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Windows XP debuted 25 years ago today — Microsoft's biggest launch since 95 was its first consumer OS to remove the DOS underpinnings
tomshardware.com/software/windows/windows-xp-debuted-25-years-ago-today-microsofts-biggest-launch-since-95-was-its-first-consumer-os-to-remove-the-dos-underpinnings

Paid articlePaywallWindows lives on the C: drive, and the reason it's not called A: or B: goes back to the 1970s
xda-developers.com/why-your-os-runs-on-c-and-not-a-or-b/

Key FactsWhy Windows Uses C: for Its System Drive
Sep 25, 2026 · Reading time: ~30 sec.
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: xda-developers.com
Summary created with AI assistance · Source: xda-developers.com
- In the late 1970s, CP/M used A: for the first floppy drive and B: for the second.
- MS-DOS adopted this arrangement, which became standard for compatible systems during the IBM PC era.
- When hard drives appeared in the early 1980s, the first received the next available letter, C:.
- Windows retains C: mainly because of older software, backward compatibility, and decades of user familiarity.
MS-DOS turns 45: Microsoft's most important deal of all time: Exactly 45 years ago, Microsoft secured all rights to 86-DOS for US$50,000 ...
pcgameshardware.de/Retrospektive-Thema-214694/Specials/MS-DOS-45-Jahre-Microsoft-86-DOS-Kauf-Jubilaeum-1549433/

This historic OS was not stored digitally, so a fleet of historians have transcribed the source code from ancient print-outs in order to make it open source
pcgamer.com/software/operating-systems/this-historic-os-was-not-stored-digitally-so-a-fleet-of-historians-have-transcribed-the-source-code-from-ancient-print-outs-in-order-to-make-it-open-source/

Microsoft finally open sources DOS 1.0 - and it's so much more than the code: Want a blast from the past? Microsoft just open-sourced its very first operating ...
zdnet.com/article/microsoft-open-sources-dos-1-0-much-more-than-the-code/

How CP/M-86's delay handed Microsoft the keys to the kingdom: : A late operating system, a stopgap deal, and the accident that made DOS dominant
theregister.com/2026/01/12/why_cpm86_was_late/

Microsoft Weekly: People roast Copilot ads, File Explorer gets faster: People mock Copilot ads, File Explorer gets faster, Xbox Full-screen Experience comes to ...
neowin.net/news/microsoft-weekly-people-roast-copilot-ads-file-explorer-gets-faster/

Microsoft Windows hits 40 years old: A visual walk down memory lane: Windows went on sale 40 years ago. Here's the whole history of the operating system ...
pcworld.com/article/2979524/microsoft-windows-hits-40-years-old-a-visual-walk-down-memory-lane.html

Retro PC Gaming the Easy Way with DOSBox Pure Unleashed: Retro gaming is part hobby and part historical preservation, and DOSBox Pure Unleashed is here to help ...
tomshardware.com/software/retro-pc-gaming-the-easy-way-with-dosbox-pure-unleashed

Windows 95 developers didn't have enough time to give the OS its own setup program
techspot.com/news/109667-windows-95-developers-didnt-have-enough-time-give.html

Windows 95 at 30: how one OS changed the PC forever: Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of Windows 95, the operating system that revolutionized personal ...
techspot.com/news/109200-windows-95-30-how-one-os-changed-pc.html

Microsoft teases the future of Windows: 'The computer will be able to see what we see, hear what we hear, and we can talk to it'
techradar.com/computing/windows/microsoft-teases-the-future-of-windows-the-computer-will-be-able-to-see-what-we-see-hear-what-we-hear-and-we-can-talk-to-it

Windows 95 Setup: This design faux pas was pure pragmatism - | a developer explains why
t3n.de/news/windows-95-setup-design-fauxpas-pragmatismus-1673458/

FreeDOS open-source text-based OS turns 30, still in active development and primarily used for retro gaming
tomshardware.com/software/operating-systems/freedos-open-source-text-based-os-turns-30-still-in-active-development-and-primarily-used-for-retro-gaming

Microsoft made DOS 4.0 open-source...with issues: Releasing old files in a new-er format has caused a lot of headaches for software historians.
pcworld.com/article/2318304/microsoft-made-dos-4-0-open-source-but-not-everyone-is-happy.html

Oldest known version of DOS unearthed – MS-DOS ancestor 86-DOS version 0.11 is now available on the Internet Archive
tomshardware.com/software/operating-systems/oldest-known-version-of-dos-unearthed-ms-dos-ancestor-86-dos-version-011-is-now-available-on-the-internet-archive

A deal struck between IBM and Microsoft set the stage for Microsoft to become the world's leading PC software company.
The Rise of DOS: How Microsoft Got the IBM PC OS Contract: The reason Microsoft became so big comes down to the best deal ever made in the history of computing ...
pcmag.com/news/the-rise-of-dos-how-microsoft-got-the-ibm-pc-os-contract

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