In 1985, Apple Computer, Inc.® had their graphical Macintosh® operating system. Digital Research® had their GEM® graphical user interface for PCs.  And Microsoft® had ... text-based MS-DOS®. But before the end of that same year, Microsoft would finish development on their own graphical user interface – one that was destined to change the way the majority of people around the world would use computers forever.

In the beginning.  In September 1981, Microsoft began work on an “Interface Manager” that would evolve into a program which would have a name that would become a household word with computer users. On November 10, 1983, Microsoft first announced work being done on a graphical user interface called “Windows.” It would take nearly two more years to complete development.

In late 1985, Microsoft released their first version of Windows, 1.01.  A mouse-driven, graphical interface with printer and plotter support, pull-down menus, a clipboard to copy, cut, and paste information from one program to another, and a wealth of application software, Windows gave a computer user the ability to be productive on a computer without buying any additional software.  This application software included Notepad®, a text editor, Write®, Windows’ more advanced word processor, Paint®, a graphics program which saved files only in Microsoft's proprietary .MSP file format, Clock, displaying the computer’s system time, Calendar, which could save appointments and has reminder “alarms,” Cardfile®, a flat-file database program, and Calculator, which could perform 4-function math, square root, percent, and has a memory storage.  Many of these productivity programs would continue to be included in future versions of Windows.

The Control Panel of Windows 1.01 allows you to set the system date and time, cursor blink speed, add/delete fonts, add new printers/plotters, configure communication ports, swap mouse buttons and change screen colors.

The main program launching utility is called MS-DOS Executive®.  It is a type of file manager program that allows both the execution of programs and the management of files.  To launch a program, one has to navigate to the directory or the disk it resides on and double-click the main executable .BAT, .COM., or .EXE program file.  With MS-DOS Executive, files can copied, deleted, renamed, directories can be created, floppy disks can be formatted, and the Windows session can be ended.  Microsoft would use MS-DOS Executive as the main file manager center in their 1.x and 2.x versions of Windows.  It would be used later in the internal installation setup of all versions of Windows NT up to and including Windows 2000 Professional™ and Windows XP™.

Called “Windows” because each program opens in its own “window,” the position and size of the windows can only be adjusted vertically but the programs can be minimized to desktop icons and both icons and open windows can be dragged with the mouse to be positioned above each other.  Multiple programs can be opened and task-swapped by pressing Ctrl-Tab.

Microsoft also included a game in Windows 1.xx called Reversi, a strategy game in which two players – in this case, you and the computer – take turns taking pieces of the other opponent’s color in an attempt to fill the board with more of your color than theirs.  Microsoft would include Reversi in Windows 1.xx, 2.xx, and 3.0.

Microsoft would release four 1.x versions of Windows: 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, and 1.04. A handful of software vendors wrote the first Windows 1.xx application programs.  An example is PC Paintbrush 1.05 (1987) by ZSoft Corporation.

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In the mid to late 1980's, Microsoft released several different 2.x versions of Windows.  Windows/286 was compiled to run on 16-bit 80286 CPUs.  Windows/386 was designed to run on 32-bit 80386 CPUs and take advantage of expanded and extended memory.  And there were the generic Windows 2.xx versions which evolved from Windows 1.xx.

Windows 2.xx introduces a completely new graphical user interface with the ability to move and resize program “windows” both horizontally and vertically by dragging their edges with a mouse.  The close “icon” in the upper left of each window has a new look, and there are now maximize and minimize icons in the upper right of each window, denoted by up and down arrows, respectively.  Minimized desktop icons now have a short identifying description when selected.

Another new feature introduced in Windows 2.xx is the PIF (Program Information File) Editor.  Windows 2.xx allows users to create “PIF files” that, when double-clicked, will execute a program and optionally with custom parameters such as program title, program parameters, initial directory, memory requirements (KB required/desired), usage controls such as full screen, background, and exclusive execution, prevent program switch and screen exchange, text or graphical mode, and close window on exit. PIF files took the guesswork out of having to hunt down the main executable file of a program every time you needed to run it.  PIF files could be stored in their own directory for easy access.

The Paint program in Windows 2.x saves files with the same .MSP extension but in a different format than Windows 1.xx to allow for advanced features.  Microsoft included a conversion program in Windows 2.xx, CVPAINT.EXE, to convert 2.xx Paint files to 1.xx format.

Windows 2.xx was the first version that caught the attention of some other software vendors enough to have them write Windows versions of their wares.  Corel wrote their first version of CorelDRAW! For Windows 2.xx.  Aldus made Windows 2.xx versions of their PageMaker desktop publisher.  And some of the first scanner software was made to run on Windows 2.xx.  Microsoft also released their first version of Word for Windows 2.xx.

Microsoft had improved the user friendliness of Windows considerably in version 2.xx.  But the next major release of Windows, 3.0 would take user friendliness to a new level.

