Windows 95 Installation Requirements

 Last reviewed: December 15, 1997
Article ID: Q138349
95 WINDOWS kbsetup kbref

The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 95

SUMMARY

This article lists the installation requirements for Windows 95. It also lists the difference between the amount of hard disk space required to install Windows 95 and the amount of hard disk space required to run Windows 95.

MORE INFORMATION

System requirements for installing Windows 95:

  • Personal computer with a 386DX or higher processor (486 recommended)
  • 4 megabytes (MB) of memory (8 MB recommended)
  • Typical hard disk space required to upgrade to Windows 95: 35-40 MB The actual requirement varies depending on the features you choose to install.
  • Typical hard disk space required to install Windows 95 on a clean system: 50-55 MB The actual requirement varies depending on the features you choose to install.
  • One 3.5-inch high-density floppy disk drive
  • VGA or higher resolution (256-color SVGA recommended)

To use Microsoft Exchange and The Microsoft Network:
  • 8 MB of memory
  • 20 MB of additional hard disk space
  • Modem (required for using The Microsoft Network)

Optional components:
  • Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
  • Modem or fax/modem
  • Audio card and speakers for sound

Installing Windows 95 requires more hard disk space than running Windows 95 because the Setup program creates temporary files on the hard disk during the installation process. These temporary files are removed when Setup is finished. The following tables list the amount of hard disk space required for installing and running Windows 95. These numbers may vary depending on the hardware installed in your computer and the options you choose during the installation process. Note that in the following tables the Custom option assumes that all options are selected; the other options use the default selections.

Upgrading to Windows 95: 

   Upgrade Option   Disk Space Required for Setup
   ----------------------------------------------
   Compact          40.0 MB
   Portable         43.3 MB
   Typical          44.2 MB
   Custom           71.6 MB

   Upgrade Option   Disk Space Used After Setup
   --------------------------------------------
   Compact          27 MB
   Portable         29 MB
   Typical          30 MB
   Custom           61 MB
Installing Windows 95 on a clean system: 

   Install Option   Disk Space Required for Setup
   ----------------------------------------------
   Compact          50.1 MB
   Portable         52.5 MB
   Typical          52.6 MB
   Custom           83.9 MB

   Install Option   Disk Space Used After Setup
   --------------------------------------------
   Compact          40.8 MB
   Portable         43.9 MB
   Typical          44.2 MB
   Custom           76.2 MB

KBCategory: kbsetup kbref
KBSubcategory: win95
Additional reference words: 95
Keywords : win95 kbfaq
Version : 95
Platform : WINDOWS

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Last reviewed: December 15, 1997
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