows 8 hardware and software that aims to bring smartphone-type power management capabilities to the PC platform, as well as increasing physical security.

Description

The specification describes a Microsoft proprietary standard for Windows 8 software and hardware that developers and hardware vendors can optionally comply with to meet user requirements for devices being able to be turned on or off instantly. The mode also allows the operating system to continue performing background tasks, such as updating content from apps. Devices must be able to turn on in less than 500 milliseconds. The hardware requirements extend to battery life, in that systems must not drain more than 5% of battery capacity while idle over a 16-hour period.

It requires the following:

• A firmware flag indicating support for the standard
• The boot volume must not use a rotational disk
• Support for NDIS 6.30 by all network devices
• Passive cooling on standby

There are additional security-specific requirements, for example for memory to be soldered to the motherboard to prevent cold boot attack vectors that involve removing memory from the machine, as well as support for Secure Boot.

On Windows 8.1, supporting InstantGo and having a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 chip will allow the device to use a passive device encryption system.

Limitations

Systems that support this specification are incapable of booting legacy BIOS operating systems. PCs with Connected Standby also cannot manually enter the Sleep and Hibernate power states.

See also

• Trusted Computing Group
• Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
• Advanced Configuration and Power Interface