• PC with 386DX or higher processor (486 recommended)
• 4 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher (8MB recommended)
• 50MB to 55MB megabytes (MB) of available hard disk space
• VGA or higher resolution (256-colour SVGA recommended)
• One 3.5-inch high-density floppy disk drive
• Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

• PC with a 486DX 66 megahertz (MHz) or faster processor
• 16 megabytes (MB) of memory (24 MB recommended)
• 140MB to 355MB megabytes (MB) of available hard disk space
• VGA or higher resolution (16-bit or 24-bit colour SVGA recommended)
• One 3.5-inch high-density floppy disk drive
• Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

Once installed, it may be necessary to obtain extra software called 'Drivers' from the manufacturers of your hardware to obtain maximum performance from your system. These can usually be found on the CD in the product packaging or downloaded from the appropriate web site.

Note
If you are installing Windows 95, it will be necessary to boot your PC using the supplied floppy disk, then select 'Install Windows from CD-ROM' from the menu that appears.

The procedure for installing Windows 95 / 98 onto a new PC is as follows:

Switch on the PC and put the Windows 95 / 98 CD into the CD-ROM. Press the reset button on the PC and allow it to boot.

The PC should boot to the CD-ROM, if not check your motherboard manual to enable 'Boot to CD-ROM' in its BIOS settings.

From the next menu, select Start Windows 98 setup from the CD-ROM

The system will load some basic software to enable it to install

At the blue Windows 95 / 98 Setup screen, press ENTER to continue.

The system will check the HDD to determine if/how it is configured

Select Configure unallocated space (recommended) and press ENTER

The system will 'Partition' the hard disk such that it can prepare it for storing data

If prompted, select Yes, enable large disk support and press ENTER

This enables the system to use the maximum space possible on the hard disk

At the Setup will restart now screen, press ENTER or wait and the system will automatically reboot

Phase One of the installation is complete and the system needs to reboot to continue...

From the menu, select Start Windows 95 / 98 setup from the CD-ROM again

The system will 'format' the HDD. This is the process of clearing the hard disk and preparing it to store data. This can take some considerable time depending on the size of the HDD

At the Setup will perform a routine check on your system screen, press ENTER

A diagnostic program called Scandisk will run and check the HDD for any errors/damage. Again, this may take some time depending on HDD size

At the Windows 95 / 98 Setup screen, click the Continue button at the lower right of the screen using the mouse (or if no mouse is installed, press TAB until the continue is highlighted with dotted lines and press ENTER

Windows 95 / 98 will install its 'wizard' software to guide you through the installation

At the Select the directory where you want to install Windows 95 / 98 screen, click or TAB to the C:\WINDOWS line such that a black dot appears to the left hand side (this indicates that this option is selected and is known as a 'Radio button'

This will make the system put all its important files into an area on the hard disk labelled 'Windows'

The Preparing directory screen will appear

The system will now check the HDD for any existing software and make sure that there is enough space on your HDD

At the Setup options screen, click to select Typical, then click the Next button

By selecting 'Typical', you are asking for a default installation of Windows 95 / 98. This should suit most people and other options can be configured later if required.

Select I want to install the most common components (recommended) and click Next

Again, this indicates that you require a standard installation...

At the Establishing your location screen, select your country/location from the list and click Next. This is a long list that cannot be displayed all at once. Use the scroll bar at the right hand side to see more locations if yours is not immediately visible.

Your location helps Windows to configure itself correctly

Click Next to begin the installation

The system has all the information it needs and will now install and configure the Windows 95 / 98 software. This may take some time depending on the overall speed of your system

Once completed, remove the Windows 95 / 98 CD from the CD-ROM and click the Reboot button or wait for the timer

Phase Two of the installation is complete and the system needs to reboot again...

This time, allow the system to boot to the HDD. A Windows 95 / 98 logo screen should appear as it loads

The CD is removed to force the system to boot to the HDD. If this produces an error, configure the BIOS settings to boot to the HDD first

At the User information screen, type in your name and company name (if appropriate) into the boxes. Place the Windows 95 / 98 CD back into the CD-ROM. Click Next

The Windows CD is required for further installation tasks and must be ready in the CD-ROM

Read the License Agreement statement and then click I accept the agreement

The software will not allow the install to continue if you do not agree to the statement

Locate your Windows 95 / 98 Product Key (usually on the back of the CD case) and type it in. Then click Next

Take special care to ensure that the numbers/letters are typed in exactly the same as your Product Key

Click Finish to complete the installation of the software

Windows will now attempt to detect the hardware in your PC and configure itself to use them. It may reboot again as a part of this process...

During the configuration process, the system may ask for the driver disk(s) for some parts of your system. Use the disk(s) that came with your hardware for this.

If you don't have a disk for a particular part, just click Cancel. Individual drivers can be installed at a later date.

Once the configuration process is completed, you will be asked to verify the current time, date and location settings. Check that these are correct then click OK

Again, having the correct time, date and location information is important in the configuration process

Windows will continue its self-configuration, which may take some time, then it will reboot once more

Rebooting is necessary for the system to amend or update its important files which cannot be changed while they are in use

Windows will finish off its hardware configurations, then display the Introduction screen

Windows 95 / 98 is now completely installed on your PC. Close the intro screen to continue.