Editing Windows 95

{{short description|Microsoft computer operating system released in 1995}}
{{redirect|OSR2|the gene|OSR2 (gene)}}
{{redirect-distinguish|Windows 4.0|Windows NT 4.0}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox OS
| version of = [[Windows 9x]]
| name = Windows 95
| title = Windows 95
| logo = Microsoft Windows 95 logo with wordmark.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| screenshot = File:Windows 95 at first run.png
| caption = Windows 95 desktop, showing its icons, [[Start button]], [[taskbar]] and welcome screen
| developer = [[Microsoft]]
| website = {{webarchive
|url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980120133242/http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/ |date=January 20, 1998 |title=Windows 95 }}
| source_model = [[Closed source]]
| license = [[Proprietary software|Proprietary]] [[commercial software]]
| supported_platforms = [[IA-32]]
| kernel_type = [[Monolithic kernel|Monolithic]]
| preceded_by = [[Windows 3.1]] (1992)
| succeeded_by = [[Windows 98]] (1998)
| first_release_date = {{Start date and age|1995|7|14}}
| first_release_url = 
| GA_date = {{Start date and age|1995|8|24}}<ref name="WashPost1995" />
| release_version = OEM Service Release 2.5 (4.0.950 C)
| release_date = {{Start date and age|1997|11|26}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://windowsitpro.com/windows-server/microsoft-release-windows-95-osr-25 |title=Microsoft to release Windows 95 OSR 2.5 |work=Windows IT Pro |publisher=[[Penton (company)|Penton]] |first=Paul |last=Thurrott |author-link=Paul Thurrott |date=October 19, 1997 |access-date=May 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170603060906/http://windowsitpro.com/windows-server/microsoft-release-windows-95-osr-25 |archive-date=June 3, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| preview_version = 
| preview_date = 
| preview_url = 
| support_status = Mainstream support ended on {{end date|2000|12|31}}<ref name=Lifecycle /><br />Extended support ended on {{end date|2001|12|31}}<ref name=Lifecycle>{{cite web |title=Microsoft Support Lifecycle |url=http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=7864 |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=February 7, 2015 |archive-date=November 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122121129/http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?p1=7864 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

'''Windows 95''' <!--Attention! Do NOT change to "was". This violates [[MOS:TENSE]], which specifies that all articles on operating systems are written in present tense, even if discontinued.--> is a consumer-oriented [[operating system]] developed by [[Microsoft]] and the first of its [[Windows 9x]] family of operating systems, [[Software release life cycle#RTM|released to manufacturing]] on July 14, 1995, and generally to retail on August 24, 1995. Windows 95 merged Microsoft's formerly separate [[MS-DOS]] and [[Microsoft Windows]] products into a single product and featured significant improvements over its predecessor, most notably in the [[graphical user interface]] (GUI) and in its simplified "[[Plug and play#Plug and Play|plug-and-play]]" features. There were also major changes made to the core components of the operating system, such as moving from a mainly [[cooperative multitasking|cooperatively multitasked]] [[16-bit computing|16-bit]] architecture of its predecessor [[Windows 3.1]] to a [[32-bit computing|32-bit]] [[Preemption (computing)#PREEMPTIVE|preemptive multitasking]] architecture.{{Efn|At least when running only 32-bit protected mode applications}}

Windows 95 introduced numerous functions and features that were featured in later Windows versions, and continue in modern variations to this day, such as the [[taskbar]], the [[notification area]], file shortcuts on the desktop, plug and play driver integration, removal of the requirement to have a separate copy of MS-DOS, the ability to full screen application windows, native internet integration, raising the maximum letters a filename can have from eight to 255, the Windows Explorer, and the "Start" button which summons the [[Start menu]].<ref name="WashPost1995">{{cite news |author=Segal |first=David |date=August 24, 1995 |title=With Windows 95's Debut, Microsoft Scales Heights of Hype |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/longterm/microsoft/stories/1995/debut082495.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502031212/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/longterm/microsoft/stories/1995/debut082495.htm |archive-date=May 2, 2019 |access-date=May 9, 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Long, Tony |date=August 24, 2011 |title=Aug. 24, 1995: Say Hello to Windows 95 |url=https://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2011/08/0824windows-95/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212154004/http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2011/08/0824windows-95/ |archive-date=December 12, 2013 |access-date=April 21, 2012 |work=Wired.com}}</ref> Accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign<ref name="WashPost1995"/> that generated much prerelease [[Promotion (marketing)|hype]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/04/30/technology/windows-98-the-tuneup.html | title=Windows 98, the Tuneup | work=The New York Times | date=April 30, 1998 | last1=Lewis | first1=Peter H. }}</ref> it was a major success<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dookeran |first=Jason |date=2024-11-03 |title=Windows 95 Turned 29 This Year: What One Of The Best Operating Systems Taught Us |url=https://www.howtogeek.com/windows-95-turn-29-this-year-what-one-of-the-best-operating-systems-taught-us/ |access-date=2024-12-04 |website=How-To Geek |language=en}}</ref> and is considered to be one of the biggest and most important products in the personal computing industry.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hickey |first=Matt |title=Windows 95 Was The Most Important Operating System Of All Time |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthickey/2015/08/24/windows-95-was-the-most-important-operating-system-of-all-time/ |access-date=2023-05-20 |website=Forbes |language=en |archive-date=May 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520160205/https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthickey/2015/08/24/windows-95-was-the-most-important-operating-system-of-all-time/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=admin-ectnews |date=2020-08-31 |title=25-Year Anniversary: How Windows 95 Forever Changed Personal Computing |url=https://www.technewsworld.com/story/25-year-anniversary-how-windows-95-forever-changed-personal-computing-86823.html |access-date=2023-05-20 |website=TechNewsWorld |language=en-US |archive-date=May 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520160209/https://www.technewsworld.com/story/25-year-anniversary-how-windows-95-forever-changed-personal-computing-86823.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Three years after its introduction, Windows{{&nbsp}}95 was followed by [[Windows 98|Windows{{&nbsp}}98]]. Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows{{&nbsp}}95 on December 31, 2000. Like [[Windows NT 3.51|Windows{{&nbsp}}NT{{&nbsp}}3.51]], which was released shortly before, Windows{{&nbsp}}95 received only one year of extended support, ending on December 31, 2001, the same day as classic versions such as Windows 3.x.
{{anchor|History}}

==Development==
{{Main|Development of Windows 95}}
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2010}}

The initial design and planning of Windows 95 can be traced back to around March 1992,<ref>Comes v. Microsoft. [http://groklaw.net/pdf/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/1000/PX01263.pdf Plaintiff's Exhibit 1263] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414110939/http://groklaw.net/pdf/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/1000/PX01263.pdf |date=April 14, 2016 }}.</ref><ref>Comes v. Microsoft. [http://groklaw.net/pdf/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/1000/PX01308.pdf Plaintiff's Exhibit 1308] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191130211809/http://groklaw.net/pdf/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/1000/PX01308.pdf |date=November 30, 2019 }}.</ref><ref>Comes v. Microsoft. [http://groklaw.net/pdf/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/1000/PX01310.pdf Plaintiff's Exhibit 1310] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414110941/http://groklaw.net/pdf/iowa/www.iowaconsumercase.org/011607/1000/PX01310.pdf |date=April 14, 2016 }}.</ref> just around the time before the release of [[Windows 3.1]]. At this time, ''Windows for Workgroups 3.11'' and [[Windows NT 3.1]] were still in development. At this point, Microsoft's strategy was to have a next generation, high-end OS based on Windows NT, namely, [[Cairo (operating system)|Cairo]], and a low-end, consumer-focused one as an evolution of Windows 3.1. The latter strategy was to develop a 32-bit underlying kernel and filesystem with 32-bit protected mode device drivers in Windows for Workgroups 3.11, to be used as the basis for the next version of Windows, code named "Chicago." Cairo would be Microsoft's next-generation operating system based on Windows NT, featuring a new user interface and an object-based file system, but it was not planned to be shipped before 1994. Cairo would never be shipped, however, although elements from the Cairo project eventually shipped in Windows NT 4.0 in late July 1996, without the object-based file system, which would later evolve into [[WinFS]].

