Hi Chris,
Thank you so much for your input. We need more of this kind of input since it lets us improve upon them. Can I please suggest that you send us that feedback at http://digital.ni.com/applications/psc.nsf/default?OpenForm&temp1=&node= . All these suggestions are reviewed by the appropriate engineers for feasibility. And the more requests we get for features, the more we consider enabling them.
As you probably found out, the RT operating system is not bootable from a USB flash drive or a bootable CD. It seems like you have one of our controllers that doesn't have a floppy drive (PXI-818x series). If that is the case, you can easily change the booted OS by going through the BIOS. Also, there is an external jumper that allows you to boot into the RT OS.
I hope you fill out a feedback form so we can add your request to our list. In the meantime, consider the above solutions.
Sorry for any inconvenience. Thanks!
Anu Saha
Academic Product Marketing Engineer
National Instruments