Win98 Requeriments minimum hardware

486DX, 66MHZ
24 MB RAM
190-305MB hardrive depending but typically 210MB
VGA or higher

The first answer is substantially correct. Here is the Microsoft article:

support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q182751

System requirements for Windows 98.

Processor
Minimum: 66 MHz 486DX2
Reasonable: Pentium, Pentium MMX, or Pentium II.

Memory
Minimum: 16MB.
Reasonable: Windows 98 runs much better with 32+MB of RAM. With RAM prices being what they are,I'd install 128+MB...

Hard disk free space
Minimum: The minimum amount of space required by Windows 98 Setup is 225MB.
Reasonable: A full install of Windows 98 will use over 400MB of hard disk space. Setup may also require another 45-50MB for the backup copies of your system files, and Windows 98 will need 20MB or 30MB for its dynamic swap file.

Video
Minimum: VGA, 14-inch monitor.
Reasonable: Super VGA, 17-inch monitor. Your video card and monitor should be capable of displaying 256 colors at 1024X768 resolution. If you plan on using Windows 98's multimedia features (such as video), a video card that can handle true color (16 million colors) and DirectX is a must.

Peripherals
Minimum: 3 1/2-inch high-density floppy drive, CD-ROM drive, and a mouse (Microsoft or compatible).

If you plan on using any Communication packages, you need a modem or a fax/modem. To take advantage of Windows 98's built-in sound support, you need a sound card and speakers. If you plan on using Windows 98's networking features, your system must have a network interface card installed.

Hope this helps!

That memory minimum 16MB was for the first version of Windows 98.
Microsoft’s Getting Started manual says for Windows 98SE: 24 MB of RAM.
But neither of those amounts of RAM would be good enough, and I agree with reasonable recommendation in Answer 3 about 128+MB of RAM.
We have to remember that Microsoft provides its minimum requirements just for bare Windows installation. And it’s OK if you need just Windows without applications, for example, for study purpose only.
When talking about additional software, we have to keep in mind that many of up-to-date image, sound and data processing applications require as minimum as a Pentium III with 128 MB of RAM.

Realistically, running Win98SE on a machine with the minimum requirements will slow down boot time and software launches, and you may experience more frequent crashes.

Win98 likes a good video card, so if you are going to use a 486DX 66, try to find an old VESA video card. (Assuming a 486 VESA motherboard) If you install 64 Meg RAM as well, the PC will run remarkably well, and be quite stable.
Regards, Chris

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