Editing Windows 9x (section)

==History==
{{See also|Microsoft Windows version history}}

===Windows prior to 95===
The first independent version of Microsoft Windows, [[Windows 1.x|version 1.0]], released on November 20, 1985, achieved little popularity. Its name was initially "Interface Manager", but [[Rowland Hanson]], the head of marketing at Microsoft, convinced the company that the name ''Windows'' would be more appealing to consumers. Windows 1.0 was not a complete operating system, but rather an "operating environment" that extended [[MS-DOS]]. Consequently, it shared the inherent flaws and problems of MS-DOS.

The second installment of Microsoft Windows, [[Windows 2.0|version 2.0]], was released on December 9, 1987, and used the [[real mode|real-mode]] [[computer storage|memory]] model, which confined it to a maximum of 1 [[megabyte]] of memory. In such a configuration, it could run under another multitasking system like [[DESQview]], which used the [[Intel 80286|286]] [[protected mode|Protected Mode]].

Microsoft Windows scored a significant success with [[Windows 3.0]], released in 1990. In addition to improved capabilities given to native applications, Windows also allowed users to better [[Computer multitasking|multitask]] older MS-DOS-based software compared to [[Windows/386]], thanks to the introduction of [[virtual memory]].

Microsoft developed [[Windows 3.1]], which included several improvements to Windows 3.0. It also excluded support for Real mode, and only ran on an [[80286|Intel 80286]] or better processor. Windows 3.1 was released on April 6, 1992. In November 1993 Microsoft also released [[Windows 3.11]], a touch-up to Windows 3.1 which included all of the patches and updates that followed the release of Windows 3.1 in early 1992.

Meanwhile, Microsoft continued to develop [[Windows NT]]. The main architect of the system was [[Dave Cutler]], one of the chief architects of [[OpenVMS|VMS]] at [[Digital Equipment Corporation]].<ref name="ntvmsrussinovich">{{cite web
|url=http://www.krsaborio.net/research/1990s/98/12_b.htm
|title=Windows NT and VMS: The Rest of the Story
|last=Russinovich
|first=Mark
|author-link=Mark Russinovich
|date=December 1998
|access-date=2008-12-16
|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130112184237/http://www.krsaborio.net/research/1990s/98/12_b.htm
|archive-date=2013-01-12
|url-status=dead
}}</ref> Microsoft hired him in August 1988 to create a successor to [[OS/2]], but Cutler created a completely new system instead based on his [[DEC MICA|MICA]] project at Digital.<ref name="showstopper">{{cite book |last1=Zachary |first1=G. Pascal |title=Showstopper!: The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft |date=2014 |publisher=Open Road Media |isbn=978-1-4804-9484-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o2IkAwAAQBAJ&q=%22Dave+Cutler%22+march+13&pg=PT9 |access-date=2021-01-04|language=en}}</ref> The first version of Windows NT, [[Windows NT 3.1]], would be released on July 27, 1993 and used Windows 3.1's interface.

About a year before the [[Development of Windows 95|development of Windows 3.1's successor]] (Windows 95, code-named Chicago) began, Microsoft announced at its 1991 [[Professional Developers Conference]] that they would be developing a successor to Windows NT code-named [[Cairo (operating system)|Cairo]],<ref name="LarryCOM">{{cite web | url=https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/archive/blogs/larryosterman/so-what-exactly-is-com-anyway | title=So what exactly IS COM anyway? | author=Larry Osterman | date=2004-10-15 | work=Larry Osterman's WebLog | access-date=2023-02-02}}</ref> which some viewed it as succeeding both Windows NT and Windows 3.1's successor under one unified system.<ref name="cairo">{{cite web |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/23/road_to_windows_8/ |publisher=[[The Register]] |title=Windows 8: An awful lot of change for a single release |last=Anderson |first=Tim |date=2012-10-23 |access-date=2019-03-14}}</ref> Microsoft publicly demonstrated Cairo at the 1993 Professional Developers Conference, complete with a demo system running Cairo for all attendees to use.

Based on the [[Windows NT]] kernel, Cairo was a next-generation operating system that was to feature as many new technologies into Windows, including a new user interface with an [[object-based file system]] (this new user interface would officially debut with Windows 95 nearly 4 years later while the object-based file system would later be adopted as [[WinFS]] during the [[development of Windows Vista]]). According to Microsoft's product plan at the time, Cairo was planned to be released as late as July 1996 following its development.

However, it had become apparent that Cairo was a much more difficult project than Microsoft had anticipated, and the project was subsequently cancelled 5 years into development. A subset of features from Cairo were eventually added into [[Windows NT 4.0]] released on August 24, 1996, albeit without the object file system. Windows NT and Windows 9x would not be truly unified until [[Windows XP]] nearly 5 years later, when Microsoft began to merge its consumer and business line of Windows under a singular brand name based on Windows NT.

