Editing Windows 95 (section)

==Upgradeability==
Windows 95 was superseded by [[Windows 98]], which also included the [[Windows Desktop Update]] and [[Internet Explorer 4]] by default. It could still be directly upgraded by either Windows 2000 Professional<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/203141|title=Cannot Upgrade Windows 95/98 to Windows 2000 Server|website=Microsoft Support|publisher=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104220616/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/203141|archive-date=November 4, 2013}}</ref> or [[Windows Me]]. [[Microsoft Office 2000|Office 2000]] was the last version of [[Microsoft Office]] to be compatible with Windows 95. Similarly, [[Windows Media Player]] 7.0, released in June 2000, and [[DirectX]] 8.0a, released in February 2001, are the last versions of Windows Media Player and DirectX available for Windows 95, respectively.

Updates for Windows 95 could be installed via the [[Windows Update]] website. The Windows Update website for Windows 95 and 98 was removed in 2011.<ref name="Cunningham-2023">{{Cite web |last=Cunningham |first=Andrew |date=2023-07-10 |title=Windows 95, 98, and other decrepit versions can grab online updates again |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/07/windows-95-98-and-other-decrepit-versions-can-grab-online-updates-again/ |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=[[Ars Technica]] |language=en-us |archive-date=August 5, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240805020423/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/07/windows-95-98-and-other-decrepit-versions-can-grab-online-updates-again/ |url-status=live }}</ref> An independent project named Windows Update Restored aims to restore the Windows Update websites for older versions of Windows, including Windows 95.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tyson |first=Mark |date=2023-07-09 |title='Windows Update Restored' Site Provides Updates for Classic Windows Versions |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/news/windows-update-restored-site-provides-updates-for-classic-windows-versions |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=[[Tom's Hardware]] |language=en |archive-date=July 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240727021528/https://www.tomshardware.com/news/windows-update-restored-site-provides-updates-for-classic-windows-versions |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Cunningham-2023" />

While Windows 95 did not officially support the [[.NET Framework]], versions [[.NET Framework 2.0|2.0]] and [[.NET Framework 3.5|3.5]] were unofficially [[Backporting|backported]] for the operating system in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harper |first=Christopher |date=2024-04-14 |title=Thousands of apps ported back to Windows 95 twenty-eight years later — .NET Framework port enables backward compatibility for modern software |url=https://www.tomshardware.com/software/operating-systems/thousands-of-apps-ported-back-to-windows-95-twenty-eight-years-later-net-framework-port-enables-backward-compatibility-for-modern-software |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240531170725/https://www.tomshardware.com/software/operating-systems/thousands-of-apps-ported-back-to-windows-95-twenty-eight-years-later-net-framework-port-enables-backward-compatibility-for-modern-software |archive-date=2024-05-31 |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=[[Tom's Hardware]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Posch |first=Maya |date=2024-04-14 |title=Porting Modern Windows Applications To Windows 95 |url=https://hackaday.com/2024/04/14/porting-modern-windows-applications-to-windows-95/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240701121659/https://hackaday.com/2024/04/14/porting-modern-windows-applications-to-windows-95/ |archive-date=2024-07-01 |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=[[Hackaday]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Internet Explorer===
Windows 95 originally shipped without [[Internet Explorer]], and the default network installation did not include [[TCP/IP]], the network protocol used on the Internet. At the release date of Windows 95, Internet Explorer 1.0 was available,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.neowin.net/news/internet-explorer-version-1-10-a-dive-through-history/|title=Internet Explorer: Version 1-10, a dive through history|last=Sams|first=Brad|date=March 17, 2012|website=[[Neowin]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509140856/https://www.neowin.net/news/internet-explorer-version-1-10-a-dive-through-history/|archive-date=May 9, 2019|url-status=dead|access-date=May 9, 2019}}</ref> but only in the [[Microsoft Plus!#Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95|Plus!]] add-on pack for Windows 95, which was a separate product. The Plus! pack did not reach as many retail consumers as the operating system itself (it was mainly advertised for its non-Internet-related add-ons such as [[theme (computing)|themes]] and better disk compression) but was usually included in [[pre-installed]] ([[Original equipment manufacturer|OEM]]) sales, and at the time of Windows 95's release, the web was being browsed mainly with a variety of early web browsers such as [[NCSA Mosaic]] and [[Netscape Navigator]] (promoted by products such as [[IBox]]).

Windows 95 OEM Service Release 1 was the first release of Windows to include [[Internet Explorer]] (version [[Internet Explorer 2|2.0]]) with the OS. While there was no uninstaller, it could be deleted easily if desired. OEM Service Release 2 included [[Internet Explorer 3]]. The installation of [[Internet Explorer 4]] on Windows 95 (or the OSR2.5 version preinstalled on a computer) gave Windows 95 Active Desktop and browser integration into Windows Explorer, known as the [[Windows Desktop Update]]. The CD version of the last release of Windows 95, OEM Service Release 2.5 (version 4.00.950C), includes Internet Explorer 4, and installs it after Windows 95's initial setup and first boot are complete.

While only the 4.x series of the browser contained the option to install the Windows Desktop Update features, the subsequent 5.x version had the option hidden. Editing the installer's configuration file located in a temporary folder would make the feature available in the installer. Alternatively, Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 users could first install IE 4 with the desktop update before installing a newer version of Internet Explorer. The last version of Internet Explorer supported on Windows 95 is [[Internet Explorer 5|Internet Explorer 5.5 with SP2]], which was released on July 23, 2001. Windows 95 shipped with Microsoft's dial-up online service called [[MSN Dial-up|The Microsoft Network (MSN)]].