Microsoft has closing ftp://ftp.microsoft.com

[AleWi]

I used sometimes ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/ for finding some files for Windows 95 and 98 but now it looks like they have closing it. One of the feature you could downloading there was the Hover game for Windows 95. Does anybody here know why they removed the ftp?

[tonychau77]

No it's online.

[voidp]

EDIT: FileZilla 3.6.0.2

Status: Resolving address of ftp.microsoft.com
Status: Connecting to 64.4.30.34:21...
Status: Connection attempt failed with "ECONNREFUSED - Connection refused by server".
Error: Could not connect to server


EDIT: I can connect now.

EDIT: Now I can't connect.

[wjack12]

Hmm... it's working for me on Google Chrome 28 on Android, but it asks for credentials on my FTP client, which the site doesn't require, so it won't connect there. Just try using a browser.

[NHL fan]

It's working for me.

[startmenuisgone]

It seems to work on certain browsers at random times. I can access it on chrome, but not Opera.

[BoyLoveGirl]

It is online,sometimes offline

[yksoft1]

It seems that some CDN servers used by Microsoft public FTP has been blocked by the GFW of China.

[DeFacto]

This was already mentioned in another topic, for some it works, for others it doesn't at random times...

ATM it doesn't work for me.

[PaulDesmond]

same here: neither FF nor IE can connect

[Lukas Marsik]

Well, it works here

[George_528]

FTP Server working fine, I don't know why doesn't work for you. If sometimes offline, it is a sign that it will be shut down, I will not talk in advance, I don't know what's a problem.

[after64k]

I tried it, and it works just fine. I can still see everything on there... so I'm not quite sure what the problem is. I hope they're not taking it away...

[x010]

It does not work for me here.

[3155ffGd]

While we're here, let's talk a bit about the Microsoft FTP server.

The FTP server's launch coincided with the release of Windows NT 3.1, i. e. July 26, 1993. It served as a demonstration of the capabilities of Windows NT 3.1 and also showcased its built-in FTP server, which was apparently a last-minute addition to the product. The FTP server was highly popular and Microsoft used it to distribute popular updates like the MS-DOS 6.2 step-up. It apparently saved Microsoft quite a few dollars since they didn't have to produce as many installation media (floppies, CDs), and the cost of maintaining an NT server was negligible.

[john11]

This was already mentioned in another topic, for some it works, for others it doesn't at random times...

ATM it doesn't work for me.

Yeah, theres an old thread around on the Microsoft FTP, someone mentioned mirrors in that one as well (at least personal ones, though there must be some online aswell). Keeps going down, and coming back up. Microsoft doesn't seem to be abandoning it, but they're certainly not maintaining the uptime as well as other services.

[DeFacto]

Or it could simply be routing issues...

[x010]

While we're here, let's talk a bit about the Microsoft FTP server.

The FTP server's launch coincided with the release of Windows NT 3.1, i. e. July 26, 1993. It served as a demonstration of the capabilities of Windows NT 3.1 and also showcased its built-in FTP server, which was apparently a last-minute addition to the product. The FTP server was highly popular and Microsoft used it to distribute popular updates like the MS-DOS 6.2 step-up. It apparently saved Microsoft quite a few dollars since they didn't have to produce as many installation media (floppies, CDs), and the cost of maintaining an NT server was negligible.

But , since at that time , not many had access to the Internet ...(so the benefit is not so much here..)
But still , it was a good option for those who may have lost their installation media...

[DeFacto]

NT was bussiness-oriented back then. And if you had a decent company, you had some sort of network acess... Which totally makes sense.

[x010]

But still , in 1993...

[CaptainPeanut]

But still , in 1993...

But still, in companies...

[x010]

But still , in 1993...

But still, in companies...

Still , even in companies , there were few who had Internet access.

[DeFacto]

lol no, if there was internet access in a company, it was for the entire company. You're obviously underestimating the network access back then...

[john11]

lol no, if there was internet access in a company, it was for the entire company. You're obviously underestimating the network access back then...

Somehow I get the feeling that none of us were actually old enough to be working in a company back in 1993 (actually some of us probably weren't even born).

I would say that many who had computers also had access to internet, considering how dialup doesn't really require much extra. Speeds would have been very slow though.

[0xd]

it looks like this ftp has not been updated since 2010, so I guess the data is already stable and final,
can someone make a mirror of the whole site, or some sub section of it, using bittorrent for example,
so we can still get it even after Microsoft really closed it ?