Operating system (OS) windows. Windows operating systems Table windows operating system
Windows is one of the most popular operating systems today. Now this is a familiar and convenient work environment for many people. But where did it all start and how the world's most famous operating system was improved Microsoft Windows? We invite you on a journey into the past!
Windows 1.0
November 1985
At the time of its first release, Windows was far from the full-fledged operating system that is familiar to us today. Previously, it was simply an "operating environment" for MS-DOS. And it was almost called Interface Manager.
Despite its simplicity, the first version of Windows already contained many innovative tools: graphics editor Windows Paint, the word processor Windows Write, and, of course, the legendary board game Reversi.
Windows 2.X
December 1987
The next major release of Windows introduced the famous Excel and Word - two more cornerstones in the history of software. But an equally important role in the success of Windows was played by the Aldus PageMaker application, which was previously available only to Macintosh users. It was this application that brought Windows great popularity in 1987.
Note translation It should be noted that the Aldus PageMaker application was released in version 1.0, but it was in version 2.0 that it gained its fame on the Microsoft Windows platform.
However, a shadow was now cast over Windows as tensions grew: Apple, which had patented many user interface elements and ideas, felt that Microsoft was using too much of its original work in the design of Windows.
Windows 3.X
May 1990
Improvements in multitasking, the introduction of virtual memory, and design updates finally allowed the Windows user interface to compete with the Macintosh interface.
Along with Windows 3.1, the concept of the “Multimedia PC” also appeared: CD-ROM drives and sound cards became all the rage in the 1990s.
Having reached 10,000,000 copies sold, version 3.0 became not only a major source of income for Microsoft, but also a huge success in the IT world.
Windows NT
July 1992
Microsoft joined forces with IBM to develop a successor to DOS. However, the collaboration did not last long, and what was called OS/2 became the new Windows NT. Windows 3.11 and NT were developed in parallel (together) until they were combined into Windows XP.
With improved networking support in Windows NT and the new NTFS file system, Microsoft overtook Novell to become a major player in the server market.
Windows 95
August 1995
Microsoft implemented ideas that had been around since the release of NT, codenamed Chicago, by introducing them to the consumer (such as a 32-bit system and improved memory management).
However, the need for backward compatibility and the fact that not all code was changed to 32-bit ultimately led to failures: Windows 95 faced major performance and stability problems.
Later versions of Windows 95 introduced the famous browser Internet Explorer and USB support, which is familiar to us today.
Windows 98
June 1998
With Windows 98, codenamed Memphis, Microsoft greatly improved USB support. After all, Windows 95 never provided its stable implementation.
Although FAT32 was first introduced in an update to Windows 95, it remained a young file system and became even more popular than before. Thanks to this, disk partitions larger than two gigabytes have become more common.
1998 was also the year of the United States v. Microsoft legal showdown over the legality of shipping Internet Explorer preinstalled with every copy of Windows.
Windows 2000
February 2000
The next version of Windows NT introduced a new service - Active Directory.
Although this version was aimed at the business market, Windows 2000 also came with an improved DirectX API. This marked the first time that many modern games ran on NT computers.
In one respect, however, Windows 2000 was the last of its kind: its successor versions introduced a new (and controversial) product activation mechanism.
Windows ME
September 2000
The ME version focused on multimedia: Microsoft introduced Windows Movie Maker and updated the platform's standard multimedia application, Windows Media Player, to version 7.
In addition, the System Restore utility has appeared - a simple system recovery tool. Apple's Time Machine, of course, cannot be compared with Microsoft's new utility, but nevertheless, it did not appear for several more years.
Windows XP
August 2001
Windows XP marked a special reunion: it finally combined Windows 95/98/ME and NT/2000.
At first, the new XP had several painful shortcomings, which concerned primarily security. It was they who forced Microsoft to publish as many as three service packs during the support period for XP.
However, this did not stop Windows XP from becoming the flagship operating system and remaining so for another 6 years - longer than any other version of Microsoft Windows.
Windows Vista
January 2007
Microsoft introduced Windows Vista in a completely new design thanks to Windows Aero - complex technical solutions graphical user interface. There were a lot of small changes, like replacing the familiar Start button with a Windows logo icon.
Additionally, Vista featured a redesigned and (compared to Windows XP) stricter permissions system called User Account Control.
In terms of new applications, Vista debuted Windows Calendar, Windows DVD Maker, and several new games.
Note translation It should be noted that Windows Vista was presented back in November 2006, but in the form of a corporate version.
