by Martin Brinkmann on August 24, 2018 in Windows – No comments
Windows95 is a packaged copy of Microsoft’s classic Windows 95 operating system that is running in an Electron application.
The package is available for Windows, Linux and Mac devices, and can be downloaded from the project website.
The release has a size of about 100 Megabytes; Windows users need to download the 64-bit version of the Windows95 distribution to get started.
It is just a matter of double-clicking on the downloaded executable file to run the program. The start screen displays several important options. You can click on “Start Windows 95” to launch the operating system, reset the machine to start anew, insert a floppy disk, or discard the current state and boot from scratch.
Windows 95
The Windows 95 environment itself runs in a window just like any other program. A selection of links and tools are displayed on the desktop that you may interact with. You can access My Computer, the Control Panel, or the c: drive from there for instance.
One of the first things you may want to do is change the default background image; this can be done with a right-click on the desktop and the selection of properties from the menu.
A click on the Start button displays links to tools and default programs that come with the operating system. You can start games like Minesweeper or FreeCell, or classic Windows programs such as Paint or the Media Player.
While you can run and use most programs and tools of the Windows 95 distribution, you will notice that some cannot be launched or don’t work properly. While you can run Internet Explorer on Windows 95, you will notice right away that it cannot connect to any website.
Another thing that is useful to know is that you need to use the Esc-key to move the mouse cursor out of the Windows 95 window and to lock it in again. The functionality seems a bit buggy at the time as I ran into mouse movement issues after exiting and entering the environment again.
One interesting feature of Windows95 is the ability to load .img floppy disk images. You can run old games, apps, or load files from disks that you integrate this way. Third-party apps and games should run for the most part.
Windows95 remembers the previous state and loads it on every start. You can reset the state on the Start screen to start anew at any time.
Closing Words
Running Microsoft’s ancient Windows 95 operating system on newer versions of Windows or on Mac or Linux devices may not be something that is very practical but it certainly appeals to users who grew up with Windows 95 and those who are curious about the operating system.
The ability to load floppy disk images is certainly an appreciated feature.
Now You: Remember Windows 95? (via Deskmodder)