===Windows 95===
{{main|Windows 95}}
[[File:Microsoft Windows 95 logo.svg|thumb|right|Wordmark logo for Windows 95]]
After [[Windows 3.1|Windows 3.11]], [[Microsoft]] began to develop a new consumer oriented version of the operating system code-named Chicago. Chicago was designed to have support for 32-bit preemptive multitasking, that of which was available in OS/2 and Windows NT, although a 16-bit kernel would remain for the sake of backward compatibility. The Win32 [[Application programming interface|API]] first introduced with Windows NT was adopted as the standard 32-bit programming interface, with Win16 compatibility being preserved through a technique known as "[[Thunk (compatibility mapping)|thunking]]". A new GUI was not originally planned as part of the release, although elements of the Cairo user interface were borrowed and added as other aspects of the release (notably Plug and Play) slipped (and indeed after Cairo was cancelled 5 years in development).

Microsoft did not change all of the Windows code to 32-bit; parts of it remained 16-bit (albeit not directly using [[real mode]]) for reasons of compatibility, performance and development time. Additionally it was necessary to carry over design decisions from earlier versions of Windows for reasons of backwards compatibility, even if these design decisions no longer matched a more modern computing environment. These factors immediately began to impact the operating system's efficiency and stability.

Microsoft marketing adopted [[Windows 95]] as the product name for Chicago when it was released on August 24, 1995.

Microsoft went on to release five different versions of Windows 95:
* Windows 95 – original release (RTM)
* Windows 95 A – included Windows 95 [[OEM Service Release 2#Editions|OSR]]1 [[Slipstream (computing)|slipstreamed]] into the installation.
* Windows 95 B – (OSR2) included several major enhancements, [[Internet Explorer]] (IE) 3.0 and full [[FAT32]] file system support.
* Windows 95 B USB – (OSR2.1) included basic [[Universal Serial Bus|USB]] support.
* Windows 95 C – (OSR2.5) included all the above features, plus IE 4.0. This was the last 95 version produced.

OSR2, OSR2.1, and OSR2.5 ("OSR" being an initialism for "OEM Service Release") were not released to the general public, rather, they were available only to [[Original equipment manufacturer|OEMs]] that would preload the OS onto computers. Some companies sold new hard drives with OSR2 preinstalled (officially justifying this as needed due to the hard drive's capacity).

The first [[Microsoft Plus!]] add-on pack was sold for Windows 95.

===Windows 98===
{{main|Windows 98}}
[[File:Windows 98 logo.svg|thumb|right|Wordmark logo for Windows 98]]
On June 25, 1998, Microsoft released Windows 98, code-named "Memphis" during development. It included new hardware drivers and better support for the [[FAT32]] file system which allows support for disk partitions larger than the 2 GB maximum accepted by Windows 95. The [[USB]] support in Windows 98 was more robust than the basic support provided by the [[Original equipment manufacturer|OEM]] editions of Windows 95.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/247969/|title=Windows 95 OSR2.x Support for External USB Hubs|date=October 31, 2003|website=Help and Support|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051210032623/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/247969/|archive-date=December 10, 2005|access-date=October 6, 2019|edition=3.0}}</ref> It also introduces the controversial integration of the [[Internet Explorer 4]] web browser into the [[Windows shell]] and [[File Explorer]] (then known as Windows Explorer at the time).

On June 10, 1999, Microsoft released [[Windows 98#Windows 98 Second Edition|Windows 98 Second Edition]] (also known as Windows 98 SE), an interim release whose notable features were the addition of [[Internet Connection Sharing]] and improved WDM audio and modem support. Internet Connection Sharing is a form of [[network address translation]], allowing several machines on a LAN (Local Area Network) to share a single [[Internet connection]]. It also includes [[Internet Explorer 5]] as opposed to Internet Explorer 4 in the original version. Windows 98 Second Edition also has [[Windows 98#Windows 98 Second Edition|certain improvements]] over the original release, and hardware support through device drivers was increased. Many minor problems present in the original release of Windows 98 were also found and fixed. These changes, among others, makes it (according to many) the most stable release of Windows 9x family—to the extent that some commentators used to say that Windows 98's [[beta version]] was more stable than Windows 95's final (gamma) version.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://aroundcny.com/Technofile/texts/tec032998.html|title=Windows 98: Stable and fast, as well as new and improved|last=Fasoldt|first=Al|date=March 29, 1998|website=aroundcny.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020614101017/http://aroundcny.com/Technofile/texts/tec032998.html|archive-date=June 14, 2002|access-date=October 6, 2019}}</ref>

Like with Windows 95, Windows 98 received the Microsoft Plus! add-on in the form of [[Plus! 98]].

