System Requirements Overview
The following lists the minimum system requirements necessary to use the Fractal Science Kit:
- 12 MB free disk space for the product installation
- Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later
- Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (Windows XP)
- 512 MB RAM (1 GB or more is recommended)
The product installation requires 12 MB of free disk space (additional space may be required if the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 needs to be installed on your machine).
The application has been tested on Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, Microsoft Windows Vista, and Microsoft Windows 7. Earlier versions of the Windows operating system may work, but I cannot attest to that at this time.
The Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 is required and will be installed (via the Internet) if not present. However, it is recommended that you install the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 and all the available updates using Microsoft's Windows Update service prior to installing the Fractal Science Kit. See below for instructions.
Note: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 is included with Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Windows 7 so this is only an issue for Microsoft Windows XP.
The application consumes a large amount of memory, primarily used for saving sample data associated with the fractal. You can run the application on a machine with 512 MB RAM but having 1 or 2 GB RAM or more is preferred. Processor speed is also a factor in the user experience. The faster the processor, the better. I would recommend a Pentium 4 class processor or better.
Please install the trial version and verify that the application will run on your machine and that the application's performance and memory requirements are acceptable before you purchase a license for the product.
See Installing the Product for instructions on downloading/installing the Fractal Science Kit on your computer.
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
As explained above, the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 is required and will be installed (via the Internet) if not present. However, it is recommended that you install the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 and all the available updates using Microsoft's Windows Update service prior to installing the Fractal Science Kit.
Note: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 is included with Microsoft Windows Vista and Microsoft Windows 7 so this is only an issue for Microsoft Windows XP.
To check if the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 is installed on your computer, do the following:
- Execute the Control Panel item on the Windows Start menu.
- On the left side of the Control Panel, select Switch to Classic View (if necessary).
- On the Control Panel window, double-click the Add or Remove Programs item.
- In the list of programs, scroll down and look for Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 1.
If you find the entry for Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Service Pack 1, no further action is required. If you find an entry for Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, the Fractal Science Kit will work but I recommend that you install the latest updates as described below. If you do not find any entry that begins with Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0, the Fractal Science Kit will not work unless you install the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 on your computer.
To install the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 on your computer or to get the latest updates, you need to use Microsoft's Windows Update service. Because the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 is an optional update, you will need to direct Windows Update to install it as follows. On the Windows Update page, click Custom to search for updates for your computer. Once Windows Update has determined which updates are available for your computer, select the Software, Optional item on the left side of the page and then check any item that begins with Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 in the pane on the right. Then install the updates.