8 Windows Programs That No Longer Exist

For more than two decades it has been Windows on the market, being one of the first OS for computers that were launched, but it is also practically the only one of its time that has managed to survive and take first place every year.

With each update, we were able to enjoy a series of tools, software and services that gradually disappeared. So let's find out which ones are Windows programs that no longer exist and that we long for.

The 8 Windows Softwares That No Longer Exist

Perhaps younger users are not even aware of the existence of these applications, which in addition to being considered a milestone in popular culture, also served as inspiration for create great programs like the ones we use today.

Learning about their legacy, their functionalities and characteristics will not bring them back, but it will help you learn about their importance. These are the Windows programs that are no longer available.

▷Read: 8 Essential Programs for Windows 10 After Formatting ▷

1.MSN Messenger

Also known as Windows Live MessengerSkype was a messaging platform that ended its support in 2013 after Microsoft replaced it with the current Skype. However, behind that transaction was a program through which we could chat, share files and make video calls from the PC with our family and friends.

In fact, all young people had an account and you could log in with your email Hotmail or Outlook.

And the success of MSN Messenger It was such that Microsoft decided to launch versions for consoles video games, phones like Nokia, Blackberry, iOS and Windows Phone, as well as competing computers, MacOS.

It was also one of the first to incorporate emojis, known primarily as emoticons and animated stickers, which at the time were called winks and emoticons personalized. In addition, it indicated when someone connected, disconnected or stayed online.

You can download Skype by doing click aquí.

2.Movie Maker

But Windows also had a strong presence in the field of audiovisual editing, so much so that millions of channels on sites like YouTube had videos created from it. Movie Maker, which stood out for its simplicity and versatility.

From there we could add a variety of audio and video clips, which could be cropped, placed above or below thanks to its timeline and even muted, depending on your needs. All changes were visible in the integrated player.

The best thing about Windows Movie Maker is that you had the ability to choose different templates of titles, which came with featured transitions and animations, but the only thing you needed to edit was the text, replacing it with the name of your movie or video.

The formats weren't that great and there were few options in this case, but that wasn't an impediment. It is now part of the Legendary Microsoft programs that no longer exist, as its support ended in January 2017.

Anyway, we invite you to try others. Programs like Movie Maker.

3. Encarta

The first digital encyclopedia was Encarta, an informative and multimedia content software and service that came before the existence of Wikipedia and that it was possible install from CD-ROM disks in Windows computers.

There we could find a lot of articles, data, images, videos and audio referring to important topics such as history, art, geography, music, animals, general culture, science, technology, medicine, environmental education, among other topics.

Each article could contain photographs and representative illustrations, as well as videos that helped you better understand all the information. For example, you could find an extensive atlas and great geographic books about the countries of the world.

And if you wanted to find more stuff, you had the option of buying an online subscription to access it with the arrival of the Internet. His death came in 2009, after Wikipedia became more robust and eye-catching.

If you want the same experience, there is an installable version of Wikipedia for Windows.

4.Adobe Flash Player

Although this was not a Microsoft application, it was generally included in the operating system and its installation became practically mandatory, since it was a flash player with which we could watch videos from YouTube, play online games and even view multimedia elements from websites.

Such was its success that with There you could not access online banking services or content streaming sites, if you did not previously update or install flash.

Additionally, Adobe Flash Player was compatible with files created in the format (.SWF) and although it was initially developed by Macromedia, it was later Adobe who would buy and incorporate Flash into different of its platforms.

But when websites started implementing HTML5 and its H.264 video format, browsers like Firefox and Chrome removed it from their systems until it would finally disappear from the computer world in 2020, now being part of the Windows programs that can no longer be downloaded.

5. Internet Explorer

Being available from the first Microsoft operating systems to Windows 10, Internet Explorer It was the default browser included in these computers and was part of various OS programs and services.

IE, as it was later abbreviated, was criticized for much of its existence because it was very slow, inefficient, and took twice as long to load websites as other browsers like Chrome, practically falling into disuse most of the time.

It was even precisely the case of the slowness and low profitability that the browser meant, which on the Internet became everything. topic of debates and viral comparison, as users often included it in stories about news that arrived late.

Although Microsoft continues to offer support until 2021, it was replaced by Microsoft Edge in its entirety and now we can't even download or update it on older computers unless it is installed by default.

Get Microsoft Edge by doing click aquí.

6. Clippy

advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) They were primarily developed by Microsoft, so they released a sort of assistant for their office suite, Office. Clippy was its name and it was an animated character in the shape of a clip, which offered you assistance in real time.

There you could ask questions or find help on how to use the software tools, as well as how to save your work or simply start editing other users' documents.

But Clippy was never well received. Because he always appeared at one end of the program, he was often annoying and even interrupted the writing, which ended up annoy users from the start.

Today, we no longer have even a trace of such an extension or component, but we can find a much more effective intelligent assistant called Cortana, forming part of the Microsoft Windows programs that no longer exist.

Check out Cortana's features from here.

7. Microsoft 3D Pinball Space Cadet

Many of us spent hours playing with Pinball, a game that was included as standard on Windows computers and that stood out for offering increasing difficulty as you leveled up.

This game used to be found in a folder inside the start menu, along with other titles like Minesweeper and Solitaire. –which can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store in a more updated format–. However, don't try to find an official downloadable version of Pinball, because it has definitely been discontinued.

In fact, Microsoft has decided to renew several of its classic components and programs such as Paint, although in the case of Pinball, There has been no availability nor the idea of ​​continuing its development in the near future.

Anyway, Installable versions of the game can be found on the web, but they are not always fully functional and often even come with some Trojan or other malware, so we recommend that you search with caution and at your own risk.

Download Minesweeper | Download Solitaire |

8. Microsoft Reader

Microsoft Reader It was the preferred book and document reader for Windows, which was used to read publications and files in text formats. It was even later updated with the arrival of the PDF to support these types of files as well as XPS formats.

In 2018 it was finally replaced by Microsoft Edge, as the browser also offers reading support for a wide range of the most up-to-date document formats on the market.

It can be said that Microsoft Reader is one of the Windows programs that no longer exist, or at least It does not come pre-installed on Windows 10 not even on newer Microsoft operating systems.

However, it can still be downloaded as an additional application from the Microsoft Store, allowing you to use its tools, but with all the shortcomings and faults that we mentioned previously, so It's not like you can get much use out of it either.

Download it in the Microsoft Store |

Conclusions

Get to know the great services and Microsoft software, Discover their successors and alternatives with Windows Programs That No Longer Exist. If you had some sighs of nostalgia when reading this article, we congratulate you for being a protagonist of the birth and death of these veterans.

Technology is designed to evolve, so it is only natural that many platforms like the ones described in this list, be replaced by others that offer us better functionality.

▷You should read: 6 Best Programs To Improve My PC Performance ▷

The good news is that not all is lost. We have seen many manufacturers and developers decide revive their great softwares and equipment over the years, either to incorporate improvements or to allow us to use them intact and as they were closed.

Microsoft has given several proofs that Many of your programs can return to your own store as an external application, so don't be surprised if in the future we have to remove some of the options from this review.