Smart Computing Article - On The Road With Windows 95

On The Road With Windows 95 June 1998 • Vol.4 Issue 6 Add To My Personal Library On The Road With Windows 95 If you're a mobile computer user, you want to be as productive away from your desk as you are at it. You want access to all the power and performance a typical desktop computer has, without the headaches of trying to make it work correctly in a mobile situation. To perform the task at hand, you need flexibility combined with a stable computing environment. When Microsoft launched the 32-bit-based Windows 95 (Win95) operating system in August 1995, it took this aspect into consideration. Microsoft knew portable computers were leading the pack in terms of growing sales; in 1995, more than 25% of all new PC systems sold were portables, according to Giga Information Group. Today, more than 30% of the PC systems sold are portables. Microsoft also knew that keeping this segment happy would ensure this operating system's success. With that in mind, Win95 developers analyzed the common issues portable computer users grapple with. They realized these users are often computing from remote locations, are faced with computer configurations that change depending upon where they're computing from, and are dealing with a limited power supply. By all accounts, Win95 has done an admirable job at addressing these issues. In fact, the success of the Win95 operating system on portable computers has prompted Microsoft to initiate similar functionality in the Windows NT operating system. We will discuss many of Win95's features that can enhance portable computing. If you already have Win95 installed on your portable computer, you may want to skip to the next section. To install Win95, insert the first installation diskette or disc into the drive. If you are using Windows 3.x, select Run from the Program