| Windows® 7 is Microsoft’s latest operating system. Here are some things to consider before you choose to upgrade your current computer to Windows 7 or purchase a new computer. FAQs
What are the minimum system requirements for Windows 7?
Is my current computer compatible with Windows 7?
Will my AOL software be available if I upgrade to Windows 7?
What are the minimum system requirements for Windows 7?
If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what you need:
- 1 Gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
- 1 Gigabyte (GB) RAM (for 32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (for 64-bit)
- 16 GB available hard disk space (for 32-bit) or 20 GB (for 64-bit)
- DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
Is my current computer compatible with Windows 7?
Check out Microsoft's Upgrade Advisor at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/upgrade-advisor to determine whether you can run Windows 7 on your PC.
Will my AOL software be available if I upgrade to Windows 7?
This depends on the version of Windows currently installed on your computer.
NOTE: It's highly recommended that you back up your data onto an external source such as a hard drive, CD, or DVD before you upgrade or install an operating system.
Windows XP Users
XP users will be required to perform a full install (custom install) of the new operating system.
A custom install completely replaces your current operating system and all the files on the computer. If you have to perform a custom install of Windows 7, please do the following to ensure that your AOL® software functions without any interruptions:
Vista Users
Vista users can perform an upgrade (in-place upgrade).
- An in-place upgrade keeps your files, settings, and programs intact in the newer version of Windows.
- AOL 9.5 is the only AOL software fully compatible with Windows 7. If you don't have AOL 9.5 installed on your computer, please go to http://daol.aol.com/software to download the software.
- For instructions on how to install AOL 9.5, please read our online help article How do I install AOL 9.5?
When you upgrade to AOL 9.5, ensure that you upgrade from the version of the AOL software that was last installed on your computer.
For additional information on how to upgrade your PC to Windows 7, please visit http://windows.microsoft.com/upgrade.
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