Simultaneously with Windows 3.1's release, [[IBM]] started shipping [[OS/2 2.0#32-bit era|OS/2 2.0]]. Microsoft realized they required an updated version of Windows that could support 32-bit applications and preemptive multitasking, but could still run on low-end hardware (Windows NT did not).<!--PX 1308--> Initially, the "Chicago" team did not know how the product would be packaged. Initial thoughts were there might be two products, MS-DOS 7, which would just be the underlying OS, an evolution of the Windows for Workgroups 3.11 kernel, with a character mode OS on top, and a fully integrated graphical Windows OS. But soon into the project, the idea of MS-DOS 7 was abandoned and the decision was made to develop only an integrated graphical OS Windows "Chicago."

===Beta===
Before Windows 95's official release, users in the [[United States]] and [[United Kingdom]] had an opportunity to participate in the Windows 95 Preview Program.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Fruhlinger|first=Josh|date=August 31, 2015|title=It's (still) Windows 95's world. We just live in it.|url=https://www.computerworld.com/article/2977757/its-still-windows-95s-world-we-just-live-in-it.html|access-date=August 24, 2020|website=Computerworld|language=en|archive-date=September 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200905015300/https://www.computerworld.com/article/2977757/its-still-windows-95s-world-we-just-live-in-it.html|url-status=live}}</ref> For US$19.95/£19.95, users would receive several 3.5-inch floppy disks that would be used to install Windows 95 either as an upgrade from Windows 3.1 or as a fresh installation. Participants were also given a free preview of [[MSN Dial-up|The Microsoft Network (MSN)]], the [[online service]] that Microsoft launched with Windows 95. During the preview period, Microsoft established various electronic distribution points for promotional and technical documentation on Chicago,<ref name="reviewGuide">[http://www.anonymous-insider.net/windows/research/acrobat/940601.pdf Microsoft Windows Chicago Reviewer's Guide]{{Dead link|date=August 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, p.282</ref> including a detailed document for media reviewers describing the new system highlights.<ref name="reviewGuide"/><ref>{{cite news|title=PERSONAL COMPUTERS; Microsoft's New System Promises to Fix Glitches|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|author=Stephen Manes|date=July 19, 1994|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/19/science/personal-computers-microsoft-s-new-system-promises-to-fix-glitches.html|access-date=February 23, 2017|archive-date=July 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704050049/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/07/19/science/personal-computers-microsoft-s-new-system-promises-to-fix-glitches.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The preview versions expired in November 1995, after which the user would have to purchase their copy of the final version of Windows 95.

==Architecture==
[[File:Microsoft Windows 95 architecture.svg|thumb|upright=1.5|Architectural diagram]]
Windows 95 was designed to be maximally compatible with existing [[MS-DOS]] and 16-bit Windows programs and [[device drivers]] while offering a more stable and better performing system.<ref name="pre-multi">{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/117567|title=How 16-Bit and 32-Bit Programs Multitask in Windows 95|date=November 15, 2006|website=Microsoft Support|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117085655/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/117567|archive-date=January 17, 2008|access-date=April 9, 2010}}</ref><ref name="w95-archi">{{cite web|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions//cc751120(v=technet.10)|title=Windows 95 Architecture Components|date=February 20, 2014|work=Microsoft Docs|publisher=Microsoft|access-date=May 9, 2019|archive-date=July 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704050156/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions//cc751120%28v=technet.10%29|url-status=live}}</ref> The development team purchased a copy of every PC software at a local [[Egghead Software]] and tested them on the operating system.<ref name="chen20050824">{{Cite web |last=Chen |first=Raymond |date=2005-08-24 |title=Buying an entire Egghead Software store |url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20050824-11/?p=34463 |access-date=2025-04-27 |website=The Old New Thing |language=en-US}}</ref> The Windows 95 architecture is an evolution of [[Windows for Workgroups]]' 386 enhanced mode.
;Configuration Manager (CONFIGMG):Responsible for implementing [[Legacy Plug and Play|Plug and Play]] functionality; monitoring hardware configuration changes; detecting devices using ''bus enumerators''; and allocating [[I/O port]]s, [[Interrupt request (PC architecture)|IRQs]], [[DMA channel]]s and [[memory-mapped I/O|memory]] in a conflict-free fashion.<ref>{{Cite web|last=aczechowski|title=What is Configuration Manager? - Configuration Manager|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/configmgr/core/understand/introduction|access-date=August 25, 2020|website=docs.microsoft.com|language=en-us|archive-date=September 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904125405/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/mem/configmgr/core/understand/introduction|url-status=live}}</ref>
;Installable File System Manager (Input/Output Subsystem):Coordinates access to supported file systems. Windows 95 initially shipped with support for [[FAT12]], [[FAT16]], the [[VFAT]] extension, [[ISO 9660]] (CDFS), [[Joliet (file system)|Joliet]] and [[network redirector]]s, with later releases supporting [[FAT32]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=lorihollasch|title=Filter Manager Concepts - Windows drivers|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/ifs/filter-manager-concepts|access-date=August 25, 2020|website=docs.microsoft.com|language=en-us|archive-date=July 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704050049/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/ifs/filter-manager-concepts|url-status=live}}</ref>

Access requests to physical media are sent to ''Input/Output Supervisor'', a component responsible for scheduling the requests. Each physical media has its device driver: access to the disk is performed by a ''port driver'', while access to a [[SCSI]] device is handled by a ''[[miniport]]'' driver working atop the SCSI layer. Port and Miniport drivers perform I/O operations in 32-bit protected mode, bypassing MS-DOS and [[BIOS]], significantly improving performance. In case there is no native Windows driver for a certain storage device, or if a device is forced to run in compatibility mode, the ''Real Mode Mapper'' can access it through MS-DOS.<ref name="oldnewthing2007">{{Cite web|date=December 24, 2007|title=What was the role of MS-DOS in Windows 95?|url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20071224-00/?p=24063|website=The Old New Thing|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128011858/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2007/12/24/6849530.aspx|archive-date=January 28, 2011|author-first=Raymond|author-last=Chen}}</ref>

32-bit Windows programs are assigned protected memory segments, which can be adjusted to any desired size, and memory areas outside the segment cannot be accessed by a program, that limited harm to other programs and the system when a program crashed. Before this, programs used fixed non-exclusive 64 KB segments. While the 64 KB size was a serious handicap in DOS and Windows 3.x, lack of guarantee of exclusiveness was the cause of stability issues because programs sometimes overwrote each other's segments, a crashing Windows 3.x program could knock out surrounding processes.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} Unfortunately for compatibility reasons some parts of the 32-bit Windows program memory was non-exclusive and shared among the whole system (most famously the first 1MiB of the address space),<ref name="oldnewthing2014">{{Cite web|date=October 3, 2014|title=Why is 0x00400000 the default base address for an executable?|url=https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20141003-00/?p=43923|website=The Old New Thing|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107111456/https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20141003-00/?p=43923|archive-date=January 7, 2018 }}</ref> this meant that in Windows 95 a crash which incorrectly modified this shared memory could still cause harm to other programs or the system (full memory protection only came to consumer Windows systems with the launch of Windows XP).

