Footprint

The size of a run-time image is called the footprint. The components that are chosen for a run-time image and their associated dependencies significantly impact the footprint. To reduce the footprint of a run-time image, add only the components that are required for a target device. A small footprint will allow a run-time image to be deployed onto hardware with memory or hard disk size restrictions. The footprint of a bootable run-time image may range from less than 5 MB to more than 300 MB.

Windows XP Embedded publishes run-time image sizes both before and after First Boot Agent (FBA) runs. The footprint is estimated for NTFS file systems.

In This Section

• Footprint Reduction Design Considerations
  Describes considerations to make when you reduce the footprint of your run-time image.
• Baseline Configurations
  Describes how to create a minimal, baseline configuration.
• Remove Unnecessary Devices to Optimize Footprint
  Describes the components you can remove from a run-time image.
• Compressing NTFS Filesystems
  Describes how to reduce footprint by compressing an NTFS file system.

Related Sections

• Design a Run-Time Image
  Describes the design phase of the development process. During this phase you can choose the components and resources required for your run-time image.

Last updated on Wednesday, October 18, 2006

© 2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.