Software

From DOS to the golden age of Windows: The classic operating systems you can run in the browser

By · February 23, 2016, 7:39 AM PST

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  • Travelling back in time

    Those of us who grew up with computers have witnessed great change: from the hulking tower PCs of yore to the pocket-sized smartphones of today and from blinking green screen cursors to 4K graphical displays.

    For those old enough to remember wrestling with a command line or battling Windows' blue screen of death, it's never been easier to relive those early memories of computing.

    These virtual trips down memory lane come courtesy of emulators that run directly in the web browser: offering the chance to experience everything from the birth of personal computing in the early 1980s to the golden age of Windows in the late 1990s.

    Here are some of the classic operating systems you can run in your browser.

  • IBM PC-DOS 1.00

    The release of the command line DOS, or Disk Operating System, coincided with the birth of personal computing and the beginning of Microsoft's rise in the world of PCs.

    The OS, a rebranded clone of the CP/M operating system, was provided by Microsoft to IBM for its first PC, which released in 1981. However Microsoft retained ownership of MS-DOS, which went on to run on the myriad IBM PC clones created by rival companies.

    This emulator runs IBM PC-DOS 1.00 on an IBM PC (Model 5150) with a monochrome display.

  • Windows 1.01

    Released in 1985, Windows first incarnation was as a graphical front end for DOS.

    Windows 1.0 could only support tiled windows, but had desktop features such as the MS-DOS Executive file manager, Calendar, Cardfile, Notepad, Terminal, Calculator and Clock.

    This emulator is configured to run Windows 1.01 on a virtual machine with a clock speed of 4.77Mhz, 256Kb of RAM and a CGA display, using the original IBM PC Model 5160 ROM BIOS.

  • Windows 3.0

    Launched in 1990, this was the first Windows version to achieve widespread use. Large scale interface changes saw the introduction of several Windows mainstays, including Program Manager, File Manager and Solitaire. The interface also became less painful to look at following support for 256-color VGA.

    This emulator is of a 286 IBM PC compatible machine running Windows 3.0.

  • PC DOS 5

    Introduced in 1991, this release ushered in significant changes to DOS - improving how the OS used memory. It was also the version of DOS that was integrated into OS/2 2.x and later Windows NTs.

    This emulator offers a 286 IBM PC compatible machine running PC DOS 5, as well as the games Wolfenstein 3D, Monkey Island and Civilization to try.

  • (Mac OS) System 7

    Released in 1991, System 7 was the main Macintosh operating system for six years. The OS improved on its predecessor's interface and added support for virtual memory, personal file sharing, QuickTime and QuickDraw 3D.

    This emulator is running System 7.0.1 with MacPaint, MacDraw, and Kid Pix.

  • Windows 95

    Windows 95 ushered in what would become the iconic Windows desktop, with the Start Menu as its cornerstone.

    The consumer-oriented system was designed to be more user-friendly than earlier iterations, with a desktop that was easier on the eye and introduction of File Explorer, taskbar and shortcuts.

    This emulator, which takes a while to start, runs Windows 95 on a virtual Compaq DeskPro 386 (16Mhz) with an IBM VGA display, 2048Kb RAM and a 20Mb Hard Disk.

  • Windows 98

    Windows 98 offered a refinement of Windows 95 - introducing simplifications such as the Quick Launch toolbar, Active Desktop and ability to minimise a window by clicking its toolbar icon.

    This Windows 98 emulator needs a browser with support for Flash and takes a while to start.

  • Windows ME

    Roundly criticised for being buggy and crash-prone Windows Millennium Edition was quickly superseded by the superior NT-based Windows XP.

    This Windows ME emulator needs a browser with support for Flash and takes a while to start.

  • Windows XP

    One of Microsoft's most successful Windows releases ever, many people and businesses continued to use XP for more than a decade after its 2001 launch.

    The XP user interface introduced an updated two-column Start menu, task-grouping support on the taskbar and the ability to lock the taskbar, among other enhancements - all presented in a new default Luna visual style.

    This Windows XP emulator needs a browser with support for Flash and takes a while to start.

Travelling back in time

Those of us who grew up with computers have witnessed great change: from the hulking tower PCs of yore to the pocket-sized smartphones of today and from blinking green screen cursors to 4K graphical displays.

For those old enough to remember wrestling with a command line or battling Windows' blue screen of death, it's never been easier to relive those early memories of computing.

These virtual trips down memory lane come courtesy of emulators that run directly in the web browser: offering the chance to experience everything from the birth of personal computing in the early 1980s to the golden age of Windows in the late 1990s.

Here are some of the classic operating systems you can run in your browser.

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By Nick Heath

Nick Heath is a computer science student and was formerly a journalist at TechRepublic and ZDNet.

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