Here's How Microsoft is Shrinking Windows 10's Footprint

A leaner OS

When Windows 10 launches in its final form to the public later this year, it will come with a smaller footprint than what you might be used to. That's because Microsoft is making a concerted effort to reduce the storage space necessary for a Windows 10 device, and there are two ways the Redmond is going about it -- compression and recovery enhancements. Microsoft explains both in a blog post.

Using what Microsoft says is an efficient algorithm, Windows is better able to compress system files in current builds. This method alone gives back around 1.5GB of storage for 32-bit and 2.6GB for 64-bit Windows installs. In addition, Phones running Windows 10 will also make use of the same efficient compression algorithm, though Microsoft didn't say what the net savings would be.

The second way Microsoft is cutting back on storage use is by redesigning Windows' Refresh and Reset functions so that a separate recovery image -- the kind that's often installed by OEMs -- is no longer needed to restore Windows to a squeaky clean state. According to Microsoft, this can save anywhere from 4GB to 12GB, depending on the make and model.

There's a caveat to the compression scheme. Microsoft says it will only be done if the hit on resources and subsequent performance impact won't be noticeable by humans.

"One important factor is the amount of memory (RAM) a device has. The amount of RAM a device has determines how often it retrieves system files from storage. Another important factor is how quickly a device’s CPUs can run the decompression algorithm when retrieving system files. By considering these and other important factors, Windows is able to assess if a device can use compression without reducing human-perceivable responsiveness," Microsoft says.

Why bother? The main reason for all this is to ensure that Windows can fit on low storage devices, and fit while still giving the user some storage space of his or her own to play with.

You can read more about Microsoft's methods here.

Image Credit: Flickr (Yutaka Tsutano)

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