Windows 7
October 2009
Windows 7 is an improved platform in many areas: it boots faster, supports multi-touch, has improved window management, and much more.
In other areas, the system has been reversed: Vista's new User Account Control has become less intrusive, and the newly introduced Sidebar (along with several applications) has been removed entirely.
Windows 8
October 2012
Windows 8 is the most extensive visual update in latest versions. Windows 8 introduces not only a new look at the OS in general, but also a completely new UI and UX. She adopted the popular Flat style and introduced the full-screen window mode into the trend.
In addition, Windows 8 provided support for USB 3.0 and launched the Windows Store.
Windows 10
July 2015
Microsoft decided to call its latest update "Windows 10", skipping version 9. One reason may be the scale and importance of the project: Windows 10 provides a common platform for many devices, from smartphones to personal computers.
There were many new features: Edge - the new default browser, support for logging in using fingerprints and facial recognition, as well as the smart personal assistant Cortana.
Windows 10 also broke new ground in terms of pricing: upgrading from Windows 7 and 8 was free for the first year of the update's release.
We also have about the history of macOS - we invite you to read and compare the stages of development of the two competitors.
Welcome to the Windows universe! operating system Microsoft's Windows, without a doubt, has become a milestone in the development of not only the information industry, but also all of humanity. It is largely thanks to Windows that hundreds of millions of people around the world have personal computers and laptops on their desks. Thanks to Windows work with a computer has become accessible to absolutely everyone, from preschool children to respectable pensioners. Complex computer systems, once used only by engineers and scientists, are now used for a wide variety of tasks, work and entertainment, study and understanding the world.
For many years, Windows has occupied the overwhelming share of the operating system market in the world. As of February 2009, Windows' share was more than 88.41%. Its closest competitor, the Mac OS operating system installed on Apple computers, got 9.61%, and the operating system Linux system– a pitiful 0.88%. In other words, when we say “home” or “work” computer, we clearly mean a computer on which one or another version of Windows is installed.
But Windows is not just an environment for playing solitaire or working with Word. In parallel with the operating system for home computers, Microsoft was developing a server version of Windows intended for companies and corporations. This version was called Windows NT, and then Windows Server. This family of operating systems has gained significant popularity and has seriously displaced the former king of servers - the UNIX operating system.
The history of Windows resembles a victorious march that began back in 1985, when the first Windows with the number 1.01 was released. However, the history of Microsoft begins even earlier, back in 1975, when a young student Bill Gates created a version of the BASIC programming language for one of the first personal computers, the Altair 8800 model.
In general, the history of one of the richest people on the planet (and for many years he headed this pedestal) is undoubtedly of great interest and is described in many books. Several films have been made, tens of thousands of articles have been written, and all these are attempts to explain the phenomenon of Microsoft in general and Windows in particular.
Let's not delve into the affairs of distant days. If you're wondering how Bill Gates went from being a shy, nerdy student to the person he is today, all you have to do is fire up your computer, go online, and find all the information you need. It is significant that to perform this action, you will most likely be using a personal computer with one of the versions of Windows.
And the Internet itself has become so popular, not least because personal computers have become as much a part of our lives as teapots, cars and sneakers. The merit of Windows in this is undeniable.
The history of the development of Windows versions is undoubtedly an interesting topic that deserves its own book. Therefore, we will not carefully turn over the dusty tomes of history and will only briefly familiarize ourselves with the key events in the life of Microsoft Windows.
Contrary to popular belief, the first version of Windows was not an independent operating system at all. In reality, Windows was a graphical “add-on” to the DOS operating system and was designed to make working with the dark and gloomy command line easier. Many DOS users did not understand this innovation.
The famous excerpt from a book by Soviet engineers published in 1989 is still circulating on the Internet. The book is called “Personal Computers in Engineering Practice,” and stern engineers spoke about the Microsoft product as follows.
« One example of a cumbersome and, according to the authors, useless add-on is the integrated system WINDOWS companies Microsoft. This system occupies almost 1 MB of disk memory and is designed primarily for use in conjunction with a mouse-type device... Thus, the reader has already realized that among the add-ons over DOS there are quite useless systems that only look beautiful, but in fact take up the user’s time , disk memory and computer RAM. The deceptive beauty of such systems, however, has a strong impact on inexperienced users who have not had experience working on the machine. The inertia of thinking can be so strong that the authors had to observe how people who started working with such a setting subsequently had difficulty forcing themselves to learn DOS commands. I would like to warn the reader against this mistake. ».
