Microsoft Windows 8 adds support for Fast Boot (previously known as hybrid boot); with the release of Windows 10, this is now known as Fast Startup.

Fast Boot/Fast Startup is a way for the operating system to boot very quickly. It does this by hibernating the operating system (instead of shutting down) with no users logged in and no user applications running (in other words it hibernates the operating system with the bare minimal services and drivers running). When the operating system is switched back on, a relatively small hibernation file is loaded up to allow system operation to commence where it left off; this is much faster than loading up the operating system from scratch and having to load all the drivers and start services.

Fast Boot/Fast Startup is not supported with DE/EEPC. A number of DE/EEPC features are impacted if Fast Boot/Fast Startup is enabled.

Because Single Sign On (SSO) is effectively a resume from hibernate, Fast Boot/Fast Startup is also not supported with SSO. Customers who wish to use SSO must ensure that Fast Boot/Fast Startup is disabled in the Windows system configuration.

Samples of documented issues where Fast Boot / Fast Startup needed to be disabled to resolve various conflicts:

• KB86961 - On-Screen Keyboard fails during preboot authentication on a Hewlett Packard Elite x2 1012 G1
• KB82878 - On Screen Keyboard fails during preboot authentication on HP EliteBook Revolve 810 G2
• KB86363 - Client always shows the System State as Inactive (on HP Spectre x360 convertible systems)