Microsoft Plus! (1995) 58 Utility Novelty Windows

Microsoft Plus! was an add-on package to Windows that added desktop themes, screen savers, sound effects, power-toys, and other assorted goodies for the home user. Plus! 95 also included Internet Explorer 1.0, which was not included in all Windows 95 distributions.

• 95
• 98

After Dark (1989) 27 Novelty Windows

After Dark, from Berkeley Systems, Inc, is a set of entertaining screen savers for Mac and Windows. After Dark for Windows started off as "Magic Screen Saver" for Windows 2.x. After Dark was most famous for its "Flying Toasters" screen saver. Afterdark was very popular on both the early Macintosh computers and Windows 3.0, as neither included any kind of screen saver or screen blanker that would help prevent screen burn-in.

• Magic ScreenSaver
• 1.0 for Windows
• 2.x
• 3.x
• 4.x
• Tenth Anniversary

Instant Artist / Print Artist (1992) 20 Graphics Publishing Novelty Windows

Instant Artist, later renamed to Print Artist, is a greeting card and sign creation program that uses vectorized graphics. It was created by The Pixellite Group, the original authors of The Print Shop, and published in 1992 by Autodesk. It was later sold by Sierra On-line. It features a high quality set of generic reusable clip art. The clip art uses vector based technology that was also used in BannerMania.

• 1.0
• 2.0
• 3.0
• 4.0
• 6.0
• 8.0

Encarta (1993) 19 Reference Windows MacOS

Microsoft Encarta was a home oriented interactive encyclopedia that was often sold with new OEM machines. Unlike a paper encyclopedia, Encarta took full advantage of being on a computer, with updates from the Internet, sound clips and movies, interactive charts and games, and good navigation.

• 1994
• 1995
• 1996
• 1997
• 1998
• 1999

Microsoft BOB (1995) 11 Novelty Windows

Microsoft BOB is a Windows 3.1 graphical shell intended for novice users. It presents your desktop as a series of "rooms" with various selectable objects, and assists you with a friendly animated guide. It features vector based graphics that scale to any size or resolution screen, supports user profiles, and includes rudimentary editor, calendar, address book, and checking programs. It was created as a response to Packard Bell Navigator and is somewhat comparable to Apple At Ease and 3DNA.

• 1.00
• 1.00a

Microsoft Scenes (1993) 8 Novelty Windows

Microsoft Scenes is a screen saver that displays a slide show of photographs. It was packaged in several varieties with different themed galleries.

• 1.0
• 2.0

Bookshelf (1987) 6 Reference Windows

Microsoft Bookshelf is a CD-ROM based multimedia reference tool from Microsoft, including a dictionary, thesaurus, quotations, atlas, and other types of references. Some versions were included and integrated with Microsoft Office, albeit sometimes stripped down.

• 92
• 94
• 95
• 98
• 2000

Microsoft Greetings (1997) 4 Publishing Novelty Windows

Microsoft Greetings is a greeting card maker for Microsoft Windows 9x/NT. It was made in conjunction with Hallmark.

• Workshop 2.0
• 99 (3.0)

Microsoft Fine Artist (1994) 4 Graphics Novelty Windows MacOS

Microsoft Fine Artist is a dumbed down Microsoft Bob-like drawing program targeted at children. It was sold alongside, and later bundled with, a word processor called Microsoft Creative Writer.

• 1.x

Microsoft Musical Instruments (1994) 4 Reference Novelty Windows

Microsoft Musical Instruments is a multimedia CD ROM encyclopedia of musical instruments from around the world. Part of the Microsoft Home family of multimedia products.

• 1.x

ABC 3D Atlas (1997) 3 Reference Novelty Windows

A 3D world atlas.