The [[Win32 API]] is implemented by three modules, each consisting of a 16-bit and a 32-bit component:

;Kernel:Provides high-level access to [[memory management|memory]] and [[process management (computing)|process management]], and access to the file system. Consists of KRNL386.EXE, [[KERNEL32.DLL]], and VWIN32.VXD.
;User:Responsible for managing and drawing the various [[user interface]] components, such as [[window (computing)|windows]], [[menu (computing)|menus]] and [[button (computing)|buttons]]. Consists of USER.EXE and [[USER32.DLL]].
;[[Graphics Device Interface]] (GDI): Responsible for drawing graphics in a device-independent way. Consists of GDI.EXE and GDI32.DLL.

===Dependence on MS-DOS===
{{Main|MS-DOS 7}}
[[File:Microsoft Windows 95 Version 4.00.1111 command.com MS-DOS Prompt 492x259.png|thumb|250px|[[command.com]] running in a [[Windows console]] on Windows 95 (MS-DOS Prompt)]]
To end-users, MS-DOS appears as an underlying component of Windows 95. For example, it is possible to prevent the loading of the graphical user interface and boot the system into a real-mode MS-DOS environment. This was done by inserting [[command.com]] into the autoexec.bat file or changing the BootGUI variable in the MSDOS.SYS file to 0. This sparked debate amongst users and professionals regarding the extent to which Windows 95 is an operating system or merely a graphical shell running on top of MS-DOS.<ref name="oldnewthing2007" /><ref name="Schulman_1994_UnauthorizedWin95">{{cite book
 |title=Unauthorized Windows 95 - Developer's Resource Kit
 |last=Schulman
 |first=Andrew
 |date=October 1994
 |publisher=[[International Data Group|International Data Group Company]]
 |location=[[Foster City, California]]
 |isbn=1-56884-305-4<!-- 9781568841694 -->
 |oclc=300092018
}}</ref><ref name="Lea_1998_Cebit">{{cite web
 |title=Caldera shows Windows on DR-DOS, denying Microsoft claims
 |author-last=Lea
 |author-first=Graham
 |author-link=Graham Lea (journalist)
 |date=March 23, 1998
 |series=[[CeBIT]] news
 |location=Hanover, Germany
 |url=http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/1996865/cebit-caldera-windows-dr-dos-denying-ms-claims
 |access-date=March 15, 2012
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315080721/http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/1996865/cebit-caldera-windows-dr-dos-denying-ms-claims
 |archive-date=March 15, 2012
}}</ref>

When the graphical user interface is started, the virtual machine manager takes over the filesystem-related and disk-related functionality. MS-DOS itself is demoted to a compatibility layer for 16-bit device drivers.<ref name="oldnewthing2007"/> This contrasts with earlier versions of Windows which rely on MS-DOS to perform file and disk access (Windows for Workgroups 3.11 could also largely bypass MS-DOS when [[32-bit file access]] and [[32-bit disk access]] were enabled). Keeping MS-DOS in memory allows Windows 95 to use DOS device drivers when suitable Windows drivers are unavailable. Windows 95 is capable of using all 16-bit Windows 3.x drivers.

Unlike Windows 3.x, DOS programs running in Windows 95 do not need DOS drivers for the mouse, CD-ROM and sound card; Windows drivers are used instead. [[HIMEM.SYS]] is still required to boot Windows 95. [[EMM386]] and other memory managers, however, are only used by DOS programs. In addition, [[CONFIG.SYS]] and [[AUTOEXEC.BAT]] settings (aside from HIMEM.SYS) do not affect Windows programs. DOS games, which could not be executed on Windows 3.x, can run inside Windows 95 (games tended to lock up Windows 3.x or cause other problems). As with Windows 3.x, DOS programs that use [[Enhanced Graphics Adapter|EGA]] or [[Video Graphics Array|VGA]] graphics modes run in windowed mode ([[Color Graphics Adapter|CGA]] and [[text mode]] programs can continue to run).<ref name="oldnewthing2007" />

On startup, the MS-DOS component in Windows 95 responds to a pressed {{key press|F8}} key by temporarily pausing the default boot process and presenting the DOS boot options menu, allowing the user to continue starting Windows normally, start Windows in [[safe mode]] or exit to the DOS prompt.<ref name=" Schulman_1994_UnauthorizedWin95"/><!-- NB. The book discusses this for a beta version of Windows 95 with minor (non-significant) differences to how it works in the released versions. --> As in previous versions of [[MS-DOS]], there is no 32-bit support and DOS drivers must be loaded for mice and other hardware.

As a consequence of DOS compatibility, Windows 95 has to keep internal DOS data structures synchronized with those of Windows 95. When starting a program, even a native 32-bit Windows program, MS-DOS momentarily executes to create a data structure known as the [[Program Segment Prefix]]. It is even possible for MS-DOS to run out of [[conventional memory]] while doing so, preventing the program from launching.<ref name="Schulman_1994_UnauthorizedWin95"/> Windows 3.x allocated ''fixed'' segments in conventional memory first. Since the segments were allocated as fixed, Windows could not move them, which would prevent any more programs from launching.

Microsoft partially removed support for [[File Control Block]]s (an API hold-over of DOS 1.x and [[CP/M]]) in Windows 95 OSR2 ([[OEM]] Service Release 2). FCB functions can read [[FAT32]] volumes, but not write to them.

With merging Windows together with MS-DOS, Microsoft had effectively [[Vendor lock-in|locked-in]] users who may have been using a different non-Microsoft DOS, like [[PC DOS]] and [[DR DOS]], who could previously make use of Windows 3.x without requiring Microsoft's MS-DOS. [[Caldera (company)|Caldera]] demostrated that Windows 95 could in fact run on top of its DR DOS operating system, and argued that Microsoft was being anti-competitive, which would prove useful in a later [[Caldera v. Microsoft|court case]] between Caldera and Microsoft.<ref name="Romano_1998_Winbolt">{{cite journal |author-first=Mike |author-last=Romano |title=The mouse that roared. Forget the feds. It's up to an obscure Utah company to prove what we already know: that Microsoft is a monopoly. |journal=[[Seattle Weekly]] |date=1998-09-17 |orig-date=1998-09-16 |url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/1998-09-16/news/the-mouse-that-roared/ |access-date=2017-06-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624231746/http://archive.seattleweekly.com/1998-09-16/news/the-mouse-that-roared/ |archive-date=2017-06-24 |quote=Furthermore, Caldera claims that Microsoft's flagship product, Windows 95, is nothing more than an "[[artificial tie]]" between its MS-DOS operating system and [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] graphic interface with no business justification other than to keep competing underlying operating systems—like Caldera's DR-DOS—off the market. To prove its point, Caldera will soon release a piece of demonstration software called "[[WinBolt]]," which, it says, will allow users to install the Windows 95 interface atop DR-DOS. The demo will show, Caldera says, that there is no significant technological advancement, or justified business efficiency, to the combination of MS-DOS with Windows in Windows 95.}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20010211085804/http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/9837/features-romano.shtml]</ref><ref name="Schulman_2000_Dossier">{{cite web |title=The Caldera v. Microsoft Dossier |author-first=Andrew |author-last=Schulman |date=2000-02-07 |work=[[O'Reilly Network]] |publisher=[[O'Reilly and Associates, Inc.]] |url=http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2000/02/07/schulman.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000819023434/http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2000/02/07/schulman.html |archive-date=2000-08-19}}</ref>

==User interface==
Windows 95 introduced a redesigned [[Windows shell|shell]] based around a [[desktop metaphor]]; [[Shortcut (computing)#Microsoft Windows|File shortcuts]] (also known as shell links) were introduced <ref name="WinLNK">{{Cite journal |first=Raymond |last=Chen |date=October 2009 |journal=[[TechNet Magazine]] |title=Windows Confidential: Tracking Shortcuts |url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.10.windowsconfidential.aspx |access-date=April 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012055953/http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.10.windowsconfidential.aspx |archive-date=October 12, 2009 |publisher=[[Microsoft]]}}</ref> and the windows were re-purposed to hold shortcuts to applications, files and folders, reminiscent of [[Mac OS]]. In part because of this, the abilty to enter full screen mode was added to most that are functionally robust enough. 

