Windows Through The Years

Windows 1.0

Nov 20, 1985

Windows 1.0 was a little more of a graphical overlay of the DOS command-line operating system. This version went through many updates before getting finalized.

Windows 2.0

Dec 9, 1987

Windows 2.0 came out roughly 2 years after Windows 1.0. This allowed application windows to overlap each other. This Windows had sophisticated keyboard shortcuts.

Windows 2.10

May 27, 1988

Windows 2.10 came out a year after 2.0. Windows 2.10 uses HMA to increase available memory. It also includes several EMS Boards.

Windows 2.11

Mar 13, 1989

Windows 2.11 came out a year after 2.10. Windows 2.11 uses HMA to increase available memory. It also includes several EMS Boards.

Windows 3.0

May 22, 1990

Windows 3.0 originated in 1989, when Microsoft programmers, decided to develop a protected Windows mode.The prototype wsa succesful, so they decided to make it an official project.

Windows 3.1

Apr 6, 1992

Windows 3.1 is a series of 16-bit operating systems. Windows 3.1 introduced various enhancments. It came out on April, 6 1992. The Windows 3 family ended on January 1, 2002.

Windows for Workgroups 3.1

Oct 27, 1992

Windows for Workgroups 3.1 is a 16-bit operating system. It was produced by Microsoft for personal computers.

Windows NT 3.1

Jul 27, 1993

Windows NT 3.1 is a 32-bit operating system. It was released a year after Windows for Workgroups. Windows NT is a brand extension of Windows 3.1.

Windows for Workgroups 3.11

Nov 8, 1993

Windows for Workgroups 3.11 is another 16-bit operating system. It is also used for personal computers. It was released from 1992-1994 until the series was superseded by Windows 95.

Windows NT 3.5

Sep 21, 1994

Windows NT 3.5 is the 2nd release of Windows NT. It was created to improve the operating systems' performance. NT 3.5 came in 2 versions, NT Workstation and NT Server.

Windows NT 3.51

May 30, 1995

Windows NT 3.51 was the 3rd release of the NT series. It came out 9 months after NT 3.5. NT 3,51 was known as the "PowerPC Release". NT 3.51 was the first of Microsoft Windows on the PowerPC architecture. It was also the first to help clients with Windows 95 (released 3 months later).

Windows 95

Aug 24, 1995

Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. 95 is a significant progression from previous products. Windows 95 supported ended December 31, 2001.

Windows NT 4.0

Aug 24, 1996

Windows NT 4.0 is a graphical and business-oriented operating system. It works with a uniprocessor or multiprocessor computer. It is a 32-bit operating system available in a work station and a server editon.

Windows 98

Jun 25, 1998

Windows 98 is another graphical operating system. It is the second major release of the Windows 9x systems. It manufactured May 15 and went to retail June 25.

Windows 98 SE

May 5, 1999

Windows 98 SE is the 2nd edition of Windows 98, It includes updated software. It fixes many minor issues in Windows 98. It also includes Internet Explorer.

Windows 2000

Feb 17, 2000

Windows 2000 is used for both clients and server computers. It is the last edition of Windows with the NT design. During development it was also known as Windows NT 5.0.

Windows ME

Sep 14, 2000

Windows ME stands for Windows Millennium Edition. It came out a few months after Windows 2000. Windows ME was targeted towards home PC users. It was the successor of Windows 98 SE.

Windows XP

Oct 25, 2001

Windows XP was generally used for personal computers, including home and business dekstops and even laptops. XP is the 2nd most popular editon of Windows. XP is short for eXPerience, which highlights the user's experience.

Windows XP 64-bit Edition

Oct 25, 2001

Windows XP 64-bit Edition is generally the same as Windows XP. The difference is, the size of CPU/memory it holds.

Windows XP Media Center Edition

Oct 31, 2002

Windows XP Media is a version of Windows XP designed for the music people. It was meant to be an entertainment hub, for pictures, videos, and music.

Windows XP 64-bit Edition

Mar 28, 2003

The 2003 edition of XP 64 is a more modified version of the original.

Windows Server 2003

Apr 24, 2003

Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system. It is based on Windows XP and is basically an enhanced version of XP.

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004

Sep 30, 2003

Another updated version of a Windows software. It has reduced bug problem.

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005

Oct 12, 2004

This editon comes with new features such as, Windows Movie Maker, Windows Media Player, Microsoft Plus! and many more.

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

Apr 25, 2005

XP Professional is used for personal computers. It was designed to expand the memory access. It is actually an editon of Windows Server 2003.

Windows Server 2003 R2

Dec 6, 2005

Windows Server 2003 R2 is an updated version of Windows Server 2003. It features many new things such as, Branch Office Server Management, Identity And Access Management, and many more.

Windows Fundamentals For Legacy PC's

Jul 8, 2006

Windows Fundamentals is a thin client operating system. It is optimized for older and less powerful hardware. It was not marketed as a full operating system.

Windows Vista For Business Use

Nov 8, 2006

Windows Vista is an operating system for personal computers. Home and business users can use it. It includes graphical user interface and Aero.

Windows Vista For Home Use

Jan 30, 2007

Windows Vista is an operating system for personal computers. Home and business users can use it. It includes graphical user interface and Aero.

Windows Home Server

Nov 7, 2007

Windows Home Server is a home server operating system. It was intended to be a solution for homes with multiple PC's, to make sharing easier.

Windows Server 2008

Feb 27, 2008

Windows Server 2008 is the successor to Windows Server 2003, which was released 5 years earlier. Windows Server 2008 is based on Windows NT.

Windows 7

Jul 22, 2009

Windows 7 is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, and tablets. Windows 7 is the predecessor to Windows 7.

Windows Server 2008 R2

Oct 22, 2009

Windows Server 2008 R2 is a newly enhanced server operating system. It was built on Windows NT and has the same kernel as Windows 7.

Windows Home Server 2011

Apr 6, 2011

Windows Home Server 2011 is a home server operating system. It was desgined for small offices/home offices. It can also be used to make file sharing easier.

Windows Server 2012

Sep 4, 2012

Windows Server 2012 is the 8th edition of Windows Server. Unlike its predecessor, Windows Server 2012 has no support for Itanium-based computers and has four editions.

Windows RT

Oct 26, 2012

Windows RT is an edition of the Windows 8 operating system designed for mobile devices. Windows RT takes advantage of the architecture's power efficiency to allow for longer battery life.

Windows 8

Oct 26, 2012

Windows 8 is a personal computer operating system as part of Windows NT family of operating systems. Windows 8 introduced major changes to the operating system's platform and user interface to improve its user experience on tablets.

Windows 8.1

Oct 18, 2013

Windows 8.1 is an update of the Windows 8 operating system. 8.1 is available as a free update for existing Windows 8 and Windows RT users.

Windows Server 2012 R2

Oct 18, 2013

Windows Server 2012 R2 has added Storage Spaces, Windows Powershell, and Office 365.