Windows 9x

Under the name Windows 9x ( also abbreviated Win9x ), the following operating systems the software company Microsoft summarized for i386 processors:

• Microsoft Windows 95 Windows 95
• Windows 95a (OEM Service Release 1 )
• Windows 95b (OEM Service Release 2 and 2.1)
• Windows 95c (OEM Service Release 2.5)

• Windows 98
• Windows 98 Second Edition ( Second Edition ) or short Windows 98 SE

More details

Under Windows 9x all MS- DOS - based Microsoft Windows operating systems are grouped by Windows 3.x. Unlike Windows 3.x, Windows 9x series has a deeply integrated into the kernel 32- bit extension that provides the Win32 API. Windows 9x support for 32- bit applications and preemptive multitasking for compatibility with Windows 3.x 16 -bit applications cooperative multitasking. 32 -bit processes each have their own virtual address spaces ( memory protection ), but consistent memory protection is to remain compatible with applications that appeal directly to hardware, not guaranteed.

Especially with lists of multiple operating systems (eg on a software package or on the Internet) the shorthand Windows 9x is used as a proxy for the operating systems listed above. The term derives from the name, usually begin with a nine. Windows Me swerved from this scheme, but is summarized because of its technical relationship to the other versions under Windows 9x.

In all previous versions of Windows, the version numbers were also used as product names, since Windows 9x bear all Windows operating systems own name. These are, for example, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista. The only internally assigned version numbers in the 9x series are 4.0, 4.1 and 4.9.

Another difference to the precursors is that in any Windows a customized version of MS- DOS is included 9x. Microsoft wanted the user the appearance of Windows 95 suggest so, MS- DOS is a part of Windows and ceased to exist independently. However, the DOS versions of any Windows 9x without Windows are fully capable of running. In Windows Me, you can default run MS -DOS only in a program window. With a trick, however, can also activate the conventional real mode. Internally, these DOS versions are numbered 7:00, 7:10 and 8:00.

When using USB mass storage, an additional non-operating system existing drivers is often required. There is this for Windows 98 also a generic driver that also supports various storage media.