In [[Windows 3.1]], the desktop was used to display icons of running applications. In Windows 95, the currently running applications were displayed as buttons on a [[taskbar]] across the bottom of the screen.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Windows 3.0-style file browser lets you navigate like it's the 90s|url=https://www.engadget.com/2018-04-09-windows-3-file-browser-open-source.html|access-date=August 27, 2020|website=Engadget|date=April 9, 2018|language=en|archive-date=September 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200905001720/https://www.engadget.com/2018-04-09-windows-3-file-browser-open-source.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The taskbar also contained a notification area used to display icons for background applications, a volume control and the current time.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 30, 2019|title=New version of Windows 95 gains a snazzy user interface on Windows 10, macOS and Linux|url=https://betanews.com/2019/08/30/windows-95-new-user-interface/|access-date=August 27, 2020|website=BetaNews|language=en|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806135815/https://betanews.com/2019/08/30/windows-95-new-user-interface/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Start menu]], invoked by clicking the "Start" button on the taskbar or by pressing the [[Windows key]], was introduced as an additional means of launching applications or opening documents. While maintaining the program groups used by its predecessor [[Program Manager]], it also displayed applications within cascading sub-menus.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Warren|first=Tom|date=February 11, 2016|title=A history of the Windows Start menu|url=https://www.theverge.com/2016/2/11/10923808/microsoft-windows-start-menu-20-years-visual-history|access-date=August 27, 2020|website=The Verge|language=en-US|archive-date=August 20, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820043607/https://www.theverge.com/2016/2/11/10923808/microsoft-windows-start-menu-20-years-visual-history|url-status=live}}</ref>

The previous [[File Manager (Windows)|File Manager]] program was replaced by [[Windows Explorer]] and the Explorer-based [[Control Panel (Windows)|Control Panel]] and several other [[special folder]]s were added such as My Computer, Dial-Up Networking, Recycle Bin, Network Neighborhood, My Documents, Recent documents, Fonts, Printers, and [[Briefcase (Microsoft Windows)|My Briefcase]] among others. [[AutoRun]] was introduced for CD drives.

The user interface looked dramatically different from prior versions of Windows, empathizing more detail; however, its design language did not have a special name like ''[[Metro (design language)|Metro]]'' in Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10, ''Platinum'' in Mac OS 8 and Mac OS 9, ''[[Windows Aero|Aero]]'' in Windows Vista onward, ''[[Aqua (user interface)|Aqua]]'' in macOS, and ''[[Material Design]]'' in most Google products since 2014. Internally it was called "the new shell" and later simply "the shell".<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20140729-00/?p=383|title = Did the Windows 95 interface have a code name?|date = July 29, 2014|access-date = August 8, 2018|website = The Old New Thing|author-last = Chen|author-first = Raymond|author-link = Raymond Chen (Microsoft)|archive-date = August 9, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180809090816/https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20140729-00/?p=383|url-status = live}}</ref> The subproject within Microsoft to develop the new shell was internally known as "Stimpy".<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20140520-00/?p=953|title = The code names for various subprojects within Windows 95|date = May 20, 2014|access-date = August 8, 2018|website = The Old New Thing|author-last = Chen|author-first = Raymond|author-link = Raymond Chen (Microsoft)|archive-date = July 4, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210704050138/https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/|url-status = live}}</ref>

{{Listen
 |filename     = The Microsoft Sound (Windows 95).wav
 |title        = "The Microsoft Sound"
 |description  = Startup sound for Windows 95, composed by Brian Eno
}}

In 1994, Microsoft designers [[Mark Malamud]] and Erik Gavriluk approached [[Brian Eno]] to compose music for the Windows 95 project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/intel-microsoft-research-in-motion-apple/5/25/2010/id/28465?refresh=1|title=Who Created The Windows Start-Up Sound?|last=Rohrlich|first=Justin|date=May 25, 2010|work=[[Minyanville]]'s Wall Street|access-date=June 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104221227/http://www.minyanville.com/businessmarkets/articles/intel-microsoft-research-in-motion-apple/5/25/2010/id/28465?refresh=1|archive-date=November 4, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The result was the six-second start-up music-sound of the Windows 95 operating system, ''[[The Microsoft Sound]]'' and it was first released as a startup sound in May 1995 on Windows 95 May Test Release build 468.<ref>{{Cite news |author=[[Joel Selvin]], Chronicle Pop Music Critic |url=http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Q-and-A-With-Brian-Eno-2979740.php |title=Q and A With Brian Eno |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=June 2, 1996 |access-date=June 19, 2012 |archive-date=October 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028193008/http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Q-and-A-With-Brian-Eno-2979740.php |url-status=live }}</ref> The previous "tada" startup sound from Windows 3.1 became the shutdown sound for Windows 95. In 2025, the Microsoft Sound was selected for preservation in the [[National Recording Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Edser |first=Andy |date=11 April 2025 |title=The Windows 95 start-up sound and the Minecraft soundtrack have been added to the US Library of Congress list of nationally significant recordings |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/software/operating-systems/the-windows-95-start-up-sound-and-the-minecraft-soundtrack-have-been-added-to-the-us-library-of-congress-list-of-nationally-significant-recordings/ |access-date=11 April 2025 |work=[[PC Gamer]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

When released for Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0, [[Internet Explorer 4]] came with an optional [[Windows Desktop Update]], which modified the shell to provide several additional updates to Windows Explorer, including a ''Quick Launch'' toolbar, and new features integrated with Internet Explorer, such as [[Active Desktop]] (which allowed Internet content to be displayed directly on the desktop).

Some of the user interface elements introduced in Windows 95, such as the desktop, taskbar, Start menu and Windows Explorer file manager, remained fundamentally unchanged on future versions of Windows.

==Technical improvements==
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2024}}
Windows 95 included support for 255-character mixed-case [[long filename]]s<ref>255-character mixed-case long filenames are only possible for files and/or folders with no sub-folders at the root folder of any drive.</ref> and [[Preemption (computing)|preemptively]] multitasked protected-mode 32-bit applications. 16-bit processes were still co-operatively multitasked.

===Plug and Play===
{{Main|Legacy Plug and Play|Device Manager}}

Windows 95 tried to automate device detection and configuration as much as possible, but could still fall back to manual settings if necessary. During the initial install process of Windows 95, it would attempt to automatically detect all devices installed in the system.

Windows 95 also introduced the Device Manager to indicate which devices were working optimally with correct drivers and configuration and to allow the user to override automatic Plug and Play-based driver installation with manual options or give a choice of several semi-automatic configurations to try to free up resources for devices that still needed manual configuration.

Windows 95 also has built-in support for [[Advanced Power Management]].

===Long file names===
{{Main|Long filename}}
[[32-bit File Access]] is necessary for the ''long file names'' feature introduced with Windows 95 through the use of the [[VFAT]] file system extension. 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]] [[Buffer (computer science)|buffers]] and hence different [[system call]]s). 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 and 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. When Windows 95 is started in DOS mode, e.g. for running DOS programs, 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 the 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, specifically in its \ADMIN\APPTOOLS\LFNBACK directory. {{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

===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). While the OS kernel is 32-bit, much code (especially for the user interface) remained 16-bit for performance reasons as well as development time constraints.

