Microsoft Windows has seen nine major versions since its first release in 1985. Over 29 years later, Windows looks very different but somehow familiar with elements that have survived the test of time, increases in computing power and – most recently – a shift from the keyboard and mouse to the touchscreen.
The first version of Windows, released in 1985, was simply a GUI offered as an extension of Microsoft’s existing disk operating system, or MS-DOS. Based in part on licensed concepts that Apple Inc. had used for its Macintosh System Software, Windows for the first time allowed DOS users to visually navigate a virtual desktop, opening graphical “windows” displaying the contents of electronic folders and files with the click of a mouse button, rather than typing commands and directory paths at a text prompt.
Subsequent versions introduced greater functionality, including native Windows File Manager, Program Manager, and Print Manager programs, and a more dynamic interface. Microsoft also developed specialized Windows packages, including the networkable Windows for Workgroups and the high-powered Windows NT, aimed at businesses. The 1995 consumer release Windows 95 fully integrated Windows and DOS and offered built-in Internet support, including the World Wide Web browser Internet Explorer.
With the 2001 release of Windows XP, Microsoft united its various Windows packages under a single banner, offering multiple editions for consumers, businesses, multimedia developers, and others. Windows XP abandoned the long-used Windows 95 kernel (core software code) for a more powerful code base and offered a more practical interface and improved application and memory management. The highly successful XP standard was succeeded in late 2006 by Windows Vista, which experienced a troubled rollout and met with considerable marketplace resistance, quickly acquiring a reputation for being a large, slow, and resource-consuming system. Responding to Vista’s disappointing adoption rate, Microsoft in 2009 released Windows 7, an OS whose interface was similar to that of Vista but was met with enthusiasm for its noticeable speed improvement and its modest system requirements.
Windows 8 in 2012 offered a start screen with applications appearing as tiles on a grid and the ability to synchronize settings so users could log on to another Windows 8 machine and use their preferred settings. In 2015 Microsoft released Windows 10, which came with Cortana, a digital personal assistant like Apple’s Siri, and the Web browser Microsoft Edge, which replaced Internet Explorer. Microsoft also announced that Windows 10 would be the last version of Windows, meaning that users would receive regular updates to the OS but that no more large-scale revisions would be done.
Personal Computer Versions
Windows Versions
|
Windows 10
|
Windows 8.1
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Windows 8
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Windows 7
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Windows Vista
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Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
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Windows XP
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Windows ME
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Windows 2000
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Windows 98
|
Windows NT 4.0
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Windows 95
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Windows NT 3.51
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Windows NT 3.5
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Windows 3.2
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Windows for Workgroups 3.11
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Windows NT 3.1
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Windows 3.1
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Windows 3.0
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Windows 2.11
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Windows 2.10
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Windows 2.03
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Windows 1.04
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Windows 1.03
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Windows 1.02
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Windows 1.0
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Name
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Windows Server 2019
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Windows Server 2016
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Windows Server 2012 R2
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Windows Server 2012
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Windows Server 2008 R2
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Windows Server 2008
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Windows Server 2003 R2
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Windows Server 2003
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Windows 2000
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Windows NT 4.0
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Windows NT 3.51
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Windows NT 3.5
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Appliances
| Name | Release date | Release version | An edition of | Sold with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows RT 8.1 | 18 October 2013 | NT 6.3 | Windows 8.1 | ARM-based tablet computers |
| Windows RT | 26 October 2012 | NT 6.2 | Windows 8 | ARM-based tablet computers |
| Windows XP Tablet PC Edition | November 2002 | NT 5.1 | Windows XP | Microsoft Tablet PC |
| Windows XP Media Center Edition | 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005 | NT 5.1/NT 5.2 | Windows XP | Home theater PCs, network attached storage (NAS) and set-top boxes |
Mobile devices
- Windows 10
- Windows 10 Mobile
- Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise
- Windows 10 IoT Mobile Enterprise
- Windows Phone
- Windows Phone 8.1
- Windows Phone 8
- Windows Phone 7.8
- Windows Phone 7.5
- Windows Phone 7
- Windows Mobile
- Windows Mobile 6.5
- Windows Mobile 6.1
- Windows Mobile 6.0
- Windows Mobile 5.0
- Windows Mobile 2003 SE
- Windows Mobile 2003
- Pocket PC 2002
- Pocket PC 2000
Embedded devices
- Windows Embedded 8
- Windows Embedded Automotive
- Windows Embedded Industry
- Windows XP Embedded
- Windows NT 4.0 Embedded
- Windows Embedded Compact 2013
- Windows Embedded Compact 7
- Windows Embedded CE 6.0 (2006)
- Windows CE 5.0 (2005), with the version for smartphones and PDAs sold as Windows Mobile 5.0
- Windows CE 4.2 (2004), with the version for smartphones and PDAs sold as Windows Mobile 2003 SE
- Windows CE 4.1 (2003), with the version for smartphones and PDAs sold as Pocket PC 2003
- Windows CE 4.0 (2002), with the version for smartphones and PDAs sold as Pocket PC 2002
- Windows CE 3.0 (June 2000), with the version for smartphones and PDAs sold as Pocket PC 2000
- Windows CE 2.12 (1999 August)
- Windows CE 2.11 (1998 October)
- Windows CE 2.1 (1998 July)
- Windows CE 2.0 (September 1997)
- Windows CE 1.0 (November 1996)
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