Why 64 MB of ROM Pocket PCs are not upgraded to WM5

In theory, it is possible to install WM5 in a 64 of ROM Pocket PC but practically it will leave you with a few MB to install your applications and you will end complaining about it.

Lets check this screen shot taken from a X51v with WM5:





256-195.01=60.99 MB (this is actually what the OS used).
So 64 MB - 61~= 3 MB. Just the installation of PI will take half of that number.

And this is considering that your OEM is not installing anything for you. That's where the 12.84 MB are going in that Screen shot. According to some jasjar users they have uninstalled some of the applications installed by the OEM making more room in ROM. I'm assuming that we will able to get back part of these 12.84 MB as well.


The Fujitsu-Siemens has offered a WM5 upgrade for the 718/20 series. These series only have 64 MB of ROM and recently they have postponed the upgrade. Could be this the reason? In these Pocket PCs WM5 will have to be reduced and some applications like WMP could be not installed in ROM something that already have been done in other OS upgrades.


To me something is very clear from the above analyzed numbers taken from the X51v screen shot and compared with the numbers published by Jasjar owners. Even if the upgrade becomes available for owners of machines with 64 MB of ROM, these owners will be forced by the lack of free ROM to buy other Pocket PCs with more ROM very soon after the upgrade. In fact, it seems to me a bad idea to upgrade these machines.