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==Trivia==
==Trivia==
{{Trivia|date=June 2007}}
{{Trivia|date=June 2007}}
*[[Brian Eno]] was the composer of the Windows 95 start-up sound. It was included in later products as The Microsoft Sound. <ref> [http://www.metafilter.com/22129/Eno-on-the-Beach Eno on the Beach] </ref>
*Two music videos were included on the install [[CD-ROM]] for Windows 95: [[Weezer]]'s "Buddy Holly" and [[Edie Brickell]]'s "Good Times". Also included were short animations by [[Bill Plympton]] and Joan Gratz highlighting the introduction of the [[Start menu]] as the [[Program Manager]] replacement [http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2003/09/08/54811.aspx], as well as the trailer for the movie [[Rob Roy (film)|Rob Roy]]. A third animation, showed clouds dissolving the [[Program Manager]] and an emerging Start button.
*The Windows 95 beta release included a [[Personal information manager|PIM]] applet called ''WinPad.''<ref>http://toastytech.com/guis/c733.html</ref>, apparently a replacement for the Windows 3.1 utilities ''[[Cardfile]]'' and ''[[Microsoft Calendar|Calendar]].'' It was dropped before Windows 95 was released.
*The Windows 95 beta release included a [[Personal information manager|PIM]] applet called ''WinPad.''<ref>http://toastytech.com/guis/c733.html</ref>, apparently a replacement for the Windows 3.1 utilities ''[[Cardfile]]'' and ''[[Microsoft Calendar|Calendar]].'' It was dropped before Windows 95 was released.
*The Indian release of Windows 95 had to be recalled, as the [[time zone]] selection screen, which displayed an interactive world map, displayed 8 pixels of Kashmir as being under Pakistani control. This is illegal in India.<ref>[http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-823975,curpg-1.cms The Economic Times]</ref> Because of this, and other world boundary disputes, the interactive time zone selection map was replaced with a static map in all future releases of the Windows operating system.
* Windows 95 had a bug, which causes it to crash after 49.7 days of continuous operation. This bug was noticed and a patch was released to fix the bug in 1999.<ref>[http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q216641/ Microsoft: Computer Hangs After 49.7 Days]</ref>
* Windows 95 has a bug, which causes it to crash after 49.7 days of continuous operation. This bug was noticed and a patch was released to fix the bug in 1999.<ref>[http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q216641/ Microsoft: Computer Hangs After 49.7 Days]</ref>
* The Windows 95 page at Microsoft.com is no longer available. It is still possible to download Windows 95 through [[Windows Update]].


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 09:17, 3 September 2007

Windows 95
File:Windows 95 logo.png
File:Am windows95 desktop.png
Screenshot of Windows 95
DeveloperMicrosoft
OS familyMicrosoft Windows
Source modelClosed source
Released to
manufacturing		August 24 1995
Latest releaseOEM Service Release 2.5 / November 26 1997
Kernel typeMonolithic kernel
LicenseMicrosoft EULA
Official websitewww.microsoft.com/windows95
Support status
Unsupported as of December 31 2001.[1]

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 the popular 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.

32-bit

Windows 95 followed Windows for Workgroups 3.11 with its lack of support for older, 16-bit x86 processors, thus requiring an Intel 80386 (or compatible) processor running in protected mode.

The introduction of 32-bit File Access in Windows for Workgroups 3.11 meant that 16-bit real mode MS-DOS is not used for managing the files while Windows is running, and the earlier introduction of the 32-bit Disk Access means that the PC BIOS isn't used for managing hard disks. This essentially reduces MS-DOS to the role of a boot loader for the protected-mode Windows kernel. DOS can be used for running old-style drivers for compatibility, but Microsoft discourages using them, as this prevents proper multitasking and impairs system stability. Control Panel allows a user to see what MS-DOS components are used by the system; optimal performance is achieved when they are all bypassed. The Windows kernel uses MS-DOS style real-mode drivers in Safe Mode, which exists to allow a user to fix problems relating to loading native, protected-mode drivers.