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On May 22, 1990, Microsoft released their third major revision of Windows – 3.0.  A radical departure from Windows 1.xx and Windows 2.xx, Windows 3.0 has a completely new graphical architecture and adopts a grouped icon-based navigation scheme.  MS-DOS Executive is replaced with Program Manager, the main repository for all icon groups, and provides a central location to access programs.

Windows 3.0 also adopts the use of TrueType and Type 1 fonts, allowing dozens, or even hundreds of commercially available fonts to be used.  This is an adoption that would also be used for Windows 3.1x, all versions of Windows 95 and 98, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows NT 3.x, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows XP Home and Professional Editions.

Another new capability Windows 3.0 introduces is the ability to display desktop “background” pictures using bitmap graphics images.  Images can be centered or tiled on the desktop.  Windows 3.0 also has VGA support.

Control Panel has evolved into a maintenance group of several system-level programs accessed by double-clicking their respective icons.  It includes utilities to add/remove printers, set international formatting options, add/remove fonts, change system colors, set keyboard repeat rate, configure ports, set system date/time, set mouse button options, set sound default beep (PC speaker support only), and set desktop options for icon and grid spacing, cursor blink rate, and desktop pattern displays, and 386 Enhanced for monitoring device contention, and process scheduling in the foreground or background.

MS-DOS Executive is also replaced as Windows’ file manager.  Windows 3.0 has a dedicated File Manager program specifically for managing files, directories, and disk functions.

The Paint program is renamed Paintbrush and now saves files in bitmap format.  Paintbrush is actually a licensed version of ZSoft’s PC Paintbrush.  Calculator includes a new fraction function (1/x).  The Clock has a new digital LED-like green-on-black option that is unique to the 3.0x versions of Windows only.

Windows 3.0's new user-friendliness and its icon-based architecture was appealing enough to major software vendors to become the “graphical environment” Microsoft intended it to be – a “platform” for other vendors (and Microsoft itself ) to write software for and to run on.  This was the Windows version many “big” software vendors began writing software for: WordPerfect Corp., Symantec, Lotus Development Corp., Borland International, etc.

Microsoft also added a second game to Windows 3.0x, Solitaire (The bane of many computer users).  This was the last Windows version to include the game Reversi.

And while Windows 3.0x itself did not have its own support, it did allow support for graphical Windows screen savers to run on it.  Windows 3.0 became the launching platform for screen saver software.  Screen saver software would be a major revenue source for many software vendors and would be very popular with Windows 3.x users from the early to mid-1990's.

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In 1992, the first major maintenance release of Windows 3.x brought some revolutionary new features and enhancements to the Windows graphical user interface.  The first noticeable new feature is the cleaner interface with colorful 3D icons.

Other new features in Windows 3.1 include: permanent or temporary virtual memory “swap file” to act as extra resource “memory” for running applications, built-in screen savers to both preserve monitors and to provide a graphical distraction, a much improved, dual-pane File Manager with single-window drag-and-drop, OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) support, MIDI and audio CD sound support and support for sound cards, Media Player for playing MIDI and WAV sound files, Character Map for inserting typographical symbols into documents, Sound Recorder for recording WAV sound files, Object Packager for embedding objects into documents, simultaneous digital time and date display in Clock (black on gray display), Super VGA video support, Windows sound “events” – WAV file sounds can be assigned to certain Windows events, such as Windows start up, shut down, etc., a new StartUp group to allow programs to execute upon Windows’ start up, and a new game called Minesweeper which replaced Reversi that had been in Windows since version 1.01.

Windows 3.1 was the version that brought in the majority of the PC software vendors who had held back writing software for previous Windows versions.  Vendors wrote utility, word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentation, graphics, screen saver, banner/card/sign, productivity, Windows programming languages, educational software, games, and a plethora of other categories of software for the Windows 3.1 “platform.”

Windows 3.0x was the beginning of the “Windows revolution” – Windows 3.1 opened the floodgates to a completely new way of using a computer ... and PC computing would never be the same.  It was a this point that the industry began chanting “DOS is dead.”

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In October 1992, Microsoft released an upgrade to Windows 3.1 to provide networking capability and additional productivity software.  It was called Windows for Workgroups 3.1 Upgrade and requires an installed version of Windows 3.1 to integrate with.

The networking portion of WFWG 3.1 Upgrade adds a “Network” icon to Windows’ Control Panel group.  It supports 107 network interface devices of the day, supports Microsoft LAN Manager, Novell NetWare, and supports other third-party networking.  There are settings to define a Computer Name and Workgroup, a descriptive comment for the computer, logon options, password list management, enable/disable sharing, and a priority slide bar to make applications or resources run fastest.

Microsoft also integrates a wealth of new productivity software into Windows 3.1 with WFWG 3.1 Upgrade.  Net Watcher identifies all connections and shared resources being used.  WinMeter monitors system resources.  Chat is a two-way text communication program.  Mail is an e-mail client capable of creating its own “post office” or connecting to an existing one.  Schedule+ is a personal information manager (PIM) with appointment scheduling, reminders, to-do list, notes, data archiving, etc.

