Celebrating 30 Years of Windows 95 at VCF

[Diablo]

It’s been 30 years since Windows 95 launched. [Ms-Dos5] and [Commodore Z] are celebrating with an epic exhibit at VCF East 2025. They had no fewer than nine computers — all period-correct machines running versions of Windows 95. The pictures don’t do it justice, so if you are near Wall, NJ, on Sunday, April 5, 2025, definitely go check out this and the rest of the exhibits at VCF.

An exhibit like this isn’t thrown together overnight. [Commodore Z] and [Ms-Dos5] worked for months to assemble the right mix of desktops, laptops, and prehiperals to showcase Windows 95. Many of the computers are networked as well – which was no easy task. One particular Thinkpad 760e required pliers and force to remove a stuck PCMCIA modem card. After a struggle that was ultimately destructive to the card, the pair determined it was stuck due to a sticker that had effectively glued the card into the laptop. As the sticker finally gave up, the card popped itself out of the laptop.


Hardware isn’t the only story of this Windows 95 exhibit. An operating system is software, after all. The team has plenty of software running. Some highlights are Kidpix, MS-paint, Lego Island, LucasArts Full Throttle, Duke Nukem 3D, Word 97, and Space Cadet Pinball, which came with the Plus! expansion pack. There is a huge array of original boxes for Windows 95 software. It’s a nostalgia trip to see software in boxes, especially in all those bright 90’s colors.

The various versions of Windows 95 are also represented. [Ms-Dos5] and [Commodore Z] are running all major versions from Chicago beta 73g to Windows 95 C / OSR2.5.

If you’re old enough to remember 1995, the Windows 95 launch event was a big deal. Windows 3.0 series was five years old at that point. Millions of people owned PC compatible computers and were ready for something new and flashy, and Windows 95 delivered. Thanks to [Commodore Z] and [Ms-Dos5] keeping this bit of internet history alive.