Windows (operating system)
Windows is a series of operating systems produced and maintained by the Microsoft Corporation. It was estimated that as of December 2007[1] Microsoft Windows accounted for nearly 90% of operating system usage, with 3 out of 4 being Windows XP. Windows is used for desktop, and server computers,[2] and more recently also for cellular phones and tablet computers. It is intended for use with the Intel x86-64 family of processors.
Early versions of Windows (98 and earlier) were notoriously unreliable, despite (or maybe because of?) Microsoft's near-monopoly share of the desktop operating system market. They crashed so often that the term "blue screen of death" entered the vocabulary.
Initially Windows was a text-based system (MS-DOS). Then a Graphical User Interface extension was added onto this MS-DOS core[3] It became a full GUI operating system free of the MS-DOS core beginning with the release of Windows NT.
Windows Major Release Versions
Name | Version Number | Public Release | Notes | Editions | Minimum RAM required | Minimum drive space | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Windows 1.0 | 1.0 | November 20, 1985[4] | Sold 500,000 copies [5] | ||||
Windows 1.02 | 1.02 | May 1986 | Multilingual (international) release of 1.0 | ||||
Windows 1.03 | 1.03 | August 1986 | Further upgrades for international use, including more drivers and European keyboard support | ||||
Windows 1.04 | 1.04 | April 1987 | Further functionality additions, including support for IBM PS/2 computers | ||||
Windows 2.0 | 2.11 | March 13, 1989 | |||||
Windows 3.0 | NT 3.0 | May 22, 1990 | |||||
Windows 3.1 | 3.1 | April 1992 | First MS operating system on CD-ROM |
|
1MB | i286 15MB | |
Windows 3.2 | November 22, 1993 | Chinese version of Windows 3.1 | |||||
Windows NT 3.5 | 3.5.807 | September 21, 1994 |
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Windows NT 3.51 | 3.51.1057 | May 30, 1995 |
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Windows 95 | NT 4.0.950 | August 24, 1995 | Uses the same skin as 98, 2000, and ME | 4MB[7] | 40.8-76.2MB[8] | ||
Windows NT 4.0 | NT 4.0 | July 29, 1996 |
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Windows CE Alder[9] | CE 1.0 | November 16, 1996[9] | 2MB | ||||
Windows CE Birch[9] | CE 2.0 | November 1997[9] | Auto PC platform introduced[10] | ||||
Windows 98 | NT 4.1.1998 | June 25, 1998 | Uses the same skin as 95, 2000, and ME | 16MB | 500MB | ||
Windows 98 Second Edition | NT 4.1.2222 | April 23, 1999 | Uses the same skin as 95, 2000, and ME | ||||
Windows CE 2.1 | |||||||
Windows 2000 | NT 5.0.2195 | February 17, 2000 |
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Professional: 650MB | |||
Windows CE Cedar | CE 3.0 | April 2000 | Windows CE for Automotive | ||||
Windows ME | NT 4.90.3000 | September 14, 2000 |
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Windows XP | 5.1.2600 | October 25, 2001 |
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|
x32/x86: 64MB[12] x64: 256MB |
1.5GB | |
Windows CE Talisker[9] | CE 4.0 | January 7, 2002 | |||||
Windows CE Jameson[9] | CE 4.1 | June 2002[9] | Windows Automotive | ||||
Windows CE McKendric[9] | CE 4.2 | April 2003[9] | Windows Automotive 4.2 | ||||
Windows Server 2003 | NT 5.2 | 2003 | |||||
Windows CE Macallan[9] | CE 5.0 | August 2004[9] | Windows Automotive 5.0 | 6MB[13] | |||
Windows Server 2003 R2 | 2006 | ||||||
Windows CE Yamazaki[9] | CE 6.0 | September 2006[9] |
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Windows Vista | NT 6.0.6000 | January 30, 2007 |
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Home Basic: 512MB, All Others: 1GB[15] |
20GB | |
Windows Server 2008 | February 27, 2008 | 512 MB | Foundation: 10GB, other x32/86: 20GB, other x64: 32GB | ||||
Windows 7 | NT 6.1.7600 | October 22, 2009 |
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x32/x86: 1GB, x64: 2GB[12] | x32/x86: 16GB, x64: 20GB | |
Windows Server 2008 R2 | 2010 |
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512 MB | Foundation: 10GB, others: 32GB | |||
Windows Embedded Compact 7 | CE 6.0 R3 | 2011 |
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Windows Server 2012 | NT 6.2 | 2012 |
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512MB | 32GB | ||
Windows 8 | NT 6.2 | October 26, 2012 |
