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. Answer from CodenameFlux on reddit.com
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.
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"
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 15, 2015Videos
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
Fandom
microsoft.fandom.com › wiki › List_of_Microsoft_Windows_versions
List of Microsoft Windows versions
JavaScript is disabled in your browser · Please enable JavaScript to proceed · A required part of this site couldn’t load. This may be due to a browser extension, network issues, or browser settings. Please check your connection, disable any ad blockers, or try using a different browser
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.
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).
Britannica
britannica.com › technology › computers
Microsoft Windows | History, Versions, & Facts | Britannica
2 weeks ago - In 2021 Microsoft released Windows 11, which features a redesigned start menu and faster operating speeds. However, Cortana was removed from the OS because its performance lagged behind virtual assistant competitors such as Siri and Amazon’s Alexa.
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).
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.
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..
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 ...
Digital Trends
digitaltrends.com › home › computing › features
Ranking all 12 versions of Windows, from worst to best - Digital Trends
November 17, 2025 - Games like Age of Empires, Half Life, and the original Unreal helped make Windows 98 the premier desktop gaming platform. Users at the time were a little resentful of Windows 98 being sold as a standalone operating system, considering that it is mostly an upgraded Windows 95 with fewer bugs, but it was still better and earned its place on this list accordingly.
Statcounter
gs.statcounter.com › os-market-share › desktop › worldwide
Desktop Operating System Market Share Worldwide | Statcounter Global Stats
This graph shows the market share of desktop operating systems worldwide based on over 5 billion monthly page views.
BYJUS
byjus.com › govt-exams › microsoft-windows
Microsoft Windows
The image given below shows the different Microsoft Operating Systems along with the year in which they were introduced: Let us understand the different versions of Windows Operating System along with the features of each of them individually.
Published December 23, 2022 Views 4K
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.
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.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Microsoft_Windows
Microsoft Windows - Wikipedia
3 days ago - Windows (unqualified): For a consumer or corporate workstation or tablet. The latest version is Windows 11. Its main competitors are macOS by Apple and Linux for personal computers and iPadOS and Android for tablets (cf. Usage share of operating systems § Market share by category).
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.
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.
Testbook
testbook.com › home › computer awareness › different versions of windows
Different Versions of Windows:Detailed Explanation of all Version
So far there have been multiple versions of Windows, but the latest version of MS windows includes Windows 10, Windows, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP. Let us learn the features of various versions of the Windows Operating System ...
PDQ
pdq.com › blog › worst-windows-operating-systems
The worst Windows operating systems | PDQ
November 20, 2024 - Deploy custom or prebuilt software packages, automate maintenance tasks, and secure your Windows devices — no matter where they are. ... Why it made the list: One word: Metro. One good thing about it: It was an okay experience on tablets. Used with permission from Microsoft. Dying for that touchscreen tablet experience on your desktop PC? Then we have the perfect operating system for you!