[Foxman]

I use Vista Home Prenium on my PC with Vista, GeForce 7300 with 2 Gig RAM, i run IL2 on excellent settings with Direct X Driver at 1400 * 1050 screen resolution, I still have excellent Frame rates even with 100 Japanese Carrier Launched planes and british Hurricanes doing the Colombo Raid in 1942, use Vista, but Put IL2 not in the program files but in a special folder direct on the C Drive, you will have to double click the shortcut each time to run because Vista will not allow you to run direct of the CD if the program is not on program files, but trust me, it is worth it, However, get at least 3-4 Gig Ram (to be on the safe side as well to ensure your PC can run the latest games for a long time to come

Good Luck