Windows 10 will use less space on both PCs and mobiles

One of the problems that Windows has historically faced when competing in segments such as cheap tablets or laptops is that requires more disk space than other alternatives from the mobile world, such as iOS or Android. This means that when comparing a tablet with Windows 8.1 versus one with Android/iOS, both with the same internal storage, the Windows device ends up offering less available space due to highest system requirements.

With Windows 10, Microsoft is trying to change this, making the operating system use much less space.For this, 2 techniques are being used. First, a better compression technology thanks to which the space used by most system components is significantly reduced. And second, innovations in recovery systems that allow to do without a recovery image in the hard drive.

In the graph above we see an example of how much space Windows 10 is able to save in the case of a computer with 32 GB storage, and 64-bit operating system.

Windows 10 for mobile will also use this new compression system, so it will probably require less space than Windows Phone 8.1

To be specific, 2.6 GB is freed up thanks to the new compression algorithms, and 4 GB thanks to being able to do without the recovery image.Best of all, Windows 10 phones will also benefit from the new compression system, meaning Windows 10 mobile will likely require less space than Windows Phone 8.1.

A recovery system that avoids reinstalling updates

Anyone who has reinstalled Windows on a PC knows that one of the biggest problems that comes with it is not so much the reinstallation of the system itself, but the tedium of spending hours reinstalling all Windows Update that have been released since the operating system was released to today.

Therefore, it is appreciated that the new Windows 10 recovery system, along with saving us space, will prevent us from having to reinstall updatesafter doing a system restore.This is because Windows will use the same system files from the main installation to run the restore. If these files have been changed by an update, the updated files will be restored.

We will still have the option to create an external recovery disk (for example, on a USB drive), so that we can have an option in case system files are badly damaged and it's impossible to restore from there.

Smart compression to avoid compromising system performance

One problem that can occur when compressing system files is reduced Windows performance due to, among other things, the need to run decompression algorithms.

Microsoft has taken this into account and will therefore have Windows 10 evaluate whether each device meets sufficient requirements (in terms of RAM and CPU) to support system file compressionWithout visibly degrading performance or response speed This assessment will be performed when upgrading to Windows 10, or when installing the system for the first time.

Microsoft also reveals that from Windows 8.1 they already used a similar compression algorithm (called WIMBOOT), but the difference is that Until then, a special installation process was required by the manufacturers to achieve the reduction in the space used. This special installation was ultimately used on only a handful of devices. With Windows 10, the compression algorithm will run automatically on all devices that don't experience performance issues due to it.

Windows for the era of small and light PCs

There is no doubt that the goal that Microsoft is pursuing with these changes is highly desirable. By making Windows use less space, it becomes more competitive in lightweight and/or cheap devices, in which, due to the little storage they include from the factory, every GB that can be returned to the user is extremely valuable to ensure a good experience.

It only remains to hope that the promises of Microsoft that file compression doesn't impact performance as it would be a shame if, along with saving us a couple of GB, we are forced to endure longer response times due to this change.

More information | Blogging Windows