Windows 95

Windows 95: is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products. During development it was referred to as Windows 4.0 or by the internal codename Chicago. Windows 95 was intended to integrate Microsoft's formerly separate MS-DOS and Windows products and includes an enhanced version of DOS, often referred to as MS-DOS 7.0. It features significant improvements over its predecessor, Windows 3.1, most visibly the graphical user interface (GUI) whose basic format and structure is still used in later versions such as Windows Vista. There were also large changes made to the underlying workings, including support for 255-character mixed-case long filenames and preemptively multitasked protected-mode 32-bit applications. Whereas its predecessors are optional "operating environments" requiring the MS-DOS operating system (usually available separately), Windows 95 is a consolidated operating system, which was a significant marketing change. User interface: In the marketplace, Windows 95 was an unqualified success, and within a year or two of its release had become the most successful operating system ever produced. It also had the effect of driving other major players in the DOS-compatible operating system out of business, something which would later be used in court against Microsoft. Internet Explorer 4.0 came with an optional shell update known as Windows Desktop Update that gave Windows 95 (and NT 4.0) a user interface and several updated shell features that would become the graphical user interface of Windows 98. The last release of Windows 95, that is, OEM Service Release 2.5 (Version 4.00.950C) includes IE4 on the Setup CD (but not in slipstreamed form) and installs it after Windows 95's initial setup and first boot is complete. Only the 4.x series of the browser contained the shell update, so those that wanted the new shell had to install IE4 with the desktop update before installing a newer version of Internet Explorer. Windows 95 marked the introduction of the Start button and taskbar to Microsoft's GUI, both of which have remained fixtures of all subsequent versions of Windows, although the word "Start" was dropped from the button in Windows Vista, with the company preferring to label the button with the Windows logo ("Start" is still present as a tooltip and in the classic UI mode). Release: Prior to the official release, the American public was given a chance to preview Windows 95 in the Windows 95 Preview Program. For US$19.95, users were sent a set of 3?" floppy diskettes that would install Windows 95 either as an upgrade to Windows 3.1x or as a fresh install on a clean computer. Users who bought into the program were also given a free preview of The Microsoft Network (MSN, currently known as Windows Live), the online service that Microsoft was planning to launch with Windows 95, which allowed users to access the Internet and its services via PPP. The preview versions expired in November 1995, after which the user would have to purchase their own copy of the final version of Windows 95. Windows 95 was released with great fanfare, including a commercial featuring the Rolling Stones song "Start Me Up" (a reference to the Start button).[2] It was widely reported that Microsoft paid the Rolling Stones between $8 and $14 million for the use of the song (from the 1981 album Tattoo You) in the '95 advertising campaign. According to sources at Microsoft, however, this was just a rumor spread by the Stones to increase their market value, and Microsoft actually paid a fraction of that amount.[3] A 30 minute promotional video, labeled a "cyber sitcom", featuring Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry, was also released to showcase the features of Windows 95. Microsoft's 3 million dollar advertising campaign featured stories of people waiting in line outside stores to get a copy. In the UK, the largest computer chain PC World received a large number of oversized Windows 95 boxes, posters and point of sale material, and many branches opened at midnight to sell the first copies of the product, although these customers were far fewer in number than publicity had suggested. In New York City, the Empire State Building was lit to match the colors of the Windows logo. In Toronto, a 300-foot banner was hung from the top of the CN Tower. Copies of The Times were available for free in the UK where Microsoft paid for 1.5 million issues (twice the daily circulation at the time). System requirements Official system requirements were an Intel 80386 DX CPU of any speed, 4 MB of system RAM, and 50 MB of hard drive space. These minimal claims were made in order to maximize the available market of Windows 3.1 converts. This configuration was distinctly suboptimal for any productive use on anything but single tasking dedicated workstations due to the heavy reliance on virtual memory. Also, in some cases, if any networking or similar components were installed the system would refuse to boot with 4 megabytes of RAM. It was possible to run Windows 95 on a 386 SX but this led to even less acceptable performance due to its 16-bit external data bus. To achieve optimal performance, Microsoft recommends an Intel 80486 or compatible microprocessor with at least 8 MB of RAM.[6] Windows 95 was superseded by Windows 98 and could still be directly upgraded by both Windows 2000[7] and Windows Me. On December 31, 2001, Microsoft ended its support for Windows 95, making it an "obsolete" product according to the Microsoft Lifecycle Policy.[8] Even though support for Windows 95 has ended, the software still remains in use on some home computers because of budget issues, a lack of knowledge or lack of desire to upgrade to newer editions of Windows. Another main reason is that a computer purchased around the era of Windows 95's introduction is unlikely to meet the hardware requirements of Windows XP and Vista, and some do not wish to or are not able to buy a new computer or update their existing one. In addition, some video game enthusiasts choose to use Windows 95 for their legacy system to play old DOS games, although some other versions of Windows such as Windows 98 can also be used for this purpose. Windows 95 has been released on both floppy disks and on CD-ROM, as some computer systems at the time did not include a CD-ROM drive. The floppy disk version of Windows 95 came on 13 DMF formatted floppy disks, excluding additional software that some releases might have featured, such as Internet Explorer. Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 was also available on floppy disks.