computergeek92 wrote:

Hey um, brief off topic question: Is it possible to use image editing software to restore the old picture from 1998 of me and my computer so I can be able to read the model number on the front of the tower? Thanks.

Generally I'd say it's near impossible to regain lost acuity/details after the fact. Especially if the part in question is out of focus. But for the .00001% chance I can't say for sure as I haven't seen the picture.

Jorpho wrote:

You mean you want to zoom in and enhance?

Great video! I just watched it in enhanced 8K VR walkthrough. Extremely immersive! 😁

Win95b is the best Win95 version if you want Fat32 support. For super retro FAT16 feeling get the original release. OSR 2 and 2.1 if you don't want IE4 / Active esktop to auto install and do what this guy says http://toastytech.com/evil/lab.html#rem95 and don't even install IE3 in the first place.

my vote goes to 95c aswell, just remember to reboot whenever the ie4 installer shows up.
after that, install an ie5.5 to prevent it from appearing again.

archsan wrote:

Arguably Win95's best feature was developed by Brian Eno... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miZHa7ZC6Z0
... who, of course, didn't (doesn't?) like PCs at all.

So true... for such a short few notes so evocative..

noshutdown wrote:

my vote goes to 95c aswell, just remember to reboot whenever the ie4 installer shows up.
after that, install an ie5.5 to prevent it from appearing again.

Win95B came with IE3 and I don't remember any game or software I tested that tried to update IE. I want to stay with IE3 on my 95C. After all, IE4 and newer are responsible for slugging and bugging up Windows.

kikenovic wrote:

Win95b is the best Win95 version if you want Fat32 support. For super retro FAT16 feeling get the original release. OSR 2 and 2.1 if you don't want IE4 / Active esktop to auto install and do what this guy says http://toastytech.com/evil/lab.html#rem95 and don't even install IE3 in the first place.

I still need an old version to read html files like game readme's or other files. What's wrong with IE3? I thought IE4 was the bad one. Why worry about IE4 auto-install when I have already killed it by doing CTRL-ALT-DEL twice when I first booted my win95C?

Is there a list of programs that require IE4 or later that run on Win95? I read that I’m limited to Word97 cause Word 2000 wants a newer IE.. Not a problem, I don't see any difference between the two versions other than appearance.

I've installed IE 5.5 SP2 in the past on Windows 95 without any problems.
It also includes updates (enhancements) to Windows Media Player components (the various components are selectable when you install IE 5.5 SP2)

I see, so I could skip IE4, and avoid the bugs? Though I’m fine with my current WMP features. I don't need much..

computergeek92 wrote:

I see, so I could skip IE4, and avoid the bugs? Though I’m fine with my current WMP features. I don't need much..

Yes you could, but as already mentioned in an earlier thread, you then lose your Windows Desktop Update.

I suggest that you perhaps first try installing Windows 95C, with IE4 & the Desktop Update, and then upgrade immediately to IE 5.5 SP2 - from a user perspective, it then "looks and feels" much like Windows 98SE.
See how it goes and whether it resolves your issues.

If not, install Windows 95C, without IE4 & the Desktop Update, and just upgrade straight to IE 5.5 SP2 and see how it goes.

As mentioned before, if you did already install IE4 with the Desktop Update, then you can easily just uninstall it again.

computergeek92 wrote:

I still need an old version to read html files like game readme's or other files.

To be clear, you can open those html files in any web browser. I can't imagine a game coming with a readme that could only be viewed in IE3, nor is there likely to be anything that is explicitly hard-coded to open an html file in Internet Explorer.

What's wrong with IE3? I thought IE4 was the bad one.

Internet Explorer 4 isn't particularly better as far as security is concerned, especially since IE3 already supports ActiveX (according to wiki). IE4 gets a lot of bad press mostly because of its intrusive shell integration ("slugging and bugging", as you say) and because it was the default browser in new installations of Windows 95 and 98 for such a long time.

Is there a list of programs that require IE4 or later that run on Win95? I read that I’m limited to Word97 cause Word 2000 wants a newer IE..

I don't think there's much as far as games are concerned. Why exactly would you want to install Word97..?

I recall some readme files came in .RTF but I'm sure those can be opened in WordPad.

Maybe the one to be concerned about is .CHM (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Compiled_HTML_Help)? I.e. whether the CHM viewer is stand-alone or needs IE4/any version (I think it's standalone but not very sure).

