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Gallery: Windows 95 - 15 years after
On the biggest day of his professional career, August 24, 1995, Bill Gates took center stage to introduce the world to Windows 95.
Photo and screenshot credits: Microsoft
Windows 95 splash screen. Here are some others from Windows 1.01 to Windows 7
Welcome to Windows 95
Setup wizard.
According to Microsoft, here are the system requirements for installing Windows 95: (note that they're talking MB not GB.)
* Personal computer with a 386DX or higher processor (486 recommended)
* 4 megabytes (MB) of memory (8 MB recommended)
* Typical hard disk space required to upgrade to Windows 95: 35-40 MB The actual requirement varies depending on the features you choose to install.
* Typical hard disk space required to install Windows 95 on a clean system: 50-55 MB The actual requirement varies depending on the features you choose to install.
* One 3.5-inch high-density floppy disk drive
* VGA or higher resolution (256-color SVGA recommended)
To use Microsoft Exchange and The Microsoft Network:
* 8 MB of memory
* 20 MB of additional hard disk space
* Modem (required for using The Microsoft Network)
Optional components:
* Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
* Modem or fax/modem
* Audio card and speakers for sound
Setup options for Windows 95.
Start up your Windows menus.
A rare site in the '90s, an almost empty Windows 95 desktop.
Windows, windows, windows.
Task bar options.
Scary. Remember Bob? He was there to help with Windows 95. Here's his history in pictures.
Registry editor.
How the registry editor is set up.
Remember Windows Explorer? You can probably still find it on Windows 7 but you couldn't live without it on Windows 95.
Remember this screen? One of the most important ones in Windows 95 for home users.
Internet Explorer 1 and its test screen. This browser first appeared just a month before the launch of Windows 95 in 1995.
Internet Explorer 1.0
Windows 95 accessibility
Win 95 diagnostics - a horror page
Finding your way through Windows 95.
Set your clock.
Installing a network wasn't an easy task.
Modem ports.
Setting up a network.
One of the greatest time wasters of history. At least it taught Windows novices how to use a mouse and how to drag and drop. It's still in Windows (XP here).
There was always Minesweeper to kill time.
Yes, there was security in Windows 95.
Setting up passwords.
Having a safe recovery.
Installing query.
Naming files in Windows Explorer.
Plug and play installation.
Setting up a device through the Hardware Manager.
Create docs.
Add a printer
Printer fonts.
Help!!
Finally Windows 95 gets replaced by Windows 98.
By popular demand, the dreaded Blue Screen of Death usually meant big problems.