Why did Windows 95 setup use three operating systems?

I love that little nugget of info at the end. You could originally run excel standalone without an OS and it came with windows 2.1 bundled

Most interesting part of the whole thing for me! The later WinPE environments are some of the most overlooked computer environments out there but they were absolutely everywhere. EPOS, ATMs, digital signage, vending machines.

And of course the subject of so many BSOD photos…

>The later WinPE environments are some of the most overlooked computer environments out there but they were absolutely everywhere. EPOS, ATMs, digital signage, vending machines.

Those are probably CE and not PE?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Embedded_Compact

or Embed based on CE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_IoT#Embedded_family

If there was a BSoD involved, it was probably one of the NT-based Windows Embedded versions (NT 4.0 Embedded, XP Embedded, …).

WinPE is the Windows Preinstallation Environment, used as the basis for Windows installation and recovery, and available for custom builds as an add-on to the Windows ADK[1], but AFAIK not intended or licensed for embedded use.

[1] https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufactu...