By ANGELIN YEOH
Publication Date: 2026-08-24 09:00:00
It was an operating system launch with a marketing campaign that reportedly cost Microsoft an estimated US$100mil to US$200mil.
In 1995, Microsoft was gearing up for the release of Windows 95, a landmark operating system that would help usher mainstream PC users from 16-bit code era to the 32-bit computing era.
Windows 95 marked a major shift from Windows 3.1. Its 32-bit design could theoretically address up to 4GB of memory – vastly more than most home computers of the time had – giving PCs more room to run several programs at once and handle increasingly sophisticated software.
Windows 95 also introduced the now-familiar Start button and taskbar, giving users a simpler way to navigate and launch programs.
It also had built-in features like Microsoft Exchange – for managing emails, messages and faxes through a ‘universal inbox’ – as well as Plug and Play, then considered a revolutionary…
