Lesson 1: A New Operating System
In this lesson, we take a look at the Windows 95 operating system and examine what makes it so different from the Windows 3.x operating system.
After this lesson, you will be able to:Estimated lesson time: 15 minutes
- Identify the basic differences between Windows 95 and 98 and earlier versions of the Windows operating system.
As covered in Tutorial 15, "Software: MS-DOS and Windows 3.x," Windows 3.x is an operating environment created on top of MS-DOS to provide a graphical user interface (GUI) and other features that make it easier to run programs and manage files. Windows 95 is a complete operating system that includes an improved GUI as well as other useful features. It has a unique desktop appearance and features multimedia and Internet access.
Windows 95 is dramatically different from Windows 3.x. Installing devices, managing memory, optimizing the system, and troubleshooting are handled in a completely different way than in Windows 3.x.
Although Windows 95 will run most MS-DOS and Windows 3.x software, and even bears some superficial resemblance to those operating systems, it is constructed very differently. Windows 95 is comprised of two products: a DPMI (DOS Protected Mode Interface-an improved MS-DOS) and the protected mode GUI. The MS-DOS part of Windows 95 looks and acts pretty much like the old MS-DOS; however, because it is DPMI-compliant, it can support use of extended memory even though it does not support multitasking.
When you first boot up Windows 95, you see the message "Starting Windows 95." At this point, Windows is starting the DPMI. After the DPMI is loaded, Windows 95 loads the GUI. Notice that it is not necessary to use the GUI to boot up to Windows 95; this is important because many computer repair functions, particularly for the hard disk drive, are handled at a MS-DOS prompt.