Long file names

32-bit File Access is necessary for the long file names feature introduced with Windows 95 through the use of the VFAT file system. It is available to both Windows programs and MS-DOS programs started from Windows (they have to be adapted slightly, since accessing long file names requires using larger pathname buffers and hence different system calls). Competing DOS-compatible operating systems released before Windows 95 cannot see these names. Using older versions of DOS utilities to manipulate files means that the long names are not visible and are lost if files are moved or renamed, as well as by the copy (but not the original), if the file is copied. During a Windows 95 automatic upgrade of an older Windows 3.1 system, DOS and third-party disk utilities which can destroy long file names are identified and made unavailable (Microsoft Anti-Virus for Windows indicated that the upgrade program was itself a computer virus). When Windows 95 is started in DOS mode, e.g. for running DOS games, low-level access to disks is locked out. In case the need arises to depend on disk utilities that do not recognize long file names, such as MS-DOS 6.x's defrag utility, a program called LFNBACK for backup and restoration of long file names is provided on the CD-ROM. The program is in the \ADMIN\APPTOOLS\LFNBACK directory of the Windows 95 CD-ROM.

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) included IE4 on the Setup CD (but not in slipstreamed form) and installed it after Windows 95's initial setup and first boot was 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 there as a tooltip and in the classic UI mode).

Release

File:Windows95BOXSHOT.jpg
Microsoft Windows 95 operating system cover shot

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 $300 million advertising campaign featured stories of people waiting in line outside stores to get a copy, and there were tales of people without computers buying the software on hype alone, not even knowing what Windows was.[4]

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).

Internet Explorer

Windows 95 originally shipped without Internet Explorer, and the default network installation does not even install TCP/IP, the network protocol used on the internet. At the release date of Windows, Internet Explorer 1.0 was available, but only in the add-on Plus! pack for Windows 95, which was a separate purchase sold in retail stores. The Plus! Pack did not reach as many consumers as the operating system itself (it was mainly advertised for its add-ons such as themes and better disk compression), and at the time of Windows 95 release, the web was being browsed mainly with the Mosaic or Netscape browsers.

Windows 95 OEM Service Release 1 was the first release of Windows to include Internet Explorer (Codenamed O'Hare) with the OS. While there was no uninstaller, it could be deleted easily if the user so desired. The installation of Internet Explorer 4 on Windows 95 (or the OSR2.1 version preinstalled on a computer) gave Windows 95 active desktop and browser integration into Windows Explorer. The last version of Internet Explorer supported on Windows 95 is Internet Explorer 5.5 which was released in 2000. Windows 95 shipped with Microsoft's own online service called The Microsoft Network, comparable to America Online at the time, in that it was dial-up only and was used primarily for its own content, not internet access.

Editions

Release Version Release Date Internet Explorer USB Support FAT32 Support UDMA Support
Windows 95 Retail 4.00.950[5] 1995 no[6] no no no
Windows 95 Retail SP1 4.00.950a December 31 1995[7] no[6] no no no
OEM Service Release 1 4.00.950A 1996 2.0 no no no
OEM Service Release 2 4.00.950B (4.00.1111) 1996 3.0 no yes yes
OEM Service Release 2.1 4.00.950B (4.03.1212) 1996 3.0 yes yes yes
OEM Service Release 2.5 4.00.950C (4.03.1214) 1997 4.0 yes yes yes

While Windows 95 was originally sold as a shrink-wrapped product, later editions were provided only to computer OEMs for installation on new PCs. The term OEM Service Release is frequently abbreviated OSR, as in OSR1 or OSR2.1. Thus, for example, OSR1 was the OEM release that was identical to Windows 95 retail with Service Pack 1 applied (with the addition of Internet Explorer). In order to maintain compatibility with existing programs, Windows 95 has an internal version number of "4.00.950", regardless of the internal build number, thus reflecting Windows 95's alternative identity as "Windows 4.0" (similarly, the original edition of Windows 98 has an internal version number of Windows 4.10.1998.) Later versions are sometimes referred to by the trailing letter appended to this version string, such as Windows 95 B for OSR2 and OSR2.1.

