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Posted: June 5, 2002
Products
Windows XP Many longtime PC users trace Windows to the 1990 IN THIS A
Windows 2000 release of Windows 3.0, the first widely popular version
Overview
Windows Embedded of Windows and the first version of Windows many PC
Previous Versions users ever tried. But Microsoft actually released the Windows
Operatin
Technologies first version of Windows six years earlier, in 1985. To
understand the roots of today's Windows operating Windows
Internet Explorer
Illustrate
Windows Media Player systems, we must journey back nearly 20 years.
Windows
DirectX
Systems
Smart Display 1985: Windows 1.0
Windows
Resources The first version of Windows Timeline
Downloads was a milestone product
Trial Software
because it allowed PC users
to switch from the MS-
Windows Catalog
DOS® method of typing
Windows Update
commands at the C prompt
Communities
The Windows 1.0 product box (C:\) to using a mouse to
Support
showed the new tiled windows point and click their way
Training & Events and graphical user interface in
the operating system
through functions, such as
Windows Family starting applications, in the
Information
operating system.
Windows History
Management Servers
Windows 1.0 also allowed users to switch between
Windows Security
several programs—without requiring them to quit and
Related Sites restart individual applications. The product included a
MSDN set of desktop applications, including the MS-DOS file
TechNet management program, a calendar, card file, notepad,
Windows Worldwide calculator, clock, and telecommunications programs,
which helped users manage day-to-day activities.

Even before the Windows 1.0 graphical user

interface, there was this pre-Windows 1.0
Interface Manager

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1987: Windows 2.0

With the second version of Windows, Microsoft took
advantage of the improved processing speed of the
Intel 286 processor, expanded memory, and inter-
application communication capabilities using Dynamic
Data Exchange (DDE). Windows 2.0 featured support
for the VGA graphics standard, and also allowed users
to overlap windows, control screen layout, and use
keyboard combinations to move rapidly through
Windows operations.

Many developers started writing their first Window-

based applications for Windows 2.x. Following the
release of Windows 2.0 was Windows/386 2.03, which
took advantage of the protected mode and extended
memory capabilities of the Intel 386 processor.

Subsequent Windows releases continued to improve the

speed, reliability, and usability of the PC, and improved
the interface design and capabilities.

1990: Windows 3.0

Microsoft's first mainstream computing platform offered
32-bit performance, advanced graphics, and full
support of the more powerful Intel 386 processor. A
new wave of 386 PCs helped drive the popularity of
Windows 3.0, which offered a wide range of new
features and capabilities, including:

„ Program Manager, File Manager, and Print Manager

„ A completely rewritten application development
environment with modular virtual device drivers
(VxDs), native support for applications running in
extended memory, and fully pre-emptive MS-DOS
multitasking
„ An improved set of Windows icons

The popularity of Windows 3.0 blossomed with the

release of a completely new Windows software
development kit (SDK), which helped software
developers focus more on writing applications and less
on writing device drivers. Widespread acceptance
among third-party hardware and software developers
helped fuel the success of Windows 3.0.

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Windows 3.0 featured a new File Manager

1993: Windows for Workgroups 3.11

A superset of Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups
3.11 added peer-to-peer workgroup and domain
networking support. For the first time, Windows PCs
were natively network-aware and became an integral
part of the emerging client/server computing evolution.

Windows for Workgroups was used in local area

networks (LANs) and on stand-alone PCs and laptop
computers. It added features of special interest to
corporate users, such as centralized configuration and
security, significantly improved support for Novell
NetWare networks, and remote access service (RAS).
Windows for Workgroups also offered the performance
benefits of Microsoft's new 32-bit file system.

1993: Windows NT 3.1

The release to manufacturing of Microsoft Windows
NT® on July 27, 1993, marked an important milestone
for Microsoft. It completed a project Microsoft began in
the late 1980s to build an advanced new operating
system from scratch. "Windows NT represents nothing
less than a fundamental change in the way that
companies can address their business computing
requirements," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said at its
release.

Windows NT was the first Windows operating system to

combine support for high-end client/server business
applications with the industry's leading personal
productivity applications. The operating system broke
new ground in security, operating system power,
performance, desktop scalability, and reliability with a

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range of key new features. These included a pre-

emptive multitasking scheduler for Windows-based
applications, integrated networking, domain server
security, OS/2 and POSIX subsystems, support for
multiple processor architectures, and the NTFS file
system.

Windows NT 3.1 contained overlapping windows and other features

similar to Windows 3.1

The new operating system began with version 3.1 in

order to maintain consistency with Windows 3.1, which
at the time was a well-established operating system for
both home and business users.

Windows NT was geared toward business users and was

initially available in both a desktop (workstation)
version and a server version called Windows NT
Advanced Server. The desktop version was well
received by developers because of its security, stability,
and rich Microsoft Win32® application programming
interface (API)—a combination that made it easier to
support powerful programs.

Windows NT was a strategic platform that could

integrate client/server applications with existing
Windows-based desktop applications, or function as a
technical workstation to run high-end engineering or
scientific applications.

1993: Windows NT Workstation 3.5

Windows NT Workstation 3.5 supported the OpenGL
graphics standard, which helped power high-end
applications for software development, engineering,
financial analysis, scientific, and business-critical tasks.