A Brief History of Windows
The history of Windows begins in November 1985, when the first version of the system appeared Windows 1.0. It was a set of programs that expanded the capabilities of existing operating systems for greater ease of use. A few years later the second version was released ( Windows 2.0), but did not gain much popularity.
Time passed, and in 1990 the next version was released - Windows 3.0, which began to be used on many personal computers.
Popularity new version Windows was due to several reasons. The graphical interface made it possible to work with data not using commands entered on the command line, but using visual and understandable actions on graphic objects representing this data. The ability to simultaneously work with several programs has also significantly increased the convenience and efficiency of work.
Moreover, the convenience and ease of writing programs for Windows has led to the emergence of an increasingly diverse range of programs running under Windows control. Work with a variety of computer equipment was better organized, which ultimately also determined the popularity of the system.
Subsequent versions of Windows provided improved reliability, as well as multimedia support (including Windows 3.1) and work in computer networks (version).
In parallel with the development of Windows, Microsoft began work in 1988 on a new operating system called Windows NT. The main task was to create a system that provides high level reliability and effective support for working with the network. At the same time, the Windows NT interface did not differ from the Windows 3.0 interface. In 1992, Windows NT 3.1 was released, and in 1994, Windows NT 3.5.
In 1995, the famous one appeared, which became a new stage in the history of Windows and personal computers in general. Compared to Windows 3.1, the interface has changed significantly and the speed of programs has increased. The new operating system made it possible to automatically configure additional computer devices to eliminate conflicts when interacting between them. In addition, Windows 95 took the first steps to support the then nascent Internet.
The Windows 95 interface became the main one for the entire Windows family, and in 1996 a redesigned version of the server operating system appeared Windows NT 4.0, which has the same interface as Windows 95.
In 1998 it appeared Windows 98 with a significantly redesigned structure compared to Windows 95. In the new version, much attention was paid to working with the Internet, as well as supporting modern network protocols. There is also support for working with multiple monitors.
The next stage in the development of Windows was the appearance and Windows Me(Millenium Edition). The Windows 2000 system was developed on the basis of Windows NT and inherited from it high reliability and security of information from outside interference. Two versions were released: Windows 2000 Server for servers and Windows 2000 Professional for workstations, which many installed on their home computers.
operating room Win system Dows Me was essentially an enhanced version of Windows 98 with improved multimedia support. It is believed that Windows Me became one of the most unsuccessful versions of Windows, it was characterized by unstable operation, often froze and crashed.
As a result, just a year after its release, a new operating system appeared Windows XP. This happened in 2001.
operating room Windows system XP was based on the Windows NT kernel and was therefore much more stable and efficient than previous versions of Windows. It has also been seriously redesigned GUI, support for new functions and programs has been introduced.
Surprisingly, Windows XP was so successful that even at the end of 2008, it held almost 70% of the operating system market. Three service packs have been released for Windows XP, the last of which was released in April 2008. Each of the packages expanded the capabilities of the operating system, eliminated errors, and made the system more reliable and secure. This system was and remains popular and has rightfully become the most successful and long-lived OS from Microsoft.
A new version was released in 2003 Windows Server 2003, which replaced Windows 2000. After some time, an update was released, called Windows Server 2003 R2. The Windows Server 2003 operating system set a new standard for reliability and performance, becoming one of Microsoft's most successful server systems.
Even before the release of Windows XP, Microsoft was actively developing a new version of the operating system, codenamed Windows Longhorn. Then the name was changed to Windows Vista.
New operating system Windows Vista appeared in 2007. According to an established tradition, the operating system for home users was based on the powerful and reliable Windows Server 2003 SP1 kernel (similar to how Windows XP was based on the Windows NT kernel).
In Windows Vista, the user interface was radically changed, the security system was seriously improved, and a lot of new features and functions appeared. However, despite the excellent inclinations, the system was greeted coolly, and some dubbed Windows Vista a “failure.”
The reasons for such a warm welcome are described in. Note that despite the excellent kernel, Windows Vista turned out to be too slow and demanding on system resources. After Windows XP, the requirements of Vista shocked many, and old computers were simply unable to ensure smooth operation of this system. Adding to the trouble is extremely poor compatibility with device drivers. Gradually the situation improved and Windows Vista became usable - but its reputation was forever ruined.
In 2009, another version was released - remarkable Windows 7. How did she distinguish herself? Let's start with the fact that in this operating system the key Windows errors Vista. As a result, the “seven” turned out to be very fast, reliable and productive. In fact, it became what was expected from Vista from the very beginning.
