CNET’s initial impression was that Windows 95 would have a major impact, thanks to features like long file names, the taskbar and the Recycle Bin. Explore this vintage review.
0:00 The Windows 95 Hype and Cultural Phenomenon
0:45 Initial Skepticism and the Mac User Perspective
0:59 CNET Reality Check: Expert Panel Introduction
1:33 Hardware Requirements: 386/486 vs. Pentium Reality
2:05 Hard Drive Space Demands
2:18 Plug and Play: “Plug and Pray” vs. Reality
2:52 The Windows 95 vs. Mac Debate
3:33 The New Interface: Goodbye Program/File Manager, Hello Explorer
4:04 Understanding the Taskbar and “My Computer”
Video Credits:
Video Editor: Vatsal Upadhyay
Thumbnail Designer: Cole Kan
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#windows95 #birthday #microsoft
@Aragorn7884
August 24, 2026 at 4:23 pm
Watching this is in 720p on a LED 4K flat screen like I am now would have blown my mind in ’95 lol
@RetroGamingNook
August 24, 2026 at 4:45 pm
I still have yet to upgrade from Windows 95… but I also own a Mac now too. Got all my bases covered. 😉
@MichaelBattaglia
August 24, 2026 at 5:31 pm
8 MB of RAM in today’s market?!
@NeonVisual
August 25, 2026 at 6:30 am
That’ll be $1800 per 4mb stick please, and only if you buy it bundled with a motherboard and CPU.
@PerMejdal
August 25, 2026 at 4:28 pm
The prices on RAM crashed a year or two later, and 16MB costed very little.
@beau_croom
August 24, 2026 at 5:36 pm
Ooohh I totally forgot about “Megabytes” of RAM 😂😂😂😂🤭🤭
@beau_croom
August 24, 2026 at 5:39 pm
I love how NOBODY listens to this guy’s (in the green shirt) criticism! More ppl bought more windows 95 than Star Wars movies
@beau_croom
August 24, 2026 at 5:43 pm
When the “Hello I’m a mac & I’m a PC” argument (eventually 😕) was TOTALLY 1 SIDED! Good times
@jediknight108
August 24, 2026 at 6:07 pm
Hare Krishna
@BlackLabelExpat
August 24, 2026 at 6:21 pm
Can we talk about Microsoft Bob though?
@mkleck
August 24, 2026 at 6:47 pm
Better have that 500MB drive 🤣
@NeonVisual
August 25, 2026 at 6:36 am
When my high school started getting the 1gig drives and Pentium processors we thought the future had arrived, despite still only having 1.44mb floppy drives to move files from one machine to another, and dial up being so bad that most websites were still primarily text based, possibly with a repeating tiled background and a visitor counter..
@thomasbland5450
August 24, 2026 at 7:43 pm
Why would they be celebrating an anniversay this year?
@Gelo.Hernandez
August 24, 2026 at 7:46 pm
How bitter and entitled is the Mac Guy. Hahaha.
@aftermathsample305
August 24, 2026 at 8:55 pm
I’m guessing most of the people in this video are dead now? Especially the MAC users
@TrainerAshNZ
August 24, 2026 at 9:05 pm
And has been getting more bloated with each iteration since – Microslop
@Conza-89
August 24, 2026 at 10:08 pm
RIP 31 years later. What a shame it ended this way.
@TrentonMatthews
August 24, 2026 at 10:19 pm
I just want CNET to officially bring more CNET TV archives back officially.
Even if they have to dash the music or share it on another platform.
@JasonB808
August 24, 2026 at 10:23 pm
Actually this when Apple lost its way and allowed PCs to take over. The customizations you can do in windows 95 to hardware was endless if it was supported properly. Win95 walked so Windows 98 SE could run. Win 98 SE was windows 95 but with most of the pain points resolved. Apple nearly went out of business until Jobs came back and set it for its legendary come back.
The irony is that Microsoft is making windows suck again. Apple is becoming complacent and hardware starting to lag behind competitors, software mostly gimmicky additions instead of industry leading innovations that shaped modern computing forever.
The rise of the PC + Linux combo. The customization of PC meets free and easy to use OS systems.
Buy PC but wipe windows off and install Linux.
@redfoxbennaton
August 25, 2026 at 1:00 am
Happy birthday Windows 95!
@NeonVisual
August 25, 2026 at 6:22 am
“Was Windows 95 going to be like 3.1 all over again?”
Dang, although I owned handed down PCs with 3.1 as a teen, and 3.1 was on most of the machines at school, I’m probably a little too young to know about any 3.1 fiascos?
What went down?
@sidtechster
August 25, 2026 at 9:43 am
So, CNET was an Apple bootlicker back then as well.
@JIMJOHN-y3m
August 25, 2026 at 1:55 pm
Bill Gates looked like a miserable, silly boy in those days! Windows PCs are like Android; both are garbage, just wasting people’s time and money.
@techosarusrex
August 25, 2026 at 5:05 pm
I should upgrade to Windows 95, that Start Menu will be revolutionary, I can see them keep it forever
@Punisher6791
August 25, 2026 at 5:08 pm
cant have windows 95 without good ol Doom 95!
@IopuaauahiPapale
August 25, 2026 at 5:13 pm
Randomly celebrating a birthday for someone that’s been dead for 25 years seems weird to me. How about celebrating years Windows 11 has been consistently trash – that seems relevant and less like a contrived distraction.
@mangowarrior
August 25, 2026 at 8:43 pm
Hindsight is 20/20. I’m amazed how far tech has come. Back then, cell phones were few and far between. The internet was barely getting started. The 90’s was the best decade ever, pure magical.
@EarRegardless
August 25, 2026 at 8:53 pm
I loved the Windows 95 🎵Start Me Up!🎵commercial.