Installation Summary

Downloading and installing Skype is simple and straightforward, provided that you have a stable connection to the Internet and meet the minimum system requirements listed in Table 3-1.

Table 3-1. Minimum System Requirements

	Operating System	Processor, RAM, and Hard Disk Space	Other
Windows PC	Windows 2000 or XP	400MHz 256MB RAM 17MB free on hard disk	Full-duplex sound card (1998 or newer). Headset or speakers and microphone. USB handset is optional.
Macintosh	Mac OS X 10.3 or newer	667MHz G3, G4, or G5 256MB RAM 20MB free on hard disk	Headset or speakers and microphone. USB handset is optional.
Linux	SuSE or newer, Mandrake 10.1 or newer, Fedora Core 3, Debian	400MHz 256MB RAM 10MB free on hard disk	Full-duplex sound card (1998 or newer). Headset or speakers and microphone. USB handset is optional.
Pocket PC	Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC	400MHz Wi-Fi-enabled	Active Sync must be installed on your PC before you install Skype.

Here is a brief overview of the process of getting started, regardless of the computing platform you are using:

1. Download the appropriate Skype application program from the Skype Web site (www.skype.com).

2. Register and create a Skype account.

3. Plug in a headset, microphone and speakers, or phone that works with your computer.

4. Test that your setup is working properly.

5. Start making calls; sending instant messages (IMs); or transferring files to your friends, family members, or business associates.

Generally, you don't need to know anything about computer networking, firewall and router configuration, or other networking gear. Occasionally, however, a new Skype user may have trouble connecting to Skype for the first time because he has a software firewall installed.

If you have a software firewall such as Norton Personal Firewall, Trend Micro PC-cillin Internet Security, Zone Alarm Pro, McAfee Firewall Pro, or the one that comes with Windows XP Service Pack 2, in some cases you may need to reconfigure it to work with Skype. This and other advanced setup topics are covered in Appendix C

To use Skype, you will not need a special voice service plan or special hardware (such as the type of telephony adapter that many voice application service providers require to translate the electrical signals in your phone into network information packets suitable for communicating over the Internet). You will need a headset, speakers and a microphone, or a USB handset.