With the release of Service Pack 1, its position has only strengthened. By 2012, Windows 7 had become the most popular OS in the world, finally overtaking the old Windows XP. In fact, the “seven” became what XP was for many years - the main operating system that coped with all the tasks assigned. She did not “slow down”, she had almost no problems with the drivers. I installed this system from the category - and it works, without reinstallation, for as long as you need. This is the real successor to Windows XP.
But Microsoft was not enough. Losing the race in the tablet and smartphone markets, the company desperately needed a new product that would unite all devices - smartphones, laptops, desktop computers and tablets - within a single Metro interface.
And the result is an operating system Windows 8, which came out in October 2012. For the first time, Microsoft decided to radically change the interface, which was much more shocking than the changes in Vista. Instead of the usual desktop, the user was greeted with strange tiles, and the Start button was completely absent. The interface intrigued some, scared others away.
In terms of technical capabilities, Windows 8 is an optimized version of Windows 7. The new system has become much faster to boot, however, again there are some problems with drivers and launching games - but this is clearly a temporary situation.
In 2013, the process of market acceptance of the new system is in full swing. It’s too early to say how successful it has become – time will tell. We can only say unequivocally that the fate of Windows 8 will not be easy. Some experts predict the fate of Windows Vista, a system that has never recovered from its negative image.
Meanwhile, the release is expected in 2014 Windows 9. But that’s not all – plans have been announced to release new versions of the OS every... year! Why, why, whether this means abandoning the Service Pack - we will find out all this very soon.
At the beginning of the year, Microsoft introduced the new Windows 10 operating system. We invite you to step into the past and remember how the world's most popular Windows operating system used to look and change. Many users no longer remember what Windows looked like in the last century, and the new generation of users did not have time to catch the first versions of the system. Life-Pics.ru offers: remember everything!
Microsoft - on November 20, 1985 officially released Windows 1.0 (a software shell for MS-DOS). System requirements: Availability hard drive or two floppy disks, 256 KB of RAM, graphics adapter, MS-DOS 2.0. The Windows 1.0 operating system did not gain as much popularity as Apple's Macintosh. As a result, Microsoft supported Windows 1.0 for 16 years, until December 31, 2001.
The second version of Windows comes with improved graphics. New intel processors 286 and Intel 386 made it possible to expand the capabilities of Windows 2.0. Icons have appeared on the desktop, the ability to launch several windows that can be superimposed on each other, now the user can interact with the system using “hot” key combinations. Windows 2.0 made Microsoft the largest company in software development.
With version Windows 3.0, the success of the system begins. New user interface (16 color schemes). A suite of office applications is released for Windows 3.0 Microsoft Office, which included Word, Excel and Powerpoint. In 2 years, 10 million licenses were sold. The Minesweeper game played a big role in the success of Windows 3.0, and the game still helps office managers pass the time at work.
The next 32-bit system, Windows NT 3.1, was aimed at corporate clients, included integrated networks, a multi-tasking Windows scheduler, a domain server (secure), and support for multiple processor architectures. Then the NTFS file system first appeared. Among experienced users, Windows NT 3.1 was called the most stable operating system. NT was developed separately from other Windows systems. It all started when Microsoft and IBM began joint development of OS/2, but something went wrong and the companies separated, then OS/2 had to be remade into Windows NT, which after several years would save the name of the operating system.
Windows 95 is a fairly popular operating system; 7 million licenses were sold, but users treated the new version of Windows with aggression and distrust. All previous versions were installed on top of the proven MS-DOS, but Windows 95 was a full-fledged operating system and required a complete departure from the command line. The system was not entirely stable, and the environment was completely new. Windows 95 was the most advertised system, this did not stop users from giving it a new name “Mazday” (from the English “must die” - must die) and WinDoze (Sleepy windows). Ordinary users had to get used to the features of Windows 95, periodically reinstall it in order to get the former stability of the system; there was nowhere else to go, only to the WinNT and Linux systems, popular among programmers, OS/2, which the average user could not understand.
With Windows 95, a familiar graphical interface was created with the Start button, desktop icons and taskbar. Windows 95 introduced the whole world to BSOD – “ Blue screen death" that haunts us to this day.
The Windows 98 operating system is designed specifically for users, includes support for USB devices and DVDs, a Windows Update utility that automatically installs Windows updates. Users were in no hurry to switch to the new operating system; many considered it a transition between Windows 95 and the upcoming Windows Millenium, which was supposed to save users from all the suffering.
