Users slammed the Microsoft Surface tablet over the glaring disk space consumption issue. They believed that the device’s operating system, an ARM-compatible version of Windows called Windows RT, consumed a little more than half of the onboard storage space available on the 32GB model, leaving only 15GB for files and application data. The situation was not very different from the 64GB model. Maximum 45GB was allotted! Consequently, an interesting disk space-saving technique WIMBoot – a new deployment option, has been introduced.
Windows Image Boot (WIMBoot) explained
If Windows is deployed using this new technique on a device with a 16GB or 32GB SSD or eMMC storage, Microsoft says it would leave over 12GB of free space. Earlier installation methods resulted in just 7GB of user-free space. The new deployment option, available for UEFI systems, called Windows Image Boot (or WIMBoot), follows a different approach than traditional Windows installations.
WIMBoot is a full set of OS files that come installed on a special partition on the storage device and compressed. Any user mulling over the idea of shrinking Windows down to size, enough for an OS to consume a moderate amount of storage on tablets, should find the WIMBoot option viable.
Unlike archaic installation processes that extract compressed Windows files from an image (WIM), WIMBoot keeps them compressed, but when accessed, files are readily uncompressed. Since the .WIM install file is Read-only, it can also be used as a ‘factory-fresh’ restore the image. Before that, the operating system must be installed manually and is not yet supported by Microsoft’s deployment tools such as WDS, MDT, and System Center Configuration Manager.
The installation makes it mandatory for users to copy the WIM file to a separate “images” partition (just as you would for a Recovery image), then use DISM to create pointer files from the standard C: operating system volume into the WIM file. Windows knows how to boot the operating system (keeping all the files in the WIM) when configured in this setup. Here’s a screenshot showing you how the disc looks like behind the scenes.
Thus, a user can see how much storage space the OS consumes, leaving the rest for apps and data. As expected, devices with WIMBoot incur a performance hit. Hence, it targets only new computers with small SSDs or eMMC-based hard drives.
Overall, you can get a full version of the OS while still having room for installing apps and other programs.
WIMBoot vs. Standard Install
| Feature | Standard Install | WIMBoot |
|---|---|---|
| Disk Space Usage | High (full extraction) | Low (compressed pointers) |
| Boot Speed | Normal | Comparable, sometimes faster |
| Updates Handling | Straightforward | Can expand files, reducing savings |
| Best Use Case | PCs with ample storage | Low-storage devices, WinPE boot |
This post shows how to compact Windows or Turn off Compact OS feature.
