Microsoft Windows 95

Windows 95 (code name Chicago ) is a version of Microsoft Windows left to the autumn 1995, and which made it possible Microsoft to dominate the market of the operating systems for personal computers.

Technical elements

User interface

Windows 95 made great improvements to the user interface and put an end to the competition between the operating systems for desktop machines. Even if it were possible (but it was a very bad idea) of launching Windows 95 starting from DR-DOS and even of PC-DOS, the attempts emerged only well later, at one moment when the other actors of the market of DOS were already off-side. Windows 95 was an immense success: two years after its exit, it was the operating system more sold of all times.

Windows 95 marked the appearance of the button “To start” and the bar of the tasks for the mass market of the desktop machines. Indeed, of the similar functions had been already used for a few years by the system Arthur developed by Acorn or RISC OS which occupied only one restricted market.

Its facility of use and its orders intuitive mainly allowed the emergence of a data processing “general public”.

The introduction of the 32 bits

It is the first version not to be compatible more with the old processors 16 bits. Indeed, Windows 95 at least requires a processor Intel 80386 which can function in Mode protected. Signification advances were made: this version included the support of the long names for the files (limited before to 8 characters, Windows 95 allowed the use of 255 maximum) as well as a Multitâche Préemptif for the applications 32 bits.

Windows and DOS

Windows 95 functioned with MS-DOS 7.0 (7.1 for the later versions) which was included, but which remained generally invisible for the user. Windows 95 was the first Microsoft product with being related to a specific version of DOS. This could be seen like a way for Microsoft of reinforcing its dominant position on the market of the graphical interfaces and of preventing that a not-Microsoft product does not take care of the paramount functions of the operating system.

Filesystem

The first Windows 95 version adopted the Filesystem FAT16, which was that of the last versions of MS-DOS; but starting from Windows 95 OSR2, one had the choice between the filesystems FAT16 and FAT32.

The introduction of the access to the files in mode 32 bits, inaugurated in Windows 3.11, meant that the mode 16 bits of MS-DOS was not used any more to manage the files when Windows was under operation, and the older introduction of the access disc in mode 32 bits made BIOS useless to reach the discs. This reduced MS-DOS to the role of a simple launcher for the protected mode used by the Windows core. DOS could still be used for launching old drivers in order to preserve compatibility, but Microsoft strongly disadvised it asserting that they could compromise the stability of the system. The control panel made it possible the user to see which MS-DOS components were still used by the system: one could reach an optimal performance by decontaminating them all. The Windows core still used an interface in the MS-DOS style for its “without-failure mode” but this specific mode was used only by the user wishing to regulate problems. It instructed indeed only the native pilots in order to reduce the risk of conflicts.

The access to the files in mode 32 bits was made necessary by the use of the long names (up to 255 characters) introduced by Windows 95 thanks to the use of the filing system VFAT (an alternative of FAT16). This projection was available at the same time for the Windows programs and programs ms DOS launched under Windows. The latter were however to adapt appreciably because to reach the files with long names required a longer way and different procedures). The other operating systems compatible with DOS were them to also be adpatés to be able to see these names. To use old versions of DOS to handle these files made lose with the files their long names. Microsoft had envisaged this besides: at the time of an automatic update of Windows 3.1 towards Windows 95, the installation recognized the utilities which could destroy the long file names and made them inoperative. For those which had all the same made the error and which wished to return to their files their long names, Microsoft (perhaps) at the disposal on the Windows 95 CD-ROM a utility placed to restore the long names (in the repertory \ ADMIN \ APPTOOLS \ LFNBACK of CD).

Publicity

Windows 95 was launched in large pump, with in particular a publicity illustrated by the “Start Me Up” of the Rolling Stones in reference to the button “To start” (" Start" in English). The countryside of Microsoft put in scene stories of people making the tail in front of the shops in order to obtain their copy. Legends even circulated affirming that purchasers had acquired a copy of Windows 95 without very having computer, not knowing what it was!

Versions

Windows 95 knew several major changes:

Succession

Windows 95 has had for summer exceeded by Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista. The core Windows NT used in Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista was shown more robust and more powerful than its Windows 95 predecessor used to Windows Me. These last thus gradually appeared obsolete, and the December 31st 2002, Microsoft ceased ensuring the Windows 95 support.

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