Viewing Windows 7 from the Windows Boot Manager Windows 7 = NT 6.1

Microsoft's next-generation desktop operating system has been officially named Windows 7. However, this 7 does not mean that the core version of Windows 7 has been upgraded from Windows Vista NT 6 to NT 7, but only on behalf of Windows 7 is Microsoft's official release of desktop Windows seventh generation. The real core version number of Windows 7 is just NT 6.1. The relationship between Windows 7 and Windows Vista is like Windows XP (NT 5.1) and Windows 2000 (NT 5.0). After a long time, Windows once again played a word game with us, so that someone called Windows 7 "<RTIgt; NT 6.1=Windows very 6+1 = Windows 7”.

For a more intuitive understanding of Windows 7 = NT 6+1, look at this issue from the Windows Boot Manager level. The boot manager has always been distinguished strictly by the core version of the Windows system compared to the confusing Windows official product name. This is because when configuring multiple operating system coexistence, the highest boot manager must be responsible for managing all operating systems. The boot manager is only backward compatible and does not have upward compatibility. Therefore, the version of the boot manager must be correctly arranged in the order of high and low, but not as the official name of Windows. Otherwise, multiple operating system coexistence may not be properly configured.

For example, Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 is called NT 5.X because their boot managers are all NTLDR and BOOT.INI. When configuring Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 to coexist with each other, each operating system is managed by NTLDR and BOOT.INI. Everyone is in a flat relationship. Windows Vista/Server 2008 as NT 6.X uses the new boot manager for BOOTMGR and BCD. When configuring multiple systems with Windows Vista/Server 2008 and Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003, BOOTMGR will be fully responsible. The startup management of the computer, NTLDR will become a substitute for BOOTMGR. For example, let's assume that we have configured the coexistence of four operating systems: Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2003. The BOOTMGR boot menu does not list Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 in the boot menu. Display them as "older versions of Windows". Only Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 as NT 6.X are eligible to appear as stand-alone options in the BOOTMGR boot menu. We only have to select the "early version of Windows" option, BOOTMGR will transfer the boot control to NTLDR and automatically switch to the NTLDR menu, then you can continue to choose whether you need to start Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. In other words, the NTLDR boot menu is like a submenu of the BOOTMGR boot menu.

Now let's take a look at Windows 7. When we installed the released Windows 7 preview on a computer with Windows Vista/Server 2008, Windows 7 will add itself to the BCD. Some Windows Vista/Server 2008 implementations coexist, and the BOOTMGR boot menu will display three options for Windows 7, Windows Vista/Server 2008, and earlier versions of Windows (if available). In other words, the boot manager used by Windows 7 is still BOOTMGR and BCD, which is an equal relationship with Windows Vista/Server 2008.

If the core version of Windows 7 is called NT 7, then it should come up with a new boot manager with a higher version than BOOTMGR and BCD. This new boot manager takes over BOOTMGR and BCD. jobs. Of course, there is currently no such a boot manager in the real world, we might as well assume it as Loader v7. Then, when we install the Windows NT 7 system, Loader v7 will automatically replace BOOTMGR and BCD responsible for the startup management of the computer. Only Windows systems that conform to the NT 7.X version will be eligible to appear in the Loader v7 as a standalone option. In the menu, Windows Vista/Server 2008 will be uniformly displayed as “an earlier version of Windows” and Windows XP/Server 2003 will be displayed as “an earlier version of Windows” (of course, if there are really Loader in a few years) V7, when it is still backward compatible with Windows XP/Server 2003, I am afraid it is hard to say). Now, although Windows 7 is officially called 7, it does not come up with such a more advanced Loader v7 boot manager. It still relies on BOOTMGR and BCD, and Windows Vista/Server 2008, so the core of Windows 7 The version number is not yet eligible to be upgraded to the NT 7 level, and can only be called NT 6.1 at most.

Although Windows 7 only released a preview version, it will not be easy to say before the official release, but from the current situation that the core version number has been determined to be NT 6.1, I think Windows 7 The boot manager won't change much. It is foreseeable that in the next three to five years, our computers will use BOOTMGR and BCD for a long time. Just as Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003 can be side by side to become the NT 5.X series, Windows Vista/Server 2008 (including future R2)/Windows 7 can also be juxtaposed to form a relatively complete NT 6.X family. It is.

In fact, before the Windows 7 core version number is determined, I personally hope that Windows 7 can design a new boot manager to replace BOOTMGR and BCD, and truly become NT 7. Although the existing BOOTMGR and BCD are already very useful, one of the biggest drawbacks is that it is always based on a purely character interface, not a GUI interface that supports mouse operations. It is called Windows. Other operating systems have long been the graphical start-up manager, which has to be said to be a pity. Imagine if a graphical startup interface can appear after the power-on self-test, how easy it is to select the operating system and security mode by clicking the button, and expect NT 7 to be implemented in the future. This is only possible with third-party boot manager software such as ERD Commander.