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by The Microsoft Corporation of The Island of Windowstopiaoplis. . 19 reads.

Windows 98

Windows 98 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of Microsoft Windows operating systems. The second operating system in the 9x line, it is the successor to Windows 95, and was released to manufacturing on May 15, 1998, and generally to retail on June 25, 1998. Like its predecessor, it is a hybrid 16-bit and 32-bit monolithic product with the boot stage based on MS-DOS.

Microsoft Windows 98
A version of the Windows 9x operating system


LinkStartup Sound

Developer:
Microsoft

Source model:
Closed source

Released to
manufacturing:
May 15, 1998; 23 years ago

General
availability:
June 25, 1998; 23 years ago

Final release:
Second Edition (4.10.2222 A) / May 5, 1999; 22 years ago

Platforms:
IA-32

Kernel type:
Monolithic kernel (DOS)

License:
Commercial software

Preceded by:

Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems. The first operating system in the 9x family, it is the successor to Windows 3.1x, and was released to manufacturing on July 14, 1995, and generally to retail on August 24, 1995, almost three months after the release of Windows NT 3.51. Windows 95 merged Microsoft's formerly separate MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows products, and featured significant improvements over its predecessor, most notably in the graphical user interface (GUI) and in its simplified "plug-and-play" features. There were also major changes made to the core components of the operating system, such as moving from a mainly cooperatively multitasked 16-bit architecture to a 32-bit preemptive multitasking architecture, at least when running only 32-bit protected mode applications.

Microsoft Windows 95
A version of the Windows 9x operating system


LinkStartup Sound

Developer:
Microsoft

Source model:
Closed source

Released to
manufacturing:
July 14, 1995; 26 years ago

General
availability:
August 24, 1995; 26 years ago

Latest release:
OEM Service Release 2.5 (4.0.950 C) / November 26, 1997; 24 years ago

Platforms:
IA-32

Kernel type:
Monolithic

License:
Proprietary commercial software

Preceded by:
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Succeeded by:
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Official website:
LinkWindows 95

Support status:
Mainstream support ended on December 31, 2000
Extended support ended on December 31, 2001

Accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign, Windows 95 introduced numerous functions and features that were featured in later Windows versions, such as the taskbar, notification area, and the "Start" button.

Three years after its introduction, Windows 95 was followed by Windows 98. Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 95 on December 31, 2000. Like Windows NT 3.51, Windows 95 received only one year of extended support, which means that support for Windows 95 would end on the same day as support for Windows NT 3.51 Workstation would, on December 31, 2001.

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Succeeded by:
Windows Me (2000)

Official website:
LinkWindows 98

Support status:
Mainstream support ended on June 30, 2002
Extended support ended on July 11, 2006

Windows 98 is a heavily web-integrated operating system that bears numerous similarities to its predecessor and relies on the HTML language. Most of its improvements were cosmetic or designed to improve the user experience, but there were also a handful of features introduced to enhance system functionality and capabilities, including improved USB support and accessibility, as well as support for hardware advancements such as DVD players. Windows 98 was the first edition of Windows to adopt the Windows Driver Model, and introduced features that would become standard in future generations of Windows, such as Disk Cleanup, Windows Update, multi-monitor support, and Internet Connection Sharing.

Microsoft had marketed Windows 98 as a "tune-up" to Windows 95, rather than an entirely improved next generation of Windows. Upon release, it was generally well-received for its web-integrated interface and ease of use, as well as its addressing of issues present in Windows 95, although some pointed out that it was not significantly more stable than its predecessor. Windows 98 sold an estimated 58 million licenses, and saw one major update, known as Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), released on May 5, 1999. After the release of its successor, Windows Me in 2000, mainstream support for Windows 98 and 98 SE ended on June 30, 2002, followed by extended support on July 11, 2006.

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