Mastering Dreamweaver MX Databases

Before you can use Dreamweaver MX, you must install and configure it to match your local work environment. Like all software, Dreamweaver has a list of recommended minimum requirements that, if met, will run Dreamweaver in an acceptable fashion. Dreamweaver's power can only be maximized through an equitable system. Let's take a look at some of these requirements now.

Hardware and Software Requirements for the PC and the Mac

Macromedia has a list of minimum requirements that your PC or Mac should meet before you install and try to use Dreamweaver MX. Can you install Dreamweaver MX on a less powerful or capable system? Probably. But we wouldn't recommend it since Dreamweaver MX relies heavily on the network and graphics capabilities of your machine. The minimum requirements for Windows are as follows:

• Intel Pentium II processor or equivalent 300+MHz

• Windows 98, 2000, NT, Me, or XP

• Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer 4 or later

• 96MB of available RAM (128MB recommended)

• 275MB available disk space

• 256-color monitor capable of 800 ´ 600 resolution (1024 ´ 768 millions of colors recommended)

• Microsoft Data Access Components 2.6 (or later). You'll find the latest version of MDAC at www.microsoft.com/data

The minimum requirements for the Macintosh are as follows:

• Power Mac G3 or better

• Mac OS 9.1 or higher, or Mac OS X 10.1 or higher

• Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer 4 or later

• 96MB of RAM (128MB recommended)

• 275MB available disk space

• 256-color monitor capable of 800 ´ 600 resolution (1024 ´ 768, millions of colors recommended; thousands of colors required for OS X)

To actually use Dreamweaver without getting frustrated waiting on your machine, you probably want to use a faster machine than the minimum requirements. We recommend a Windows system comparable to at least the following specifications:

• Intel Pentium III processor (or better) 600+MHz

• Windows 2000, NT, or XP

• Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer 5 or later

• 256MB of RAM

• Several GB available disk space for all your web development needs

For a Macintosh system we recommend the following:

• G4, single processor

• OS X or later

• Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer 5 or later

• 512 MB of RAM

• Several GB available disk space for all your web development needs