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The Windows NT Workstation 3.5 release provided the

highest degree of protection yet for critical business
applications and data. The product also offered 32-bit
performance improvements, better application support,
including support for NetWare file and print servers,
and improved productivity features, such as the
capability to give files 255-character names.

1995: Windows 95
Windows 95 was the successor to Microsoft's three
existing general-purpose desktop operating systems—
Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups, and MS-DOS.
Windows 95 included an integrated 32-bit TCP/IP stack
for built-in Internet support, dial-up networking, and
new Plug and Play capabilities that made it easy for
users to install hardware and software.

The 32-bit operating system also offered enhanced

multimedia capabilities, more powerful features for
mobile computing, and integrated networking. In order
to keep memory requirements to a minimum, it did not
include support for such features as system-level
security or Unicode, which came later.

1996: Windows NT Workstation 4.0

This upgrade to Microsoft's business desktop operating
system brought increased ease of use and simplified
management, higher network throughput, and a
complete set of tools for developing and managing
intranets.

Windows NT Workstation 4.0 included the popular

Windows 95 user interface and improved networking
support, providing secure, easy access to the Internet
and corporate intranets.

In October 1998, Microsoft announced that Windows NT

would no longer carry the initials NT," and that the
next major version of the operating system would be
called Windows 2000.

1998: Windows 98
Windows 98 was the upgrade to Windows 95. Described
as an operating system that "Works Better, Plays
Better," Windows 98 was the first version of Windows
designed specifically for consumers.

Windows 98 enabled users to find PC- or Internet-

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based information easily, it opened and closed

applications more quickly, and it included support for
reading DVD discs and connecting to universal serial
bus (USB) devices.

1999: Windows 98 Second Edition

Microsoft Windows 98 SE, as it was often abbreviated,
was an incremental update to Windows 98. It offered
consumers a variety of new and enhanced hardware
compatibility and Internet-related features.

Windows 98 SE delivered an improved online

experience with Internet Explorer 5 browser software
and Microsoft Windows NetMeeting® version 3.0
conferencing software. It also included Microsoft
DirectX® API 6.1, which delivered a variety of Windows
multimedia improvements, and offered home
networking capabilities through Internet connection
sharing (ICS). Windows 98 SE was also Microsoft's first
consumer operating system capable of using device
drivers that also worked with the Windows NT business
operating system.

2000: Windows Millennium Edition

(Windows Me)
Windows Me offered consumers numerous music,
video, and home networking enhancements and
reliability improvements.

System Restore let users roll back their PC software

configuration to a date or time before a problem
occurred. Windows Movie Maker provided users with
the tools to digitally edit, save, and share home videos.
Microsoft Windows Media™ Player 7 technologies
allowed users to easily find, organize, and play digital
media.

Windows Me was the last Microsoft operating system to

be based on the Windows 95 kernel. Microsoft
announced that all future operating system products
would be based on the Windows NT and Windows 2000
kernel.

2000: Windows 2000 Professional

Windows 2000 Professional
was the upgrade to Windows
NT Workstation 4.0, but it
was more than just that.

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Windows 2000 Professional

was designed to replace Windows 95, Windows 98, and
Windows NT Workstation 4.0 on all business desktops
and laptops. Built on top of the proven Windows NT
Workstation 4.0 code base, Windows 2000 added major
improvements in reliability, ease of use, Internet
compatibility, and support for mobile computing.

Windows 2000 Professional also made hardware

installation much easier than it was with Windows NT
Workstation 4.0 by adding support for a wide variety of
new Plug and Play hardware, including advanced
networking and wireless products, USB devices, IEEE
1394 devices, and infrared devices.

2001: Windows XP
Windows XP is a unifying leap forward for desktop
operating systems. With the release of Windows XP
Home Edition and Windows XP Professional in October
2001, Microsoft succeeded in merging its two Windows
operating system lines for consumers and businesses,
uniting them around the Windows NT and Windows
2000 code base.

With Windows XP, consumers and home users now

have performance, stability, and security that business
users benefited from in Windows 2000.

Windows XP also includes the broad base of application

and hardware compatibility of Windows 98 and
Windows Me, while adding new tech-support
technology, a fresh user interface, and many other
improvements that make it easier to use for a broad
range of tasks.

Windows XP is available in two main versions,

Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home
Edition, as well as a 64-bit edition, Windows XP 64-Bit
Edition, for power users with workstations that use the
Intel Itanium 64-bit processor.

2001: Windows XP Professional

Windows XP Professional benefits from the long track
record of Microsoft Windows NT technology: superior
operating system performance, including preemptive
multitasking, fault tolerance, and system memory
protection.

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Windows XP Professional also offers a redesigned

interface and includes features for business and
advanced home computing, including Remote Desktop,
encrypting file system, system restore and advanced
networking features. It also offers numerous key
enhancements such as wireless 802.1x networking
support, Windows Messenger, Remote Assistance, and
the System Restore feature.

2001: Windows XP Home Edition

Windows XP Home Edition offers a clean, simplified
visual design that makes frequently accessed features
more accessible. The product offers many
enhancements aimed at home users such as the
Network Setup Wizard, Microsoft Windows Media™
Player, Windows Movie Maker, and enhanced digital
photo capabilities.

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