ARCHIVED: For Microsoft Windows 95, what are the minimum system requirements?

Note: UITS recommends that you use a current version of Windows on computers connected to the Indiana University network. For more information, see For Windows computers on the IU network, why does UITS recommend Windows 2000, XP Professional, or Vista Enterprise or Ultimate? Security features on the IU network prevent Windows 95, 98, 98SE, and Me computers from authenticating to ADS, printing to some network printers in departments and campus housing, and mapping drives to other computers.

The minimum hardware requirements for Microsoft Windows 95 are:

• A personal computer with a 386DX, 20MHz or higher processor, running the MS-DOS operating system version 3.2 or later, or running Microsoft Windows version 3.0 or later, or running OS/2 version 2.0 or later

  Note: Do not install Windows 95 on a computer with a B1 (stepping) chip.

• 4MB of memory (8MB recommended)
  
  
• At least 70MB of available hard disk space for installation

  Actual requirements may vary based on features you choose to install. UITS recommends that you keep at least 10% of the drive free to reduce errors and fragmentation; therefore, on a 1GB drive, keep 100MB free.

• One 3.5" high-density disk drive or a CD-ROM drive
  
  
• VGA or higher resolution graphics card

Options, some of which are required by applications, include:

• Mouse or compatible pointing device
  
  
• Modem/fax modem
  
  
• Audio card/speakers for sound

System requirements for Windows 95-based programs may exceed the minimum system requirements described above. To get the full benefits of preemptive multitasking, you need to use 32-bit Windows-based programs, such as those products bearing the "Designed for Windows 95" logo.

Also see:

• In Windows, what is the device manager, and how can I use it?
• Where can I find driver updates for my Windows computer?