All About Windows 95 Operating System Release 2 Identifying OSR2 Sean Erwin
OSR2 comes in clear shrink wrap, a manual and one or two CDROM disks. Without breaking the shrinkwrap, you should be able to see a single sheet of paper between the manual and disks. On the manual, the certificate of authenticity does *not* have a hologram of a little boy in front of a computer on it. One CD-ROM is the OSR2 CD-ROM, and says "Microsoft Windows 95" on the spine. The other CD-ROM is called "Microsoft Windows 95 Starts Here/How & Why" and is not always included. It has a little white-on-white relief of Augusta Ada Byron on it instead (though newer pressings of the Original release CD also have the Byron relief now).
If you can actually see the face of the CDROM, then, on the right side of the face, it says:
For Distribution Only with a New PC c. 1981-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 0796 Part No. 000-45234
If anything is different, it is not OSR2.
The CDROM face should have a big "Microsoft Windows 95" across the bottom, should have a "Designed for Microsoft Windows 95" logo at left, an "Includes CD Sampler with Free Games" logo at about 11 o'clock, and another "Microsoft" logo at about 2 o'clock.
If you have the CDROM and place it in your disk drive and look at your CDROM drive in explorer, the name of the volume (next to the drive letter) should be given as "Windows 95b".
To determine if an installed version of Windows 95 is OSR2:
Control Panel > System > General
Windows 95 should identify itself as version B, as in the figure on the right:
or, alternatively, Microsoft Windows 95 4.00.950.1111
or, alternatively, type "ver" at a DOS prompt. It should report: Windows 95. [Version 4.00.1111]
My copy reports the version info stated above, but the face of the CD looks different!
You probably have a copy of the Microsoft Beta Tester's final release of OSR2, or the MSDN version, or a counterfeit.
How do I identify a counterfeit copy of OSR2?
It is true that the OEM versions of just about any software can be purchased cheaply and "unbundled" at computer shows... both legitimate and pirate CDs are available, though it is often hard to tell the difference. This section contains some pointers towards identifying the counterfeits.
Fake copies of OSR2 are often:
Cheap! The price in and of itself doesn't determine if the merchandise is counterfeit, but be suspicious if the price is too good to be true. I have reports of people paying up to $75 US for counterfeit copies of OSR2.
May have a real certificate of authenticity, and may have a real manual. Those that have fake certificates and fake manuals are easier to spot. The certificate shouldn't be crooked, and the watermarks & metallic stripe with tiny holographic lettering should be visible. The certificate should not be easy to peel off.
If the OEM bundle includes a second disk, entitled Windows 95 Starts Here/How & Why, then you know it is legitimate. Counterfeiters don't bother to duplicate both disks. However, if it only has one CDROM, it may still be legitimate (Microsoft produces 1 CD bundles for big OEMs like Dell, Compaq, NEC, Micron, Gateway, etc).
Currently, there is a green/yellow sticker about a contest stuck to the manual on the inside of the shrinkwrap, at the top left front of the manual. If this sticker is missing or is on the outside of the shrinkwrap, be suspicious.
The shrinkwrap should be nice and tight; the CDROM should not be movable inside the shirink wrap; the CDROM should be oriented so that the spine of the manual and spine of the CDROM(s) are readable on the same edge of the pack (the spine of the book has very light writing on it).
The CDROM should be sealed on the edge with a red sticker with writing on it (warning you to read the license agreement before opening). If this sticker has any typos in it, it is fake.
There should be a piece of cardboard in between the manual and the CD.
The registration certficiate should be in the manual and not visible in the unopened pack.
One reader reports that a registration card from OSR1 was included with his counterfeit CDROM; this card mentions a contest which expired in July 1996.
The CDROM is silver, not gold, and should have no indication of any 3rd party CDROM manufacturer on the inner ring of the CD or anywhere else.
The part number on the face of my OSR2 CD is 000-45236. What does that mean?
You have a CD which includes both OSR2 and the Plus! pack.
So does that mean that Plus! is compatible with OSR2?
Microsoft claims that it is. The only part of the Plus pack which is not included with OSR2 or a free download from Microsoft are all the Themes and the System Agent (which is quite buggy and nasty, IMHO).
Are there any non-English (American) versions of OSR2?
Yes, some, but I don't have a list, and don't know how to get them. I do know that these versions of OSR2 have different part numbers than the above. Check with an OEM in the country in which the language is used.
Interestingly, there is a bug that only exists in non-American English versions of OSR2. I know for sure it exists in the French, Italian, and German versions, I'm not sure about others. The bug is basically that the maximum amount of conventional memory that can be freed up in DOS 7.1 is only about 560KB. The problem is in the file IO.SYS; if you replace your IO.SYS with the IO.SYS from the American English version, the problem is fixed. However, using the IO.SYS from the English versions, changes the language of DOS I/O messages and prompts to English.
Why didn't Microsoft release OSR2 for retail sale?
This is a contentious issue, and speculation abounds. My current opinion is the following:
Microsoft really isn't sure that the enhancements in OSR2 (especially FAT32) will work on every system in existence. So, they released it only to OEMs, so that the OEMs have to do the work of figuring out if it works on the systems they sell (especially since the OEM has to supply tech support for OSR2, not Microsoft). Also, in this way, OSR2 only appears on new systems, thus eliminating having to deal with upgrading & legacy problems. Microsoft hopes to identify problems with new elements in OSR2 in this way, while simultaneously developing "Memphis," the next retail version of Windows, which presumably will include FAT32 and a means to easily upgrade from older versions of Windows & FAT16. Memphis is currently due for retail release in 3Q 1997.
