Data Backup Digest

There are many different tablets to choose from nowadays, from all the big technology manufacturers. While if you’re buying an Apple device then it’s going to be locked to iOS, other tablets can come with Microsoft’s Windows operating system.

The hardware inside a Windows tablet isn’t dissimilar to what you’ll find in an ultrabook, but there is a difference in the storage space. The majority of Windows tablets only come with 64 or 128GB of storage space, which isn’t a whole lot in the scheme of things – data continues to get larger thanks to things such as higher quality encoding, meaning those hard drives will soon fill up.

Plus you don’t actually get that amount of storage right off the bat, since 30GB needs to be deducted to actually hold the operating system in the first place. Luckily, there are some tips and methods you can use to make the most of your storage and expand what’s available.

First of all, you can disable certain functionality that comes preinstalled with the operating system in order to reduce the disk space it consumes. Perform a search on your system on your tablet for ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ and select the result. This will open up a window that allows you to see a whole list of features that can be disabled, including Tablet PC Components, Gadgets, Print Services, Windows Search, and more.

Bear in mind that you’ll probably use a lot of these features quite often, so don’t disable everything for the sake of it. It isn’t worth decreasing your tablet’s functionality just for some space. However, if you’re never going to make use of the feature then it’s fine to disable it.

Secondly, believe it or not, the hibernate feature of Windows actually uses up storage space. This is because everything that is stored in your RAM is transferred to your hard drive when the system enters hibernation. That amount of data varies on your RAM, which will usually be between 2 and 4GB. Claim back that space by disabling hibernation by using Microsoft’s handy Fix It download tool.

Those suggestions involve removing functionality, but what if you want to keep your tablet exactly as it is? Fear not, for there are methods to expand the storage limit. Many tablets include SD card slots, which is a great way of quickly expanding your storage in a portable method. SD cards are relatively cheap and can more than double the size of your tablet’s drive. Bear in mind, though, that SD cards won’t be as quick as internal solid state drives.

Another method for expanding storage is to use the cloud. Many firms offer their own cloud storage service, including Microsoft. OneDrive allows you to get 15GB of free cloud storage when signing up, with more available for a fee. Although this comes with the restrictions of the cloud – dependant on internet connection, speed and transfer limits – it can be a quick fix to bulking out your tablet’s storage.

Tablet storage may not be enough for your needs, but there is a good amount of different ways that you can get expanding for relatively little cost.