Clipboard Viewer is replaced with Clipbook Viewer – an extended version of Clipboard Viewer with the ability to save multiple clipboard contents as individual “pages” in a clip “book.”

And Microsoft also introduces a third new game to Windows 3.1 – Hearts.

Windows for Workgroups 3.1 was the first DOS-based version of Windows to bring networking to Microsoft’s 16-bit graphical user interface.

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In 1993, Microsoft released another maintenance version of Windows – 3.11.  The primary reason for this release was to address flaws in Windows 3.1 that caused many programs to crash with a term that became almost a household word for Windows 3.1 users – General Protection Fault, or GPF.

On the outside, aside from the 3.11 version number, Windows 3.11 looks identical to Windows 3.1.  Inside, five Windows “core” files were updated and driver files were improved.  This made Windows 3.11 much more stable than 3.1.

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This was Microsoft’s last 16-bit version of Windows.  Like Windows FWG 3.1, this is Windows 3.11 with networking capability built in.

New network features in Windows FWG 3.11 include NDIS 3.0-specification network drivers, protect-mode drivers, installed as VXDs (virtual device drivers), using no conventional memory, 32-bit protect-mode protocol for IPX/SPX, Novell NetWare ODI connectivity, support for IPXODI, monolithic IPX, and MSIPX, Universal Client Support, ADMINCFG – configures security and Windows FWG 3.11 network settings for individual workstations remotely, Real Mode Server for Workgroup add-on for MS-DOS, and Remote Access Service (RAS).  Windows FWG 3.11 contains all of the network-related utilities and application software in the Network group.  New icons are added to the Network group for Remote Access, Log On/Off, and WinPopUp, a utility to send messages over a network.

New non-network features of Windows FWG 3.11 include a no Network option – install Windows FWG 3.11 without the networking features, much like Windows 3.11, VFAT, a 32-bit file system that processes INT21h calls for file I/O on local hard disks in protect mode, VCACHE, used for files accessed by the network redirector and local files accessed through VFAT, Microsoft At Work PC-Fax which lets workstations share fax modems to send/receive faxes using MAPI, a more modular communications interface using COMM.DRV, LPT.386, SERIAL.386, *VCD, and VCOMM.386, troubleshooting switches: WIN /D:C turns off 32-bit file access, WIN /D:T skips the *.386 drivers in the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI, and Standard mode is no longer supported.

16-bit Windows 3.1x would become obsolete almost overnight after the release of Microsoft’s next Windows project – 32-bit Windows 95.

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In 1993, Microsoft first announced work on a new 32-bit operating system code-named "Chicago." This was, in fact, the beta version of Windows 95.

On August 24, 1995, Microsoft introduced their first 32-bit DOS-based operating system -- Windows 95.  Although the setup appears to install a graphical operating system, Windows 95 is actually comprised of MS-DOS 7.0 and Windows 4.00.950 (build 950).  MS-DOS's IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, and COMMAND.COM make up the true "operating system" of Windows 95 Upgrade and all the DOS-based Windows versions that would follow.

Windows 95 Upgrade's setup program requires a previous version of Windows, 3.1x or earlier, to install.  It can upgrade a MS-DOS/Windows 3.1x system, or, if installing to an empty hard drive, will allow the detection of Disk 1 of a 3.1x or earlier version of Windows to qualify for an install.

Although Windows 95 Upgrade is 32-bit, it installs on a standard 8-bit MS-DOS partition and will only read partitions up to 2.1GB, the physical limitation of 8-bit MS-DOS.

In spite of its DOS dependency, Windows 95 introduced a revolutionary new way of computing.  The "Start menu," a customizable hierarchical navigation menu with program "shortcuts" replaces Windows 3.x's Program Manager (Microsoft also included a 32-bit Program Manager for those users who still preferred the Windows 3.x method of computing).  The desktop task bar displays buttons of all open programs and programs can be task swapped by clicking on any of the active program buttons.  Ctrl-Tab now displays a window showing iconic and descriptive representations (very similar to the style used in Windows 2.xx) of active programs and also allows task swapping. The windowed interface is completely redesigned with new title bar icon symbols to minimize, maximize, and close program windows.  The left corner also displays the program's icon (if it has one) and provides access to a window menu.  "Plug-and-Play" makes adding or upgrading computer hardware easier by automatically detecting and configuring devices.  Right-click pop-up menus are now part of Windows' graphical interface, making repetitive tasks, such as copying and pasting text, much easier and faster than having to run these tasks from a pull-down menu.  Explore, Microsoft's new 32-bit file manager, has the same drive/folder pane structure that was pioneered by Central Point Software's 16-bit XTree Gold for Windows file manager.  The "Recycle Bin," Microsoft's version of the Macintosh "Trash can," can recover files deleted with Explore, but it does not recover files deleted from a Command Prompt window or files deleted by a program.  My Computer is a window-driven approach to navigating through a system's disks and also provides access to Control Panel, Printers, and DialUp Networking.  Windows 95 also creates a default "My Documents" folder to store your personal files.  My Briefcase allows file synchronization of two sets of the same files between two computers using a floppy disk or a direct connection.  Windows 95 has long file name support, allowing files to have names up to 256 characters.  Networking capability is now a standard feature in Windows 95 Upgrade with support for dial-up Internet, IPX/SPX, TCP/IP, VINES ethernet and token ring, PATHWORKS, DLC, NetBEUI, PC-NFS protocols, client software, data and user sharing services, workgroups, direct cable connection, and much more.  Windows' help also takes on a new look with "book" and "chapter" sections and improved index and search features.  AutoPlay senses audio CD discs and will automatically play them in CD Player.  It also senses data CDs with special setup programs to initiate the installation process.  Windows 95 also has a new "Welcome To Windows 95" tip program that displays a different tip in a window each time the computer is started or restarted and also provides access to the "Windows Tour," tells what's new about Windows 95, allows you to register Windows 95 on-line, and has a link button to new Windows 95 products showcased on the Windows 95 CD-ROM.

