Even more classic Microsoft commercials and videos you may have forgotten

The first and second installments of classic Microsoft commercials and videos “Classic Microsoft Commercials and Videos You May Have Forgotten” and “More Classic Microsoft Commercials and Videos You May Have Forgotten” were so popular that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to post the last batch of the collection. So without further ado, here are even more classic Microsoft commercials and videos you may have forgotten.

Steve Ballmer sells Windows XP

In the first installment, I included an old video of Steve Ballmer pitching Windows 1.0 in a classic infomercial format. Well, in this video, he revises that role, along with help from an equally nutty compatriot, in this Windows XP infomercial spoof. I wonder if we’ll see a Windows 7 version of this infomercial anytime soon.

Bill Gates does a Coke commercial

This commercial from the mid ’90s has Bill Gates wandering the halls of a Microsoft office building after hours looking for change for the Coke machine. Watch for the science-theme screen saver from Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95. This is a true classic.

Windows 95 cyber sitcom with some Friends

If you think that Jerry Seinfeld was the first comedic actor to participate in a Microsoft video, think again. In this segment of a Windows 95 training video, Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry play themselves in a situation comedy in which they visit Bill Gates office to audition for a part in the training video and in a series of slapstick gags end up learning all about Windows 95 from another character actor playing the part of Bernice, Gate’s loyal assistant. The entire video is broken up into three segments, so if after watching this first segment, you want to watch the others, just follow the links that appear in the video window when a segment ends.

Windows 95 multitasking

Before Windows 95 was introduced, true multitasking was just a fantasy. Once Windows 95 came out, multitasking became more of a reality. In this brief commercial, the new multitasking feature in Windows 95 is introduced.

Office XP — an unexpected experience

In this seemingly X-rated Microsoft commercial, which is actually done in a tasteful European commercial tradition, a man’s attempt at an intimate foray is thwarted by a password-protected bra.

Da SBS Code

If you saw Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon in The Davinci Code, then you will immediately appreciate the humor in this Microsoft spoof called Da SBS Code. Modeled as a movie trailer, this video shows Sophie Nouveau and the man with bad hair as they attempt to solve a set of mysterious clues that will eventually lead them to the realization that Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 R2 is the solution.

See the difference — Vista

When Vista came on to the scene via this commercial, the mantra was see the difference. Unfortunately, what we were hoping to see and what we eventually did see were not the same.

The Devil Wears Microsoft

The movie spoof uses the storyline from The Devil Wears Prada to highlight some of the Unified Communications features in Exchange Server 2007. As a whole, this spoof is very well done, and the commercial aspect is very subtly worked into the story, which, true to the movie, stays on a serious, rather than humorous, tone.

Xbox — Life is short

In this very unsettling, yet at the same time extremely creative, XBox commercial, we are told that life is short and that we should play more — more XBox, that is.

Microsoft goes Back to the Future

This spoof of Back to the Future from TechEd 2007 features Bob Muglia and Christopher Lloyd as they travel back and forth in time in the DeLorean to learn how to better craft Microsoft’s message for its vision of the future.

Bill Gates visits a virgin music store

Along with the launch of Windows XP, Microsoft outfitted a virgin music store with Windows XP-powered music kiosks. In this video, Bill Gates goes shopping, and with the help of “Casey Kasem” and some “tattooed guy,” he shows how the kiosk can be used to preview and pick out music.

Extreme Makeover: Server Room Edition

This very well-done spoof of the Extreme Makeover television series shows the demolition of a very out-dated network and server room at Watson Furniture while the systems administrator is sent on vacation and then shows the construction of a new server room, complete with ’70s disco features. As the show progresses, we learn all about the improved efficiency of replacing that old infrastructure with Server 2003 and all new PCs.

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