===Windows Me===
{{main|Windows Me}}
[[File:Microsoft Windows Me logo.svg|thumb|right|Wordmark logo for Windows Me]]
On September 14, 2000, Microsoft introduced Windows Me (Millennium Edition; also known as Windows ME), which upgraded Windows 98 with enhanced multimedia and Internet features. Code-named "Millennium", It was conceived as a quick one-year project that served as a stopgap release between Windows 98 and Windows XP (then code-named Whistler at the time). It borrowed some features from the business-oriented [[Windows 2000]] into the Windows 9x series, and introduced the first version of [[System Restore]], which allowed users to revert their system state to a previous "known-good" point in the case of a system failure. Windows Me also introduced the first release of [[Windows Movie Maker]] and included [[Windows Media Player|Windows Media Player 7]]. [[Internet Explorer 5.5]] came shipped with Windows Me. Many of the new features from Windows Me were also available as updates for older Windows versions such as Windows 98 via [[Windows Update]]. The role of MS-DOS has also been greatly reduced compared to previous versions of Windows, with Windows Me no longer allowing real mode DOS to be accessed.

Windows Me initially gained a positive reception upon its release, but later on it was heavily criticized by users for its instability and unreliability, due to frequent freezes and crashes. Windows Me has been viewed by many as one of the worst operating systems of all time, both in critical and in retrospect. ''PC World'' was highly critical of Windows Me months after it was released (and indeed when it was no longer available), with their article infamously describing Windows Me as "Mistake Edition" and placing it 4th in their "Worst Tech Products of All Time" feature in 2006.<ref name="mistake">{{cite web|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/125772/worst_products_ever.html?page=2|title=The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time|author=Tynan|first=Dan|date=May 26, 2006|publisher=[[PC World]]|access-date=April 20, 2019}}</ref> Consequently, many home users that were affected by Windows Me's instabilities (as well as those who negatively viewed Windows Me) ultimately stuck with the more reliable Windows 98 Second Edition for the remainder of Windows Me's lifecycle until the release of Windows XP in 2001. A small number of Windows Me owners moved over to the business-oriented Windows 2000 Professional during that same time period.

The inability of users to easily boot into real mode MS-DOS like in Windows 95 and 98 led users to quickly figure out how to hack their Windows Me installations to provide this missing functionality back into the operating system.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mvps.org/dts/WinME_DOS/Win-ME.htm|title=How to restart from Windows Millennium into Windows 98 DOS mode.|website=mvps.org|access-date=April 20, 2019}}</ref>

Unlike Windows 95 and Windows 98, Windows Me never received a dedicated Microsoft Plus! add-on made specifically for it.

===Decline===
The release of [[Windows 2000]] marked a shift in the user experience between the Windows 9x series and the Windows NT series. Windows NT 4.0, while based on the Windows 95 interface, suffered from a lack of support for USB, [[Legacy Plug and Play|Plug and Play]] and [[DirectX]] versions after 3.0, preventing its users from playing contemporary games. Windows 2000 on the other hand, while primarily made towards business and server users, featured an updated user interface and better support for both Plug and Play and USB, as well as including built-in support for [[DirectX 7.0]]. The release of [[Windows XP]] in late 2001 confirmed the change of direction for Microsoft, bringing the consumer and business operating systems together under Windows NT.

After the release of Windows XP, Microsoft stopped selling Windows 9x releases to end users (and later to OEMs) in the early 2000s. By March 2004, it was impossible to purchase any versions of the Windows 9x series.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/default.mspx |title=Windows life cycle |website=[[Microsoft]] |access-date=2010-01-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101012130140/http://www.microsoft.com/windows/lifecycle/default.mspx |archive-date=2010-10-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===End of support===

Over time, support for the Windows 9x series ended. Windows 95 lost its mainstream support on December 31, 2000, and extended support was dropped from Windows 95 on December 31, 2001 (which also ended support for older Windows versions prior to Windows 95 on that same day). Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition had its mainstream support end on June 30, 2002, and mainstream support for Windows Me ended on December 31, 2003. Microsoft then continued to support the Windows 9x series until July 11, 2006, when extended support ended for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), and Windows Millennium Edition (Me) – 4 years after extended support for Windows 95 ended on December 31, 2001.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://support.microsoft.com/gp/lifeselectindex |title=Windows 9x end of support lifetime. |access-date=2017-01-13 |archive-date=2015-03-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150307204602/http://support.microsoft.com/gp/LifeSelectIndex |url-status=live }}</ref>

Microsoft DirectX, a set of standard gaming APIs, stopped being updated on Windows 95 at version 8.0a.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4846C891-D45D-4122-8230-69F3E5ECDEDE&displaylang=en|title=DirectX 8.1 Runtime for Windows 98 and Windows Me|website=Microsoft Download Center|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050115160444/http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4846C891-D45D-4122-8230-69F3E5ECDEDE&displaylang=en|archive-date=January 15, 2005|access-date=April 20, 2019}}</ref> It also stopped being updated on Windows 98 and Me after the release of [[Windows Vista]] in 2006, making DirectX 9.0c the last version of DirectX to support these operating systems.

