I have received a response from MSI again. I do like the swiftness of their email responses, even if the responses are a bit cryptic.
Me: Please advise me as to whether this motherboard: http://us.msi.com/product/mb/H87-G43.html#/?div=Overview 1. allows Secure Boot to be disabled and 2. whether it allows CSM mode to be enabled and 3. whether it is "Connected-standby" compliant. MSI tech: Default is disabled but can be enabled, default is CSM mode (UEFI + Legacy) but can be switched to pure UEFI mode. Connected-standby is required by Windows 8. The board has Windows 8 configuration that will do all of the above if you are going to do Win8 deployment. Am I nuts, or does this answer seem to be the complete opposite of the previous answer? According to this answer the board seems to be what I want. In a message yesterday, Charles Kroeger mentioned that part of "Connected-standby" was an inability to enable CSM. This answer suggests the board can do either. Can Charles Kroeger give a source for his information? "With the release of Windows 8 in October 2012, Microsoft's certification requirements now require that computers include firmware that implements the UEFI specification. Furthermore, if the computer supports the "Connected Standby" feature of Windows 8, then the firmware is not permitted to contain a Compatibility Support Module (CSM). As such, systems that support Connected Standby are incapable of booting Legacy BIOS operating systems"
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