Jorpho wrote:

computergeek92 wrote:

Is there a list of programs that require IE4 or later that run on Win95? I read that I’m limited to Word97 cause Word 2000 wants a newer IE..

I don't think there's much as far as games are concerned. Why exactly would you want to install Word97..?

Why wouldn’t I want a word processor on a computer?? Silly question. 🤣

Why exactly would you want to play old computer games, Jorpho?

I install Word97 on my retro rigs too if I need to fuss with docs with more than notepad. A small footprint and familiar to work with.

As an aside I hated the change to "the ribbon" UI a few years ago and still use Office/Word 2003 on my main rig because of it. "Ribbon thinking" (a mess of of pre-organized tabbed "context driven" panels/sub-panels/fly-outs instead of a set of simple persistent customizable toolbars) has infected lots of mainstream UI's making them fiddly and slower to use for icon users like myself - ACAD I'm looking at you!

computergeek92 wrote:

Why exactly would you want to play old computer games, Jorpho?

Because often they offer unique experiences that have not been duplicated in more recent computer games. And sometimes they are easier to use on older hardware with an older operating system, considering they are often written to exploit unique properties of said hardware, even though said old hardware is often otherwise inferior when it comes to general-purpose computing tasks like word processing and web browsing.

If I'm not mistaken, Word 97 will still install under Windows 7, though it may take some persuasion. While I cannot deny the superiority of toolbars over the "ribbon", it does not otherwise offer anything particularly superior or unique over later versions of Word that I can think of. (I actually stick with Softmaker FreeOffice, which likewise still has toolbars.)

Come to think of it, I guess there are still games which might supply their documentation in .DOC format – but no one would expect only users of Word 97 to be able to use their games. Any such .DOC ought to open just fine in Windows WordPad. And there is a standalone Word 97-2000 viewer which does not appear to require IE.

I keep DOC libraries on all my rigs - lists, notes, some spreadsheets, and game documentation mostly - and Word97 comes in handy and all the rigs "speak" the same language. Font control, formatting and sorting work nice and feature bloat isn't too bad.

Bit late to the party but skipping Win95c IE4 install is even easier.
Take the CD out before rebooting the final time and you bypass it completely, or you can create a custom CD/install of the HDD you can delete the cab files altogether, they were pretty obvious, Iexplorer or IE4 something like that?

I have something odd to add. I've got a copy of Win95 OSR2.5 that I've made on my own some years ago and doesn't install IE4 by default. I've checked, the installation everyone is referring it never appears, IE4 is nowhere to be found on Add/Remove Programs and Internet Explorer's About tab says it is IE3.

Now, since this is a copy I made on my own, it may be possible that I downloaded some custom image and burnt it on a disc, but it was many years ago so I don't remember anything like that. I also had OSR 2.1 on a disc and I remember that I wanted to compare the two, so it would seem like that my copy of OSR 2.5 probably was untouched. I know it is probably highly unlikely, but is it possible that some regions (I'm in Europe) may have omitted IE4, ala recent Windows N versions?

F2bnp wrote:

I have something odd to add. I've got a copy of Win95 OSR2.5 that I've made on my own some years ago and doesn't install IE4 by default. I've checked, the installation everyone is referring it never appears, IE4 is nowhere to be found on Add/Remove Programs and Internet Explorer's About tab says it is IE3.

Now, since this is a copy I made on my own, it may be possible that I downloaded some custom image and burnt it on a disc, but it was many years ago so I don't remember anything like that. I also had OSR 2.1 on a disc and I remember that I wanted to compare the two, so it would seem like that my copy of OSR 2.5 probably was untouched. I know it is probably highly unlikely, but is it possible that some regions (I'm in Europe) may have omitted IE4, ala recent Windows N versions?

Sorry for bumping this old topic but same thing has just happened to me today 😕
I'm pretty sure it's not because of the image but one of these two reasons:

1. Win95C detects the hardware and skips installing IE4 if using old hardware (386/ISA)
2. When the CD drive letter changes (due to the Ramdisk in DOS), it can't detect the CD anymore after reboot and skips installing IE4.

Best way is to copy the Win95 folder on hard drive and reinstall windows to check the result.

you can install it without ie. 95 instructions here.
http://toastytech.com/evil/lab.html#rem95
you can install 98 without ie
https://www.litepc.com/98lite.html