We’ve gotten used to Windows 10 and we don’t need to go back to use any programs but you may want to do it out of curiosity, in a bout of nostalgia, or any other time you need to demonstrate what Windows 95 or Windows 98 was like. So today We review what options we have to emulate previous versions of Windows online, from the browser.
We can emulate games or programs using the Windows compatibility solver or using emulators or virtual machines that will return us to Windows 95. But maybe what you are looking for is something specific and that you do not want to use virtual machines like Virtualbox but simply want to remember what it was like or what it allowed us. Luckily, some web pages make it easy for us and give us back those designs that today are not very useful but that you may want to remember.
Windows 1.0
More than thirty years ago Windows 1.0 was released and you, who are reading us, maybe you were not even born or you did not have a computer at home or you could not try it. If you are curious or if you used it at the time, you can test how it was thanks to an online emulator, an emulator for the browser that we can test without having to install anything or configure a virtual machine. We can do it through the PCJS page to remember what it was like to use that first version. Although you cannot do everything from this web emulator, you can try some functions.
Windows 1.0 was released on November 20, 1985 , almost 30 years ago, being one of the first with a graphical user interface that sought to reach the general public. Windows 1.0 was supported until December 31, 2001.
Windows 1.01
Version 1.01 was the first version released since the previous one had a major bug that forced it to be withdrawn. You can also see what it was like in this browser emulator where you can try many of the older versions of Windows. So you can see the main differences between this and the previous one. As a curiosity, the blue screen of death (BSOD) already appeared when a serious error occurred in the operating system. If we want to relive the feeling that using that operating system gave, we can access the PCJS emulator directly from the Internet browser. To be faithful to the era of that system, it emulates a computer with a speed of 4.77 MHz, 256 Kilobyte of RAM and a screen with CGA resolution . It only includes access to a virtual floppy drive.
Windows 3.0
It was a big change from what we just saw in Windows 1.01. This operating system arrived five years after the first version offering multitasking and better memory management. It became the Redmond’s first massive hit, and many will remember the popular Windows 3.11 version for workgroups . In this web page we can emulate the operation of Windows 3.0.
From the PJCJs Machine website you can also emulate Windows 3.10 version from the browser, without having to exit Google Chrome and with the idea of taking a general look to remember what the different windows, menus, options were like.
Windows 95
We all (or almost all) remember this one and it begins to look like Windows as it is today, saving the distance. The desktop, the start menu, the windows … Since 1995 and with all kinds of new features, it already allowed us to have USB support or FAT32 file format. You can try it from the PCJS.org website where we will simply have to click on the link, wait for the system to load and we will be able to navigate through the different menus as in any computer of the time. You can open the main menu, explore the files …
You can also emulate Windows 95 from the Win95 website , with an identical appearance (how could it be otherwise) than the previous one. You simply have to accept the permissions and the emulator will start that will take us to the operating system screen of more than twenty years ago.
Windows 98 Emulator
Also without leaving the browser we can try the classic Windows 98 with its mythical sound included , with Outlook Express and with Internet Explorer. There is nothing to install and thanks to a project published on Github we can test it whatever your current browser is. You just have to go to the web page and touch on the Windows 98 (9.7 MB) option where you can see the icons, the classic sound, etc. You can put the emulator in full screen and it even allows you to use Paint or play minesweeper although it is recommended that you have patience because it does not go especially fast (as expected)
From the Virtual Desktop web page you can access a Windows 98 emulator where you can open the different menus, options or windows. Just go to the version you want and it will open in a new Google Chrome browser window.
Windows 2000
At the end of the nineties, specifically in March 1999, Microsoft launched Windows 2000 which included new features in file protection and which managed to focus on business as well. A version of the operating system that we can see and test from the Virtual Desktop website if we want to remember what it was like. At first glance there are hardly any changes with its later model that would arrive only a year later.
Windows ME
From Virtual Desktop we can open other versions such as Windows ME, for example. Windows SE ME launched in 2000 and became one of the most criticized, the Millenium Edition version that many consider “the worst version of Windows.” He was looking to get away from MSDOS and bet on home entertainment . We can remember how it was in this browser emulator where we can open Outlook express, open the control panel, search the trash …
Windows Xp
One of the most popular and well-known versions of the operating system is, without a doubt, Windows XP. Microsoft released this version in October 2001, the first version of the 21st century and with important improvements in the interface, changes in the icons, an almost complete renovation of the design, better graphics, more speed …
Classic and old games
You may not be interested in emulating previous versions of Windows, but all you want is to go back in time to play classic games that today are impossible (or almost) to find. In that case, through the Archive.org website we can find some titles from our childhood or youth. Archive.org has a library with more than 10,000 MS-DOS games but you can also browse other collections if you are interested in games that we already used in Windows. You can filter by publication date, use the search engine to find something specific or explore the different collections that the web page has available to users. For example, we can find the collection “Software Library: Windows 3.x Games” with more than a thousand titles available that we can use directly from the browser.
The main advantage of these classic or vintage games is that you do not need any emulator or any type of download or specific program, but you only look for the one that interests you, the one you want to play, and start. It is played in the browser itself from the Archive.org website and its only drawback is that you will need to have an Internet connection to enjoy them. Although another “problem” is that your games will not be saved the next time you play. But it’s a fun option to go back to those old games you were fond of.