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]] is often no longer used for managing hard disks. DOS can be used for running old-style [[device driver|drivers]] for compatibility, but Microsoft discourages using them, as this prevents proper multitasking and impairs system stability. [[Control Panel (Windows)|Control Panel]] allows a user to see which MS-DOS components are used by the system; optimal performance is achieved when they are bypassed. The Windows [[kernel (operating system)|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.

===Core improvements in OEM Service Releases===
OEM Service Releases of Windows 95 introduced support in Windows for several core new technologies that were not included in the original release of Windows 95. These include the [[Internet Explorer]] web browser, [[DriveSpace]] compression, [[OpenGL]], [[DirectX]], [[FAT32]] file system support, [[UDMA|UltraDMA]] mode for disk drives, [[Universal Serial Bus]], [[IEEE 1394|IEEE 1394 (FireWire)]], and [[Accelerated Graphics Port]].

===Accessibility features===
Windows 95 introduced [[computer accessibility]] features like [[Sticky keys]], [[FilterKeys]], [[ToggleKeys]], [[Mouse keys]]. [[Microsoft Active Accessibility]] API was introduced as an add-on for Windows 95.

==System requirements==
Official system requirements were an [[Intel 386]]DX CPU of any speed, 4&nbsp;MB of system RAM and 50–55&nbsp;MB of hard disk space depending on features selected. These minimal claims were made in order to maximize the available market of Windows 3.1 migrations. This configuration would rely heavily on [[virtual memory]] and was only optimal for productive use on single-tasking dedicated workstations.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19950924/2143253/yes-win95-runs-on-minimum-system-requirements-but-its-a-slow-road-to-travel|title=Yes, Win95 Runs On Minimum System Requirements, But It's A Slow Road To Travel|date=September 24, 1995|newspaper=The Seattle Times|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508231111/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19950924&slug=2143253|archive-date=May 8, 2019|url-status=live|access-date=May 9, 2019}}</ref> It was possible to run Windows 95 on a 386 SX, but this led to even less acceptable performance due to its 16-bit external data bus. To achieve optimal performance, Microsoft recommended an [[i486]] or compatible CPU with at least 8&nbsp;MB of RAM.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/138349|title=Windows 95 Installation Requirements|date=December 17, 2000|website=Microsoft Support|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041019021615/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/138349|archive-date=October 19, 2004|access-date=May 9, 2019}}</ref>

Windows 95 may fail to boot on computers with a processor faster than 2.1&nbsp;GHz and more than approximately 480&nbsp;MB of memory.<ref name="KB253912">{{Cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/253912|title="Out of Memory" Error Messages with Large Amounts of RAM Installed|date=September 28, 2004|website=Microsoft Help and Support|publisher=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041110055838/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/253912|archive-date=November 10, 2004|access-date=May 9, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/184447|title=Error Message: Insufficient Memory to Initialize Windows|date=December 17, 2000|website=Microsoft Help and Support|publisher=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041110055120/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/184447|archive-date=November 10, 2004|access-date=May 9, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20030814-00/?p=42903/|title=Windows 95 doesn't boot with more than 1GB of RAM|author-last=Chen|author-first=Raymond|author-link=Raymond Chen (Microsoft)|date=August 14, 2003|work=The Old New Thing|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=May 9, 2019|archive-date=January 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110083143/https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20030814-00/?p=42903%2F|url-status=live}}</ref> In such a case, reducing the file cache size or the size of video memory can help.<ref name="KB253912" /> The theoretical maximum according to Microsoft is 2 GB.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/181594|title=Windows 95 Can Access Up to Two GB of RAM|date=November 15, 2006|website=Microsoft Support|publisher=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520214253/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/181594|archive-date=May 20, 2007|access-date=May 9, 2019}}</ref>

Most copies of Windows 95 were on [[CD-ROM]], but a {{frac|3|1|2}}-inch floppy version was also available for older machines. The retail floppy disk version of Windows 95 came on 13 [[Distribution Media Format|DMF]] formatted floppy disks, while OSR2.1 doubled the floppy count to 26. Both versions exclude additional software that the CD-ROM version might have featured. [[Microsoft Plus!]] for Windows 95 was also available on floppy disks.

==Upgradeability==
Windows 95 was superseded by [[Windows 98]], which also included the [[Windows Desktop Update]] and [[Internet Explorer 4]] by default. It could still be directly upgraded by either Windows 2000 Professional<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/203141|title=Cannot Upgrade Windows 95/98 to Windows 2000 Server|website=Microsoft Support|publisher=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104220616/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/203141|archive-date=November 4, 2013}}</ref> or [[Windows Me]]. [[Microsoft Office 2000|Office 2000]] was the last version of [[Microsoft Office]] to be compatible with Windows 95. Similarly, [[Windows Media Player]] 7.0, released in June 2000, and [[DirectX]] 8.0a, released in February 2001, are the last versions of Windows Media Player and DirectX available for Windows 95, respectively.

Updates for Windows 95 could be installed via the [[Windows Update]] website. The Windows Update website for Windows 95 and 98 was removed in 2011.<ref name="Cunningham-2023">{{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 |archive-date=August 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240805020423/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/07/windows-95-98-and-other-decrepit-versions-can-grab-online-updates-again/ |url-status=live }}</ref> An independent project named Windows Update Restored aims to restore the Windows Update websites for older versions of Windows, including Windows 95.<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 |archive-date=July 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727021528/https://www.tomshardware.com/news/windows-update-restored-site-provides-updates-for-classic-windows-versions |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Cunningham-2023" />

While Windows 95 did not officially support the [[.NET Framework]], versions [[.NET Framework 2.0|2.0]] and [[.NET Framework 3.5|3.5]] were unofficially [[Backporting|backported]] for the operating system in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harper |first=Christopher |date=2024-04-14 |title=Thousands of apps ported back to Windows 95 twenty-eight years later — .NET Framework port enables backward compatibility for modern software |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/software/operating-systems/thousands-of-apps-ported-back-to-windows-95-twenty-eight-years-later-net-framework-port-enables-backward-compatibility-for-modern-software |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531170725/https://www.tomshardware.com/software/operating-systems/thousands-of-apps-ported-back-to-windows-95-twenty-eight-years-later-net-framework-port-enables-backward-compatibility-for-modern-software |archive-date=2024-05-31 |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=[[Tom's Hardware]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Posch |first=Maya |date=2024-04-14 |title=Porting Modern Windows Applications To Windows 95 |url=https://hackaday.com/2024/04/14/porting-modern-windows-applications-to-windows-95/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240701121659/https://hackaday.com/2024/04/14/porting-modern-windows-applications-to-windows-95/ |archive-date=2024-07-01 |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=[[Hackaday]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Internet Explorer===
Windows 95 originally shipped without [[Internet Explorer]], and the default network installation did not include [[TCP/IP]], the network protocol used on the Internet. At the release date of Windows 95, Internet Explorer 1.0 was available,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.neowin.net/news/internet-explorer-version-1-10-a-dive-through-history/|title=Internet Explorer: Version 1-10, a dive through history|last=Sams|first=Brad|date=March 17, 2012|website=[[Neowin]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509140856/https://www.neowin.net/news/internet-explorer-version-1-10-a-dive-through-history/|archive-date=May 9, 2019|url-status=dead|access-date=May 9, 2019}}</ref> but only in the [[Microsoft Plus!#Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95|Plus!]] add-on pack for Windows 95, which was a separate product. The Plus! pack did not reach as many retail consumers as the operating system itself (it was mainly advertised for its non-Internet-related add-ons such as [[theme (computing)|themes]] and better disk compression) but was usually included in [[pre-installed]] ([[Original equipment manufacturer|OEM]]) sales, and at the time of Windows 95's release, the web was being browsed mainly with a variety of early web browsers such as [[NCSA Mosaic]] and [[Netscape Navigator]] (promoted by products such as [[IBox]]).