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x32/x86: 1GB, x64: 2GB[16] |
x32/x86: 16GB, x64: 20GB | |
Windows RT | NT 6.3 | October 30, 2012 |
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32-Bit: 2GB [16] | 32-Bit: 20GB, 32GB | |
Windows Server 2012 R2 | NT 6.3 | 2013 |
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512MB | 32GB | ||
Windows 8.1 | NT 6.3 | October 17, 2013 | Slight update from 8.0 which brings back the Start button |
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x32/x86: 1GB, x64: 2GB[16] |
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Windows 10 | NT 6.4[17]
or "NT 10" |
July 29, 2015 |
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x32/x86: 1GB, x64: 2GB[20] |
x32/x86: 16GB, x64: 20GB[21][22] | |
Windows Server 2016 | October 12, 2016 (RTM: September 26, 2016) |
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Windows 11 | NT 10 | October 5, 2021 | 4GB[28][29] | 64GB[28][29] | |||
Name | Version Number | Public Release | Notes | Editions | Minimum RAM required | Minimum drive space |
(Some popular NT releases are listed in bold and special server releases are listed in italic.) [30][31][32][33]
See also
- What happened to Windows 9?
- Linux
- Tails Secure Anonymous Operating System
- Mac OS and iOS
- Unix
- Android
References
- ↑ OS Statistics. Refsnes Data. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
- ↑ Windows Server 2003 R2 Home. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
- ↑ Windows History: Windows Desktop Timeline. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 29 January 2008.
- ↑ http://www.networkworld.com/article/2193906/windows/windows-1-0-turning-25--first-experiences-recalled.html
- ↑ A brief history of Windowss sales figures 1985-present, Time, May 7, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 http://www.howtogeek.com/132488/does-windows-still-rely-on-ms-dos
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/138349
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/138349
- ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/mikehall/2006/09/20/ce-6-0-why-the-codename-yamazaki
- ↑ Auto PC: Windows CE hits the road, EETimes, July 14, 1999
- ↑ http://windowsitpro.com/windows/windows-2000-hardware-requirements
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-windows_install/how-much-ram-is-required-by-windows-xp-to-operate/6e341e7e-4656-4bcb-94e8-d7efc35d3b56?auth=1
- ↑ https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms927515.aspx
- ↑ Windows lifecycle fact sheet
- ↑ http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/how-much-ram-do-i-need-721332
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/system-requirements
- ↑ http://windowsitpro.com/windows-10/windows-10s-inventoried-version-number
- ↑ Microsoft's Windows 10 reaches 270 million users, no mobile numbers, Reuters, March 30, 2016
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-and-windows-11-in-s-mode-faq-851057d6-1ee9-b9e5-c30b-93baebeebc85#WindowsVersion=Windows_10
- ↑ http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-win_upgrade/how-much-ram-will-windows-10-use/769c6a0e-82de-4254-ae65-59a84c6a5886
- ↑ https://www.thurrott.com/windows/windows-10/2257/windows-10-minimum-hardware-requirements-for-pc
- ↑ https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/dn915086%28v=vs.85%29.aspx
- ↑ https://windowsreport.com/install-windows-11-without-tpm/
- ↑ https://www.techradar.com/how-to/how-to-upgrade-to-windows-11-without-tpm-20-and-why-you-shouldnt
- ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-and-windows-11-in-s-mode-faq-851057d6-1ee9-b9e5-c30b-93baebeebc85#WindowsVersion=Windows_11
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/compare-windows-11-home-vs-pro-versions
- ↑ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/evaluate-windows-11-enterprise
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11-system-requirements-86c11283-ea52-4782-9efd-7674389a7ba3
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-11-system-requirements
- ↑ http://www.nextofwindows.com/a-list-of-windows-operating-system-version-number
- ↑ http://www.computerhope.com/whow.htm
- ↑ http://www.carrona.org/winreldt.html#31
- ↑ http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/history#T1=era0
External links
- Microsoft Windows Home Page
- Fun satire: Matrix Runs on Windows XP