I am noticing on many retro forums and groups growing numbers of enthusiasts asking what hardware can i run with xx version of windows or will this so and so work with xx version of windows.

Thought maybe this information might help!  I didn’t go back earlier as hardly anyone ran earlier versions.

Let’s start off the list with :

Windows 3.0

• 8086/8088 processor or better
• 384K of free conventional memory (real mode), 1MB (Standard Mode), or 2MB (Enhanced Mode)
• Hard disk with 6-7MB of free space
• CGA/EGA/VGA/Hercules/8514/A/XGA graphics and an appropriate and compatible monitor
• MS-DOS version 3.1 or higher

 Windows 3.x

System requirements for standard mode are:

• Intel 80286 (or higher) processor
• 1 MB or more of memory (640K conventional and 256K extended)
• 6.5 MB of free disk space (9 MB is recommended)

System requirements for enhanced mode are:

• Intel 80386 (or higher) processor
• 2 MB or more of memory (640K conventional and 1024K extended)
• 8 MB of of free disk space (10.5 MB is recommended)

 Windows for Workgroups 3.11

The minimum client installation of Windows for Workgroups requires:

• 80286 microprocessor or better for version 3.1
• 80386sx microprocessor or better for version 3.11
• 2048 kilobytes (K) total memory for version 3.1
• 3 megabytes (MB) total memory for version 3.1 (2 MB with no network installed)
• 3 megabytes (MB) total memory for version 3.11 (4 MB is recommended)
• 6.2 MB of hard drive space (14.5 MB recommended)

The minimum server installation of Windows for Workgroups requires:

• 80386sx microprocessor or better
• 3072K total memory (4096K recommended)
• 3 megabytes (MB) total memory for version 3.1 (4 MB recommended)
• 3 megabytes (MB) total memory for version 3.11 (4 MB is recommended)
• 10.5 MB of hard drive space (14.5 MB recommended)

Windows 95

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)

Windows NT Workstation

• 12 MB of RAM
• VGA level video support
• Keyboard
• IDE, EIDE, SCSI, or ESDI hard disk
• 486/25 processor or better
• CD-ROM drive, floppy disk drive, or active network connection

Windows NT Server

•  16 MB of RAM
• VGA level video support
• Keyboard
•  IDE, EIDE, SCSI, or ESDI hard disk
• 486/25 processor or better
•  CD-ROM drive, 1.44 MB or 1.2 MB floppy disk drive, or active network connection

Windows 98/98SE

• A personal computer with a 486DX 66 megahertz (MHz) or faster processor (Pentium central processing unit recommended).
• 16 megabytes (MB) of memory (24 MB recommended).
• A typical upgrade from Windows 95 requires approximately 195 MB of free hard disk space, but the hard disk space may range from between 120 MB and 295 MB, depending on your computer configuration and the options that you choose to install.
• A full install of Windows 98 on a FAT16 drive requires 225 MB of free hard disk space, but may range from between 165 MB and 355 MB, depending on your computer configuration and that options that you choose to install.
• A full install of Windows 98 on a FAT32 drive requires 175 MB of free hard disk space, but may range from between 140 MB and 255 MB, depending on your computer configuration and the options that you choose to install.
• One 3.5-inch high-density floppy disk drive.
• VGA or higher resolution (16-bit or 24-bit color SVGA recommended).

 Windows Me

• Pentium 150-MHz processor or better
• 32 megabytes (MB) of RAM or better
• Minimum 320 MB of free hard-disk space
• CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
• 3.5-inch high-density floppy disk drive
• Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
• Video adapter and monitor that support VGA or higher resolution
• Sound card
• Speakers or headphones

The system requirements can vary depending on which features of Windows Millennium you want to take advantage of.  For example, if you want to use Movie Maker, the recommended system requirements are as follows

• 56.6-KBps modem or faster with current Internet connection (Windows Movie Maker option)
• CD-ROM drive
• Sound card
• Speakers or headphones
• Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
• SVGA Monitor (*VGA monitor)
• Pentium II 300-MHz processor or better (*Pentium 150 MHz)
• 64 MB of RAM (*32 MB)
• 2 GB of free hard-disk space (*320 MB)
• Good quality microphone (Windows Movie Maker option)
• Video capture device (Windows Movie Maker option)

Windows 2000 Professional

• 133 MHz or more Pentium microprocessor (or equivalent). Windows 2000 Professional supports up to two processors on a single computer.
• 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM recommended minimum. 32 MB of RAM is the minimum supported. 4 gigabytes (GB) of RAM is the maximum.
• A 2 GB hard disk that has 650 MB of free space. If you are installing over a network, more free hard disk space is required.
• VGA or higher-resolution monitor.
• Keyboard.
• Mouse or compatible pointing device (optional).

Windows XP Home Edition are

• Pentium 233-megahertz (MHz) processor or faster (300 MHz is recommended)
• At least 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM (128 MB is recommended)
• At least 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available space on the hard disk
• CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
• Keyboard and a Microsoft Mouse or some other compatible pointing device
• Video adapter and monitor with Super VGA (800 x 600)or higher resolution
• Sound card
• Speakers or headphones

Windows XP Professional include:

• Pentium 233-megahertz (MHz) processor or faster (300 MHz is recommended)
• At least 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM (128 MB is recommended)
• At least 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available space on the hard disk
• CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
• Keyboard and a Microsoft Mouse or some other compatible pointing device
• Video adapter and monitor with Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution
• Sound card
• Speakers or headphones

Windows Vista Home Basic

• 800-megahertz (MHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 800-MHz 64-bit (x64) processor
• 512 megabytes (MB) of system memory
  Note On system configurations that use system memory as graphics memory, at least 448 MB of system memory must be available to the operating system after some memory is allocated for graphics.
• DirectX 9-class graphics card
• 32 MB of graphics memory
• 20-gigabyte (GB) hard disk that has 15 GB of free hard disk space
• Internal or external DVD drive
• Internet access capability
• Audio output capability

Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, and Windows Vista Ultimate

• 1-gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 1-GHz 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 GB of system memory
• Windows Aero-capable graphics card

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