Software & Apps Windows Assessing Your Computer for Windows 7 Requirements What you should know before installing Windows 7 by Mark Baggesen Writer Mark Baggesen is a former Lifewire writer who has 20+ years' experience and has in web development, communications, web analytics, and databases. our editorial process LinkedIn Mark Baggesen Updated on December 02, 2020 Tweet Share Email Windows The Ultimate Laptop Buying Guide If you want to upgrade from Vista or XP to Windows 7, first make sure you have sufficient hardware, capability, and capacity. As of January 2020, Microsoft is no longer supporting Windows 7. We recommend upgrading to Windows 10 to continue receiving security updates and technical support. To install Windows 7 on your computer, it should meet these requirements for a good computing experience: A Dual Processor (AMD or Intel)—you can use a lower Celeron or Pentium Processor, but you will regret it.2 GB RAM (operating memory)—you can use less, but you will regret it.16 GB available disk space and another 20 to 30 GB if you plan on running applications.A Vista-compatible graphics card (DirectX 9 graphics process with WDDM 1.0 or higher).A Vista-compatible sound card.Vista drivers for any other unique hardware you have on or connected to your computer You should also download, install, and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. The information this tool creates can help you avoid other problems. Notice that Microsoft recommends these minimums requirements for Windows 7: 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor1 GB RAM (32-bit) / 2 GB RAM (64-bit)16 GB available disk space (32-bit) / 20 GB (64-bit)DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver Microsoft's recommended requirements are insufficient. These are minimums, which means your experience will be minimal. If you load Windows 7 on a PC that doesn't have enough processing power, operating memory, or hard drive space—and it doesn't have the right combination of video and sound cards—Windows 7 will operate, but at a much lower capability than its optimum performance. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit