History Of Microsoft Windows


Microsoft Windows, commonly referred to as Windows, is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families, all of which are developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. Active Microsoft Windows families include Windows NT and Windows IoT; these may encompass subfamilies, (e.g. Windows Server or Windows Embedded Compact) (Windows CE). Defunct Microsoft Windows families include Windows 9x, Windows Mobile, and Windows Phone.


History Of Microsoft Windows

  • MS-DOS

Microsoft Disc Operating System (MS-DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and some operating systems attempting to be compatible with MS-DOS, are sometimes referred to as "DOS". MS-DOS was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s, from which point it was gradually superseded by operating systems offering a graphical user interface, in various generations of the graphical Microsoft Windows operating system. Microsoft launched this MS-DOS in the year 1981.

  • Windows 1.0

Windows 1.0 is a graphical operating environment for personal computers, developed by Microsoft. Microsoft had worked with Apple Computer to develop applications for Apple's 1984 original Macintosh, the first mass-produced personal computer with a graphical user-interface (GUI) that enabled users to see user-friendly icons on screen. Microsoft released Windows 1.0 on November 20, 1985, as the first version of the Microsoft Windows line.


  • Windows 2.0

Windows 2.0 is a 16-bit operating environment from Microsoft released on December 9, 1987, Windows 2.00, Windows 2.01 and Windows 2.03 were shells for the DOS system, providing a graphical user interface for improved interaction than the command-line interface of DOS. 


  • Windows 3.0

Windows 3.0 is the third major release of Microsoft Windows, launched in 1990. Like its predecessors, it is not an operating system, but rather a graphical operating environment that runs on top of DOS. It features a new graphical user interface (GUI) where applications are represented as clickable icons, as opposed to the list of file names seen in its predecessors.


  • Windows 3.1

Windows 3.1 is a series of 16-bit operating environments produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, released on April 6, 1992. The series began with Windows 3.1, which was first sold during April 1992 as a successor to Windows 3.0. Subsequent versions were released between 1992 and 1993, notably Windows 3.11, until the series was superseded by the Windows 9x series starting in 1995 with Windows 95.


  • Windows 95

Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of operating systems. The first operating system in the 9x family, it is the successor to Windows 3.1x, and was released to manufacturing on August 15, 1995, and generally to retail on August 24, 1995. Windows 95 merged Microsoft's formerly separate MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows products, and featured significant improvements over its predecessor, most notably in the graphical user interface and in its simplified "plug-and-play" features. There were also major changes made to the core components of the operating system, such as moving from a mainly cooperatively multitasked 16-bit architecture to a 32-bit preemptive multitasking architecture, at least when running only 32-bit protected mode applications.


  • Windows 98

Windows 98 is an operating system developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows 9x family of Microsoft Windows operating systems. It is the successor to Windows 95, and was released to manufacturing on May 15, 1998, and generally to retail on June 25, 1998. Like its predecessor, it is a hybrid 16-bit and 32-bit monolithic product with the boot stage based on MS-DOS.


  • Windows NT

Windows Server 2022 is an upcoming version of the Windows Server server operating system by Microsoft, as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems, developed concurrently with Windows 10 version 21H2. It was announced at Microsoft's Ignite event from March 2, 2021 to March 4, 2021. Windows Server 2022 will succeed Windows Server 2019.


  • Windows ME

Windows Millennium Edition, or Windows Me (marketed with the pronunciation of the pronoun "me"), is an operating system produced by Microsoft as part of the Windows 9x family of operating systems. It was the direct successor to Windows 98, and was released to manufacturing on June 19, 2000, with retail sales beginning on September 14, 2000.


  • Windows 2000

Windows 2000 is a business-oriented operating system that was produced by Microsoft and was released as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems. It was released to manufacturing on December 15, 1999 and was officially released to retail on February 17, 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, released in 1996, and both Windows 2000 and Windows Me were succeeded by Windows XP in 2001.


  • Windows XP

Windows XP is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was the direct successor to both Windows 2000 for professional users and Windows Me for home users, and it was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, with retail sales beginning on October 25, 2001. It was Microsoft's operating system for use on personal computers such as home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs and media center PCs until replaced by Windows Vista in February 2007.


  • Windows Vista

Windows Vista is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. Development was completed on November 8, 2006, and over the following three months, it was released in stages to computer hardware and software manufacturers, business customers and retail channels. On January 30, 2007, it was released internationally and was made available for purchase and download from the Windows Marketplace; it is the first release of Windows to be made available through a digital distribution platform. The release of Windows Vista came more than five years after the introduction of its predecessor, Windows XP, the longest time span between successive releases of Microsoft Windows desktop operating systems.


  • Windows 7

Windows 7 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and became generally available on October 22, 2009. It is the successor to Windows Vista, released nearly three years earlier. It remained an operating system for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs and media center PCs, and itself was replaced in November 2012 by Windows 8, the name spanning more than three years of the product. Until April 9, 2013, Windows 7 RTM provided content such as security updates, software updates, PC driver updates and technical support, after which installation of Service Pack 1 is required for users to receive support and updates. Windows 7's server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 R2, was released at the same time. The last supported version of Windows based on this operating system was released on July 1, 2011, entitled Windows Embedded POSReady 7. On January 12, 2016, Microsoft ended support for Internet Explorer versions older than Internet Explorer 11 on Windows 7. Extended support ended on January 14, 2020, over ten years after the release of Windows 7, after which the operating system ceased receiving further support or security updates to most users, and all PCs that blocks Windows Update on Windows 7 versions newer than KB4499164 released in May 2019 displays a full-screen upgrade warning notification with an information page link starting from January 15, 2020. A support program is currently available for enterprises, providing security updates for Windows 7 for up to four years since the official end of life. However, Windows Embedded POSReady 7, the last Windows 7 variant, continues to receive security updates until October 2021.


  • Windows 8

Windows 8 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. The product was released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012, and generally to retail on October 26, 2012. Windows 8 was made available for download via MSDN and TechNet and available as a free upgrade for retail copies of Windows 7 users via Windows Update.


  • Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on August 27, 2013, and broadly released for retail sale on October 17, 2013, about a year after the retail release of its predecessor. It was Microsoft's operating system for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs and media center PCs until it was succeeded by Windows 10 on July 29, 2015. Windows 8.1 was made available for download via MSDN and Technet and available as a free upgrade for retail copies of Windows 8 and Windows RT users via the Windows Store. A server counterpart was released on October 18, 2013, entitled Windows Server 2012 R2. Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 8.1 on January 9, 2018, and extended support will end on January 10, 2023.


  • Windows 10

Windows 10 is a series of operating systems developed by Microsoft and released as part of its Windows NT family of operating systems. It is the successor to Windows 8.1, released nearly two years earlier, and was released to manufacturing on July 15, 2015, and broadly released for the general public on July 29, 2015.


Thank You

Yash Vardhan

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