PROJECT

IN CS 342

Submitted by: Perez, John Carlo S.

Submitted to: Jerome Tan Alvez

HISTORY OF WINDOWS

This article is about the history of Microsoft's graphical operating system. If you are

looking for just a list of all versions made, see List of Microsoft Windows versions.

On November 10, 1983, Microsoft announced Windows, a graphical user interface

(GUI) for MS-DOS and a competitor to the Macintosh operating system. The product

line eventually changed from a mere GUI for DOS into a fully complete, modern

operating system over two lines of development, each with their own separate

codebase.

The first versions of Windows (1.0 through to 3.11) were actually just programs run from

MS-DOS which then took over the screen and launched an application called Program

Manager; later on, Windows 95, though still being based on MS-DOS, was its own

operating system, using a 16-bit DOS-based kernel and a 32-bit user space. Windows

95 introduced many staple features that remain in current updated versions of Windows

today, including the Start menu, the taskbar, and Windows Explorer (renamed File

Explorer in Windows 8). In 1997, Microsoft released Internet Explorer 4 which included

the (at the time) controversial Windows Desktop Update, which aimed to integrate

Internet Explorer and the worldwide web into the user interface and also brought many

new features into Windows, such as the ability to display JPEG images as the desktop

wallpaper and single window navigation in Windows Explorer, all of which still exist in

Windows today. In 1998, Microsoft released Windows 98, which also included the
Windows Desktop Update and Internet Explorer 4 by default. The inclusion of Internet

Explorer 4 and the Desktop Update led to an infamous anti-trust case. Windows 98 also

included plug and play, which allowed devices to simply work when plugged in instead

of requiring a system reboot, and USB support out of the box, which was previously only

available in specially updated versions of Windows 95 which were only shipped to

computer manufacturers and not available to the general public. Windows ME, the last

DOS-based version of Windows, was aimed at consumers and released in 2000. It

introduced the Help and Support Center, System Restore, and updated user-friendly

versions of the Disk Defragmenter and other system tools.

In 1993, Microsoft released Windows NT 3.1, the first version of the newly developed

Windows NT operating system. It was not based on DOS and, as a result, was a fully

32-bit operating system, unlike the hybrid 16-bit kernel, 32-bit applications model used

in Windows 95, 98 and Me. At the same time, it introduced NTFS, a file system

designed to replace the inferior File Allocation Table (FAT) which was used by DOS and

the DOS-based Windows operating systems. In 1996, Windows NT 4.0 was released,

which included a fully 32-bit version of Windows Explorer written specifically for it,

making the operating system work just like Windows 95. Windows NT was originally

designed to be used on high-end systems and servers, however with the release of

Windows 2000 (codenamed NT 5.0), many consumer-oriented features from Windows

95 and Windows 98 were included, such as the Windows Desktop Update, Internet

Explorer 5, USB support and Windows Media Player. These consumer-oriented

features were continued and further extended in Windows XP, which introduced a new
theme called Luna, a more user-friendly interface, updated versions of Windows Media

Player and Internet Explorer , and extended features from Windows Me, such as the

Help and Support Center and System Restore, all while retaining the robustness and

stability of Windows 2000's kernel. Windows Vista focused on securing the Windows

operating system against computer viruses and other malicious software by introducing

features such as User Account Control, while also including many consumer features

such as Windows Aero, updated versions of the standard games (Solitaire, etc.) to

show of the 3D capabilities of Vista, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Mail to

replace Outlook Express. Despite this, Windows Vista was critically panned for its poor

performance on older hardware and its at-the-time high system requirements. Windows

7, as such, was focused on simplifying Windows Vista. Despite technically having

higher system requirements reviewers noted that it ran better than Windows Vista did.

Windows 7 also removed many extra features, such as Windows Movie Maker,

Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Mail, instead requiring users download a

separate Windows Live Essentials to gain those features and other online services.

Windows 8 and Windows 8.1, a free upgrade for Windows 8, introduced many

controversial features, such as the removal of the Start menu and the introduction of the

Start Screen, the removal of the Aero glass interface in favor of a flat, colored interface

as well as the introduction of "Metro" apps (later renamed Universal Windows Platform

apps) and the Charms Bar user interface element, all of which were criticized.

The current version of Windows, Windows 10, reintroduced the Start menu, while

retaining the Universal Platform apps, but instead allowing them to run in a window

instead of always in full screen. Windows 10 was very well received, with many
reviewers stating that Windows 10 is what Windows 8 should have been. Windows 10

also marks the last version of Windows to be traditionally released. For the future,

Microsoft will no longer release new versions of Windows and instead introduce major

updates to the operating system that add new features, so far 3 of which have been

released.

Introduction of Windows

Windows is Microsoft’s flagship operating system, the de facto standard for home and

business computers. The GUI-based OS was introduced in1985 and has been released

in many versions since then, as described below. Microsoft got its start with the

partnership of Bill Gates and Paul Allen in 1975. Gates and Allen co-developed Xenix (a

version of Unix) and also collaborated on a BASIC interpreter for the Altair 8800. The

company was incorporated in 1981.

Microsoft became famous with the release of MS DOS, a text-based command line-

driven operating system. DOS was mostly based on a purchased intellectual

property, QDOS. GUI-based operating systems of that time included Xerox's Alto,

released in 1979, and Apple’s LISA and Macintosh systems, which came later.

Microsoft’s die-hard fans referred to such systems derogatorily as WIMPs, which stood

for “windows, icons, mouse and pull-down menus (or pointers).”

However, Bill Gates saw the potential in GUI-based systems as much as Steve Jobs

had and thus began his idea for a project he called Interface Manager. Gates thought
he could bring the graphical user interface to the masses at a lower cost than the

$9,000 LISA. The rest of Microsoft supported this idea as well but weren’t satisfied with

the name. Ironically, given their disparagement of WIMPs, the team selected Windows

as the new system’s name.

With Windows development, Bill Gates, Paul Allen and Steve Ballmer had begun

perhaps the single-most influential collaboration in computer software history. The

Windows OS has always had competition, some of which has been free, and some of

which has had an edge in style. However, no other operating system is as well known to

so many computer users all over the world or so consistently dominant in market share.

Microsoft has maintained this position with a steady roll-out of new versions over the

years to support and exploit advances in hardware.

Before the system’s first release, however, Steve Jobs and Apple filed suit claiming that

Windows stole from LISA. Microsoft claimed that both operating systems derived

inspiration from Xerox’s Alto and that this was the source of their similarities. The matter

was settled with an agreement that Windows 1.0 would not use the debated

technologies, but the terms were left open for future versions.

Windows 1.x
The first independent version of Microsoft Windows, version 1.0, released on November

20, 1985, achieved little popularity. The project was briefly codenamed "Interface

Manager" before the windowing system was developed - contrary to popular belief that

it was the original name for Windows and Rowland Hanson, the head of marketing at

Microsoft, convinced the company that the name Windows would be more appealing to

customers

Windows 1.0 was not a complete operating system, but rather an "operating

environment" that extended MS-DOS, and shared the latter's inherent flaws and

problems.

The first version of Microsoft Windows included a simple graphics painting program

called Windows Paint; Windows Write, a simple word processor; an appointment

calendar; a card-filer; a notepad; a clock; a control panel; a computer terminal;

Clipboard; and RAM driver. It also included the MS-DOS Executive and a game called

Reversi.

Microsoft had worked with Apple Computer to develop applications for Apple's new

Macintosh computer, which featured a graphical user interface. As part of the related

business negotiations, Microsoft had licensed certain aspects of the Macintosh user

interface from Apple; in later litigation, a district court summarized these aspects as

"screen displays". In the development of Windows 1.0, Microsoft intentionally limited its

borrowing of certain GUI elements from the Macintosh user interface, to comply with its
license. For example, windows were only displayed "tiled" on the screen; that is, they

could not overlap or overlie one another.

Versions

Windows 1.01

Version 1.01, released in 1985, was the first point-release after Windows 1.00

Windows 1.02

Version 1.02, released in May 1986, was an international release.

Windows 1.03

Version 1.03, released in August 1986, included enhancements that made it consistent

with the international release. It included drivers for European keyboards and additional

screen and printer drivers.

Windows 1.04

Version 1.04, released in April 1987, added support for the new IBM PS/2 computers,

although no support for PS/2 mice or new VGA graphics modes was provided.[10] At the

same time, Microsoft and IBM announced the introduction of OS/2 and its graphical

OS/2 Presentation Manager, which were supposed to ultimately replace both MS-

DOS and Windows. In November 1987, Windows 1.0 was succeeded by Windows 2.0.
Microsoft supported Windows 1.0 for 16 years, until December 31, 2001 – the longest

out of all versions of Windows.

Windows 2.x

Microsoft Windows version 2 came out on December 9, 1987, and proved slightly more

popular than its predecessor. Much of the popularity for Windows 2.0 came by way of its

inclusion as a "run-time version" with Microsoft's new graphical applications, Excel and

Word for Windows. They could be run from MS-DOS, executing Windows for the

duration of their activity, and closing down Windows upon exit.

Microsoft Windows received a major boost around this time when Aldus PageMaker

appeared in a Windows version, having previously run only on Macintosh. Some

computer historians date this, the first appearance of a significant and non-Microsoft

application for Windows, as the start of the success of Windows.

Versions 2.0x

used the real-mode memory model, which confined it to a maximum of 1 megabyte of

memory. In such a configuration, it could run under another multitasker like DESQview,

which used the 286 protected mode.

Later, two new versions were released: Windows/286 2.1 and Windows/386 2.1. Like

prior versions of Windows, Windows/286 2.1 used the real-mode memory model, but

was the first version to support the High Memory Area. Windows/386 2.1 had a

protected mode kernel with LIM-standard EMS emulation. All Windows and DOS-based

applications at the time were real mode, running over the protected mode kernel by

using the virtual 8086 mode, which was new with the 80386 processor.
Version 2.03, and later 3.0, faced challenges from Apple over its overlapping windows

and other features Apple charged mimicked the ostensibly copyrighted "look and feel" of

its operating system and "embodied and generated a copy of the Macintosh" in its OS.

Judge William Schwarzer dropped all but 10 of Apple's 189 claims of copyright

infringement, and ruled that most of the remaining 10 were over uncopyrightable ideas.

Windows 3.0

Windows 3.0, released in May 1990, improved capabilities given to native applications.

It also allowed users to better multitask older MS-DOS based software compared to

Windows/386, thanks to the introduction of virtual memory.

Windows 3.0's user interface finally resembled a serious competitor to the user interface

of the Macintosh computer. PCs had improved graphics by this time, due to VGA video

cards, and the protected/enhanced mode allowed Windows applications to use more

memory in a more painless manner than their DOS counterparts could. Windows 3.0

could run in real, standard, or 386 enhanced modes, and was compatible with any Intel

processor from the 8086/8088 up to the 80286 and 80386. This was the first version to

run Windows programs in protected mode, although the 386 enhanced mode kernel

was an enhanced version of the protected mode kernel in Windows/386.

Windows 3.0 received two updates. A few months after introduction, Windows 3.0a was

released as a maintenance release, resolving bugs and improving stability. A

"multimedia" version, Windows 3.0 with Multimedia Extensions 1.0, was released in

October 1991. This was bundled with "multimedia upgrade kits", comprising a CD-ROM

drive and a sound card, such as the Creative Labs Sound Blaster Pro. This version was
the precursor to the multimedia features available in Windows 3.1 (first released in April

1992) and later, and was part of Microsoft's specification for the Multimedia PC.

The features listed above and growing market support from application software

developers made Windows 3.0 wildly successful, selling around 10 million copies in the

two years before the release of version 3.1. Windows 3.0 became a major source of

income for Microsoft, and led the company to revise some of its earlier plans. Support

was discontinued on December 31, 2001.

OS/2

During the mid to late 1980s, Microsoft and IBM had cooperatively been

developing OS/2 as a successor to DOS. OS/2 would take full advantage of the

aforementioned protected mode of the Intel 80286 processor and up to 16 MB of

memory. OS/2 1.0, released in 1987, supported swapping and multitasking and allowed

running of DOS executables.

A GUI, called the Presentation Manager (PM), was not available with OS/2 until version

1.1, released in 1988. Its API was incompatible with Windows. Version 1.2, released in

1989, introduced a new file system, HPFS, to replace the FAT file system.

By the early 1990s, conflicts developed in the Microsoft/IBM relationship. They

cooperated with each other in developing their PC operating systems, and had access

to each other's code. Microsoft wanted to further develop Windows, while IBM desired

for future work to be based on OS/2. In an attempt to resolve this tension, IBM and

Microsoft agreed that IBM would develop OS/2 2.0, to replace OS/2 1.3 and Windows
3.0, while Microsoft would develop a new operating system, OS/2 3.0, to later succeed

OS/2 2.0.

This agreement soon however fell apart, and the Microsoft/IBM relationship was

terminated. IBM continued to develop OS/2, while Microsoft changed the name of its (as

yet unreleased) OS/2 3.0 to Windows NT. Both retained the rights to use OS/2 and

Windows technology developed up to the termination of the agreement; Windows NT,

however, was to be written anew, mostly independently (see below).

After an interim 1.3 version to fix up many remaining problems with the 1.x series, IBM

released OS/2 version 2.0 in 1992. This was a major improvement: it featured a new,

object-oriented GUI, the Workplace Shell (WPS), that included a desktop and was

considered by many to be OS/2's best feature. Microsoft would later imitate much of it in

Windows 95. Version 2.0 also provided a full 32-bit API, offered smooth multitasking

and could take advantage of the 4 gigabytes of address space provided by the Intel

80386. Still, much of the system had 16-bit code internally which required, among other

things, device drivers to be 16-bit code also. This was one of the reasons for the chronic

shortage of OS/2 drivers for the latest devices. Version 2.0 could also run DOS and

Windows 3.0 programs, since IBM had retained the right to use the DOS and Windows

code as a result of the breakup.

Windows 3.1

In response to the impending release of OS/2 2.0, Microsoft developed Windows

3.1 (first released in April 1992), which included several improvements to Windows 3.0,

such as display of TrueType scalable fonts (developed jointly with Apple), improved disk

performance in 386 Enhanced Mode, multimedia support, and bugfixes. It also removed
Real Mode, and only ran on an 80286 or better processor. Later Microsoft also released

Windows 3.11, a touch-up to Windows 3.1 which included all of the patches and

updates that followed the release of Windows 3.1 in 1992.

 In 1992 and 1993, Microsoft released Windows for Workgroups (WfW), which was

available both as an add-on for existing Windows 3.1 installations and in a version

that included the base Windows environment and the networking extensions all in

one package. Windows for Workgroups included improved network drivers and

protocol stacks, and support for peer-to-peer networking. There were two versions

of Windows for Workgroups, WfW 3.1 and WfW 3.11. Unlike prior versions,

Windows for Workgroups 3.11 ran in 386 Enhanced Mode only, and needed at least

an 80386SX processor. One optional download for WfW was the "Wolverine"

TCP/IP protocol stack, which allowed for easy access to the Internet through

corporate networks.

All these versions continued version 3.0's impressive sales pace. Even though the 3.1x

series still lacked most of the important features of OS/2, such as long file names, a

desktop, or protection of the system against misbehaving applications, Microsoft quickly

took over the OS and GUI markets for the IBM PC. The Windows API became the de

facto standard for consumer software.

Windows NT 3.X

Meanwhile, Microsoft continued to develop Windows NT. The main architect of the

system was Dave Cutler, one of the chief architects of VMS at Digital Equipment

Corporation (later acquired by Compaq, now part of Hewlett-Packard). Microsoft hired

him in October 1988 to create a successor to OS/2, but Cutler created a completely new

system instead. Cutler had been developing a follow-on to VMS at DEC called Mica,

and when DEC dropped the project he brought the expertise and around 20 engineers

with him to Microsoft. DEC also believed he brought Mica's code to Microsoft and

sued. Microsoft eventually paid US$150 million and agreed to support

DEC's Alpha CPU chip in NT.

Windows NT Workstation (Microsoft marketing wanted Windows NT to appear to be a

continuation of Windows 3.1) arrived in Beta form to developers at the July

1992 Professional Developers Conference in San Francisco. Microsoft announced at

the conference its intentions to develop a successor to both Windows NT and Windows

3.1's replacement (Windows 95, codenamed Chicago), which would unify the two into

one operating system. This successor was codenamed Cairo. In hindsight, Cairo was a

much more difficult project than Microsoft had anticipated and, as a result, NT and

Chicago would not be unified until Windows XP—albeit Windows 2000, oriented to

business, had already unified most of the system’s bolts and gears, it was XP that was

sold to home consumers like Windows 95 and came to be viewed as the final unified

OS. Parts of Cairo have still not made it into Windows as of 2017 - most notably,

the WinFS file system, which was the much touted Object File System of Cairo.

Microsoft announced that they have discontinued the separate release of WinFS for

Windows XP and Windows Vista and will gradually incorporate the technologies

developed for WinFS in other products and technologies, notably Microsoft SQL Server.

Driver support was lacking due to the increased programming difficulty in dealing with

NT's superior hardware abstraction model. This problem plagued the NT line all the way
through Windows 2000. Programmers complained that it was too hard to write drivers

for NT, and hardware developers were not going to go through the trouble of developing

drivers for a small segment of the market. Additionally, although allowing for good

performance and fuller exploitation of system resources, it was also resource-intensive

on limited hardware, and thus was only suitable for larger, more expensive machines.

However, these same features made Windows NT perfect for the LAN server market

(which in 1993 was experiencing a rapid boom, as office networking was becoming

common). NT also had advanced network connectivity options and NTFS, an efficient

file system. Windows NT version 3.51 was Microsoft's entry into this field, and took

away market share from Novell (the dominant player) in the following years.

One of Microsoft's biggest advances initially developed for Windows NT was a new 32-

bit API, to replace the legacy 16-bit Windows API. This API was called Win32, and from

then on Microsoft referred to the older 16-bit API as Win16. The Win32 API had three

levels implementations: the complete one for Windows NT, a subset for Chicago

(originally called Win32c) missing features primarily of interest to enterprise customers

(at the time) such as security and Unicode support, and a more limited subset

called Win32s which could be used on Windows 3.1 systems. Thus Microsoft sought to

ensure some degree of compatibility between the Chicago design and Windows NT,

even though the two systems had radically different internal architectures. Windows NT

was the first Windows operating system based on a hybrid kernel.

As released, Windows NT 3.x went through three versions (3.1, 3.5, and 3.51); changes

were primarily internal and reflected back end changes. The 3.5 release added support

for new types of hardware and improved performance and data reliability; the 3.51
release was primarily to update the Win32 APIs to be compatible with software being

written for the Win32c APIs in what became Windows 95.

Windows 95

After Windows 3.11, Microsoft began to develop a new consumer oriented version of

the operating system codenamed Chicago. Chicago was designed to have support for

32-bit preemptive multitasking like OS/2 and Windows NT, although a 16-bit kernel

would remain for the sake of backward compatibility. The Win32 API first introduced

with Windows NT was adopted as the standard 32-bit programming interface, with

Win16 compatibility being preserved through a technique known as "thunking". A

new object oriented GUI was not originally planned as part of the release, although

elements of the Cairo user interface were borrowed and added as other aspects of the

release (notably Plug and Play) slipped.

Microsoft did not change all of the Windows code to 32-bit; parts of it remained 16-bit

(albeit not directly using real mode) for reasons of compatibility, performance, and

development time. Additionally it was necessary to carry over design decisions from

earlier versions of Windows for reasons of backwards compatibility, even if these design

decisions no longer matched a more modern computing environment. These factors

eventually began to impact the operating system's efficiency and stability.

Microsoft marketing adopted Windows 95 as the product name for Chicago when it was

released on August 24, 1995. Microsoft had a double gain from its release: first, it made

it impossible for consumers to run Windows 95 on a cheaper, non-Microsoft DOS;

secondly, although traces of DOS were never completely removed from the system and
MS DOS 7 would be loaded briefly as a part of the booting process, Windows 95

applications ran solely in 386 enhanced mode, with a flat 32-bit address space

and virtual memory. These features make it possible for Win32 applications to address

up to 2 gigabytes of virtual RAM (with another 2 GB reserved for the operating system),

and in theory prevented them from inadvertently corrupting the memory space of other

Win32 applications. In this respect the functionality of Windows 95 moved closer

to Windows NT, although Windows 95/98/ME did not support more than

512 megabytes of physical RAM without obscure system tweaks.

IBM continued to market OS/2, producing later versions in OS/2 3.0 and 4.0 (also called

Warp). Responding to complaints about OS/2 2.0's high demands on computer

hardware, version 3.0 was significantly optimized both for speed and size. Before

Windows 95 was released, OS/2 Warp 3.0 was even shipped preinstalled with several

large German hardware vendor chains. However, with the release of Windows 95, OS/2

began to lose market share.

It is probably impossible to choose one specific reason why OS/2 failed to gain much

market share. While OS/2 continued to run Windows 3.1 applications, it lacked support

for anything but the Win32s subset of Win32 API (see above). Unlike with Windows 3.1,

IBM did not have access to the source code for Windows 95 and was unwilling to

commit the time and resources to emulate the moving target of the Win32 API. IBM later

introduced OS/2 into the United States v. Microsoft case, blaming unfair marketing

tactics on Microsoft's part.

Microsoft went on to release five different versions of Windows 95:

 Windows 95 - original release

 Windows 95 A - included Windows 95 OSR1 slipstreamed into the installation.

 Windows 95 B - (OSR2) included several major enhancements, Internet

Explorer (IE) 3.0 and full FAT32 file system support.

 Windows 95 B USB - (OSR2.1) included basic USB support.

 Windows 95 C - (OSR2.5) included all the above features, plus IE 4.0. This was the

last 95 version produced.

OSR2, OSR2.1, and OSR2.5 were not released to the general public; rather, they were

available only to OEMs that would preload the OS onto computers. Some companies

sold new hard drives with OSR2 preinstalled (officially justifying this as needed due to

the hard drive's capacity).

The first Microsoft Plus! add-on pack was sold for Windows 95.

Windows NT 4.0

Windows NT 4.0 was the successor of 3.51 (1995) and 3.5 (1994). Microsoft released

Windows NT 4.0 to manufacturing in July 1996, one year after the release of Windows

95. Major new features included the new Explorer shell from Windows 95, scalability

and feature improvements to the core architecture, kernel, USER32, COM and MSRPC.

Windows NT 4.0 came in four versions:

 Windows NT 4.0 Workstation

 Windows NT 4.0 Server

 Windows NT 4.0 Server, Enterprise Edition (includes support for 8-

way SMP and clustering)

 Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server

Windows 98

On June 25, 1998, Microsoft released Windows 98 (codenamed Memphis). It included

new hardware drivers and the FAT32 file system which supports disk partitions that are

larger than 2 GB (first introduced in Windows 95 OSR2). USB support in Windows 98 is

marketed as a vast improvement over Windows 95. The release continued the

controversial inclusion of the Internet Explorer browser with the operating system that

started with Windows 95 OEM Service Release 1. The action eventually led to the filing

of the United States v. Microsoft case, dealing with the question of whether Microsoft

was introducing unfair practices into the market in an effort to eliminate competition from

other companies such as Netscape.

In 1999, Microsoft released Windows 98 Second Edition, an interim release. One of the

more notable new features was the addition of Internet Connection Sharing, a form

of network address translation, allowing several machines on a LAN (Local Area

Network) to share a single Internet connection. Hardware support through device

drivers was increased and this version shipped with Internet Explorer 5. Many minor

problems that existed in the first edition were fixed making it, according to many, the

most stable release of the Windows 9x family.

WINDOWS 2000

Microsoft released Windows 2000 on February 17, 2000. It has the version number

Windows NT 5.0. Windows 2000 has had four official service packs. It was successfully

deployed both on the server and the workstation markets. Amongst Windows 2000's

most significant new features was Active Directory, a near-complete replacement of the

NT 4.0 Windows Server domain model, which built on industry-standard technologies

like DNS, LDAP, and Kerberos to connect machines to one another. Terminal Services,

previously only available as a separate edition of NT 4, was expanded to all server

versions. A number of features from Windows 98 were incorporated also, such as an

improved Device Manager, Windows Media Player, and a revised DirectX that made it

possible for the first time for many modern games to work on the NT kernel. Windows

2000 is also the last NT-kernel Windows operating system to lack product activation.

While Windows 2000 upgrades were available for Windows 95 and Windows 98, it was

not intended for home users.

Windows 2000 was available in four editions:

 Windows 2000 Professional

 Windows 2000 Server

 Windows 2000 Advanced Server

 Windows 2000 Datacenter Server

Windows ME

In September 2000, Microsoft released a successor to Windows 98 called Windows ME,

short for "Millennium Edition". It was the last DOS-based operating system from

Microsoft. Windows ME introduced a new multimedia-editing application

called Windows Movie Maker, came standard with Internet Explorer 5.5 and Windows

Media Player 7, and debuted the first version of System Restore – a recovery utility that

enables the operating system to revert system files back to a prior date and time.

System Restore was a notable feature that would continue to thrive in later versions of

Windows, including XP, Vista, and Windows 7.

Windows ME was conceived as a quick one-year project that served as a stopgap

release between Windows 98 and Windows XP. Many of the new features were

available from the Windows Update site as updates for older Windows versions (System

Restore and Windows Movie Maker were exceptions). Windows ME was criticized for

stability issues, as well as for lacking real mode DOS support, to the point of being

referred to as the "Mistake Edition" or "Many Errors." Windows ME was the last

operating system to be based on the Windows 9x (monolithic) kernel and MS-DOS.

Windows XP and Server 2003

On October 25, 2001, Microsoft released Windows XP (codenamed "Whistler"). The

merging of the Windows NT/2000 and Windows 95/98/Me lines was finally achieved

with Windows XP. Windows XP uses the Windows NT 5.1 kernel, marking the entrance

of the Windows NT core to the consumer market, to replace the aging 16/32-bit branch.
The initial release met with considerable criticism, particularly in the area of security,

leading to the release of three major Service Packs. Windows XP SP1 was released in

September 2002, SP2 came out in August 2004 and SP3 came out in April 2008.

Service Pack 2 provided significant improvements and encouraged widespread

adoption of XP among both home and business users. Windows XP lasted longer as

Microsoft's flagship operating system than any other version of Windows, from October

25, 2001 to January 30, 2007 when it was succeeded by Windows Vista.

