Windows 10 May 2019 Update Requires at Least 32 GB Disk Space for New Devices

[The AchieVer]

Windows 10 May 2019 Update Requires at Least 32 GB Disk Space for New Devices 

 

Microsoft will require OEMs to fit at least 32GB of storage space on their devices launching with Windows 10 May 2019 Update.

 

The change, which was published on the official Minimum Hardware Requirements page (via German site DeskModder) indicates that 32GB or great is now required for both 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows 10.

Previously, the storage size requirements for devices that launched with Windows 10 version 1809 and older were at least 16GB for the 32-bit operating system and 20GB for 64-bit.

Devices powered by Windows 10 IoT Enterprise version 1903 and older still require at least 16GB on a 32-bit configuration and 20GB on 64-bit.

The rest of the system requirements are unchanged from the previous Windows 10 versions. The lowest resolution for Windows 10 devices continues to be 800x600 with a depth of 32 bits, as per Microsoft’s documents.

 

Welcome upgrade

 

The storage upgrade is, without a doubt, welcome for Windows 10 users, as the original 16GB threshold caused particular struggles when trying to update devices, especially considering that this storage space was also supposed be used for personal files and applications.

However, beginning with the May update, Microsoft tries to improve this experience by requiring OEMs to offer more storage space by default, though it remains to be seen if this could also cause a small price hike or not.

Windows 10 May 2019 Update has already reached the RTM build, and Microsoft recently released it to users in Release Preview ring of the Windows Insider program.

Scheduled to go live for production devices in late May, the new update will stay in the Release Preview ring for approximately one month, during which Microsoft will roll out a series of cumulative update to resolve the latest bugs and further refine its performance.

 

 

Source

[Sandman]

Yes, they need more storage space to put bloatware and crap. And that bloatware will slow our devices, so we go and buy a new once. Nothing new.

[Karlston]

Systems with small disks won’t be able to install Windows 10 May 2019 update

Both 32- and 64-bit requirements have been increased.

Enlarge

Alpha Six

Traditionally, Microsoft would use the release of a new operating system to bump the minimum hardware requirements that the software needs. With Windows 10 being the "last" version of Windows, Microsoft is using the major updates to bump specs. The May 2019 update, version 1903, takes the opportunity to do just this.

 

Previously, 32-bit Windows had a minimum storage requirement of 16GB, and 64-bit Windows needed 20GB. Both of these were extremely tight, leaving little breathing room for actual software, but technically this was enough space for everything to work. That minimum has now been bumped up: it's 32GB for both 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows.

 

Part of this growth may be due to a new behavior that Microsoft is introducing with version 1903. To ensure that future updates install without difficulty, 7GB of disk space are permanently reserved for the install process. While this will avoid out-of-disk errors when updating, it represents a substantial reduction in usable space on these low-storage systems.

 

If your system can't be upgraded, it'll be stuck with version 1809 for the remainder of its supported life; that's currently set to expire on May 12 2020 for Home, Pro, and Pro for Workstations editions, and May 11, 2021 for Enterprise and Education editions. Version 1809 also has a long-term servicing channel counterpart, which will receive bug fixes and security updates until January 9, 2024 and security fixes until January 9, 2029. It would be nice if Microsoft offered these fixes to hardware that's left abandoned by a feature update, but we wouldn't hold our breath.

 

The new disk requirements also don't apply to the Windows 10 IoT edition. This version should have a smaller disk footprint in general, so should have more breathing room for future updates. There's also no change for Windows Server's hardware requirements; that version of Windows already required a minimum of 32GB disk space.

 

Source: Systems with small disks won’t be able to install Windows 10 May 2019 update (Ars Technica)