Windows 95 Archives

Winsage

May 22, 2025

Brian Eno Criticizes Microsoft for Support of Israeli Military

Brian Eno has written an open letter to Microsoft titled “Not in My Name,” urging the company to stop providing artificial intelligence and cloud services to the Israeli military. He expresses concern that Microsoft's technological contributions could enable war crimes, stating that the company has acknowledged its support for Israel’s Ministry of Defense. Eno plans to donate his fee from the Windows 95 project to aid victims of the conflict in Gaza. He references a Microsoft blog post about the company's software and services being used by the Israeli government in ways condemned by legal scholars and human rights organizations. Eno emphasizes that selling advanced AI and cloud services to a government involved in systemic ethnic cleansing constitutes complicity and calls for a reevaluation of corporate ethics. He commends Microsoft employees who have spoken out against the company's actions and invites others to join his call for accountability.

Winsage

May 22, 2025

Windows 95 chime composer Brian Eno denounces Microsoft for its ties to Israeli government

Renowned musician Brian Eno announced he will donate the earnings from his Windows 95 startup chime to support those affected in Gaza. This decision follows scrutiny of Microsoft’s contracts with the Israeli government amid ongoing humanitarian crises. Eno criticized Microsoft for its involvement in operations contributing to violations of international law and called for the company to suspend services supporting such actions. Microsoft acknowledged its contracts with Israel’s Ministry of Defense but claimed an internal review found no evidence of its technologies targeting civilians in Gaza. Following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, significant casualties have been reported in Gaza, with estimates of over 52,000 to as high as 109,000 deaths. Human rights organizations have accused Israel of war crimes. Protests by Microsoft employees have occurred, demanding accountability for the company's actions. Eno emphasized the need for artists and corporations to consider the implications of their contributions.

Winsage

May 15, 2025

Only one person at Microsoft is talking about Windows 12 — let’s keep it that way

Microsoft has not made any formal announcement regarding the release of Windows 12. The end-of-support date for Windows 11 is October 14, 2025. Historically, Windows releases have followed a pattern where every alternate version is perceived as inferior: Windows 95 (good), Windows 98 (bad), Windows 98 SE (good), Windows ME (bad), Windows XP (good), Windows Vista (bad), Windows 7 (good), Windows 8 (bad), Windows 10 (good), and Windows 11 (bad). If Windows 12 is released, it is expected to have increased hardware demands and may heavily rely on artificial intelligence, potentially leaving users with outdated hardware.

Winsage

May 8, 2025

The 12 KB Windows just can’t quit

Raymond Chen discussed the moricons.dll file on his blog, highlighting its significance in the Windows operating system. The file, sized at 12,288 bytes, contains icons from the Windows 3.1 era, including those for Turbo Pascal, Quattro Pro, WordPerfect, Lotus 123, and cc:Mail. Originally, icons were stored in progman.exe, but as their collection grew, they were moved to moricons.dll for better organization. This library has persisted through various Windows upgrades, evolving from Program Manager icons to shortcut files in Windows 95. Despite the transition to 64-bit Windows, which no longer supports MS-DOS programs, moricons.dll has survived, suggesting that some users may still find value in these nostalgic icons.

Winsage

April 29, 2025

New Windows 11 beta brings more changes to Control Panel settings

Microsoft is transitioning away from the traditional Windows Control Panel, moving settings to the Windows 11 "Settings" app. Recent updates have relocated keyboard character repeat delay and repeat rate options to the Accessibility > Keyboard section in the Settings app, although these changes are currently hidden and require manual activation by users. Additionally, all remaining options from the mouse properties dialog box have also been transferred to the Settings app. Despite these updates, keyboard options still exist in the traditional Control Panel. Microsoft began this transition in 2020 and plans to retire the Control Panel entirely, but the process is progressing slowly, with remnants of the Control Panel still present in Windows 10 and 11.

Winsage

April 29, 2025

Windows 7 users with a solid background color faced delayed login process — it took four months for Microsoft to fix

Users of Windows 7 experienced a startup delay of up to 30 seconds if they chose solid color backgrounds due to the logon system waiting for the loading of the desktop wallpaper bitmap. This issue arose because the code to report that the wallpaper was ready was embedded within the wallpaper bitmap code, leading to a timeout if no wallpaper was present. The delay affected users who hid their desktop icons as well, but the actual startup time was not extended; the Welcome screen remained visible for the duration of the timeout regardless of system readiness.

Winsage

April 12, 2025

Brian Eno’s Windows 95 start-up sound just got preserved forever in the US Library of Congress

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden described the National Recording Registry as a reflection of America's diverse history and culture, with this year's entries showcasing significant audio works across various genres. Microsoft, during its dominance in the computer market, invested heavily in the launch of Windows 95, notably using The Rolling Stones' “Start Me Up” for its advertising campaign at a cost of one million dollars. Additionally, composer Brian Eno was commissioned to create a distinctive sound for Windows 95, facing the challenge of producing a piece under three and a quarter seconds long. Eno ultimately created a six-second composition, which Microsoft accepted despite exceeding the time limit, highlighting the innovative nature of his work.

Winsage

April 12, 2025

The Windows 95 start-up sound and the Minecraft soundtrack have been added to the US Library of Congress list of nationally significant recordings

The Windows 95 start-up sound has been added to the US Library of Congress as a culturally significant recording. The operating system was launched on July 14, 1995, marking its 30th anniversary this year. Windows 95 introduced a user-friendly graphical interface, transforming personal computing and making it more accessible. The sound evokes nostalgia for many users who experienced it on their desktop speakers.

Winsage

April 11, 2025

Readers name Windows 2000 Server peak Microsoft

Microsoft's 50th anniversary has sparked nostalgia among its community, particularly for Windows Server 2000, which is viewed as a high point in the company's history. Readers fondly remember Windows NT and acknowledge Windows 2000 Server for its robust capabilities. While Windows XP and Windows 7 received positive feedback, Windows 8 and its successors were less well-received due to their design choices. The handling of Windows Phone post-Nokia acquisition is seen as a significant misstep. Despite criticisms regarding software pricing and code quality, the Office suite remains valued. Microsoft's shift to cloud computing is noted as a strategic achievement, and the company has shown resilience in facing legal challenges. The community sentiment suggests that Microsoft's most celebrated days may be behind it, with future success dependent on the next generation of IT professionals and their views on the company's focus on artificial intelligence.

Winsage

April 10, 2025

Pop Songs, ‘Hamilton’ and Windows 95 Chime Join National Registry

The Library of Congress has added 25 recordings to the National Recording Registry, bringing the total to 675 titles. Notable inductees include Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, the duet “Happy Trails” by Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Tracy Chapman's debut album, the original cast recording of Hamilton, Brian Eno's chimes for Microsoft Windows, and Chicago's album Chicago Transit Authority. Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Mary J. Blige's My Life were also highlighted. This year, over 2,600 public nominations were submitted.