Skimping on drive space means Windows 10 update woes

Whenever I get to the time of the year that a Windows 10 feature update is about to come out, I use it as a sign that I need to take stock of my computer systems. Last week I talked about how 16GB is my new bare minimum of RAM when I am purchasing any computer.

But what about the hard drive?

32 gigs? Don’t make me laugh

First off, let’s put something to rest: To Microsoft and any computer vendor that thought — or still thinks — that a computer with less than 100GB of storage is viable to run Windows, I say think again. Those notebooks that had Windows 10 squeezed onto 32GB were never serviceable. The only way you were ever able to get to the next feature release on those computers was to connect an external hard drive to the unit and install the upgrade from there.

The Asus website now has an official tech note that details out what you need to do to be able to service Windows on its 32GB eMMC system. I have personally attempted to use USB flash drives, but they do not work to install a feature release. And the installation of Windows updates tends to be slow on these units. There is barely enough room for the operating system, let alone any applications. I was unable to install Microsoft Office on the device and instead had to go with an alternative Office product.

The total inability to perform Windows servicing on 32GB devices make them unfit for use. I often find them unpatched and unable to receive any updates, let alone feature releases.

100GB? Still not enough

My workhorse notebook that I use at home is a Lenovo Carbon laptop, now several years old. I use it to remote into the office, search topics while watching Netflix, and a myriad of other uses. At the time I purchased it, I opted for only a 100GB SSD, and I have regretted that decision ever since.