[Ham-Computers] System Requirements

[Rick Adams]

	Duane wrote:

> 1. What are the minimum and suggested hardware requirements 
> to run Windows 98c?	

	Pentium II or better, 166MHz CPU, 16MB RAM.

	Realistic requirements for a reasonable system would be: Pentium
III or better, 200MHz CPU (faster if you plan on using any graphics
intensive programs or games), 32MB RAM (64MB is much faster).

> 2. Is it still possible to use a dual boot configuration with 
> Windows ME or XP home edition? 	

	Sure--and easy to do with the XP install process.

> 3. How much truth is there in the statements that retro 
> compatibility with ME is minimal and with XP is very limited?	

	Some.

	ME does have some compatibility problems, particularly with
older software, and while XP is actually _less_ limited in this way, it
has far more stringent hardware requirements.

	For ME you really need at least a Pentium III at 300+ MHz, 32MB
RAM, and modern graphics and sound cards.

	For XP use those same requirements, but make it 64MB minimum for
RAM.

	Best bet: Go with XP Professional (the business version). It
runs anything that XP home does, has vastly better security (if you'll
be connected to the Internet at all, you'll appreciate the firewall and
other security features), is multitasking, and is as close to "crash
proof" as a system can be. If the system requirements (or price) are a
bit steep, give some thought to Windows 2000 instead--it runs anything
Windows 98se runs, and you can get some pretty good buys on W2K online
now that Windows XP is available.

	Hope it helps,

	73 de ke8hh, Rick