Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › List_of_Microsoft_Windows_versions
List of Microsoft Windows versions - Wikipedia
3 days ago - Since Windows XP, multiple further versions of Windows have been released, the most recent of which is Windows 11. Since Windows 10, Microsoft has effectively turned to the "Windows as a service" servicing model, most likely to ensure it competes with mobile operating systems.
Fandom
microsoft.fandom.com › wiki › List_of_Microsoft_Windows_versions
List of Microsoft Windows versions
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What is the actual difference between different Windows versions?
The difference surface between each version is MASSIVE. Even the most careless person cannot help but notice the following landslide changes: Windows Firewall (Windows XP) Windows Security Center (Windows XP SP2) User Account Control (Windows Vista) Internet Explorer 7 (Windows Vista) Desktop Window Manager (Windows Vista) Windows PE/RE, which forever changed how we install Windows (Windows Vista) DirectX 11 (Windows 7) Networking innovations for Wi-Fi, Home Groups and Internet connectivity (Windows 7) Microsoft Store (Windows 8) Microsoft Defender Antivirus, formerly Windows Defender (Windows 8) Mandatory updates that you can postpone, but not indefinitely; their huge size (1 GB) is difficult to miss (Windows 10) Emoji Panel and enhanced Touch Keyboard (Windows 10) Windows Subsystem for Linux (Windows 10) Windows Terminal (Windows 10) Microsoft Edge (Windows 10) A sharp increase in system requirements (Windows 11) Edit: There a blog post on the Confidential Files! detailing the complexities of Windows XP era. It's a list of things the author had to do each time he reinstalled Windows . Newer versions of Windows made that list irrelevant. You can clearly see how massively different Windows was back then. More on reddit.com
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December 2, 2023How would you rank all the Windows releases?
7 - Very mature and stable OS. Very excellent UI, but not that great with touch. 10 - very close second. If 10 had Aero Glass and a few other small things that 7 has, I'd be in heaven. Vista - I loved Vista. I never had a single issue. 7 came out as a better version of Vista (more refined) and took the crown. 8/8.1 - Good OS. Clunky UI on desktop, but excellent on touch (I prefer it on touch). XP - First time I was in a Windows beta, and followed it for a long time. 98SE/98 - Great OS for gaming at the time. 2000 - NT kernel, DirectX. Great combo. 2.0 - My first Windows OS experience (I wanted 1.01, but couldn't get it ... I was still a kid). 3.11 - Fun little OS. 95 - Not very stable, but great UI! ME - It worked fine. But, I jumped to 2000 without having much experience with ME. I used it on other people's machines (fixed it). I didn't have many issues with it, but they sure did. That's all my personal preference. I could rank them based on how I feel about market ranking and perception, reliability and stability, etc., but I don't think that's what the post is about. More on reddit.com
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May 16, 2015Who invented Windows operating system?
Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, ran the development of Windows 1.0, the first version of this operating system. · In 1985, Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows. Although, in theory, Windows was designed to replace MS-DOS, it was in fact a graphical user interface running on top of MS-DOS.
officetimeline.com
officetimeline.com › home › blog › microsoft windows timeline
Microsoft Windows timeline
What are the different versions of Microsoft Windows operating system for mobile devices?
This is a short history of Microsoft’s operating systems for mobile devices:Windows Mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones (currently discontinued) include the following versions:· Windows CE· Pocket PC 2000· Pocket PC 2002· Windows Mobile 2003· Windows Mobile 2003 SE· Windows Mobile 5· Windows Mobile 6· Windows Mobile 6.1· Windows Mobile 6.5 · Windows Phone (WP) mobile operating systems developed by Microsoft for smartphones as the replacement successor to Windows Mobile and Zune (currently discontinued) include the following versions:· Windows Phone 7· Windows Phone
officetimeline.com
officetimeline.com › home › blog › microsoft windows timeline
Microsoft Windows timeline
Is Windows Mobile OS still available?
No. Windows 10 Mobile is a discontinued mobile operating system. Windows Mobile OS is not available for new devices, and existing devices running Windows 10 Mobile are no longer receiving security updates or support from Microsoft. The last version of Windows Mobile, Windows 10 Mobile, reached the end of support on December 2019.
officetimeline.com
officetimeline.com › home › blog › microsoft windows timeline
Microsoft Windows timeline
Videos
09:51
Every Windows Version Explained in 9 Minutes - YouTube
09:40
Windows Evolution: Every Windows Version Explained | 1985–2025 ...