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. To achieve optimal performance, Microsoft recommends an Intel 80486 or compatible microprocessor with at least 8 MB of RAM.[8]

Windows 95 was superseded by Windows 98 and could still be directly upgraded by both Windows 2000 [9] and Windows Me. As of December 31, 2001, Microsoft ended its support for Windows 95, making it an "obsolete" product according to the Microsoft Lifecycle Policy.[10] 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 upgrade their existing or buy a new computer. 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 computers 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.

Trivia

  • Brian Eno was the composer of the Windows 95 start-up sound. It was included in later products as The Microsoft Sound. [11]
  • Two music videos were included on the install CD-ROM for Windows 95: Weezer's "Buddy Holly" and Edie Brickell's "Good Times". Also included were short animations by Bill Plympton and Joan Gratz highlighting the introduction of the Start menu as the Program Manager replacement [1], as well as the trailer for the movie Rob Roy. A third animation, showed clouds dissolving the Program Manager and an emerging Start button.
  • The Windows 95 beta release included a PIM applet called WinPad.[12], apparently a replacement for the Windows 3.1 utilities Cardfile and Calendar. It was dropped before Windows 95 was released.
  • The Indian release of Windows 95 had to be recalled, as the time zone selection screen, which displayed an interactive world map, displayed 8 pixels of Kashmir as being under Pakistani control. This is illegal in India.[13] Because of this, and other world boundary disputes, the interactive time zone selection map was replaced with a static map in all future releases of the Windows operating system.
  • Windows 95 has a bug, which causes it to crash after 49.7 days of continuous operation. This bug was noticed and a patch was released to fix the bug in 1999.[14]
  • The Windows 95 page at Microsoft.com is no longer available. It is still possible to download Windows 95 through Windows Update.

See also

References

  • Windows 95: The hype and beyond, Guardian Unlimited
  • With Windows 95's Debut, Microsoft Scales Heights of Hype, Washington Post
  • Windows 95 Installation Requirements, Microsoft
  • Windows 95 end of support date, Microsoft
  • Schulman, Andrew (1994). Unauthorized Windows 95: A Developer's Guide to Exploring the Foundations of Windows "Chicago". IDG Books. ISBN 1-56884-169-8 (paperback). {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

Notes

  1. ^ "Windows Life-Cycle Policy". Microsoft. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |acessdate= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Microsoft detractors were quick to point out that the second verse of Start Me Up begins "you make a grown man cry" (a line which is repeated throughout). The phrase subsequently featured as a humorous reference in many critical expositions of Windows 95.
  3. ^ Michael Gartenberg (2006-08-22). "The Story behind "Start Me Up" and Windows 95". Jupiter Research. Retrieved 2006-09-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ Peter Lewis (1998-04-30). "Windows 98, The Tuneup". New York Times. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ This version of Windows 95 is sometimes called "950r6" because there were five prior release candidates of build 950. Release candidate 6 was the build that shipped in retail boxes.
  6. ^ a b Internet Explorer v1.0 was available with the additional purchase of Microsoft Plus!.
  7. ^ "Windows 95 Service Pack 1". Microsoft. 1995-12-31. Retrieved 2006-09-23.
  8. ^ "Windows 95 Installation Requirements". Microsoft. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
  9. ^ http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/professional/howtobuy/upgrading/path/default.asp
  10. ^ "Windows 95 Contact Support". Microsoft. January 1 2002. Retrieved 2006-10-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  11. ^ Eno on the Beach
  12. ^ http://toastytech.com/guis/c733.html
  13. ^ The Economic Times
  14. ^ Microsoft: Computer Hangs After 49.7 Days
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