What does my computer need in order to upgrade to Windows ME?

What are the system requirements for upgrading to Windows ME (Millennium Edition)?

This question was answered on September 9, 2000. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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Here are a few tips from Microsoft concerning the upgrade to Windows ME:

- Make sure that your computer meets the minimum system

requirements You'll need at least a 150 megahertz (MHz)

processor and 32 megabytes (MB) of RAM

(We would recommend 300Mhz and at least 64MB or RAM)

- Make sure you have enough free hard-disk space A typical

installation requires 480 MB to 535 MB of hard-disk space,

but may range between 455 MB to 635 MB, depending on your

system configuration and the options you choose to install.

Disk Space Requirements

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Because many factors go into calculating the amount of

free space required for Windows Me, these figures are

only estimates based on typical Windows Me installs.

Typical upgrade from Windows 95: requires approximately

295 MB of free hard-disk space, but may require as much

as much as 435 MB, depending on your system configuration.

Full install on a FAT16 drive: requires

535 MB of free hard-disk space, but may range between

495 MB and 635 MB depending on system configuration and

options selected.

Full install on a FAT32 drive: requires

480 MB of free hard disk space, but may range between

455 MB and 535 MB, depending on system configuration and

options selected.

Also, if you are installing Windows Me to a drive other

than C, Setup can require up to 25 MB of free disk space

on drive C for the system and log files created during Setup.

In addition, they recommend that you:

- Get the latest driver software for any scanners, modems, or

peripheral devices attached to your computer To get this

information, consult the hardware documentation or visit the

manufacturer's Web site

- Scan your computer for viruses to make sure it is not infected

Run an anti-virus program with the latest virus signatures and

allow the program to remove any viruses Consult your anti-

virus software documentation about obtaining updated virus

signature files

- After you complete the virus scan, disable all software-based

and hardware-based anti-virus applications before running

Windows Setup After setup is complete, re-enable any anti-

virus applications For more information, consult your

hardware documentation or the documentation that came with

your anti-virus software

- Back up all critical data on your hard disk by using a third-

party backup utility or by manually saving important files to

floppy disks or other media

- Close all open programs and disconnect from the Internet before

running Windows Setup.

- If you are upgrading from Windows 95 and want to preserve

your current settings, run Windows Me Setup while running

Windows 95, and install to the same Windows directory on your

hard drive.

- If you plan to set up your computer to dual boot with

Windows NT, install Windows Me first.

- Create the Windows Startup Disk when prompted by Setup This

disk has many capabilities beyond those in any previous version

of Windows In addition to containing several utilities, it has

MS-DOS drivers for most CD-ROMs so that you can access your

CD-ROM from MS-DOS when booting from the start-up disk

- It is strongly recommended that you save your system files when

prompted by Windows Setup, just in case you need to return to

your previous version of Windows This requires up to 150 MB of

hard-disk space

About the author

Posted by Ken Colburn of Data Doctors on September 9, 2000

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