System Requirements for Windows Me
The basic System Requirements for Windows Me are:
- 28.8 Kbs modem or faster with current Internet connection
- CD-ROM drive
- Sound card
- Speakers or headphones
- Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
- VGA or higher resolution monitor
- Pentium 150MHz processor or better
- 32MB of RAM or better
- Minimum 320MB free hard-disk space
If you want to use the new Windows Media Player 7, Microsoft recommends (apart from the requirements listed above):
- SVGA Monitor
- Pentium II 166MHz processor or better
- 64MB of RAM
- 1GB free hard-disk space
If you want to use the new Windows Movie Maker, Microsoft recommends (apart from the requirements listed at the top):
- 56.6 Kbs modem or faster with current Internet connection
- SVGA Monitor
- Pentium II 300MHz processor or better
- 64MB of RAM
- 2GB free hard-disk space
- Good quality microphone
- Video capture card
Now the above are all Microsoft's recommendations. We would suggest at least a Pentium II 300MHz with a minimum of 128MB RAM under all circumstances.
Some Cyrix CPUs Do Not Work with Windows Me
Some Cyrix CPUs are not considered Pentium-class CPUs, and because of this, these CPUs do not meet the Windows Me minimum hardware requirements. When you try to install Windows Millennium Edition (Me) on a computer that is using this type of CPU, Setup may be unable to finish.
The following Cyrix CPUs do not meet the Windows Me minimum hardware requirements:
- CX486 DRx2-20/40
- CX486 DRx2-25/50
- Cyrix 6x86MX/MII PR233
- Cyrix 6x86MX/MII PR300
- Cyrix MII 433
- Cyrix MII 333
- Media Gx Enhanced (266)
You may be able to use the /nm switch when you run setup (see Windows Me Setup Switches to bypass the minimum CPU requirement, but I have not been able to verify this. Drop me a line if you have experience with installing Windows Me on any of the above mentioned CPUs.
You can find the Microsoft Windows Me Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) on the Microsoft FTP site.