Microsoft's MS-DOS Prompt command line window includes a new toolbar for sizing the window, select/copy/paste tools, expand to full screen, properties, background, and font tools.

One of the new requirements Microsoft imposed on software developers was to include an uninstall program so a program could be uninstalled as easy as it was installed.  If Microsoft's guidelines were followed, an installed program would be listed in Windows 95 Upgrade's "Add/Remove Programs" list.  This program could be selected from this list and uninstalled.  While some uninstall programs did not always remove everything that was originally installed, it made software maintenance much easier than having to manually remove software from a system.

Microsoft also embedded client software into Windows 95 Upgrade for their MSN (The Microsoft Network) "portal" service.  This service provides a gateway to the Internet, e-mail and bulletin board services, news, weather, sports, financial, and multimedia library content, and other features.

While Microsoft does include Microsoft Exchange, their e-mail client and "post office" software, they do not initially provide a Web browser with Windows 95 Upgrade.  Like Netscape, Microsoft originally offered their Internet Explorer browser for sale as a separate product.  In 1996, Microsoft, seeing how Netscape was taking the browser market by storm, would bundle their Internet Explorer browser free as a separate program on a separate CD-ROM disc with a "new" release of Windows 95 Upgrade.

Microsoft also includes new solutions to make Windows easier to use for people with disabilities.  StickyKeys allow Shift, Ctrl, or Alt key combinations to be initiated pressing only one key at a time.  FilterKeys cause Windows to ignore brief or repeated keystrokes.  ToggleKeys sound tones when pressing Caps Lock, Num Lock, or Scroll Lock.  SoundSentry displays visual warnings when Windows makes sounds.  ShowSounds displays captions for speech and sounds programs make.  High contrast options help make screen displays stand out.  MouseKeys allows the pointer to be controlled with the keyboard's numeric keypad.  SerialKey allows alternate input devices to be connected to a computer's serial ports.

With advancing video technology, Windows 95 Upgrade makes it easier to change video resolution, colors and other options with program controls rather than having to reload video drivers. And as audio technology also advanced, Microsoft gave Windows 95 Upgrade greater multimedia capabilities and included "sound schemes" – sets of WAV audio files to correspond with Windows events.  Now, Windows could make a sound when the Start menu is activated and navigated, when a window is maximized or minimized, when a menu pop-up is activated, when a program is opened, etc.  Windows 95 Upgrade helped make a sound card and speakers as vital components to a PC as a video card. 

Advanced printer capabilities also makes it easier to configure and test printer hardware.  Windows 95 Upgrade allows you to print a test page to verify printer communication.

Windows 95 Upgrade also includes a wealth of new, 32-bit productivity, utility, and entertainment software. New to DOS-based Windows is CD Player. It is actually the same 32-bit CD Player program included in Microsoft's Windows NT 3.x operating systems.  Volume Control is a "mixer" for controlling playback and recording volumes for Wave, MIDI, CD, line-in, etc.  HyperTerminal replaces Terminal as Windows' modem dialing communications program.  Phone Dialer allows voice communication and has speed dialing capability.  WordPad replaces Write as Windows' word processor program.  WordPad does not support the editing of executable files like Write did.  Backup is a version of Colorado Backup and replaces MSBACKUP in MS-DOS 6.xx.  Backup has tape drive support and can also back up files to floppy disks.  Disk Defragmenter replaces MS-DOS 6.xx's DEFRAG program.  A 32-bit graphical program using some of Symantec's technology, it can perform a full defragmentation, defragment files only, consolidate free space, check the drive for errors, and save the options you select.  Disk Defragmenter will not defrag Windows' "swap file."  Other Windows 95 utility software includes a graphical, 32-bit ScanDisk, Microsoft's disk troubleshooting utility, DriveSpace to compress files on a volume to conserve disk space, InBox Repair Tool, Net Watcher, Resource Meter, and System Monitor.