Windows 95 OEM Service Release 1 was the first release of Windows to include [[Internet Explorer]] (version [[Internet Explorer 2|2.0]]) with the OS. While there was no uninstaller, it could be deleted easily if desired. OEM Service Release 2 included [[Internet Explorer 3]]. The installation of [[Internet Explorer 4]] on Windows 95 (or the OSR2.5 version preinstalled on a computer) gave Windows 95 Active Desktop and browser integration into Windows Explorer, known as the [[Windows Desktop Update]]. The CD version of the last release of Windows 95, OEM Service Release 2.5 (version 4.00.950C), includes Internet Explorer 4, and installs it after Windows 95's initial setup and first boot are complete.

While only the 4.x series of the browser contained the option to install the Windows Desktop Update features, the subsequent 5.x version had the option hidden. Editing the installer's configuration file located in a temporary folder would make the feature available in the installer. Alternatively, Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 users could first install IE 4 with the desktop update before installing a newer version of Internet Explorer. The last version of Internet Explorer supported on Windows 95 is [[Internet Explorer 5|Internet Explorer 5.5 with SP2]], which was released on July 23, 2001. Windows 95 shipped with Microsoft's dial-up online service called [[MSN Dial-up|The Microsoft Network (MSN)]].

==Release and promotion==
Sales were projected as high as $720 million on release day. The marketing campaign for Windows 95 was estimated at $1 billion and spanned the entire industry.<ref name="merid">{{cite news |title=Windows '95 sales at $720m |work=Meriden Record-Journal |agency=Bloomberg Business News |date=1995-08-26|page=25}}</ref> The Windows 95 release included a commercial featuring [[The Rolling Stones]]' 1981 single "[[Start Me Up]]" (a reference to the Start button).<ref>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.</ref> It was widely reported that [[Microsoft]] paid the Rolling Stones between US$8 and US$14 million for the use of the song in the Windows 95 advertising campaign. However, Microsoft said that this was just a rumour spread by the band to increase their market value, and the company paid US$3 million.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://weblogs.jupiterresearch.com/analysts/gartenberg/archives/016913.html |title=The Story behind "Start Me Up" and Windows 95 |author=Michael Gartenberg |date=August 22, 2006 |publisher=JupiterResearch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214054208/http://weblogs.jupiterresearch.com/analysts/gartenberg/archives/016913.html |archive-date=December 14, 2007 |access-date=September 9, 2009}} Internet Archive</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DqJwmzG6Fk| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211102/5DqJwmzG6Fk| archive-date=2021-11-02 | url-status=live|title=Windows 95 Video Guide (Full Show)|date=October 5, 2011|work=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Microsoft's US$200 million advertising campaign featured stories of people waiting in line outside stores to get a copy.<ref>{{Cite web|title=How Bill Gates and Mick Jagger struck deal on Windows 95 launch|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2011/06/bill-gates-mick-jagger-deal.html|access-date=2021-03-26|website=www.bizjournals.com|archive-date=September 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904070919/https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2011/06/bill-gates-mick-jagger-deal.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the UK, the largest computer chain, [[PC World (retailer)|PC World]], received a large quantity of point-of-sale material; many branches opened at midnight to sell the first copies of the product. Copies of ''[[The Times]]'' were available for free, and Microsoft paid for 1.5 million issues (twice the daily circulation at the time).<ref name="FriedCNET">{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/08/25/cnet.microsoft.windows/index.html|title=Windows 95 turns 15: Has Microsoft's OS peaked?|last=Fried|first=Ina|date=August 25, 2010|work=[[CNN]]|publisher=[[CNN|Cable News Network]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428112833/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/08/25/cnet.microsoft.windows/index.html|archive-date=April 28, 2019|url-status=live|access-date=April 28, 2019|agency=[[CNET]]}}</ref>

In the United States, the [[Empire State Building]] in [[New York City]] was lit to match the colors of the Windows logo.<ref name=WashPost1995/> In Canada, a {{convert|100|m|ft|abbr=on}} banner was hung down the side of the [[CN Tower]] in [[Toronto]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=This Guy Rappelled Down the CN Tower For the Launch of Windows 95|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/this-guy-rappelled-down-the-cn-tower-for-the-launch-of-windows-95/|access-date=August 21, 2020|website=Vice.com|date=August 25, 2015|language=en|archive-date=July 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704050141/https://www.vice.com/en/article/ezvew7/this-guy-rappelled-down-the-cn-tower-for-the-launch-of-windows-95|url-status=live}}</ref>

The release included a number of "Fun Stuff" items on the CD, including music videos of [[Edie Brickell]]'s "Good Times"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqL1BLzn3qc| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211102/iqL1BLzn3qc| archive-date=2021-11-02 | url-status=live|title=Edie Brickell - Good Times |work=YouTube| date=November 20, 2009}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and [[Weezer]]'s "[[Buddy Holly (song)|Buddy Holly]]," a trailer for the 1995 film ''[[Rob Roy (1995 film)|Rob Roy]]'' and the computer game ''[[Hover!]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/?p=32853|title=Why did the Windows 95 CD have extra fun stuff?|last=Chen|first=Raymond|author-link=Raymond Chen (Microsoft)|date=December 26, 2005|work=[[Microsoft Developer Network]]|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=June 6, 2019|archive-date=November 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191130211803/https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/?p=32853|url-status=live}}</ref>

Sales were strong, with one million copies shipped worldwide in just four days.<ref>{{cite journal|title=1995: The Calm Before the Storm?|journal=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=13 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=January 1996|page=53}}</ref> According to [[International Data Corporation]], by the end of 1998, Windows 95 was the most used desktop OS with 57.4% of the marketshare, with its successor [[Windows 98]] coming in second at 17.2%. Windows 95 also still sold more non-[[OEM]] copies to large customers in the month of May 1999, which analysts attributed to large companies opting to wait for the release of [[Windows 2000]].<ref name="W95-v-98">{{cite news |date=July 20, 1999 |title=Windows 95 remains most popular operating system |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/windows-95-remains-most-popular-operating-system/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721024703/https://www.cnet.com/news/windows-95-remains-most-popular-operating-system/ |archive-date=July 21, 2015 |access-date=August 23, 2019 |work=CNET}}</ref>

===Editions===
{{redirect|OSR2|the gene|OSR2 (gene)}}

Several Windows 95 editions have been released. Only the original release was sold as a shrink-wrapped product; later editions were provided only to computer [[OEM]]s for installation on new PCs. For this reason, these editions are known as '''OEM Service Releases''' ('''OSR''').

Together with the introduction of Windows 95, Microsoft released the ''[[Microsoft Plus!]] for Windows 95'' pack, which contained several optional components for high-end multimedia PCs, including Internet Explorer, DriveSpace and additional themes.

