Operating System Requirements

You must install the retail version of Windows 95 as an upgrade over an existing operating system. You can install Windows 95 over a number of different operating systems, including MS-DOS, Windows, and Windows for Workgroups. Windows 95 can also be installed over Novell® DR DOS® (or Novell DOS™), PC-DOS, and OS/2, and as a dual-boot operating system with Windows NT.

The minimum operating system software required to install Windows 95 is any of the following:

• MS-DOS version 3.2 or higher, or an equivalent version from the hardware manufacturer that supports partitions greater than 32 MB
• Windows 3.x
• Windows for Workgroups 3.1x
• Dual-boot OS/2 (with MS-DOS)
• Dual-boot Windows NT (with MS-DOS)

Tip for MS-DOS Versions and Windows 95 Setup

Windows 95 Setup attempts to install Windows 95 on a computer with an operating system version equivalent to MS-DOS 3.2 only if that version can exceed the 32-MB partition limit (such as COMPAQ® version 3.31) because the operational disk space requirements for Windows 95 can exceed the 32-MB partition limitation.

The computer must have MS-DOS version 3.2 or later. Because there are many variations of MS-DOS 3.2, Microsoft recommends you upgrade to Windows 95 from MS-DOS version 5.0 or later.

To check the MS-DOS version, type ver at the command prompt.

For information about how Windows 95 Setup treats disk partitions created under other operating systems, see "Partition Requirements" later in this chapter. For information about how Windows 95 Setup deals with the boot sector and installs files for dual-boot operation with other operating systems, see Chapter 6, "Setup Technical Discussion."