The home operating system did not work out. Windows 2000 Professional was released for the business market (corporate system), in which simple installation of equipment was implemented, wireless devices, support for USB devices, infrared devices, and IEEE 1394, as well as a host of vulnerabilities that were patched through numerous updates over the next 10 years. Users believed Microsoft's advertising, which showed that Windows 2000 was the most secure operating system, since it belonged to the Windows NT family. Users eagerly installed Windows 2000 on their home computers.
Microsoft released a new system, which turned out to be a cruel joke on users who expected better. Windows ME was written based on the Windows 95 code, users did not like it and they did not switch to it. The operating system received a useful “System Restore” utility, which in case of a serious error allowed you to roll back the system to an earlier date to the created restore point, this made it possible not to reinstall the system and that’s all installed programs. Windows ME included programs for editing and viewing video - Windows Movie Maker and Windows Media Player, since the system was intended for the end user. This is the latest Windows based on Win 95.
What all Windows users have been waiting for has happened. A beautiful, understandable, stable, fast Windows XP was released, which captivated all users and made them forget everything from Win 95 to Win Me - like a bad dream. The new operating system received the annual name Windows NT 5.1, and experienced users gained even more confidence. Now, all the advantages of the NT family are available to home users, in the best possible way.
Windows XP remained the most popular operating system until 2012.
This is Microsoft's biggest failure in recent years, Windows Vista comes out, which was slow, glitchy, unstable, but with a beautiful interface. Experienced users transferred the Vista interface to the stable and fast Win XP. Microsoft sold 100 million in its first year Windows licenses Vista.
The new operating system Win 7 is fast, stable, beautiful, with an Aero interface. Windows 7 quickly gained popularity among home users and the business segment. Then “Seven” began to compete with the time-tested Windows XP.
Windows 7 has become smarter and more independent, the system detects connected devices and installs drivers, works correctly with any networks, a new security system that can do without installing third-party antiviruses. Windows 7 learned to support touch screens, but it was only brought to fruition in the next version.
The Windows 8 operating system has received a completely new tiled Metro interface. The system was designed for a touch screen, but for regular monitors (without a sensor) a classic desktop was implemented. The usual “Start” button was removed altogether, and an “Active button” was created, which, when pressed, opens a menu with tiles. Tiles can be enlarged and reduced, dragged and sorted in any order, created into groups and given names.
Windows 8 is a stable, beautiful, fast system. Has its own application store, one Microsoft account for synchronizing all devices with each other, integrated cloud storage OneDrive. A pop-up appeared on the right work panel, quite convenient and functional, smart search that searches on all hard drives, removable media, network storage and the Internet.
Most computers run Windows 7 and Windows XP operating systems; users did not want to try the “tiled” interface or simply did not have time to switch to Windows 8; Windows 10 is coming out soon.
Microsoft fully admitted that the imposed “tiled” interface was not to the user’s taste; users did not like the lack of a “Start” button, which Microsoft will return to the new Windows 10 operating system. The system received a new “Action Center” panel, several active desktops, notification center, personal assistant Cortana. The transition to the new Windows 10 system will be free (for a year)
Computer such as processor, RAM, peripheral devices, can work effectively only if their joint work is coordinated by special programs. Otherwise, devices will work inconsistently or will not be useful at all. Therefore, any computer uses an operating system. Operating system(OS) is a set of control programs designed to control the computing process and make the most efficient use of all computer system resources. The operating system schedules the computing process and controls its progress. All programs that we install on a computer run under the control and control of the operating system. All devices that we connect to the computer “communicate” with the operating system through special programs - device drivers. In addition, the operating system provides the user with an interface for interacting with computer resources.
Operating systems, depending on their purpose, may or may not have the following number of properties:
- Multitasking- the ability to launch and execute more than one program simultaneously.
- Work in real time. OSs with this property are most often used to control automatic systems. Their main feature is the ability to quickly respond to an unpredictable flow of external events;
- Multiplayer mode. A special mode that allows several users to work at several terminals, while sharing the resources of the same computer;
- Distribution. In a distributed mode of operation, the user can access the resources of different computers. The OS manages these resources in such a way that the user has the impression of working on one single computer.
- Embeddedness. Embedded OSs run on a computer that is built into a device and controls that device. Such a computer does not perform any other functions. The embedded OS is supplied only with the device and is not distributed separately from it.
- Interactivity. Interactive systems are designed for a user who sits at a terminal and waits for the system to respond to his actions.