In addition to Solitaire, Hearts, and Minesweeper, Windows 95 Upgrade also adds a fourth game – FreeCell, originally included as a "test" for the Win32S 32-bit add-on to Windows 3.1x.

Other integrated software includes Microsoft's paint program, once again called Paint.  It allows the expansion of the "canvas" for pasting graphics that exceed its size.  Windows 95 also has 32-bit Calculator, NotePad, and Character Map. Windows 95 also includes 20 standard fonts in TrueType and Adobe formats, 14 sample MIDI and WAV files, and tracks recently used files and lists them in the Documents category of the Start menu.

A Documents option on the Start menu list recent documents opened for fast access to frequently used files. A Find Option on the Start menu has three options, Files or Folders, Computer, and on The Microsoft Network.  A Multimedia icon in Control Panel opens a window for configuring audio, video, CD music, MIDI, and advanced settings related to computer sound hardware.        

The Passwords Control Panel icon allows passwords to be changed for Windows 95, other password-protected services, and allows the creation of User Profiles -- where different people using the same computer can log on with their own username and password and customize Windows 95 to their preferences.

And for those of you who are not yet ready to "advance" to Windows 95's Start menu navigation system, a 32-bit Program Manager is included to allow users of Windows 95 to have the same navigation system as Windows 3.1x.  There is no default shortcut or desktop icon pointing to Program Manager – Microsoft wants users of Windows 95 to adapt to the Start menu system.

Computer technology was evolving – CD-ROM drives, sound cards, more advanced networking, Internet connectivity and on and on.  Windows 95 was Microsoft's first 32-bit operating system to adapt to these and other evolutions and revolutions in computer technology.  But at the same time, Windows 95 is backward compatible with 16-bit Windows 3.1x and many DOS programs.

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Windows 95A is Microsoft's second version of their DOS-based 32-bit operating system.  Like Windows 95 Upgrade, Windows 95A must be installed on a FAT16 partition formatted with DOS 6.xx or earlier.  COMMAND.COM, IO.SYS, and MSDOS.SYS are the true "operating system."  Windows 95A is actually 32-bit MS-DOS 7.00 and Windows 4.00.950a.

The key new features in Windows 95A are the inclusion of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 2.0 browser and an Internet Setup Wizard.  A new "Internet Tools" category is added to the Start menu and an icon called "The Internet" is added to the desktop which starts Internet Explorer. There is also a new Internet icon added to Control Panel which allows configuration of auto dial and Proxy server Internet settings.  Internet Explorer, while being a separate program that can be uninstalled from Windows 95A, is now an integral part of the Windows installation process and no longer a separately bundled program.

Microsoft initially underestimated the value Internet access could bring to their business.  They would make up for lost time very quickly with their future Windows releases.

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• FAT32 introduced a new partition structure capable of supporting drives up to 2 TERAbytes. By comparison, the average PC of the day's BIOS would only support hard drive partitions up to 8.4GB.  FAT32 was one of the most important new features of Windows 95B and liberated its users from the DOS FAT16 2.1GB partition limit.

•  Internet Explorer 3.0 browser.  This new version of Microsoft's free Web browser supports Java, ActiveX controls, SSL (Secure Socket Layer), move to other Web pages while downloading files (not allowed in IE 2.0), ratings support to filter Internet content, borderless frames, style sheets, etc.  Microsoft also bundled Internet service software for AOL, AT&T, and Compuserve.

• New power management conserves battery life in portable computers by powering down the hard drive after a specified period of inactivity or being able to be put in "suspend" mode -- a form of computer hibernation.

• Imaging, developed by WANG Laboratories, is a scanner program to scan and edit scanned images.  This is a new program to Windows 95B and is included in its setup options.

• Quick View, developed by Systems Compatibility, is a file viewing utility that can show the contents of BMP, DOC, EXE (tech info only), PPT, SAM, and TXT files.  This is a "sampler" version of Quick View.  If you want to view more file types, such as ZIP files, you have to purchase the full Quick View Plus product.

•  Media Player is a new version with ActiveMovie support.  And hidden away in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory with no shortcut and no mention of its existence is another audio player -- RealAudio Player 2.1.1.9 which plays their proprietary RA and RAM audio files. It has support to play audio locally, over a network, or over the Internet.

• New System Tools software includes DriveSpace 3, Inbox Repair Tool, and Compression Agent which requires software from Microsoft's PLUS! add-on to function.

• In 1997, with the advent of USB (Universal Serial Bus) technology which allows hot-swappable plug-and-play of devices such as mice, keyboards and other input devices, Microsoft added support for this hardware.

Windows 95B offered the Internet capability and hardware support to convince many people to leave 16-bit Windows 3.1x and move to the 32-bit computing platform.

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Six months before Microsoft released Windows 98, a major upgrade to the Windows 95 Operating system was included with the release of Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 1 (SP1).  This Windows 95 upgrade, called a "Windows Desktop Update," is actually the first integration of Microsoft Internet Explorer into the Windows operating system, in this case, Windows 95B.  This integration, however, can be reversed and this version of MSIE can be uninstalled from Windows 95.  Included with MSIE 4.01 is the "Windows Desktop Update" – a major upgrade to the Windows 95 graphical interface through the integration of MSIE with Windows 95.  It introduces a wealth of new features, programs, and functionality to Windows 95B.

