Windows 95 System Check Tool (137047)

This article was previously published under Q137047

Introduction

Windows 95 System Check is a tool that performs a basic test of your computer's hardware and software to ensure compatibility with Windows 95. Windows 95 System Check is not intended as a comprehensive diagnostics tool to check for every known Windows 95 incompatibility. Instead, this tool is designed to answer some common questions you might have before you upgrade to Windows 95.

How to Use Windows 95 System Check

You can run Windows 95 System Check in Windows version 3.x, Windows for Workgroups version 3.x, Microsoft Windows NT(TM) version 3.x, and IBM(R) OS/2(R). If you want to run Windows 95 System Check in Windows version 3.0, make sure that the Ver.dll file included with this Application Note is in the same folder from which you run Windows 95 System Check (W95check.exe). These files do not need to be on the hard disk in order for you to run Windows 95 System Check.

To run Windows 95 System Check, follow these steps:

1. Download the Ww1247.exe file from the Microsoft Download Center to an empty folder.
2. Double-click the Ww1247.exe file you downloaded in step 1. This expands the compressed Ww1247.exe file.
3. On the Program Manager File menu, click Run.
4. Type the following line in the Command Line box, and then press ENTER

   <source>:\w95check

   where <source> is the folder containing the Ww1247.exe file you downloaded and extracted.
   
   For, example, if you downloaded the Ww1247.exe file to the C:\Download folder, type the following line:

   c:\download\w95check

5. Follow the instructions on the screen.

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:
For additional information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help to prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.

If you are already running Windows 95, Windows 95 System Check quits without performing a scan. For additional information about hardware and software compatibility issues, see the text files included with your copy of Windows 95, or consult the documentation included with the "Windows 95 Resource Kit."

How Windows 95 System Check Works

Windows 95 System Check scans your computer for the following information:

• Processor--It checks your computer's CPU to determine if it meets the minimum requirement for Windows 95. It also checks for older versions of the 80386 processor that are incompatible with Windows 95.
• Memory (RAM) --It checks the amount of physical memory (RAM) in your computer to determine if it meets the minimum requirement for Windows 95.
• Disk Space--It checks the amount of free disk space on the hard disk that contains your existing operating system to determine if it meets the minimum (and recommended) requirements for Windows 95. It also checks for swap file and boot-drive disk space on hard disks that use disk compression.
• Programs--It scans the top three folder levels of all the hard disks in your computer for Windows-based programs with significant known compatibility issues with Windows 95. Note that for most of these programs, upgrades that are fully compatible with Windows 95 are now or soon will be available.
  
  NOTE: If Windows 95 System Check does not detect any programs on your computer with known compatibility issues, the Your Programs page of Windows 95 System Check is skipped.

Windows 95 System Check does not perform any of the following tests:

• It does not perform diagnostic tests for hard disk problems (such as problems that might be found by hard disk tools such as Microsoft ScanDisk).
• It does not detect peripheral hardware devices connected to your computer (such as modems and fax/modems).
• It does not perform an analysis or detection of installed network resources, network protocols, or network adapters.
• It does not check for computer viruses.
• It does not check program compatibility on shared network resources.
• It does not distinguish between 386/SX and 386/DX processors. A 386/DX or better processor is the minimum requirement for Windows 95 to ensure good performance. If your computer has a 386/SX processor, you can run Windows 95, but performance may be slower.

The Windows 95 Setup program provides warnings for most of the problems associated with upgrading to Windows 95. In fact, Windows 95 Setup checks the first three items in the above list.