13:36
Every Windows Version Ever Released Explained in Detail - YouTube
Every Windows Version Ever!
05:50
Windows History // Windows Fundamentals // EP 1 - YouTube
17:20
We rank every version of Microsoft Windows! - YouTube
Britannica
britannica.com › technology › computers
List of Windows versions | Operating System, Evolution, & Facts | Britannica
September 5, 2024 - Windows 95 was considered to be more pleasing to the eye than previous versions because of its colorful, user-friendly interface, and it was the first 32-bit OS version (referring to the amount of data that can be processed without issue in a single operation). ... 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. Another significant change was the addition of the Windows Error Reporting service, which allowed users to send reports to Microsoft when their systems malfunctioned.
PCMAG
pcmag.com › home › encyclopedia › w
Definition of Windows versions | PCMag
Windows 95 was the first 32-bit Windows operating system and a major upgrade from Windows 3.1. It used an entirely different user interface that incorporated the now-common Start menu and Taskbar. It was also the first time the computer booted directly into Windows, rather than being loaded ...
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › windows › release-health › supported-versions-windows-client
Supported versions of Windows client | Microsoft Learn
This page offers a list of currently supported versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11, and quick access to end user license agreements.
aspect of history
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Microsoft_Windows_version_history
Microsoft Windows version history - Wikipedia
4 days ago - The first versions of Windows (1.0 through to 3.11) were graphical shells that ran from MS-DOS. Windows 95, though still being based on MS-DOS, was its own operating system. Windows 95 also had a significant amount of 16-bit code ported from Windows 3.1. Windows 95 introduced multiple features that have been part of the product ever since, including the Start menu, the taskbar, and Windows Explorer (renamed File Explorer in Windows 8).
Office Timeline
officetimeline.com › home › blog › microsoft windows timeline
Microsoft Windows timeline
April 22, 2024 - Let’s take a brief look into the history of the world’s most ubiquitous operating system, from its birth to the latest arrivals on the market. The Microsoft Windows timeline illustrates some of the most important releases in the history of the OS, from version 1.0, Windows 95 and the first mobile versions, to Windows 11 and Server 2022.
Gaijin
gaijin.at › en › infos › windows-version-numbers
Windows Version Numbers - Version and build numbers of Microsoft Windows
A list with version and build numbers of Microsoft Windows.
Naming Schemes
namingschemes.com › List_of_Windows_operating_systems
List of Windows operating systems - Naming Schemes
Microsoft Cairo (February 29, 1996) – a "true object-oriented OS", planned after Windows NT 4.0. Microsoft Midori (2003) – codename for a managed code operating system. Retrieved from "https://namingschemes.com/index.php?title=List_of_Windows_operating_systems&oldid=28180"
Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-order-of-Windows-operating-systems
What is the order of Windows operating systems? - Quora
Answer (1 of 3): Windows 1 Windows 2 Windows 286 (first to look like what we think of as “Windows” Windows 386 Windows 3 Windows 3.1 (general considered to be the first version of what we think of as “Windows”.) Windows 3.11 (which was ...
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › windows › win32 › sysinfo › operating-system-version
Operating System Version - Win32 apps | Microsoft Learn
November 5, 2021 - The following table summarizes the most recent operating system version numbers. * For applications that have been manifested for Windows 8.1 or Windows 10. Applications not manifested for Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 will return the Windows 8 OS version value (6.2).
endoflife.date
endoflife.date › windows
Microsoft Windows | endoflife.date
October 3, 2025 - More information is available on the Microsoft Windows website. You should be running one of the supported release numbers listed above in the rightmost column.
Spiceworks
community.spiceworks.com › water cooler
Windows OS's over the years - Water Cooler - Spiceworks Community
Please share yours Windows 3.1 - Revolutionary and Groundbreaking Windows 95 - Felt rushed and nothing to get excited about Windows 98 - 98SE was genius for its time Windows XP - Was a very stable OS after SP2 and I enjoyed it for many years ...
Published September 9, 2021
Reddit
reddit.com › r/windows › what is the actual difference between different windows versions?
r/windows on Reddit: What is the actual difference between different Windows versions?
