Microsoft Not Cool With Hybrid Storage Netbooks

By Marcus Yam
published

Microsoft isn't too keen on SSDs and HDDs living under the same roof.

Some of the first mainstream computers to incorporate SSD technology were early netbooks. The durable and speedy nature of solid-state storage made them ideal for the application.

Now a couple of new models of netbooks have learned the trick of using an SSD for your startup and OS drive to take advantage of the speed and then using a traditional HDD for the less demanding storage. It’s a set up that many of us would like to have in all our computers, not just our laptops.

Unfortunately, Microsoft isn’t so taken with the idea for netbooks and is disallowing the bundling of Windows XP with ‘hybrid’ storage netbooks, according to Bit-tech. Microsoft setting hardware limitations for netbooks allowed to pack Windows XP isn’t new.

Netbooks with Windows XP can have an SSD no larger than 16 GB or an HDD up to 160 GB. Having both at the same time, however, appears to be taboo. The only netbook affected appears to be the MSI Wind U115, which is available in various combinations of 8 GB or 16 GB for the SSD, and 120 GB or 160 GB for the HDD. Bit-tech reports that MSI must remove its Windows XP-packed hybrid netbooks by the end of this month.

Last week NEC announced its own netbook packing both a 160 GB HDD and a 16 GB SSD, which appears will now not be shipping with Windows XP.

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
30 Comments Comment from the forums
  • starhoof
    I think M$ should stick to the software, instead of slowing technical progression of computers by implementing limitiations...

    seriously why cant a notebook be more powerful ? because M$ said you cant hehe...
    Reply
  • matt2k
    oh well. no netbook for me then
    Reply
  • tenor77
    Why make computers running your OS faster? That would be crazy. I mean having Windows on a Netbook is soooooooo worthwhile anyway. Why run Linux when you can have MS dictate how you set up your computer.

    Dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb.......dumb
    Reply
  • japnoise99
    I don't see why Microsoft cares. First of all there just losing money by selling less. Second, if someone wants to put XP on a "netbook" with hybrid setup they can just use the money saved on a Linux based setup and throw it at an OEM copy to install them self's. Why would Microsoft slow the progression of technology?
    Reply
  • mindless728
    you know, this doesn't even bother me, i already have like 5 windows xp keys laying around (all legit) from being a computer science major
    Reply
  • cirdecus
    this is the most ridiculous thing. Microsoft should be sued. It doesn't seem right for them to use their Operating system as leverage to hinder the growth of the netbook industry.
    Reply
  • scook9
    I love how no one is considering that they may being doing this to protect you. Everyone seems to forget that there are a lot of optimizations that need to be made to the OS for a SSD to be noticeably faster than a HDD. I haven't used SSD so I am speculating, but wouldn't it be possible that in order to run both devices optimally, then cannot be at the same time?

    I know ill get boo'ed for supporting MS, but this could make sense to me.
    Reply
  • squatchman
    The User experience is only as responsive as the slowest piece in the machine. So even if you have a really fast drive for the operating system the overall experience will be lacking when you see the computer thrashing about for minutes while it loads your application or data. "It sure dun bootd fast tho lulz!" Not to mention that people then treat the poor experience as Microsoft's fault somehow when the hardware vendor specifically built the machine with this fault.
    Reply
  • trinix
    This is clearly not to protect the consumer. I don't mind protecting m$ or not, but they don't do this with the best interest at all. They want netbook companies to pay more money.

    In the end, if M$ has his way, netbooks will not sell with any windows anymore thanks to M$. They keep pushing limits on it and people will just ignore them and go with linux.
    Reply
  • tenor77
    Cirdecusthis is the most ridiculous thing. Microsoft should be sued. It doesn't seem right for them to use their Operating system as leverage to hinder the growth of the netbook industry.
    I seem to recall a competing company dictating what hardware you can use with their software. This is why I don't support them.

    scook9I love how no one is considering that they may being doing this to protect you. Everyone seems to forget that there are a lot of optimizations that need to be made to the OS for a SSD to be noticeably faster than a HDD. I haven't used SSD so I am speculating, but wouldn't it be possible that in order to run both devices optimally, then cannot be at the same time?I know ill get boo'ed for supporting MS, but this could make sense to me.
    How different is this than putting your system files on a 7200 RPM drive and storing excess files on an older drive? Sure the hardware is different but the concept is the same.
    Reply