In a nod to the proliferation of machines with small internal SSDs, including models like the HP Stream 11 and 13 that start at just 32GB, Microsoft is taking aim at Windows 10 space requirements. In a blog post, Microsoft confirmed that it will be addressing the space issue two different ways: by employing more of an existing data compression scheme called WIMBOOT (for Windows Image Boot), and by removing the requirement for a recovery image, thanks to enhancements in the recovery procedure.
Microsoft is claiming that the new compression system recovers 2.6GB of space on a typical 64-bit PC. Combine that with a Windows Refresh and Reset redesign, the savings on a given device can be anywhere from 4GB to 12GB. The company also said that Phones will make use of the compression scheme; they never needed a full-blown recovery image to begin with, so the savings will be smaller there.
Let’s unpack this a bit further. The compression scheme’s overall performance will depend on the RAM and CPU; Microsoft claims that the system will eye whether compressing any given file will impact “human-perceivable responsiveness.” What’s interesting here is that the system will also apply it to apps, though apparently only those downloaded or purchased from the store, i.e. not third-party apps or games.
The lack of a recovery image is more troubling. Here’s what Microsoft says: “Without a separate recovery image, the Refresh and Reset functionalities will instead rebuild the operating system in place using runtime system files. Not only does this take up less disk space, it also means you will not have a lengthy list of operating system updates to reinstall after recovering your device.” Microsoft goes on to say that you can still create backup recovery media for a severe crash.
WIMBOOT isn’t actually new; Windows 8.1 Update used it to a much smaller degree, but Windows 10 will use it system-wide. The only other problem at this point is that devices with smaller 16GB and 32GB partitions running Windows 8.1 wont be able to upgrade to Windows 10, at least not straight up, because the system needs both operating systems present in full in order to complete the upgrade — plus the install image for Windows 10. Microsoft says it’s evaluating a couple of methods to pull this off safely and effectively in the future.
To anyone who remembers MS-DOS 6.0 and DoubleSpace, it’s like we’re coming home again. For a while, it seemed like storage had become so inexpensive that we’d never hear much about data compression anymore. Alas, the lure of SSDs — unbelievable speed and reliability with no moving parts — has proven too great to resist, so we once again find ourselves staring at data compression while disk sizes remain small. At least now it’s automatic, and presumably more reliable. Here’s hoping that the resulting performance hit really is low enough that we won’t notice it.
If you haven’t tried it yet and have a spare machine or hard drive ready to go, you can download the current Windows 10 Technical Preview ISO and give it a shot.
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Microsoft cutting space requirements for Windows 10
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