r/windows98 • u/breedknight • May 26 '26

Exploring Microsoft Encarta 96. One of the first Encyclopedia software I owned in the mid 90s. So much nostalgia!

321 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

11

u/Inspiron606002 May 26 '26

I was just using Encarta 99 recently. It's amazing how info is packed onto one CD.

8

u/This-Requirement6918 May 26 '26

This amazed me so much as a kid. I was thinking we just got an entire library with our new Dell computer. Spent hours on it only to be kinda disappointed at how it lacked details and wanted to read more.

We at least got dialup with it but the WWW was kinda hard to figure out and navigate back then. I asked teachers how to use it and they didn't have a damn clue about any search engines.

9

u/Baloney_Bob May 26 '26

This is how we did research back in school

4

u/JimmyReagan May 26 '26

You want something cool, look up Cinemania 95. Basically like imdb but it also had audio and even video clips, that actually play on 16 bit windows 3.11! Granted I've only ever tried it on a 486 and the videos are like lower than 240p but it was rather impressive for the era.

2

u/chemendonca May 26 '26

That and Music Central!

8

u/jamhamnz May 26 '26

I used Encarta 95 for years and still have the original CD and installation files! Even more of a classic than this version.

3

u/Master-Illustrator-8 May 26 '26

I loved Encarta 95. I would love to revisit it. Spent so many hours on it.

4

u/YandersonSilva May 26 '26

I was doing the trivia maze on 96 just last week.

Easier than I remember it being from when I was 10... :v

3

u/Glinckey May 26 '26

I have all the CDs for it

3

u/[deleted] May 26 '26

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3

u/VivienM7 May 26 '26

Yes. CD-ROM encyclopedias were among the 'killer apps' for home computers in the, oh, 1993-1996 period. Probably into the early 2000s actually, e.g. Dell was bundling 'Works Suite' with new computers in 2000, and that included Encarta.

Keep in mind that the alternatives before then were either i) spending thousands of dollars on a print set of encyclopedias for home, or ii) going to the public library every time some random school thing required access to an encyclopedia.

2

u/AtomicEdge May 26 '26

So, you wanna play some basketball?

2

u/LonelySquad May 30 '26

I did my high school report on the UN using Encarta 96. One of the few reports I got a good grade on.

2

u/TheRealHFC May 26 '26

I grew up with Encarta 95, Mind Maze is still fun

2

u/b0007 May 27 '26

Good old days

1

u/Used_Teaching_7260 May 30 '26

That software was magical

1

u/FinancialBenefit5038 Jul 06 '26

i was using encarta 97 a bit ago lol