Editing Microsoft Windows (section)

=== Windows 9x ===
{{Main|Windows 9x|Windows 95|Windows 98|Windows Me}}
The next major consumer-oriented release of Windows, [[Windows 95]], was released on August 24, 1995. While still remaining MS-DOS-based, Windows 95 introduced support for native [[32-bit application]]s, [[plug and play]] hardware, [[preemptive multitasking]], [[long file name]]s of up to 255 characters, and provided increased stability over its predecessors. Windows 95 also introduced a redesigned, [[Object-oriented design|object oriented]] user interface, replacing the previous [[Program Manager]] with the [[Start menu]], [[taskbar]], and [[Windows Explorer]] [[Windows shell|shell]]. Windows 95 was a major commercial success for Microsoft; Ina Fried of [[CNET]] remarked that "by the time Windows 95 was finally ushered off the market in 2001, it had become a fixture on computer desktops around the world."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fried |first=Ina |date=August 25, 2010 |title=Windows 95 turns 15: Has Microsoft's OS peaked? |url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/08/25/cnet.microsoft.windows/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100826141242/http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/08/25/cnet.microsoft.windows/index.html |archive-date=August 26, 2010 |access-date=August 22, 2012 |publisher=CNET/CNN Tech}}</ref> Microsoft published four OEM Service Releases (OSR) of Windows 95, each of which was roughly equivalent to a [[service pack]]. The first OSR of Windows 95 was also the first version of Windows to be bundled with Microsoft's [[web browser]], [[Internet Explorer]].<ref name="apr96ms">{{Cite web |date=April 30, 1996 |title=Microsoft Internet Explorer Web Browser Available on All Major Platforms, Offers Broadest International Support |url=https://news.microsoft.com/1996/04/30/microsoft-internet-explorer-web-browser-available-on-all-major-platforms-offers-broadest-international-support/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080115072757/http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/1996/apr96/iemompr.mspx |archive-date=January 15, 2008 |access-date=February 14, 2011 |website=News Center |publisher=Microsoft |location=[[San Jose, California]]}}</ref> Mainstream support for Windows 95 ended on December 31, 2000, and extended support for Windows 95 ended on December 31, 2001.<ref name="Windows 95 Support Lifecycle">{{Cite web |title=Windows 95 Support Lifecycle |url=http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=7864 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122121129/http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=7864 |archive-date=November 22, 2012 |access-date=January 3, 2011 |publisher=Microsoft}}</ref>

Windows 95 was followed up with the release of [[Windows 98]] on June 25, 1998, which introduced the [[Windows Driver Model]], support for [[Universal Serial Bus#Overview|USB composite devices]], support for [[ACPI]], [[hibernation (computing)|hibernation]], and support for [[multi-monitor]] configurations. Windows 98 also included integration with [[Internet Explorer 4]] through [[Active Desktop]] and other aspects of the [[Windows Desktop Update]] (a series of enhancements to the Explorer shell which was also made available for Windows 95). In May 1999, Microsoft released [[Windows 98 Second Edition]], an updated version of Windows 98. Windows 98 SE added [[Internet Explorer 5.0]] and [[Windows Media Player]] 6.2 amongst other upgrades. Mainstream support for Windows 98 ended on June 30, 2002, and extended support for Windows 98 ended on July 11, 2006.<ref name="Windows 98 Standard Edition Support Lifecycle">{{Cite web |title=Windows 98 Standard Edition Support Lifecycle |url=http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=6513 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122120808/http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=6513 |archive-date=November 22, 2012 |access-date=January 3, 2011 |publisher=Microsoft}}</ref>

On September 14, 2000, Microsoft released [[Windows Me]] (Millennium Edition), the last DOS-based version of Windows. Windows Me incorporated visual interface enhancements from its Windows NT-based counterpart [[Windows 2000]], had faster boot times than previous versions (which however, required the removal of the ability to access a [[real mode]] DOS environment, removing compatibility with some older programs),<ref name="FastBoot1">{{Cite web |date=December 4, 2001 |title=Improving "Cold Boot" Time for System Manufacturers |url=http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/fast-boot.mspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100213120324/http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/fast-boot.mspx |archive-date=February 13, 2010 |access-date=August 26, 2010 |publisher=Microsoft}}</ref> expanded [[multimedia]] functionality (including Windows Media Player 7, [[Windows Movie Maker]], and the [[Windows Image Acquisition]] framework for retrieving images from scanners and digital cameras), additional system utilities such as [[System File Protection]] and [[System Restore]], and updated [[home network]]ing tools.<ref name="pcw-me">{{Cite magazine |title=Windows Millennium Edition: All About Me |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/17791/article.html |url-status=dead |magazine=PC World |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801115257/http://www.pcworld.com/article/17791/article.html |archive-date=August 1, 2013 |access-date=May 21, 2013}}</ref> However, Windows Me was faced with criticism for its speed and instability, along with hardware compatibility issues and its removal of real mode DOS support. ''[[PC World]]'' considered Windows Me to be one of the worst operating systems Microsoft had ever released, and the fourth worst tech product of all time.<ref name="WinMEbad">{{Cite web |date=May 26, 2006 |title=The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/535838/worst_products_ever.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230107210308/https://www.pcworld.com/article/535838/worst_products_ever.html |archive-date=January 7, 2023 |access-date=January 7, 2023 |website=[[PC World]] |publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]}}</ref>