cheaperwindows.com - Windows XP System Requirements

Windows XP - System Requirements

Here’s Microsoft’s official system requirements for Windows XP. In our opinion some of these requirements seriously UNDERstate what you really need. In particular running Windows XP on a Pentium or slower Pentium II machine will be intolerably slow. 128MB of RAM should be the absolute minimum amount you have.

“

PC with 300 megahertz or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233 MHz minimum required (single or dual processor system);* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features)
1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space*
Super VGA (800 × 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
CD-ROM or DVD drive
Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device

Additional Items or Services Required to Use Certain Windows XP Features

For Internet access:

Some Internet functionality may require Internet access, a Microsoft .NET Passport account, and payment of a separate fee to a service provider; local and/or long-distance telephone toll charges may apply

14.4 kilobits per second (Kbps) or higher-speed modem

For networking:

Network adapter appropriate for the type of local-area, wide-area, wireless, or home network you wish to connect to, and access to an appropriate network infrastructure; access to third-party networks may require additional charges

For instant messaging, voice and videoconferencing, and application sharing, both parties need:

Microsoft .NET Passport account and Internet access or Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server instant messaging account and network access (some configurations may require download of additional components)

For voice and videoconferencing, both parties also need:

33.6 Kbps or higher-speed modem, or a network connection
Microphone and sound card with speakers or headset

For videoconferencing, both parties also need:

Video conferencing camera

For application sharing, both parties also need:

33.6 Kbps or higher-speed modem, or a network connection

For remote assistance:

Both parties must be running Windows XP and be connected by a network

For remote desktop:

A Windows 95 or later–based computer, and the two machines must be connected by a network

For sound:

Sound card and speakers or headphones

For DVD video playback:

DVD drive and DVD decoder card or DVD decoder software
8 MB of video RAM

For Windows Movie Maker:

Video capture feature requires appropriate digital or analog video capture device
400 MHz or higher processor for digital video camera capture

*Actual requirements will vary based on your system configuration and the applications and features you choose to install. Additional available hard disk space may be required if you are installing over a network. “

Testing your computer for Windows XP

You can download a program from Microsoft that will check to see if your computer is hardware compatible with Windows XP.

The Upgrade Advisor is a large download mostly because it is hardware testing sub-set of the Windows XP installation system you get when you buy the product.

You can download the Upgrade Advisor from here but note the following before you start it up:

Wording: because the Upgrade Advisor is part of the Windows XP setup, some of the language in the tool may imply that you are actually installing Windows XP, of course you’re not really.
XP Professional only: It checks for upgrade eligibility to Windows XP Professional only.
US only: Officially this download is available only for U.S. versions of Windows. In our experience other English speaking countries can also use the upgrade advisor – it’s only Microsoft’s US-centric view of the world that makes them say that. Non-English Windows XP Web sites may be offering Upgrade Advisor in the future.
It’s big: a 50MB download