The opposite of interactive OSes are batch-processing OSes, which do not require a user at all.
Interactive systems may have a text interface or a graphical interface.
Operating systems of the Windows family
Modern operating systems of the Windows family is a graphical, interactive, multitasking operating system from Microsoft Corporation. The Windows OS family consists of two groups:
- Windows 9x. OS group for $16$ and $32$-bit processors. Produced from $1995 to $2000 per year. Currently, the operating systems of this group are outdated;
- Windows NT. This is a group of modern operating systems. All operating systems in this group are $32$ and $64$-bit and run on $32$ and $64$ processors, respectively. The popular systems Windows XP, Windows $7$, Windows $8$ belong to this group. There are OSes designed to manage server computers;
- Windows for smartphones. This group includes OS Windows CE, Windows mobile, Windows Phone, Windows $10$ Mobile. Systems in this group can be purchased exclusively as part of ready-made smartphones.;
- Windows Embedded. A group of embedded real-time operating systems used for various specialized devices. For example, for information and payment terminals, video surveillance systems.
File system
One of the basic concepts inextricably linked with the concept of an operating system is file system. The file system is a complex mechanism that is responsible for storing data on the hard drive and other external media. This mechanism works as follows. In order for the user to access the data that he has stored on disk, this data must be named somehow in a way that is natural for the user. This named part of the disk is called a file. The file size can be any - the user saves as much data as he deems appropriate under a single name. The data area (hard drive, flash drive, removable hard drive, etc.) is divided into so-called sectors of $512$ bytes in size. And sectors are combined into clusters. A cluster is the minimum addressable unit of disk memory that is allocated for storing a file. One cluster can only store data from one file. The cluster size is fixed and varies for different file systems. The process of marking a data storage area is called formatting.
Picture 1.
Windows $7$ supports four types of file systems:
- FAT16. This is a fairly old file system designed for disks smaller than $512$ MB. The maximum volume that FAT $16$ supports is $2$ GB.
- FAT32. Used for flash memory larger than $2$ GB.
- exFAT. It was developed as an improved version of FAT$32$ for flash memory.
- NTFS. This file system is the base one for Windows $7$. It was created to completely replace FAT$16$ and FAT$32$. NTFS is faster and more reliable than its predecessors, and has data encryption capabilities. Windows $7 can only be installed on a drive that is formatted with the NTFS file system, but Windows can work with other storage areas that are formatted in FAT $16 $, FAT $32 $ and exFAT.
Figure 2.
For operating systems of other families, completely different file systems are used. For example, for Linux OS HDD formatted on the ext$3$ file system. On the same computer, you can format one disk partition in NTFS and install Windows $7$ there, and format another partition in ext$3$ and install Linux on it. In this case, working under Windows user will not see the partition formatted in ext$3$ at all and will not be able to receive data from it in any way.
In order to find out which file system (from those available for Windows) is selected on a specific partition of the hard drive, you need to right-click on the disk icon and select “properties” in the context menu. In the window that opens, you can read information about the disk size, amount of free space and file system.
(NT 6.0)
Almost not used
Actively used
Almost not used
Almost not used
Actively used
Server Windows
| Logo | Version | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Not supported Generally not used |
||
| 1994 | |||
| 1995 | |||
| 1996 | |||
| 2000 | |||
| 2003 | Not supported Still in use |
||
| 2005 | |||
| 2008 | |||
| 2009 | Supported Actively used |
||
| 2012 | |||
| 2013 | |||
| 2016 | |||
| 2018 | Getting started |
All versions of Windows by line + chronology
| Ruler | Years | Listing versions |
|---|---|---|
| 16 bit | 1985 - 1995 | Windows 1 / 2 / 3 |
| 32 bits (9x) |
1995 - 2001 | Windows 95/98/ME |
| NT (32 and 64 bits) |
since 1993 | Windows NT 3.1 / NT 3.5 / NT 3.51 / NT 4.0 Workstation / 2000 / XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 8.1 / 10 |
| NT Servers (32 and 64 bits) |
since 1993 | Windows NT 3.1 / NT 3.5 / NT 3.51 / NT 4.0 Server / 2000 Server / 2003 / 2003 R2 / 2008 / 2008 R2 / 2012 / 2012 R2 / 2016 / 2019 |
History of success
This success story reflects the frequency of use of the system; the number of glitches encountered by users; reviews.
| Windows 1 | Failure | |
| Windows 2 | Neutral | |
| Windows 3 | Success | |
| Windows 95 | Failure | |
| Windows 98 | Success | |
| Windows Millennium | Failure | |
| Windows 2000 | Neutral | |
| Windows XP | Big success | |
| Windows Vista | Failure | |
| Windows 7 | Success | |
| Windows 8 | Failure | |
| Windows 8.1 | Failure | |
| Windows 10 | Success |
* despite the failure of some versions of the operating system, they carried new functions that were transferred to already successful versions. For example, beautiful icons and windows appeared in the millennium, which were transferred to Windows 2000. Therefore, failure should not be assessed as unsuccessful work.
