YATYRD (was: PalmOS no more? :(

[Scott Stevens]

On Thu, 29 Sep 2005 20:22:24 +0100
Liam Proven <lproven at gmail.com> wrote:

> On 29/09/05, Scott Stevens <chenmel at earthlink.net> wrote:
> 
> > There are 'aspects' of Windows 95 that are interesting.  Did you
know
> > that there is a 5-1/4" floppy version of Windows 95?  It's for HD
> > floppies, but it does exist.  I ordered it using the coupon in the
back
> > of my 'CD' version of Windows 95.  It has the unique feature of
being
> > the OLDEST and SMALLEST version of Windows 95.  Copy all the
diskettes
> > into one big directory and you have an aprox 30 meg cluster of
files.
> > Install it on a system and it is an extremely no-frills version.  No
> > Internet nothin' for example.  And it doesn't prompt for a CD key to
> > install, and it doesn't 'fingerprint' the diskettes like the 3-1/2"
> > diskette version.
> 
> Hmmm. I'm dubious. I'm not aware of any differing editions of Win95 in
> each individual version. Original Win95 - not 95a, not OSR 2 or 2.1 or
> 2.5 but the plain release version - *was* very basic by today's
> standards. No web browser - IE came in the Plus Pack, a paid-for
> optional extra. No CD key & I'm not aware of 95 doing anything to
> fingerprint diskettes.
> 
The 3-1/2" version of Windows 95 fingerprinted the first diskette when
you installed it for the first time.  The 'work around' was to always
install from a dupe of the first disk and copy-protect the original. 
Otherwise, any subsequent install didn't prompt for username and would
just imprint your name in it (preventing widespread piracy).  Windows 95
on 5-1/4" disks did not implement this.  Further, Windows 95 on the
bigger diskettes is significantly pared down, it appears on fewer 5-1/4"
diskettes than the 3-1/2" version, yet the disks are of lower capacity. 
Lots of the bloat and junk are missing.  It's possible the kernel and
binaries are identical. 

Copying all the 3-1/2" diskettes to a single directory and burning to a
CD produces a copy that has the 'imprinted' user data and/or insists on
writing to the CD after prompting for the user data during install.  The
install mechanism for the three media releases of Windows 95 (3-1/2" or
5-1/4" floppy, or the CD release) is thus obviously different.  The
5-1/4" version is the only one where you can copy all files from the
diskettes to a folder, burn to CD, and get an unimprinted install binary
set that doesn't prompt for a CD key.  I.e. a 'pirate' version of
Windows 95 that leaves no traces.

Anyways, it's just one of the few interesting 'twists' in an otherwise
rather banal product from Microsoft.