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Description of Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 |
This product is Windows 95. It contains some new hardware support and programs, but at its core it is Windows 95. The purpose is to allow PC manufacturers (OEMs) to install an integrated Windows 95 product that contains the latest available individual updates and supports recent advances in hardware that requires core operating system support.
The retail version of Windows 95 is designed to upgrade Windows 3.x PCs. The primary contents of this service release are intended to support new hardware. As such, it will be sold with the PCs that have these new hardware capabilities. The only major feature that does not require specific hardware support is the new version of Microsoft Internet Explorer.
NOTE: A retail Windows 95 (version 950) installation cannot be upgraded with Windows 95 OSR2.
At this time, there are no plans to make these features available in a step- up, service pack, or upgrade kit for Windows 95.
Microsoft Internet Explorer version 3.0, and the individual updates that are widely applicable to a general audience will be available for free downloads from the Internet.
Microsoft reserves the right to revise and change these plans without notice.
Windows 95 OSR2 is an OEM product. There will be no free support on this product from Microsoft. Customers may be able to obtain some amount of free support from their OEM. Microsoft will offer only fee-based support on this product.
Any modifications made to Windows 95 OSR2 by the OEM will not be supported by Microsoft.
Microsoft Technical Support Desktop Systems does not support OEMs, or OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) issues. OEMs are supported at an OEM account level only.
Microsoft Premier Desktop Systems supports the full functionality and usability of OSR2 as shipped by Microsoft to the OEM. Any modifications made to Windows 95 OSR2 by the OEM will be supported by the OEM. Installation of OSR2 is supported by Microsoft OEM support at an OEM level. On a best effort basis, Premier Desktop Systems will support installation and setup of OSR2 as a troubleshooting step. Batch installs and netsetup are not supported by OSR2 and will not be supported by Premier Desktop Systems support.
OSR2 is an OEM version only and allows OEMs to install an integrated
Windows 95 product that supports the latest PC hardware. Windows 95 OSR2
is not licensed and not supported for installations on PCs that were not
delivered by the manufacturer with Windows 95 OSR2 preinstalled, even if
those PCs are covered by a Windows 95 license or maintenance agreement.
FAT32 file system
Real- and protected-mode tools for FAT32: (FDISK, Format, ScanDisk,
and Defrag)
Updated drive properties (to indicate whether a drive is FAT32)
ScanDisk autolaunch
DriveSpace 3, including the Compression tab for the drive properties
and Compression Agent from Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95)
CDFS enhancements
Internet Explorer 3.0
Microsoft Internet Mail and News
Internet Connect Wizard
NetMeeting
Microsoft Peer Web Server
Drive spin down support (see "Power Management" section)
120 MB floptical support
IDE busmastering support
Removable IDE media support
Control Panel Display tool enhancements
OpenGL support and screen savers
DirectX 2.0
ActiveMovie
AOL, CompuServe, and WOW clients included in a desktop folder
MSN, the Microsoft Network, client software version 1.3
Updated Vredir.vxd file
NDIS 4.0
NDIS 4.0 miniport drivers
TCP/IP supports multiple DNS configurations
PCCard32
Enhanced socket services
APM 1.2 support: wake on ring, Control Panel power properties, and multiple-battery
status
Support for drive spin down on computers that do not support APM
PCMCIA modem power management - improved power savings when idle
Lpt.vxd: Support for Iomega devices
Updated Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4 driver (grayscale fonts)
WANG Imaging Program and Fax Viewer with TWAIN32 support
Unimodem/V
New user interface, including dialing configuration options in Dial-Up
Networking folder and built-in scripting
New modem .inf files
New TAPI dial codes
IrDa LAN - support for LAN access point
Microsoft Exchange/Windows Messaging
Windows NT 4.0 messaging system client
Renamed from Microsoft Exchange to Windows Messaging System
MAPI 1.0b
Performance improvements: Faster MailTo on 8-MB computers