Microsoft Plus!

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Microsoft Plus! (codenamed Frosting) is an expansion pack by Microsoft initially released for the Windows 95 operating system. Newer versions were also released for the Windows 98 and Windows XP operating systems.

Versions

Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95

Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 was released concurrently with the operating system as a separate retail add-on, and introduced a number of components and enhancements later present in the Windows 98 operating system.

New utilities include System Agent, which performed system maintenance tasks on a schedule or while the computer was idle, Compression Agent, DriveSpace 3, and dial-up server support. In addition, ScanDisk and Windows Defragmenter were updated to work with System Agent.

Enhancements include the ability to graphically drag open windows, standard font smoothing, and high color icons.

Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 also offered a total of 12 desktop themes: Dangerous Creatures, Inside your Computer, Leonardo da Vinci, Modern, Mystery, Nature, Science, The 60's USA, Travel, and Windows 95.

Finally, a new game, called Space Cadet Pinball was also included. Space Cadet Pinball would later be bundled with the Windows ME and Windows XP operating systems.

Microsoft Plus! for Kids!

Microsoft Plus! for Kids! was released in 1997 for the Windows 95 operating system. The software bundle was targeted primarily towards young children, and included four new applications, a parental controls feature, ten new desktop themes, and Internet Explorer 3.01.

New applications include Talk It!, a text-to-speech program capable of playing text back in one of 20 different voices; Play It!, an electronic keyboard that allows musical content to be created and recorded; Paint It!, an imaging tool with various paintbrushes, patterns, and effects; and Picture Picker, which includes over 1,000 clipart images and 33 new fonts.

Protect It!, a new parental controls feature powered by a 15-day trial of SurfWatch, allows parents to set restrictions on computer activity.

New desktop themes include Baseball, Bugs, Horses, Jungle, Messy Room, RE-man, Snowboarding, Space, Treehouse, and Underwater.

Microsoft Plus! for Windows 98

Microsoft Plus! for Windows 98 was released on June 25, 1998 and introduced support for the ZIP file format in Windows Explorer, and included several other enhancements, games, and utilities for the Windows 98 operating system.

New utilities include a non-critical file cleaner integrated into Disk Cleanup, a Start menu cleaner added to the Maintenance Wizard, and McAfee VirusScan 3.0 with six months of free updates.

Other new features include the Deluxe CD Player which was later bundled with Windows 2000, a basic version of Microsoft Picture It!, and the Direct3D accelerated Organic Art screensaver. In addition, a total of three games were bundled with the software package: Microsoft Golf 98 Lite, SegaSoft Lose Your Marbles!, and Spider Solitaire. Spider Solitaire would later be included in Windows ME.

A total of 18 new themes were introduced: Architecture, Cathy, Cityscape, Corbis Photography, Doonesbury, Falling Leaves, Fashion, FoxTrot, Garfield, Geometry, Horror Channel, Jazz, Peanuts, PhotoDisc, Rock 'n' Roll, Science Fiction, Windows 98, and World Traveler.

Microsoft Plus! Game Pack: Cards & Puzzles

Microsoft Plus! Game Pack: Cards & Puzzles was released on August 22, 2000.

Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP

Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP was released on October 25, 2001, and was designed to show off the new capabilities of the Windows XP operating system.