December 2, 2023 -
When I was a kid I was using WinXP, then it was Win7 through my teenage years and for the last couple of years I've used Win10.
Aside from graphical differences, I personally haven't noticed any differences. Even when you program for WinAPI using the windows.h library it compiles just as well on all of those.
The tutorials almost always work universally, maybe like names and locations of buttons change but that's it.
The origin of my question stemmed from the fact that while Win11 is so bulky not every pc can handle it, WinXP requires only 64MB of RAM.
How does this happen?
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The difference surface between each version is MASSIVE. Even the most careless person cannot help but notice the following landslide changes: Windows Firewall (Windows XP) Windows Security Center (Windows XP SP2) User Account Control (Windows Vista) Internet Explorer 7 (Windows Vista) Desktop Window Manager (Windows Vista) Windows PE/RE, which forever changed how we install Windows (Windows Vista) DirectX 11 (Windows 7) Networking innovations for Wi-Fi, Home Groups and Internet connectivity (Windows 7) Microsoft Store (Windows 8) Microsoft Defender Antivirus, formerly Windows Defender (Windows 8) Mandatory updates that you can postpone, but not indefinitely; their huge size (1 GB) is difficult to miss (Windows 10) Emoji Panel and enhanced Touch Keyboard (Windows 10) Windows Subsystem for Linux (Windows 10) Windows Terminal (Windows 10) Microsoft Edge (Windows 10) A sharp increase in system requirements (Windows 11) Edit: There a blog post on the Confidential Files! detailing the complexities of Windows XP era. It's a list of things the author had to do each time he reinstalled Windows . Newer versions of Windows made that list irrelevant. You can clearly see how massively different Windows was back then.
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There's a lot more to windows than core Win32 APIs. A model T and a Tesla both have steering wheels that work the same way from the user's point of view. But you'd not say they are the same cars..
Microsoft Learn
learn.microsoft.com › en-us › windows › release-health › windows-server-release-info
Windows Server release information | Microsoft Learn
Windows Server 2025 is the current LTSC release. Windows Server, version 23H2 is the latest AC release.
Quora
quora.com › What-are-the-different-types-of-Windows-OS
What are the different types of Windows OS? - Quora
I might miss a couple, but I’m sure others will correct me. The first version was windows 3, then 3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, 2000, Vista, 7, 8, 10, 11. There are other “flavours” for home/ enterprise etc.which are tweaked for different environ...
The Mockupverse Wiki
mockupverse.fandom.com › wiki › Real_Windows_Operating_Systems
Real Windows Operating Systems | The Mockupverse Wiki | Fandom
4 weeks ago - Windows is a series of operating systems developed by Microsoft. For more information on the actual Windows operating systems, please check out another source, such as Wikipedia. The fake operating systems as part of the Windows Never Released series may be based on the official and released ...
PCWorld
pcworld.com › home › feature › windows feature
Every Microsoft Windows operating system, ranked | PCWorld
June 27, 2025 - Windows Millenium Edition (Windows ME) paralleled Windows 2000 as a consumer-first operating system still tied to the legacy of MS-DOS, but didn’t exactly overwhelm users with its new consumer features like Windows Movie Maker and updated versions of Windows Media Player and the Windows DVD Player.
Fandom
microsoft.fandom.com › wiki › List_of_Microsoft_operating_systems
List of Microsoft operating systems | Microsoft Wiki | Fandom
October 29, 2024 - This is a list of Microsoft written and published operating systems. MS-DOS versions Windows Mobile 2003 Windows Mobile 2003 SE Windows Mobile 5.0 Windows Mobile 6.0 Windows Phone 7 (2010) Windows Phone 8 (2012) Windows Phone 8.1 (2014) Xbox system software Xbox 360 system software Xbox One and Series X/S system software Version 1 (1987) Version 1.1 (1988) Version 1.2 (1989) Version 1.3 (1990) Xenix Azure Sphere Azure Linux Nokia X platform CBL-Mariner Windows Subsystem for Linux MS-Net LAN...
AlmaBetter
almabetter.com › bytes › articles › list-of-operating-system
List of Operating System: Top Operating System List for 2025
August 25, 2025 - Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows XP are some of the iconic OS names from this era. 2000s - The Proliferation of Linux: Linux, a Unix-like open-source OS, gained traction in the 2000s, offering a free and flexible alternative to proprietary ...