The first noticeable feature is Active Desktop.  This feature allows "active content" from Internet websites to be placed directly on the desktop, "View as Web Page" allows the desktop to display HTML, GIF, and JPG files, and Folder Options has a new single-click option for running desktop icons and Window contents.

The Taskbar has a new, integrated toolbar called Quick Launch.  It allows shortcuts to programs to be placed directly on the Taskbar and launched with a single click.  This concept was originally introduced to Windows 95 with Symantec's Norton Navigator 95 file manager program in 1995.  A default icon placed in the Quick Launch toolbar, Show Desktop, minimizes all open program windows with a single click to reveal the Windows desktop.

Active Channels is a floating toolbar with links to Internet sites.  This is provided to give you a "starting point" to the Internet (and to advertise for Web providers).  It can be customized to contain the content you want and is an extension of Internet Explorer's "Favorites."  A "Favorites" menu item is also added to the Start Menu.

The Windows 95 Start Menu is enhanced with right-click pop-up options to copy, cut, and delete Start Menu shortcuts, allowing much easier customization instead of having to drill down through the advanced section of the Taskbar properties.  This fundamental feature should have been in Windows 95 from its inception.  Ironically, no version of Windows 95, from the first 950 build to the 1997 version with USB support has this ability to edit the Start Menu -- you must obtain Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 or later and install the Windows Desktop Update to get this functionality.

"The Internet" desktop icon is replaced with an appropriately labeled blue "e" icon, "Internet Explorer."  If MSIE 4.01 is installed with the Windows Desktop Update, it is integrated into the Explore file manager and Active Desktop offers a "view as Web page" feature which provides additional information in My Computer, Explore, Control Panel, etc.

Microsoft Exchange is replaced with Microsoft Outlook Express, a "lite" version of Microsoft's Outlook e-mail client.

Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 also includes Microsoft FrontPage Express, a "lite" version of Microsoft's FrontPage Web page creation program, Microsoft NetMeeting 2.1, Microsoft Chat 2.1a, Microsoft NetShow Player 2.0, Microsoft Web Publishing Wizard 1.53, VDOLive Player, and Real Player 4.0 which now has both a Start Menu shortcut and a listing in Add/Remove Programs.

The Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 browser features enhanced security, utilizes the Java Virtual Machine, DirectX 3.0, DirectDraw 3.0, DirectSound 3.0, and more.

This version of Microsoft Internet Explorer was available as a free download from the Internet.  But, being 67MB in size, it was a very long download at dial-up speeds.  For US $9.95, Microsoft would snail mail Internet Explorer 4.01 to you on a commercial CD-ROM disc.

By installing this version of Internet Explorer along with its Windows Desktop Update, Microsoft gave you, for free, most of the functionality that Windows 98 would have in its initial release.

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Windows 98 was the next major version of Windows over Windows 95 with USB support.  It incorporates Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1a with IE integrated into the Windows operating system. But, unlike the MSIE 4.01 SP1 package that can be installed and removed in Windows 95B, Internet Explorer 4.01 and Active Desktop are permanently integrated into Windows 98 and cannot be uninstalled. Listed below are new features in Windows 98.

• Windows Update, a Web-based resource site, automates the process of system file and driver updates for Windows 98.  It reviews the current status of the computer's system software and drivers and then recommends any new updates that are available.  Windows Update then allows a user to download these updates and once received they are automatically installed.

• System File Checker verifies the integrity of the operating system files and can replace corrupted files and extract compressed files from the Windows 98 setup "cab" files.

• Registry Checker is a maintenance program that searches for and repairs problems in the Windows Registry.  It runs automatically each time the computer is started.  Registry Checker makes a backup copy of the registry every day.  If a serious problem occurs, Registry Checker will restore the registry from a backup copy.

• Microsoft Backup is a new version that now backs up files to tape drives, floppy drives, and local and network drives.

• Windows 98 also has support for Virtual Private Networking (VPN).  A networking technology that can access corporate networks securely across the Internet or a LAN.  VPN uses a tunneling protocol such as PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) and Dial-Up Networking.

• Magnifier enlarges the area of the screen surrounding the mouse pointer or keyboard cursor and displays it in a window.  Magnification can range from 1x to 9x and other options such as color inversion and high contrast colors can be employed.

• The Maintenance Wizard can run Disk Defragmenter, ScanDisk, and delete unnecessary files (Recycle Bin, temporary setup and Internet files, Windows temporary files, old Scandisk files in the root folder, downloaded program files, Windows 98 setup temporary files and uninstall information) at user-specified times using the Task Scheduler. The computer must be on during those times for the tasks to run, of course. 

