(Image credit: RapidEye via Getty Images)
Remember when the prevailing wisdom of consumer tech was ‘smaller is better’? And then it turned out there was such a thing as *too *small, as we kept losing our toasty-but-tiny-tech? Confronted with the bloat of today’s Windows install, I do wish certain software peddlers had committed to a similar philosophy of ‘less is more.’ Pleasingly then, one tech tinkerer has pushed Windows 7 to its Lilliputian limits.
X user @XenoPanther shared a 69 MB version of Windows 7 x86 that just about boots (via The Register). Created more just to see if they could rather than as an actually usable OS, [@XenoPanther writes](h…
(Image credit: RapidEye via Getty Images)
Remember when the prevailing wisdom of consumer tech was ‘smaller is better’? And then it turned out there was such a thing as *too *small, as we kept losing our toasty-but-tiny-tech? Confronted with the bloat of today’s Windows install, I do wish certain software peddlers had committed to a similar philosophy of ‘less is more.’ Pleasingly then, one tech tinkerer has pushed Windows 7 to its Lilliputian limits.
X user @XenoPanther shared a 69 MB version of Windows 7 x86 that just about boots (via The Register). Created more just to see if they could rather than as an actually usable OS, @XenoPanther writes, “Virtually nothing can run due to critical missing files such as common dialog boxes and common controls.”
I have released a 69.0MB version of Windows 7 x86. You will need to provide your own system files to get even some of the most basic programs running. File list: https://t.co/xAqTob4uPxDownload: https://t.co/v5CdxtRZre pic.twitter.com/8GcQjRDcjnOctober 29, 2025
For instance, if you’re not yet ready to say so long to an underpowered Windows 10 machine that doesn’t quite measure up to the new OS’s system requirements, there’s always Rufus. This free tool not only allows you to deftly sidestep a lot of Windows 11’s installation shenanigans, but it can even be used to pivot into a Linux install.
Anyone waiting on a SteamOS install for their rig should read Josh’s recent feature about his time with Bazzite on his gaming desktop. However, as Jacob unfortunately found out for himself at this year’s Gamescom, Linux is definitely not for everybody either (even if some mad lad does manage to get it running on a processor from 1971). But, with continued Windows 10 security updates coming with strings attached, now may be the time to explore other OS avenues.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Jess has been writing about games for over ten years, spending the last seven working on print publications PLAY and Official PlayStation Magazine. When she’s not writing about all things hardware here, she’s getting cosy with a horror classic, ranting about a cult hit to a captive audience, or tinkering with some tabletop nonsense.