OEMs Under Pressure from Microsoft to Stop Use of HDDs as Boot Drives from 2023

[btarunr]

PC OEMs have revealed to market intelligence firm Trendfocus that Microsoft wants them to stop the use of hard-disk drives (HDDs, or mechanical hard-drives) as the main boot device in products powered by Windows 11, from 2023. It's not known how the company will go about enforcing this. One theory holds that it may amend the Minimum System Requirements for the operating system to specify a flash-based storage device, such as an SSD. If push comes to shove, the OS could even refuse to deploy on a machine with an HDD as the boot device.

What's also not known is how this affects SSHDs (hard drives with tiny flash-based storage media and an access-based data-juggling mechanism). Microsoft's decision should come as a boon for entry-level notebook and desktop buyers; as this segment sees OEMs use HDDs as the boot device, the most. There could be a push toward at least DRAMless QLC SSDs, or even single-chip SSDs. Regardless, it's clear that 2.5-inch HDDs are on their way out of the industry. HDD as a technology may still exist in the 3.5-inch form-factor, as they are in high demand from the data-center and surveillance markets as cold storage devices.



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[FreedomEclipse]

I mean. Im sure SSD manufacturers could make a really really cheap ass SSD that performs somewhat on the level of a hard drive for absolute peanuts.

Make it an OEM only part.

 

[ARF]

I mean. Im sure SSD manufacturers could make a really really cheap ass SSD that performs somewhat on the level of a hard drive for absolute peanuts.

Make it an OEM only part.

There are such. USB sticks 256 GB 90MB/s for 20 euro

 

[Chaitanya]

Sure when you can get cheap QLC ssds that are just as slow as hdds so for entry level models overall user experience wont be any different. Majority of mid range laptops already come with excellent SSDs so industry as a whole has moved away from HDDs.

 

[Kenjiro]

No wonder, Windows 10 on HDD is crawling, boot takes ages and work is even worse. Windows 11 on HDD is crawling^2.

 

[ARF]

The OEMs can even order the board partners to solder some SSDs on the motherboards. 20 euros for 256 GB 90MB/s can be such a solution..

 

[robert3892]

What about NAS drives? A majority of those HDDs.

 

[dj-electric]

What about NAS drives? A majority of those HDDs.

Hence "as boot drives".

 

[Deleted member 185088]

I mean. Im sure SSD manufacturers could make a really really cheap ass SSD that performs somewhat on the level of a hard drive for absolute peanuts.

Make it an OEM only part.

That is interesting, SSDs are pretty expensive and don't seem to go lower than around 100€ per tb, even when comparing good SSDs with TLC with DRAM to rubbish DRAMless QLC the different isn't that high. It seems they are milking us.

 

[P4-630]

A good thing. Really, who want's a slow spinner as OS drive these days.....

I think (almost?)all consumer OEM computers sold in Europe already have an SSD for the OS.

 

[R-T-B]

I mean. Im sure SSD manufacturers could make a really really cheap ass SSD that performs somewhat on the level of a hard drive for absolute peanuts.

Make it an OEM only part.

QLC is about as cheap as it gets without reliability becoming peanut.

 

[Bubster]

Is there anybody left that still uses HDD as boot drive???!!! I know i haven't for 10 years now.

 

[mechtech]

Maybe MS should design an os to boot in 30s on a 5400rpm laptop hdd.

 

[mashie]

Last time I had a spinning boot drive was in 2009. About time to make everyone use SSD's going forward.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Hence "as boot drives".

Most NAS appliances boot from HDD, but they also don't run Windows so...

 

[Chrispy_]

I'd rather use eMMC over a hard drive, and that's surely cheaper for OEMs too, right?

 

[onemanhitsquad]

"Make everyone..."

Hahaha...I will start using them again to see if someone can "make" me stop.

 

[zlobby]

A good thing. Really, who want's a slow spinner as OS drive these days.....

I think (almost?)all consumer OEM computers sold in Europe already have an SSD for the OS.

I do. I order my customizable laptops with cheap spinners and then swap them with SSD. Reason for that is OEM are pricing their SSD options with 100-200% markup on the drives. Yeah, no, thanks!

 

[dj-electric]

Regarding the whole "just make SATA SSDs using lower grade \ speed controllers" part.

Essentially, this boils down to supply and demand, to manufecturing volume. These things are now shifting, especially with M.2 form factor gaining very fat traction in laptops, in gaming consoles too.
I'm afraid the market might not be able to "afford" slow SATA based controllers with slow and high capacity NAND to go with it, as demand for quick parts is at all-time high, and that's what the NAND fabricators decide to make, as well as the controller manufecturers and designers.

What can happen is that you get drives similar to the SN770, where innovation beats common perception of what an SSD can do. of Algorithms and smart design beating the need for DRAM to retain performance on high levels. This is where I would also tell SSD enthusaists to wait and see how WD's new technology for smarter caching, as well as operating system's way of smarter caching APIs will come handy. These tools will save costs for high capacity SSDs in the future.

 

[Prima.Vera]

Problem is the SSDs have stagnated in price and size for a couple of years now...

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

Great idea, the time when I don't have to ever wait for a HDD startup can't come soon enough.

 

[kapone32]

They are only talking about your OS drive. There is no reason to have a HDD as your boot drive. You can still get 128 or 256 GB SATA drives on the cheap so I see them giving you 2 drives anyway with an HDD.

 

[Tomorrow]

I mean. Im sure SSD manufacturers could make a really really cheap ass SSD that performs somewhat on the level of a hard drive for absolute peanuts.

Make it an OEM only part.

It's called QLC (when paired with DRAM-less controller on very small pseudo-SLC cache).
This combination can "achieve" HDD speeds.

But i replaced last HDD's years ago with ultra cheap 128-256GB SATA SSD's that cost less than 30€ back then for my relatives. Some of those models even had some DRAM cache.
Currently i see 120GB TLC based SATA SSD starting from 15€ a piece an i even have surplus of old SATA SSD's that i could give away for free as they don't cost much considering new cost 15€. Im sure many people have these laying around.

MS should have enforced this when Win11 came out not years later. I mean they forced a lot more restrictive TPM from the start and are starting to enforce MS account more heavily now.

 

[shk021051]

os on hdd is pain in the ass

 

[Tomorrow]

os on hdd is pain in the ass

Always has been. Well maybe not XP on WD Raptor but Vista and newer was dog slow on HDD.