• Windows 98 also employs a disk caching system to speed data transfers. A new version of Disk Defragmenter has the new feature, "Rearrange program files so my programs start faster."  This option can take much longer to complete than the standard defragmentation method.  This version of Disk Defragmenter still does not defrag the Windows "swap file."

• Windows 98 is also the first version of Windows to include DirectX, drivers which provide the fastest graphics display possible in 32-bit Windows.  Windows 98 comes with DirectX 4.05, DirectDraw, DirectPlay, and Direct3D.  These drivers enhance multimedia and game performance.

•  Included with Windows 98 are all of the desktop themes -- a combination of custom background wallpapers, fonts, icons, mouse pointers, system colors, and sounds -- from the Windows 95 Plus! pack add-on and four Microsoft Kids! desktop themes.  The premise was that the user would purchase additional Microsoft Kids! themes.  Microsoft would also later develop a Windows 98 Plus! pack add-on.

• And while it doesn't have a shortcut or any outside mention of it, Windows 98 also includes Telnet 1.0 for Telnet communications.

• Windows 98 features DOS-based ARP, FTP, Internet Explorer Backup Information Extraction Tool, IPConfig, JView, NBTStat, NETStat, Ping, Route, and Traceroute.  It also has the DOS-based utilities ATTRIB, CHKDSK, CHOICE, DEBUG, DELTREE, DISKCOPY, DOSKEY, EXTRACT, FC (filespec), FDISK, FIND, FORMAT, KEYB, LABEL, MEM, Microsoft FAT to FAT32 Converter, MODE, MORE, MOVE, MS-DOS Editor 2.0, MSCDEX, NLSFUNC, SCANDISK, SCANREG, SORT, START, SUBST, SULFNBK, SYS, Windows Scripting Host Version 5.0, XCOPY, and XCOPY32.

• Windows-based utilities include DirectX Information, IP Configuration, Make Compatible, Task Manager, Windows Report Tool, Web Based Enterprise Management Administrator/Configuration/User tools, and a graphical Windows Scripting Host.

• There are also Windows-based leftover programs from the Windows 3.1x days -- Character Map, Dr. Watson, File Manager, Object Packager, Program Manager, and SYSEDIT.  And if your computer uses a serial mouse, Windows 98 still uses Microsoft Mouse driver 9.01!

• Ready for new and emerging technologies and multimedia? Windows 98 has support for USB, IEEE 1394 ("Firewire"), DVD-ROM drives, digital audio, digital cameras, and WebTV.  WaveTop, broadcasting Internet content using a standard television signal, can give you the Net without having a standard Internet account.

• Windows 98 also has multiple monitor support, meaning two or more monitors can be used on the same computer to increase the desktop area.  Each monitor can have its own custom resolution.

• A new help system in Windows 98 offers information on a variety of Windows topics.  It is also integrated with Internet Explorer to allow retrieving content from the World Wide Web.

For all of its ground-breaking advances, Windows 98 did, unfortunately, have one drawback – some degree of instability that caused certain programs to crash frequently, similar to problems Microsoft experienced with 16-bit Windows 3.1.  This would prompt Microsoft to burn the midnight oil and within a year turn out yet another 32-bit version of Windows ... Windows 98 Second Edition.

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Microsoft's original name for the second release of Windows 98 was "Windows 98 OSR" (OEM Service Release).  In March 1999, Microsoft changed this name to Windows 98 "Second Edition," or "SE."

Due to problems with the first release of Windows 98, in 1999 Microsoft integrated the fixes of Windows 98 Service Pack 1 into Windows 98SE, which are the Windows Update patches that were released after Windows 98 shipped.

Many of the core programs of Windows 98 Second Edition are still the same 1998 versions that were released in the original Windows 98: Backup, Calculator, CD Player, Character Map, Chat, Clipboard Viewer, Disk Defragmenter, Drive Converter, DriveSpace3, FreeCell, Hearts, Magnifier, Minesweeper, NotePad, Paint, Personal Web Server, Phone Dialer, Resource Meter, ScanDisk, Solitaire, Sound Recorder, System Monitor, and WordPad.

Windows 98 Second Edition no longer includes RealPlayer.  Windows Imaging, no longer made by WANG, is a 1997 version made by Kodak.

New versions of programs in Windows 98 Second Edition include DirectX 6.1, HyperTerminal 1.2, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0, Microsoft Wallet 3.0, NetMeeting 3.0, Outlook Express, System Information, WaveTop 2.0, and a much improved Windows Media Player 6.01.

The main new features of Windows 98 Second Edition are Internet Connection sharing which allows multiple computers to share the same Internet connection using Network Address Translation (NAT), USB and Device Bay modem support, enhanced IEEE 1394 "firewire" support for devices such as digital camcorders, DCOM98, wake-on-LAN, WBEM which is an industry standard to administer Internet Web browser-based networked computers, native driver support for broadband modems (cable, DSL, ADSL), and more efficient use of high-bandwidth modems using network cards.