The first service pack was made available half a year after the original release and fixed several small bugs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q143/0/03.ASP|title=Q143003 - Description of Microsoft Windows 95 Service Pack 1 Updates|publisher=Microsoft|date=December 14, 2000|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010105085400/http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q143/0/03.ASP|archive-date=January 5, 2001}}</ref>

The second service pack mainly introduced support for new hardware, most notably support for hard drives larger than 2 GB in the form of the [[FAT32]] file system.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q155/0/03.ASP|title=Q155003 - Description of Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2|publisher=Microsoft|date=December 15, 2000|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010207044251/http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q155/0/03.ASP|archive-date=February 7, 2001}}</ref> This release was never made available to end-users directly and was only sold through OEMs (OSR2) with the purchase of a new PC. <!-- possibly hard drive -->

A full third service pack was never released, but two smaller revisions to the second were released in the form of a USB Supplement (OSR2.1) and the [[Windows Desktop Update]] (OSR2.5).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q178/9/72.ASP|title=Q178972 - Description of Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2.5|publisher=Microsoft|date=December 15, 2000|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010210011401/http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q178/9/72.ASP|archive-date=February 10, 2001}}</ref><!-- citation needed: vaguely remember this being done under pressure from OEMs/Gateway which needed USB support more quickly, 4.03 version number certainly suggests this was originally planned as SP3. --> Both were made available as updated disc images shipped by OEMs, and the Windows Desktop Update was also released with the standalone Internet Explorer 4.0 release. OSR2.5 was notable for featuring several changes to the Windows Explorer, integrating it with Internet Explorer 4.0—this version of Internet Explorer looks very similar to the one featured in Windows 98.

{| class=wikitable style="font-size: 80%; text-align: center; width: 100%"
|-
!scope="col" rowspan=2| Release
!scope="col" rowspan=2| Code name
!scope="col" rowspan=2| Release date
!scope="col" rowspan=2| CD-Code<ref>{{cite web|title=Version from CD?|url=https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/version-from-cd.1143477/#post-8457858|publisher=Tom's Hardware|date=September 3, 2005|access-date=November 23, 2023|archive-date=November 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231123224339/https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/version-from-cd.1143477/#post-8457858|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Identifikation der Betriebssysteme|url=http://www.win-dos.com/verident.shtml |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830194925/http://www.win-dos.com/verident.shtml|archivedate=August 30, 2017|publisher=www.win-dos.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Windows 95/98/ME Versions Features|url=http://www.emsps.com/oldtools/mswin95v.htm|publisher=EMS|access-date=November 23, 2023|archive-date=May 6, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240506071811/http://www.emsps.com/oldtools/mswin95v.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
!scope="col" colspan=3| Version <!-- first column: version as reported in the My Computer property sheet; second column: version as reported by the updated system files and microsoft knowledge base -->
!scope="col" colspan=5| Software components
!scope="col" colspan=9| Hardware support
|-
!scope="col" | System properties{{efn|The version string displayed in the "System properties" tab. Right-click on "My Computer" and choose "Properties".}}
!scope="col" | System files{{efn|The version of updated system files. Note that most system files which have not been updated often retain their old version number. Version numbers are not consistently used: some system files may have older or newer build numbers or use a version numbering scheme separate from regular system files.}}
!scope="col" | Timestamp
!scope="col" | [[MS-DOS]]
!scope="col" | [[Internet Explorer]]{{efn|Upgradable to 5.5}}
!scope="col" | [[DriveSpace]]
!scope="col" | [[OpenGL]]
!scope="col" | [[DirectX]]{{efn|Upgradable to 8.0a}}
!scope="col" | [[FAT32]]
!scope="col" | [[Infrared Data Association|Infrared]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/139445|title=Windows 95 Support for Infrared Data Association Connectivity|date=November 15, 2006|publisher=Microsoft|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070305002902/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/139445|archive-date=March 5, 2007|access-date=September 9, 2009}}</ref>
!scope="col" | [[UDMA]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/258757|title=How to Enable Direct Memory Access (DMA)|date=January 27, 2007|publisher=Microsoft|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060627023357/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/258757/|archive-date=June 27, 2006|access-date=September 9, 2009}}</ref>
!scope="col" | [[Interrupt request (PC architecture)|IRQ]] steering<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/182604|title=Description of PCI Bus IRQ Steering|date=January 22, 2007|publisher=Microsoft|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070205082434/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/182604|archive-date=February 5, 2007|access-date=September 9, 2009}}</ref>
!scope="col" | [[USB]]
!scope="col" | [[IEEE 1394]]
!scope="col" | [[Accelerated Graphics Port|AGP]]
!scope="col" | [[MMX (instruction set)|MMX]]<ref>{{cite web |title=GP Fault or Fatal Exception Error on Intel MMX CPU |url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/156492 |access-date=June 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904184422/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/156492 |archive-date=September 4, 2014}} [https://jeffpar.github.io/kbarchive/kb/156/Q156492/ Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141815/https://jeffpar.github.io/kbarchive/kb/156/Q156492/ |date=June 12, 2018 }}</ref>
!scope="col" | [[P6 (microarchitecture)|P6]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Microsoft KB Archive/178972 |url=https://www.betaarchive.com/wiki/index.php?title=Microsoft_KB_Archive/178972 |access-date=27 July 2024 |archive-date=August 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240805022854/https://www.betaarchive.com/wiki/index.php?title=Microsoft_KB_Archive/178972 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Microsoft KB Archive/179897 |url=https://www.betaarchive.com/wiki/index.php?title=Microsoft_KB_Archive/179897 |access-date=27 July 2024 |archive-date=August 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240805022904/https://www.betaarchive.com/wiki/index.php?title=Microsoft_KB_Archive/179897 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Memory Management Problems on Computers with Pentium Processors |url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/179897 |website=KnowledgeBase Archive |access-date=June 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904184423/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/179897 |archive-date=September 4, 2014}} [https://jeffpar.github.io/kbarchive/kb/179/Q179897/ Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142733/https://jeffpar.github.io/kbarchive/kb/179/Q179897/ |date=June 12, 2018 }}</ref>
|-
!scope="row" | Windows 95 (retail and OEM)
| Chicago
|rowspan=2| August 24, 1995
| 0795
| 4.00.950
| 4.00.950<!-- Unverified:<ref group="note">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.</ref> -->
| 1995-07-11 09:50:00
|rowspan="4"| 7.0
| 1.0 OEM only
| 2
|rowspan="4" {{n/a}}
|rowspan="4" {{n/a}}
|rowspan="4" {{no}}
|rowspan="2" {{no}}
|rowspan="4" {{no}}
|rowspan="4" {{no}}
|rowspan="5" {{no}}
|rowspan="4" {{no}}
|rowspan="5" {{no}}
|rowspan="4" {{partial|Bugs}}
|rowspan="4" {{partial|Bugs}}
|-
!scope="row" | Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95
| Frosting
| {{n/a}}
| {{n/a}}||4.40.310||1995-07-14 04:40:00
| 1.0
| 3
|-
!scope="row" | Service Pack 1
|rowspan=3 {{n/a}}
|rowspan=2| February 14, 1996<ref>{{cite web|title=Microsoft Releases Windows 95 Service Pack|url=http://news.microsoft.com/1996/02/14/microsoft-releases-windows-95-service-pack/|publisher=Microsoft|date=February 14, 1996|access-date=November 10, 2016|archive-date=November 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112022713/http://news.microsoft.com/1996/02/14/microsoft-releases-windows-95-service-pack/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| {{n/a}}
|rowspan="2"| 4.00.950a <!-- as displayed in the system properties tab: LOWER CASE "a", WITHOUT a space between the build number and the "a" --> ||rowspan="2"|4.00.951{{efn|Some components have higher build numbers up to 955.}}
|1995-12-31 09:50:00
|rowspan="2"| [[Internet Explorer 2|2.0]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/146449|title=Description of Microsoft Windows 95 Service Pack 1 Components|date=November 16, 2006|publisher=Microsoft|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041112224307/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/146449|archive-date=November 12, 2004|access-date=July 16, 2010}}</ref>
|rowspan="2"| 2
|rowspan="6" {{yes}}
|-
!scope="row" | OEM Service Release 1
| 0196
| 1995-12-29 09:51:00
|-
!scope="row" | OEM Service Release 2
| August 30, 1996
| 0796
|rowspan="2"| 4.00.950 B <!-- as displayed in the system properties tab: capital B, with a space between the build number and B -->
| 4.00.1111
| 1996-08-24 11:11:11
|rowspan="3"| 7.1
|rowspan="2"| [[Internet Explorer 3|3.0]]
|rowspan="3"| 3
|rowspan="3"| 1.1
|rowspan="2"| 2.0a
|rowspan="3" {{yes}}
|rowspan="3" {{yes}}
|rowspan="3" {{yes}}
|rowspan="3" {{yes}}
|rowspan="3" {{yes}}
|rowspan="2" {{yes}}*{{efn|With the Memory Management fix (VMM2XUPD.EXE) applied (official),<ref>{{cite web |title=Memory Management Problems on Computers with Pentium Processors |url=http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q179/8/97.asp |access-date=29 July 2024 |archive-date=October 7, 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011007022425/http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q179/8/97.ASP |url-status=live }}</ref> or with the updated USB supplement (4.03.1216) (unofficial for OSR2/2.1).<ref>{{cite web |title=Availability of Universal Serial Bus Support in Windows 95 |url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/253756/EN-US/ |access-date=29 July 2024 |archive-date=May 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140508025511/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/253756/EN-US |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
|-
!scope="row" | OEM Service Release 2.1
| Detroit
| August 27, 1997<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/158238|title=How to Determine the Version of Windows 95/98/Me in Use|date=May 12, 2007|publisher=Microsoft|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041026005132/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/158238|archive-date=October 26, 2004|access-date=September 9, 2009}}</ref>
| 0197 (US) / 0397
| 4.03.1212{{efn|Original release of the USB Supplement to OSR2.}}<br />4.03.1214{{efn|Updated version of the USB Supplement to OSR2.}}<br />
4.03.1216 (unofficial, with the updated USB supplement){{Efn|name=4.03.1214|The Microsoft Knowledge Base reports 4.03.1214. This USB Supplement to OSR2 (included with OSR2.5 only, named '''usbupd2.exe''') contains an updated VMM.VXD with support for the Pentium Pro and Pentium II. This file has version 4.03.1216 and has a timestamp of September 23, 1997 09:51:18.}}
| 1997-04-10 12:14:00
|rowspan="2" {{yes}}
|rowspan="2" {{yes}}
|-
!scope="row" | OEM Service Release 2.5
| {{n/a}}
| November 26, 1997
| 1297
| 4.00.950 C<!-- as displayed in the system properties tab: capital C, with a space between the build number and C --> ||4.03.1216{{efn|name=4.03.1214}}
| 1997-11-26 12:16:00
| [[Internet Explorer 4#Overview|4.00]]
| 5.0
| {{Yes}}
|}
{{Notelist|30em}}