Support for [[Internet Explorer|Microsoft Internet Explorer]] on all Windows 9x releases have also ended. Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows Me all lost security patches for Internet Explorer when the respective operating systems reached their end of support date. [[Internet Explorer 5.5]] with Service Pack 2 is the last version of Internet Explorer compatible with Windows 95, while [[Internet Explorer 6]] with Service Pack 1 is the last version compatible with latter releases of Windows 9x (i.e. 98 and Me).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=1|title=Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1|website=Microsoft Download Center|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110627114118/http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=1|archive-date=June 27, 2011|access-date=April 20, 2019}}</ref> While Internet Explorer 6 for Windows XP did receive security patches up until it lost support, this is not the case for IE6 under Windows 98 and Me. Due to its age, [[Internet Explorer 7]], the first major update to Internet Explorer 6 in half a decade, was only available for [[Windows XP SP2]] and Windows Vista.

In 2011, Microsoft retired the Windows Update v4 website and removed the updates for Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, and Windows Me from its servers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://msfn.org/board/topic/153149-i-cant-access-windows-update-v4/|title=I can't access Windows Update v4 - Windows 9x/ME - MSFN|website=msfn.org|date=27 August 2011 |access-date=April 25, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.betaarchive.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21889|title=Where is Windows Update for Win98? - BetaArchive|website=www.betaarchive.com|access-date=April 25, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Cunningham |first=Andrew |date=2023-07-10 |title=Windows 95, 98, and other decrepit versions can grab online updates again |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/07/windows-95-98-and-other-decrepit-versions-can-grab-online-updates-again/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=[[Ars Technica]] |language=en-us}}</ref> Despite this, an independent project named Windows Update Restored was created in 2022 that aims to restore the Windows Update websites for older versions of Windows, including all releases of Windows 9x.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyson |first=Mark |date=2023-07-09 |title='Windows Update Restored' Site Provides Updates for Classic Windows Versions |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/news/windows-update-restored-site-provides-updates-for-classic-windows-versions |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=[[Tom's Hardware]] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

Microsoft announced in July 2019 that the Microsoft Internet Games services on Windows Me (and XP) would end on July 31, 2019 (and for Windows 7 on January 22, 2020).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/farewell-to-microsoft-internet-games-on-windows-xp/035d5144-6c1b-49bb-b3d5-37f6355fec39?auth=1|title=Farewell to Microsoft Internet Games on Windows XP, Windows ME, and Windows 7|website=answers.microsoft.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-08-04|archive-date=July 14, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714150805/https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/farewell-to-microsoft-internet-games-on-windows-xp/035d5144-6c1b-49bb-b3d5-37f6355fec39?auth=1|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Current usage===

The growing number of important updates caused by the end of life service for these operating systems have slowly made Windows 9x even less practical for everyday use. Today, even open source projects such as [[Firefox|Mozilla Firefox]] will not run on Windows 9x without major rework.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://support.mozilla.com/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?locale=et&comments_parentId=74873&forumId=1|title=Firefox 3 Windows 98|date=June 19, 2008|website=Mozilla Support|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329134717/http://support.mozilla.com/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?locale=et&comments_parentId=74873&forumId=1|archive-date=March 29, 2010|access-date=April 20, 2019}}</ref>

RetroZilla is a fork of [[Mozilla Application Suite]] 1.1.xx (running on [[Gecko (software)|Gecko 1.8.1]]) aimed at bringing "improved compatibility on the modern web" for versions of Windows as old as Windows 95 and NT 4.0.<ref>{{Cite web |author=rn10950 |title=RetroZilla: A fork of Gecko 1.8.1 to improve support for the modern web in older versions of Windows |website=[[GitHub]]  |url=https://github.com/rn10950/RetroZilla |access-date=October 6, 2019}}</ref> The latest version, 2.2, was released in February 2019 and added support for [[Transport Layer Security#TLS 1.2|TLS 1.2]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://github.com/rn10950/RetroZilla/releases/tag/2.2|title=Release RetroZilla 2.2|date=February 24, 2019|website=[[GitHub]]|access-date=October 6, 2019}}</ref>