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Developer boots Windows 11 on 128MB RAM, a fraction of minimum

By PulseAugur Editorial · [1 sources] ·

A developer known as NTDEV has successfully booted Windows 11 26H2 on a system with only 128MB of RAM, a fraction of the 4GB minimum recommended by Microsoft. Despite the severe memory limitation, the stripped-down installation allows access to the desktop, File Explorer, and basic applications like Notepad. This achievement builds on previous experiments by NTDEV, including running Windows 11 with 176MB of RAM and creating a Windows 11 ISO file small enough to fit on a CD-ROM. While these are impressive technical demonstrations, they are not practical alternatives to a standard Windows installation due to significant performance and functionality trade-offs. AI

IMPACT Minimal direct impact on AI operations; showcases OS optimization potential.

RANK_REASON Demonstration of running an OS with significantly reduced hardware requirements, akin to a technical research milestone. [lever_c_demoted from research: ic=1 ai=0.1]

Read on Tom's Hardware →

AI-generated summary · Google Gemini · from 1 sources. How we write summaries →

Developer boots Windows 11 on 128MB RAM, a fraction of minimum

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4 / 100
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Tool
Demonstration of running an OS with significantly reduced hardware requirements, akin to a technical research milestone. [lever_c_demoted from research: ic=1 ai=0.1]
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Only one publisher covered this so far. Single-source stories can still rank when the publisher is high-authority, but they lack cross-source corroboration.
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Low
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Breaking (< 6h)
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COVERAGE [1]

  1. Tom's Hardware TIER_1 English(EN) · Kunal Khullar ·

    Developer manages to run Windows 11 26H2 with just 128MB of RAM, just 3.1% of recommended minimum — stripped-down installation can access Desktop, File Explorer, and Notepad

    The developer's latest experiment takes Windows 11's hardware requirements to an extreme, managing to retain basic desktop functionality with just 128MB of memory, although the resulting installation is far too slow for everyday use.

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