System Requirements for Windows 95

The following table describes the basic hardware requirements for running Windows 95 from the hard disk of a local computer. Windows 95 is designed for computers that use Intel x86-based processors; it cannot be installed on any other processor. Windows 95 does not have symmetric multiple processor (SMP) support and, therefore, cannot take advantage of multiple processors (as Windows NT does). For information about requirements for shared installations, see Chapter 4, "Server-Based Setup for Windows 95."

Component	Windows 95 requirement
Computer	80386DX, 20 MHz (or higher) processor For installing Windows 95 to run from a local hard disk, a high-density floppy disk drive and hard disk drive are required. For installing Windows 95 as a shared installation, the computer does not need a hard disk or floppy disk drive. You cannot install Windows 95 on a 80386 computer that has a B-step processor (that is, with ID 0303).
Peripheral	Mouse or equivalent pointing device
Memory	4 MB of RAM (minimum); 8 MB (recommended)
Video display	VGA (minimum); Super VGA (recommended)
Disk space	20 MB of free hard-disk space is required for a local installation. For information about requirements for a shared installation, see Chapter 4, "Server-Based Setup for Windows 95." The full custom installation requires a minimum of 19 MB. A compact installation requires 10 MB of disk space. You also need a certain amount free disk space for a swap file, depending on how much RAM the computer has. As a guideline, you need at least 14 MB of memory, which can be divided between RAM and hard disk space. For example, if the computer has 4 MB of RAM, you need at least 10 MB of free disk space for a swap file. If the computer has 16 MB of memory, you will need very little disk space for a swap file.
Optional	Modem (for The Microsoft Network and other components) CD-ROM drive Network adapter (required for networking) Sound card Other multimedia hardware components

Tips for Required Disk Space with Compressed Disks

If you have disk compression software installed, the required amount of uncompressed disk space on the host drive before installing Windows 95 depends on several factors:

The type of compression used (Microsoft DriveSpace™ or DoubleSpace®, STAC Electronics Stacker®, and so on)
The available free space on other drives
The existence of a permanent swap file (if any), and its location
The amount of available free space on other drives

If the computer does not have a swap file already, you might have to resize the host drive to accommodate the swap file requirements. For more information, consult your compression software documentation; see also Chapter 20, "Disks and File Systems."