==Legacy==
On December 31, 2001, Microsoft ended its support for Windows 95, making it an "obsolete" product per the Microsoft Lifecycle Policy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/support/contact/default.asp|title=Windows 95 Support: Contact Support|date=December 13, 2002|publisher=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070522053321/http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/support/contact/default.asp|archive-date=May 22, 2007|access-date=September 9, 2009}} Internet Archive</ref>

Many features have since become key components of the Microsoft Windows series, such as the [[Start menu]] and the [[taskbar]], originated in Windows 95. Neil MacDonald, a [[Gartner]] analyst, said that Windows 95 "was a quantum leap in difference in technological capability and stability." Ina Fried of ''[[CNET]]'' said 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 name="FriedCNET" />

The basic design of Windows 95, with its combination of a desktop that can be used as a storage location, a pop-out application menu, and a taskbar showing running applications, a clock and a [[system tray]], was strongly influential on future user interfaces for desktop operating systems. The core UI concepts of Windows 95 have persisted up to the present day in both Windows itself as well as on other operating systems like [[Linux]], with the default behaviour of desktop environments like [[KDE Software Compilation|KDE]] and [[XFCE]] replicating it in many aspects.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jang |first=Michael |date=2006-07-12 |title=Mastering Fedora Core 5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RqowlMJLqGgC&pg=PA899 |publisher=[[Wiley (publisher)|Wiley]] |page=899 |isbn=9780470009994 |access-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107162318/https://books.google.com/books?id=RqowlMJLqGgC&pg=PA899 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Even though support for Windows 95 has ended, the software has occasionally remained in use on legacy systems for various purposes. 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.

In April 2025, ''The Microsoft Sound'' was selected to the [[National Recording Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] for being "culturally, historically, and/or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2025/04/09/nx-s1-5352774/national-recording-registry-tracy-chapman-elton-john-hamilton-minecraft|title=National Recording Registry adds Tracy Chapman, Hamilton and the Minecraft game soundtrack|date=2025-04-09|access-date=2025-04-09|website=[[NPR]]|last=Ulaby|first=Neda}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|1990s}}
* [[Windows 9x]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
'''Microsoft:'''
* {{kb|146449|Description of Microsoft Windows 95 Service Pack 1 Components||July 23, 2013}}{{dead link|date=December 2024}}
* {{kb|143003|Description of Microsoft Windows 95 Service Pack 1 Updates||July 23, 2013}}{{dead link|date=December 2024}}
* {{kb|148761|Description of Windows 95 OEM Service Release 1||July 23, 2013}}{{dead link|date=December 2024}}
* {{kb|253756|Availability of Universal Serial Bus Support in Windows 95||July 23, 2013}}{{dead link|date=December 2024}}
* {{kb|161020|Implementing Windows 95 Updates||July 23, 2013}}{{dead link|date=December 2024}}
* {{kb|138349|Windows 95 Installation Requirements||July 23, 2013}}{{dead link|date=December 2024}}

'''Third-party:'''
* {{Cite web |title=Windows 95: The hype and beyond |url=http://century.guardian.co.uk/1990-1999/Story/0,6051,112728,00.html |work=[[Guardian.co.uk]] |publisher=[[Guardian Media Group]] |date=August 25, 1995 |first1=Ian |last1=Katz |first2=Dan |last2=Atkinson |first3=Nicholas |last3=Bannister |access-date=May 21, 2006 |archive-date=April 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130406093015/http://century.guardian.co.uk/1990-1999/Story/0,6051,112728,00.html |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite news |title=With Windows 95's Debut, Microsoft Scales Heights of Hype |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/longterm/microsoft/stories/1995/debut082495.htm |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=August 24, 1995 |access-date=July 23, 2013 |first=David |last=Segal |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629002157/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/longterm/microsoft/stories/1995/debut082495.htm |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |first=Andrew |last=Schulman |title=Unauthorized Windows 95 : a developer's guide to exploring the foundations of Windows "Chicago" |url=https://archive.org/details/unauthorizedwind00schu_1 |year=1994 |publisher=[[IDG Books]] |isbn=9781568841694 }}
* {{Cite book |first=Matt |last=Pietrek |title=Windows 95 System Programming Secrets |year=1995 |publisher=[[IDG Books]] |url=https://archive.org/details/windows95systemp00matt |author-link=Matt Pietrek |isbn=9781568843186 }}
* {{Cite video |url=https://archive.org/details/CC1301_windows_95 |title=Windows 95 |publisher=[[Computer Chronicles]] |type=[[Web video]] |access-date=July 23, 2013 }}
* {{Cite web |url=http://www.hpcfactor.com/qlink/?linkID=12 |title=Windows 95 Patches & Updates Guide |work=hpcfactor.com |publisher=HPC:Factor |date=December 13, 2003 |access-date=July 23, 2013 }}
{{Refend}}

{{Microsoft Windows family}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Windows 95| ]]
[[Category:1995 software]]
[[Category:Products and services discontinued in 2001]]
[[Category:DOS variants]]
[[Category:Microsoft Windows|95]]
[[Category:IA-32 operating systems]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1995]]