Notice: We are aware that the wiki's extensions which enable video/audio embedding and other niceties are still broken. This will be fixed eventually.
If you plan to make a YouTube video or other content using bootlegs downloaded from our site, although we can't and won't force you to do anything, we greatly appreciate attribution for the large amounts of time and effort we spend finding these bootlegs. Thank you!
Windows 97
 | Windows 97 is partially missing. Missing 3.0 for PSP, and 3.5 for QEMU If you are in possession of this ISO, please send an email to staff  computernewb.com or join our Discord so we can add it to our collection. |
| Crusty Windows bootleg | |
 The desktop of Windows 97 | |
| Original OS | Windows 3.11 |
|---|---|
| Release date | 1.0 Beta: June 21, 2008 Latest: March 24, 2012 |
| Author | Ideeman1994 |
| Country | Belgium |
| Language(s) | English, French |
| Architecture(s) | x86 (16-bit) |
| File size | See links table |
| Download link | See links table |
| Date added | 3.5: December 10, 2021 Rest: June 30th, 2024 |
Windows 97 (version 3.5 stable; also known as Winlight 97) is a bootleg Windows 3.11 edition, which was created by Ideeman1994. It released on June 21, 2008 (latest build released March 24, 2012, which the author advertised on BetaArchive)
Version 3.5 stable was added to the archive on December 10, 2021. The rest of the versions were added on June 30th, 2024.
Description
The bootleg is a modified Windows 3.11 ISO. It styles the OS with a Windows 95 theme and includes some old customization programs to complete the look.
The setup used is a custom one, using a specialized Windows 3.1 PE running a Delphi-based installer. You will boot into a startup menu which will allow you to either install the OS or boot from it as a live CD. The installation is done using a batch script which copies the "mini 3.1" to the C drive (assuming the user has already formatted it) and runs the setup.
A boot floppy is provided for computers that don't support booting from a CD drive. In 1.0 French Beta, the CD image was originally not bootable, and you had to use the provided MS-DOS boot floppy to install the mod.
Download Links
| Version | File size | Download link | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 French Beta | 9.3 MiB | win9710frb.zip | June 21, 2008 |
| 1.0 French Stable | 10.9 MiB | win9710frstable.zip | August 10, 2008 |
| 2.0 French Stable | 32.2 MiB | win9720frstable.zip | September 3, 2008 |
| 2.0 French with Extensions | 39.8 MiB | win9720frextens.zip | September 29, 2008 |
| 2.5 French Stable Update | 457.7 KiB | win9725frstableupdate.zip | November 28, 2008 |
| 3.0 French Stable | 36.7 MiB | win9730frstable.zip | January 4, 2009 |
| 3.0 French Stable for QEMU | 11.5 MiB | win9730frstableqemu.zip | February 13, 2009 |
| 3.5 English Stable | 28.8 MiB | win9735enstable.zip | March 24, 2012 |
Changes from Windows 3.11
Changes in pre-desktop procedures
- The setup has been completely replaced with a custom one
- New setup graphics. The setup background is the Windows 95 setup
- New boot graphics. The boot screen is changed to a Windows 95 style one. It is static due to technical limitations
Look and feel
- New default theme, and wallpaper. The default wallpaper is set to the Windows 95 setup, with the author's branding added and a copyright disclaimer on the top right
- The shell is replaced with Calmira, a Delphi-based Windows 95-like shell
- The window buttons have now been themed to Windows 95
Software
- Win32s
Games
- FreeCell
Customization Utilities
- Mask98
- Calmira
Notes
Bootleg quirks
- The start menu banner's text is renamed to Windows 97.
Gallery
-
Initial screen -
Setup while it's formatting -
Setup in the graphical phase -
Boot screen -
Empty desktop -
Start menu