Windows 1
Years of support: 1985 - 2001. Branch: 16 bit.
Editions: -
What's new
Before Windows 1 there was MS-DOS, so the most important innovation was the graphical interface and the ability to control using the mouse.
System requirements
Windows 3
Years of support: 1990 - 2008. Branch: 16 bit.
Editions: -
What's new
- The first (from Microsoft) user-friendly interface.
- Appearance of the program manager.
- The emergence of multimedia capabilities.
- Network support (from 3.1).
System requirements
Windows NT 3.1
Editions: -
What's new
- The first system based on the NT kernel.
- NTFS file system support.
System requirements
| CPU | Intel 80386 |
|---|---|
| RAM | 2 MB |
| Hard disk capacity | 8 MB |
Windows NT 3.5 Workstation
Editions: -
What's new
- Built-in support for Winsock and TCP/IP.
- The appearance of a DHCP and WINS server and client.
- VFAT support.
System requirements
| CPU | 33 MHz |
|---|---|
| RAM | 12 MB |
| Hard disk capacity | 70 MB |
Windows NT 3.51 Workstation
Editions: -
System requirements
Windows NT 4.0 Workstation
Editions: -
System requirements
Windows 98
Years of support: 1998 - 2006. Branch: 9x (32 bits).
System requirements
Windows Millennium
Years of support: 2000 - 2006. Branch: 9x (32 bits).
System requirements
Windows 2000
Years of support: 2000 - 2010. Branch: NT.
System requirements
Windows XP
Editions: XP, XP Professional
System requirements
Windows Vista
Years of support: 2006 - 2017. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: Starter, Basic Home, Premium, Business, Enterprise, Ultimate
System requirements
Windows 7
Years of support: 2009 - 2020. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, Ultimate
System requirements
| Minimum | Featured | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 32-bit | 64-bit | 32-bit | 64-bit |
| CPU | 1 GHz | |||
| RAM | 1 GB | 2 GB | 4 GB | |
| Hard disk capacity | 16 GB | 20 GB | 16 GB | 20 GB |
Windows 8
Years of support: 2012 - 2016. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
System requirements
| Minimum | Featured | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 32-bit | 64-bit | 32-bit | 64-bit |
| CPU | 1 GHz | |||
| RAM | 1 GB | 2 GB | 4 GB | |
| Hard disk capacity | 16 GB | 20 GB | 16 GB | 20 GB |
Windows 8.1
Years of support: 2013 - 2023. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: 8, 8 Professional (Pro), 8 Corporate (Enterprise)
System requirements
| Minimum | Featured | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 32-bit | 64-bit | 32-bit | 64-bit |
| CPU | 1 GHz | |||
| RAM | 1 GB | 2 GB | 4 GB | |
| Hard disk capacity | 16 GB | 20 GB | 16 GB | 20 GB |
Windows 10 (latest for personal computers)
Years of support: 2015 - 2025. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions
- Home. For most home computers. There is no way to configure a remote desktop so that you can connect to the system remotely; no possibility to use group policies and joining a domain.
- Professional (Pro). Contains all the functions of the home version + the ability to join a domain, use group policies, and the ability to connect to a computer using a remote desktop.
- Corporate (Enterprise). Some features of the home version have been reduced. There are all the additional features of the Pro version + DirectAccess, AppLocker.
- S. Is a stripped down version; comes pre-installed on some devices. Does not support standard application installation - installation can only be done from the Windows Store.
What's new
Windows 10 is undergoing major changes with the release of new builds. Therefore, we will consider innovations based on this.
- Improved performance.
- New built-in Microsoft Edge browser.
- Automatically shrinks an adjacent window when the active window is pressed to one side of the desktop.
- All Apps in Start supports a display of 2,048 items (previously only 512).
- Forced installation of updates.
- Using the virtual voice assistant Cortana.
- The updated start menu is a hybrid previous versions and Windows 8 (the old expansion option returned, and tiles appeared on the right side).
- Ability to create multiple desktops.
