Microsoft Windows 95
Developer: Microsoft
OS family: Windows 9x
Source model: Closed source
Latest stable release: OEM Service Release 2.5 / 1997
Kernel type: Monolithic kernel
License: Microsoft EULA
Working state: Unsupported as of December 31, 2001
Website: www.microsoft.com/windows95
Microsoft Windows 95 (codename Chicago) is a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit graphical user interface-based operating system released on August 24, 1995 by the Microsoft Corporation.
Windows 95 is a direct result of combining Microsoft's formerly separate MS-DOS and Windows products. After earlier Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Windows 95 was the second in that line without support for older, 16-bit x86 processors, thus requiring an Intel 80386 (or compatible) processor running in protected mode.
It featured significant improvements to the graphical user interface (GUI) and underlying workings, including the desktop and Start Menu, support for 255-character mixed-case long filenames and preemptively-multitasked protected-mode 32-bit applications.
32-bit
The introduction of 32-bit File Access in Windows for Workgroups 3.11 meant that 16-bit real mode MS-DOS was no longer used for managing the files while Windows was running, and the earlier introduction of the 32-bit Disk Access meant that PC BIOS wasn't used for managing hard disks. This essentially reduced MS-DOS to the role of a boot loader for the protected-mode Windows kernel. DOS could still be used for running old-style drivers for compatibility, but Microsoft discouraged using them, as this prevented proper multitasking and impaired system stability.
The Control Panel allowed a user to see what MS-DOS components were still used by the system; optimal performance was achieved when they were all bypassed. The Windows kernel still used MS-DOS style real-mode drivers in the so-called Safe mode, but this mode existed merely to allow a user to fix problems with loading native, protected-mode drivers.
Long File Names
The 32-bit File Access was necessary for the long file names feature introduced with Windows 95 through the use of the VFAT file system. It was available to both Windows programs and MS-DOS programs started from Windows (they had to be adapted slightly, since accessing long file names required using larger pathname buffers and hence different system calls).
Competing DOS-compatible operating systems needed an upgrade to be able to see these names. Using older versions of DOS utilities to manipulate files meant that the long names were not visible and would be lost if files were copied or moved around. During a Windows 95 automatic upgrade of an older Windows 3.1 system, DOS and third party disk utilities which could destroy long file names were identified and made unavailable (Microsoft Anti-Virus for Windows indicated that the upgrade program was itself a computer virus).
If Windows 95 was started in DOS mode, e.g. for running DOS games, low-level access to disks was locked out. If the need arose to depend on disk utilities that do not recognise long file names, such as MS-DOS 6.22's defrag utility, a program was provided on the CD-ROM called LFNBACK for backup and restoration of long file names. The program is in the \ADMIN\APPTOOLS\LFNBACK directory of the Windows 95 CD-ROM.
A boxed copy of Windows 95 Upgrade on CD-ROM for users of Windows in the original shrinkwrap that includes Internet Explorer also as an added bonus.
A boxed copy of Windows 95 Upgrade on CD-ROM for users of Windows in the original shrinkwrap that includes Internet Explorer also as an added bonus.
User interface
Windows 95 brought much greater power and usability to the desktop GUI, and also ended competition in the desktop operating system market. While it was technically possible (but not a good idea given the above) to start the Windows 95 kernel and GUI from DR-DOS ? and probably PC-DOS too ? this did not emerge in court until some years later, by which time the other major players in the DOS market were effectively out of business. 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 made.
Release
Windows 95 was released with a great fanfare, including a commercial featuring the Rolling Stones song "Start Me Up" (a reference to the Start button)[1]. Microsoft's 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.
Windows 95 marked the introduction of the Start button and taskbar to Microsoft's GUI, both of which have remained staples of all subsequent versions of Windows.
Editions
| Release | Version | Release Date | Internet Explorer | USB Support | FAT32 Support | DMA Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows 95 Retail | 4.00.950[2] | 1995 | no[3] | no | no | no |
| Windows 95 Retail SP1 | 4.00.950A | 1996 | no[3] | 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 (4.03.1212-1214) | 1996 | 3.0 | yes | yes | yes |
| OEM Service Release 2.5 | 4.00.950C (4.03.1214) | 1997 | 4.0 | yes | yes | yes |
Windows 95 has been superseded by Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Me, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. The Windows NT-based kernel used in Windows 2000 and Windows XP has shown itself to be much more robust and powerful than its predecessor in Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me. As a result, those versions of Windows are being phased out. As of December 31, 2001, Microsoft ended its support for Windows 95.
Windows 95 has been released on both floppy disks and on CD-ROM, as some computers at the time did not include the CD-ROM capability. The floppy disk version of Windows 95 is featured on 13 floppy disks, excluding the boot disk and additional software that some releases might have featured, such as Internet Explorer being bundled with the Windows 95 software as well.
Notes
1. 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. It was widely reported that Microsoft paid the Rolling Stones $14 million for the use of the song (from the 1981 album Tattoo You) in the '95 advertising campaign.
2. 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.
3. Internet Explorer v1.0 was available with the additional purchase of Microsoft Plus!.
4. Official system requirements differed little from those for the 386-enhanced installation of Windows 3.1: a 386 "SX" CPU of any speed (32-bit processor, with a cheaper, slower 16-bit system bus, similar to the ageing Motorola 68000), 4mb of system RAM, and - the most significant difference - 50mb of hard drive space. Presumably these claims were in order to maximize the available market of Windows 3.1 converts.
Reportedly, the system successfully functions with such a configuration, but is distinctly suboptimal for any productive use, with slow graphical performance and a heavy reliance on virtual memory, making a 3.1 installation layered with the "Calmira" Windows95-aping cosmetic extension far preferable. For satisfying day to day use a 486 "DX" (32-bit bus) at 25mhz or higher, with 8mb would be more realistic (but still use considerable virtual memory with office tasks); optimally, a similar chip of at least 40mhz, with 12 or 16mb memory available and more disc space - 95mb for installation, and a further 200 or more for applications and swapfile.
Brian Eno is the composer of the start-up sound.