• 98

1001 Windows Hints and Tips (1993) 3 Reference Windows

1001 Windows Hints and Tips is a compilation of sample articles from Ziff-Davis Press books in Windows help format.

• 1993

Icon Hear-It (1992) 2 Novelty Windows

Icon Hear-It, released in 1992 from Moon Valley Software, is a shell enhancement for Windows 3.0 and 3.1 that adds sound effects to all kinds of desktop and Program Manager actions. It features the ability to change the Program Manager program group icons, animated cursors and icons, and includes a talking calculator, clock, and solitaire game. It includes a PC speaker driver for those without a sound card.

• 1.0

Microsoft Dangerous Creatures (1994) 2 Reference Novelty Windows

Multimedia title from the Microsoft Home series about venomous and dangerous animals, such as spiders, snakes, fish, etc. from around the world. Runs on Windows 3.1 or later.

• 1.0

Microsoft Creative Writer (1994) 2 Word Processor Novelty Windows MacOS

Microsoft Creative Writer is a dumbed down Microsoft BOB-like word processor and sign maker targeted at children. It was sold alongside, and later bundled with, a drawing program called Microsoft Fine Artist

• 1.x
• 2.x

ViaVoice (1997) 2 Utility Novelty Windows

ViaVoice is a voice recognition program from IBM. It was available in a number of different languages. It was based on the previous VoiceType product Helloooo computer!

• 4.x
• 98

Catz (1996) 2 Novelty Windows

Catz, from PF Magic, Inc, is a fun program that places an animated cat on your desktop for you to play with.

• 1.0
• II

Calendar Creator Plus (1990) 1 Novelty PIM Windows

Calendar Creator Plus from Vermont Creative Software/Power Up, and later Spinnaker Software, is a tool for creating printed calendars with different styles and custom lists of events.

• 2.0 (Win)
• 4.0 (Win)
• 5.0 (Win)
• 7.0 (Win)

Microsoft Cinemania (1994) 1 Reference Windows MacOS

Microsoft Cinemania is a reference application that was released by Microsoft that was a database of films that contained still images, sound clips, dialogues, sound tracks and some full motion video clips. The software was released annually until 1997, with the last version being Cinemania 97. Think of this as an early IMDB, but without the internet part.

• 1994
• 97

Expedia Streets (1997) 1 Reference Windows

Expedia Streets, from Microsoft, is a multimedia street atlas similar to Delorme Street Atlas. It competed with DeLorme Street Atlas, and Rand McNally Route Planner.

• 98 (6.0)

VoiceType (1997) 1 Utility Novelty Windows

VoiceType is a voice dictation and speech recognition program from IBM. Compared to other products, VoiceType was considered fairly fast and accurate, but required several hours of "training" to achieve that. It was aimed at a fairly niche voice dictation market.

• 3.x
• Simply Speaking 3.x

Microsoft Saturn Screensaver (1995) 1 Novelty Windows

The Microsoft "Saturn" screen saver is a plasma-like screen saver that uses 256-color VGA pallet rotation to create dazzling effects.

• 1

Music Mentor (1992) 1 Reference Windows

Music Mentor is a comprehensive multimedia classical music tutorial, and includes a variety of sample midi files. The software includes a small built in sequencer, but also bundles Midisoft Recording Session for more advanced music editing.

• 1.x

Wired for Sound (1992) 1 Novelty Windows

Wired For Sound, from Aristosoft, is a tool that assigns silly sounds to various Windows events. It also includes a set of backgrounds, alternate icons, and alternate cursors, and a talking clock. There were different editions of WFS Pro with different sound sets.

• 2.x
• 3.x

RefrenZing (1994) 1 Reference Windows

ReferenZing, from Great Bear Technology, makes a Windows-based dictionary, thesaurus and encyclopedia accessible from the menu bar in popular word processing applications such as Word Perfect, Microsoft Word and Ami Pro. The software's advanced search capabilities include six types of easy-to-use word searches: partial word, advanced search, rhymes, crosswords, anagrams and jumbles. Users can check spelling and definitions, add flare to writing by looking up new words in the thesaurus or find facts in the encyclopedia. ReferenZing's encyclopedia, The New American Desk Encyclopedia, features more than 14,000 entries, covering statistics, as well as biographical, historical and geographical information.

• 1.0