Some CD releases of both Windows 95 and Windows 98 included the add-on "PLUS!" pack.  The Windows 98 version of PLUS! contains much more than just desktop themes and full window drag.  It has 18 new desktop themes above and beyond the ones included from the "old" Windows 95 PLUS!, compressed folders to make and view zip files, deluxe CD player with a new interface and Internet access (and would also be the "standard" CD player in Windows 2000 Professional), disk cleanup add-ons, Spider Solitaire, Lose Your Marbles puzzle game, teaser versions of Microsoft Golf 1998 (Lite) and Picture-It! (Express), and McAfee VirusScan 3.1.6.  If you were fortunate enough to acquire one of these CD bundles, you truly got "all" of Windows.

Windows 98 Second Edition would become one of the most-used versions of Windows since the 16-bit 3.1x GUI.  It is still used by many business and home users to this day.

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Windows Millennium Edition, or "Windows Me," was Microsoft's last version of Windows to be based on the MS-DOS operating system. Microsoft's focus was to bring the DOS-based and NT-based versions of Windows together to end having two different "families" of Windows.  This would finally mean the end of DOS-based computing as users had known for nearly two decades.

Windows Millennium Edition was developed in a way to "wean" veteran DOS users off of command-based computing and to adapt to a purely Windows-based environment. This was done in the following ways:

•     Windows Me has no "MS-DOS" mode, meaning users cannot boot to a DOS command prompt and cannot restart Windows in MS-DOS mode.  The only way to access a DOS command prompt in Windows Me is to open a command prompt window in the same manner as in Windows NT and Windows 2000 Professional.

•     AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS cannot be modified. This caused some older DOS programs not to run properly or not to run at all on Windows Me.

•     Windows Me has the same graphical interface as Windows 2000 Professional (the new name for what Microsoft originally was going to call Windows NT 5.0).

New features included in Windows ME include:

•     System Restore maintains multiple backups of the state of your computer as "restore points," allowing you to "roll back" the configuration of your computer to the exact state it was when the restore point was created.  If a problem occurs, System Restore can return your computer to the state it was before the problem happened.

•     System File Protection automates the process that used to be the manual utility System File Checker in System Information in Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows 98.  Core system files are now automatically checked and replaced if necessary by Windows Me.  Me also protects system files from being replaced by older versions included with some software programs.

•     Windows Media Player 7.0 is a much more advanced version featuring a futuristic compact look, changeable skins, a music library to store your entire collection of music and much more.  Media Player now replaces CD Player as the central multimedia program for Windows Millennium Edition.

•     Windows Movie Maker 1.0 can edit audio and video from digital cameras or camcorders to create "movies" and slide shows.

•     Hibernate allows you to turn off your computer so that when it is restarted everything is restored exactly as it was left.  It saves the contents in memory to the hard drive, shuts down the monitor and hard drive, then turns off the computer.  When the computer is turned back on, the memory contents saved to disk are returned to memory.  This allows you to shut down your computer quickly, even with files open and unsaved, then return to the point you left off without losing any information.

•     On-Screen Keyboard, made by Madenta, Inc., is a program that displays a virtual keyboard on the screen.  It can be used for mobility impairments by enabling data to be typed by using a pointing device or joystick.

•     Internet Explorer 5.50 is integrated into Windows Me.

•     Windows Internet Migration allows you to duplicate your Internet Explorer and Outlook Express settings on more than one computer.

•     A new help system has an interface more resembling an Internet Web site than the "old" style help files contains links to Web sites for help on a variety of topics.

•     System Information is integrated into the Windows Me help system.

•     Windows Me boots up considerably faster than earlier Windows versions.  Disk defragmenter also runs much faster than on earlier Windows versions.

•     Because there is no "true" MS-DOS mode in Windows Me, ScanDisk has to run in graphical mode.  If there is an improper system shutdown, Windows Me boots just enough of the Windows GUI to launch Scandisk.  ScanDisk runs automatically, and although there is a Cancel button, it cannot be canceled -- it runs full duration.

•     The new version of Paint in Windows Me no longer asks to enlarge the picture if a clipboard pasting is larger than it is -- it expands the picture to the size of the object being pasted, whether you want it to or not.

•     Windows Me also includes new versions of Calculator, Character Map, Clipboard Viewer, Disk Defragmenter, Notepad, Phone Dialer, Sound Recorder, System Monitor, Volume Control, WebTV, and WordPad.

   While Windows Millennium Edition was Microsoft's newest and most advanced DOS-based 32-bit operating system, its lack of a "true" MS-DOS mode and lack of boot file customization prevented it from being as widely adopted as Windows 98 Second Edition due to incompatibility with certain application software.

    Still, the advances of Windows Me prepared the Windows user base for the inevitable end of DOS-based computing.  Windows Me let users down gently from command-based computing and introduced them to an easier, completely window-based environment from which, for users of newer versions of Windows at least, there was no going back. From Windows Millennium Edition, the next operating system "step" for computer users would be NT-based Windows XP. Officially, MS-DOS is dead.  Long live MS-DOS.

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