Windows 95 was capable of both installing and launching Windows 3.1 and 3.11 applications, with entries in Program Manager automatically translated to the new Start Menu. Windows 95 retained access to a limited version of MS-DOS, specifically, MS-DOS 7.0, which allowed the vast majority of existing MS-DOS-developed video games to run, although Windows 95 could shut down to a 'pure' MS-DOS environment if specifically needed by a game or application.
While now seen as a security risk, this feature at the time allowed application and video game developers to instantly load their installation media or main application unprompted directly from the CD-ROM, rather than rely on the user manually navigating to the main executable using Explorer. Perhaps the most iconic change from Windows 3.11 was the Start menu, which provided a one-click location to programs and system resources.Įxplorer replaced the previous File Manager, and offered a much more accessible naivgator for the system's storage locations.
On launch, Windows 95 included many new features, and included access to many older ones found in Windows 3.1 and Windows 3.11.