Windows 9x
| File:Am windows95 desktop.png Screenshot of Windows 95, the first Windows in the 9x series | |
| Developer | Microsoft |
|---|---|
| Working state | Self-Help Online Support |
| Source model | Closed source |
| Kernel type | Hybrid kernel |
| Default user interface | Graphical User Interface |
| License | MS-EULA |
Windows 9x is a term used to describe the DOS-based operating systems Windows 95 and Windows 98, similar versions of Microsoft Windows which were produced in the 1990s. Occasionally, Windows Me is also included in the term, as it is very similar in many respects.
Overview
Unlike Windows 3.x, the Windows 9x operating systems are not running on top of MS-DOS. When the graphical user interface is launched, Windows switches from real mode to protected mode. For example, the memory mangement in Windows is different from the one in MS-DOS. However, MS-DOS is still important because Windows 9x will not start without using the MS-DOS boot component (IO.SYS).
Windows 95, 98, and Me consist of both 32-bit and 16-bit code. The Win32 API is entirely 32-bit, but DOS-based components, such as the boot loader and many of its device drivers are 16-bit. Additionally, some of the programs that ship with the operating system are also 16-bit.
Windows 95, 98, and Me are designed to be a single-user system and the security model is therefore not comparable to the one in Windows NT. One reason of that is the FAT and FAT32 which are the only file systems that Windows 9x officially supports, although Windows NT also supports FAT. FAT and FAT32 have very limited security; every user that has access to a FAT drive also has access to all files on that drive. The file systems provide no access control lists like NTFS[1].
Device drivers in Windows 9x can be virtual device drivers or WDM drivers. VxDs usually have the filename extensions .vxd or .386 and WDM compatible drivers usually use the extension .sys. The 32-bit VxD message server (msgsrv32) is the program that loads virtual device drivers (VxDs) at startup and then handles communication with the drivers. Additionally, the message server performs several background functions, including loading the Windows shell (such as Explorer.exe or Progman.exe)[2].
The Windows 9x line of operating systems was merged with Windows NT with the release of Windows XP, which was the successor to both Windows 2000 and Windows Me.
Releases
- Windows 95 original release
- Windows 95 OEM Service Release 1 (OSR1)
- Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2)
- Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2.1 (OSR 2.1)
- Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2.5
- Windows 98 original release
- Windows 98 Second Edition
- Windows Millennium Edition (Me)
Plus! packs
- Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95
- Microsoft Plus! for Windows 98
- Microsoft Plus! Game Pack (for Windows Me)
References
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