Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
yesterday

Windows 95 Turns 30, the Launch That Redefined the PC

Coverage revisits a 32-bit overhaul whose marketing made an OS launch a cultural moment.

Windows 95 in a VM
Image
Image

Overview

  • Microsoft released Windows 95 on August 24, 1995, ushering in a new era for consumer PCs.
  • The OS introduced the Start menu and taskbar, 32-bit preemptive multitasking, plug-and-play hardware support, long filenames, and user profiles.
  • A high-profile campaign featuring the Rolling Stones’ Start Me Up and a Jay Leno–hosted launch helped draw midnight queues worldwide.
  • Commercial milestones cited include reported $720 million day-one revenue, about one million copies shipped by day four, seven million sold in five weeks, and Microsoft’s claim of 40 million units shipped by the one-year mark.
  • Distribution came on 13–15 floppy disks or on CD requiring a boot floppy, with official minimum specs of a 386DX CPU, 4MB of RAM, VGA graphics, and roughly 55MB of free storage.