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personal computer operating system by Microsoft

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Windows 95 -2021...
Windows 95 launc...
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft, released to manufacturing on July 14, 1995, and to retail on August 24, 1995. The first of the Windows 9x line of … Wikipedia
Factsheet
Windows 95 Version of the Windows 9x operating system
Developer Microsoft
Source model Closed source
Factsheet
Windows 95 Version of the Windows 9x operating system
Developer Microsoft
Source model Closed source
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Windows_95
Windows 95 - Wikipedia
1 week ago - Microsoft ended mainstream support ... of Windows also reached end-of-life. The initial design and planning of Windows 95 can be traced back to around March 1992, just around the time before the release of Windows 3.1....
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BetaWiki
betawiki.net › wiki › Windows_95
Windows 95 - BetaWiki
Windows 95 (codenamed Chicago) is a consumer version of Microsoft Windows released by Microsoft in 1995. It is the first major release in the Windows 9x operating system line, and was designed to be the successor of Windows 3.1. It is the first ...
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PCjs
pcjs.org › software › pcx86 › sys › windows › win95 › 4.00.950
Microsoft Windows 95: First Retail Release | PCjs Machines
Windows 95 was released to manufacturing on July 14, 1995 and went on sale at midnight on August 24, 1995.
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Rare Historical Photos
rarehistoricalphotos.com › windows-95-launch-day-1995
Remembering the Hysteria Over Windows 95 Launch: Photos From 1995 - Rare Historical Photos
July 20, 2019 - On Aug. 24, 1995, Microsoft—at that time a tech company with around $6 billion in sales and 17,800 employees—introduced their newest operating system, a product the New York Times at that time call…
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Development_of_Windows_95
Development of Windows 95 - Wikipedia
4 weeks ago - Windows 95 was eventually released to manufacturing on July 14, 1995, and generally to retail on August 24, 1995.
Top answer
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50

Yes, Windows 95 really was released on August 24, 1995; I still have the special issue of The Times that heralded the event.

But I distinctly remember thinking that it was late, back at that time.

That’s not surprising: Microsoft had been trumpeting the release of the next version of Windows for a long time, and there was widespread coverage in the media for a long time before the actual release, which was originally announced for 1994. Many magazines had lengthy articles about “Windows 4” or “Chicago” (the operating system’s code name) in 1994 and even 1993; they also shipped a number of demo disks quite a while before the actual release, and Microsoft themselves had a “preview” program available in some countries. The Windows 95 name was settled on late in 1994. As a result of all this, Windows 95 was perceived as “coming soon” for a very long time before its actual availability.

This wasn’t new for Microsoft; MS-DOS 6 had also had a lengthy beta program with a lot of users quite a long time before its release.

2 of 5
18

For a long time (starting late 1992/ early 1993), what was to become Windows 95 went under the name of "Chicago".

Only in september 1994 (beta 1.4 / build 189), did it become Windows 95. Microsoft must have been reasonably sure they were going to release in 1995 by then.

Early Chicago Usability Testing builds - 1992/93

Last Chicago labeled build - build 180

First Windows 95 branded build - build 189

Windows 95 Release to manufacturing (RTM) - build 950 r-6

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Fandom
microsoft.fandom.com › wiki › Windows_95
Windows 95 | Microsoft Wiki | Fandom
1 month ago - It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products.
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TechRadar
techradar.com › computing › software › windows
I was at the Windows 95 launch 30 years ago – I still can't stop thinking about it | TechRadar
August 24, 2025 - In a way, Microsoft and I had this in common: 1995 (and that August 24 launch) marked a turning point for Windows, which had, even with Windows 3.1, been a pale imitation of the Macintosh OS graphical user interface (GUI).
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University of Maryland Department of Computer Science
cs.umd.edu › hcil › muiseum › systems › win95.html
Windows 95
Windows 95 Developer: Microsoft Related People: Bill Gates Version: Windows 95 Release Date: August 24th, 1995 Previous Version: Windows for Workgroups 3.xx Next Version: Windows 98 All OS Page, Windows Family Page New Key Features:
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Computer History Museum
computerhistory.org › timeline › 1995
1995 | Timeline of Computer History | Computer History Museum
On August 24th, 1995, Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system was launched with one of the most sweeping media campaigns in the history of computing.
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CBC
avid.wiki › Windows_95
Windows 95 - Audiovisual Identity Database
2 weeks ago - Windows 95 is the fifth major version of Microsoft Windows and the first of the Windows 9X family, which was released on August 24, 1995. It added a completely overhauled...
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InvGate
invgate.com › itdb › windows-95
Windows 95 | Specs, reviews and EoL info
Microsoft Windows 95 was a groundbreaking consumer-oriented operating system, released to manufacturing on July 14, 1995, and generally available on August 24, 1995. It merged MS-DOS and Windows into a single product, introducing a revolutionary ...
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The Verge
theverge.com › microsoft › features › news
Windows 95 is 25 years old today | The Verge
August 24, 2020 - It wasn’t a new Call of Duty game, Apple’s latest iPod, or any type of hardware at all that shoppers were waiting for. It was software, and not just any software: Windows 95. Microsoft’s Windows 95 release on August 24th, 1995 was a highly ...
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XDA Developers
xda-developers.com › home › 28 years ago, windows 95 was the start of a new era
28 years ago, Windows 95 was the start of a new era
August 24, 2023 - On Aug. 24, 1995, Microsoft unleashed Windows 95 onto the world. Indeed, this massively influential OS release turns 28 years old today. Not only was it the first version of Windows to ship with Internet Explorer, but it also introduced elements ...
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Microsoft News
news.microsoft.com › home › timeline express announcements › launch of windows 95
Launch of Windows 95 - Stories
September 3, 2020 - The release of Microsoft’s much-anticipated new operating system was marked by midnight store launches and lines of customers worldwide. The iconic system, which came on CDs and had a startup sound composed by Brian Eno, introduced the Start button and task bar, recycle bin and desktop shortcuts. It also added support for longer file names and new “plug and play” capability for installing hardware. Windows 95 sold 7 million copies in its first five weeks, becoming the world’s most popular operating system.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/windows › on this day in 1995, windows 95 was released.
r/windows on Reddit: On this day in 1995, Windows 95 was released.
April 20, 2024 - The earliest leaked build of windows 95! It looks really uncanny. ... This is not a tech support subreddit, use r/WindowsHelp or r/TechSupport to get help with your PC. Welcome to the largest unofficial community for Microsoft Windows, the world's most popular desktop computer operating system! ... On this day, 27 years ago (i.e, in 1998), Windows 98 was officially released (Sorry for being too late).
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Tom's Hardware
tomshardware.com › software › operating systems › windows
Microsoft's Windows 95 release was 30 years ago today, the first time software was a pop culture smash | Tom's Hardware
August 24, 2025 - In 1996, Microsoft celebrated the one-year anniversary of Windows 95’s release with the claim that it had shipped 40 million units worldwide.