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Windows 95 is often considered the biggest Windows upgrade to date. The differences include the fact that it does not require a separate version of MS-DOS, a completely redesigned interface, Plug and Play hardware compatibility, the addition of Windows Explorer, a 32-bit design, the ability to do preemptive multitasking, the ability to use long filenames, and improved multimedia support.¹²  As indicated previously, some of these items were introduced with Windows NT 3.1. However, because of Windows NT's focus on business and networking, Windows 95 - which is intended for home users - is generally compared to Windows for Workgroups 3.11, the previous Windows release for home users.

The release of Windows 95 in 1995 marked the point where every new home version of Windows is a complete operating system (Windows NT was a complete operating system from the beginning). However, Windows 95 and all subsequent versions of Windows in the so-called 9x line are different from Windows NT in that they run a their own integrated version of DOS in the background, invisible to the user, which handles some of the basic interaction between Windows and the hardware. The biggest features of the new interface are a new desktop (that doesn't include Program Manager), the taskbar, and the Start Menu - the same features users are familiar with today. Instead of having a cluttered desktop containing icons for all the programs on the computer, Windows 95 provides a single "surface" that has almost no icons by default, on which users can place any shortcuts, files, or folders of their choosing. A shortcut is a pointer to a program or file, and a folder is the new Windows 95 terminology for a directory. Programs are launched by selecting them from the Start Menu, a button that when clicked on simply provides a list of the programs on the computer, as well as access to other Windows features and settings. The taskbar is a bar located at the bottom of the screen by default (it can be moved to any edge of the screen) and contains the Start Menu, buttons for each of the programs that are currently running, and the system tray. Each program button can be clicked on to bring up that program's window. The system tray is the area of the taskbar that can contain a clock and any number of icons representing certain programs. Some other additions to the user interface are new three-dimensional effects for all window elements and buttons, and context-sensitive menus, which provide options relevant to a particular item, such as a file or taskbar button, when the user right-clicks that item with the mouse. Plug and Play hardware compatibility means that Windows will automatically detect and manage hardware that supports the Plug and Play standard. Windows Explorer replaced File Manager from earlier Windows versions, and includes a redesigned interface and several new features.

©2001 Joe Hodsdon.  Page last updated