- Refusal of the Windows 8 tiled system.
- Handwriting capability (Windows Ink).
- Identification using a webcam.
- Sync with mobile device notifications.
- Change the system settings menu.
- Built-in support for virtual reality headsets.
- Game Mode
- Offered by default command line in Powershell.
- Access to the classic Control Panel is hidden from the context menu. Now it can be called with the command control.
- Improved performance of the built-in antivirus.
- Identification using a webcam for Active Directory.
- Ability to create a screenshot with a selection of an area using the keyboard shortcut Win + Shaft + S.
- Braille support.
- Extended battery life.
- The ability to run Cortana on one device and stop working on another.
- Disable SMBv1 protocol. You can enable it manually.
- The People panel appears.
- Information about the GPU in the task manager.
- Full screen mode Microsoft Edge
- Extended battery life (Power Throttling function).
- The emoji panel appears.
- Selective OneDrive sync.
- Fixing a slowdown issue in games.
- Ability to recover your password using security questions.
- Dark theme for Explorer.
- Ability to access messages from your phone (“Your Phone” function).
- Isolated desktop for safe running of applications.
* this list contains some innovations. Full list on Wikipedia page.
System requirements
| Minimum | Featured | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 32-bit | 64-bit | 32-bit | 64-bit |
| CPU | 1 GHz | |||
| RAM | 1 GB | 2 GB | 4 GB | |
| Hard disk capacity | 16 GB | 20 GB | 16 GB | 20 GB |
Windows NT 3.1 Advanced Server
Years of support: 1993 - 2001. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 16, 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: -
System requirements
| CPU | Intel 80386 |
|---|---|
| RAM | 2 MB |
| Hard disk capacity | 8 MB |
Windows NT 3.5 Server
Years of support: 1994 - 2001. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 16, 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: -
What's new
- Built-in support for Winsock and TCP/IP.
- The emergence of DHCP and WINS servers.
- Share files and printers.
- VFAT support.
System requirements
| CPU | 33 MHz |
|---|---|
| RAM | 16 MB |
| Hard disk capacity | 70 MB |
Windows NT 3.51 Server
Years of support: 1995 - 2001. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 16, 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: -
System requirements
| CPU | 33 MHz |
|---|---|
| RAM | 16 MB |
| Hard disk capacity | 70 MB |
Windows NT 4.0 Server
Years of support: 1996 - 2004. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: Server, Enterprise Edition, Terminal Server
System requirements
Windows 2000 Server
Years of support: 2000 - 2010. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: Server, Advanced Server and Datacenter Server
System requirements
Windows Server 2003
Years of support: 2003 - 2015. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: Web, Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter
System requirements
Web, Standard, Enterprise:
Datacenter Edition:
Windows Server 2003 R2
Years of support: 2005 - 2015. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter
System requirements
Standard, Enterprise:
Datacenter Edition:
Windows Server 2008
Years of support: 2008 - 2020. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 32 and 64 bits.
Editions: Web, Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, HPC, Storage, Itanium
System requirements
| Minimum | Featured | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 32-bit | 64-bit | 32-bit | 64-bit |
| CPU | 1 GHz | 1.4 GHz | 2 GHz | |
| RAM | 512 MB | 2 GB | ||
| Hard disk capacity | 10 GB | 40 GB | ||
Windows Server 2008 R2
Years of support: 2009 - 2020. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 64 bits.
Editions: Foundation, Small Business, Web, Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, HPC, Itanium
System requirements
Windows Server 2012
Years of support: 2012 - 2023. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 64 bits.
System requirements
Windows Server 2012 R2
Years of support: 2013 - 2023. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 64 bits.
Editions: Foundation, Essentials, Standard, Datacenter
System requirements
Windows Server 2016
Years of support: 2016 - 2026. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 64 bits.
Editions: Essentials, Standard, Datacenter
What's new
- Licensing for physical processor cores (minimum 16).
- New installation mode - Nano.
- The emergence of container virtualization.
- OpenGL and OpenCL for RDP.
- Encryption virtual machines and internal network traffic.
- Block replication of file storages.
System requirements
Windows Server 2019 (latest for servers)
Years of support: 2018 - ?. Branch: NT. Bit depth: 64 bits.
Editions: Standard, Datacenter
What's new
- Improved security - built-in Defender ATP and Defender Exploit Guard technologies.
- Windows Subsystem Linux (WSL) - containers for supporting Linux applications.
- To build a cluster with an even number of nodes, a USB drive can act as a witness disk.
