Windows 95

Windows 95 is a entry in the Microsoft Windows franchise, first released to manufacturing on July 14, 1995, then released for the Compaq DeskPro 386 on August 15, 1995 in the USA, and on November 23, 1995 in other regions.

Windows 95 has since become the most ported version of Windows ever, being ported to platforms like the IBM Thinkpad, NEC PC-9801, Dell OptiPlex, and even the Nintendo Wii.

Windows 95 introduced several key features that would be included in most Windows versions since, like the Start Menu, Taskbar, and the Notification area. Windows 95 would be followed up in the mainline series by Windows 2000, but it also had 2 direct sequels, Windows 98 and Windows Me.

While Windows 95 has been ported to many platforms, emulation of the original Compaq DeskPro 386 version is very tough, mainly due to the Operating System relying on several quirks of the DeskPro 386 that weren't emulated for years. The best way to run Windows 95 on a modern PC nowadays is either via the emulator "86Box", which unfortunately is only available for Windows 7 and higher, or Virtual PC 2004/2007, which has the best support for 9x-based OSes.