Windows XP is available in a number of versions:

 Windows XP Home Edition, for home desktops and laptops - lacked features such

as joining Active Directory Domain, Remote Desktop Server and Internet Information

Services Server.

 Windows XP Home Edition N, as above, but without a default installation

of Windows Media Player, as mandated by a European Union ruling

 Windows XP Professional, for business and power users contained all features in

Home Edition.

 Windows XP Professional N, as above, but without a default installation of

Windows Media Player, as mandated by a European Union ruling

 Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE), released in October 2002 for desktops

and notebooks with an emphasis on home entertainment. Contained all features

offered in Windows XP Professional and the Windows Media Center. Subsequent

versions are the same but have an updated Windows Media Center.

 Windows XP Media Center Edition 2003

  Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004

 Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, released on October 12, 2004.

Included Windows XP Service Pack 2, the Royale Windows Theme and joining a

Windows Active Directory Domain is disabled. The Aquarium, Da Vinci, Nature

and Space themes are retained from Windows XP Plus!

 Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, for tablet PCs

 Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005

 Windows XP Embedded, for embedded systems

 Windows XP Starter Edition, for new computer users in developing countries

 systems utilizing 64-bit processors based on the x86-64 instruction set originally

developed by AMD as AMD64; Intel calls their version Intel 64. Internally, XP x64

was a somewhat updated OS based on the Server 2003 code line.

 Windows XP 64-bit Edition, is a version for Intel's Itanium line of processors;

maintains 32-bit compatibility solely through a software emulator. It is roughly

analogous to Windows XP Professional in features. It was discontinued in

September 2005 when the last vendor of Itanium workstations stopped shipping

Itanium systems marketed as "Workstations".

Windows Server 2003

On April 25, 2003 Microsoft launched Windows Server 2003, a notable update

to Windows 2000 Server encompassing many new security features, a new "Manage

Your Server" wizard that simplifies configuring a machine for specific roles, and
improved performance. It has the version number NT 5.2. A few services not essential

for server environments are disabled by default for stability reasons, most noticeable

are the "Windows Audio" and "Themes" services; users have to enable them manually

to get sound or the "Luna" look as per Windows XP. The hardware acceleration for

display is also turned off by default, users have to turn the acceleration level up

themselves if they trust the display card driver.

December 2005, Microsoft released Windows Server 2003 R2, which is actually

Windows Server 2003 with SP1 (Service Pack 1) plus an add-on package. Among the

new features are a number of management features for branch offices, file serving,

printing and company-wide identity integration.

Windows Server 2003 is available in six editions:

 Web Edition (32-bit)

 Enterprise Edition (32 and 64-bit)

 Datacenter Edition (32 and 64-bit)

 Small Business Server (32-bit)

 Storage Server (OEM channel only).

Windows Server 2003 R2, an update of Windows Server 2003, was released to

manufacturing on December 6, 2005. It is distributed on two CDs, with one CD being

the Windows Server 2003 SP1 CD. The other CD adds many optionally installable

features for Windows Server 2003. The R2 update was released for all x86 and x64

versions, except Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition, which was not released

for Itanium.
Windows XP x64 and Server 2003 x64 Editions

On April 25, 2005, Microsoft released Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and

Windows Server 2003, x64 Editions in Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter SKUs.

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is an edition of Windows XP for x86-64 personal

computers. It is designed to use the expanded 64-bit memory address space provided

by the x86-64 architecture.

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is based on the Windows Server 2003 codebase;

with the server features removed and client features added. Both Windows Server 2003

x64 and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition use identical kernels.

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is not to be confused with Windows XP 64-bit

Edition, as the latter was designed for Intel Itanium processors. During the initial

development phases, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition was named Windows XP

64-Bit Edition for 64-Bit Extended Systems.

Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs

In July 2005, Microsoft released a thin-client version of Windows XP Service Pack 2,

called Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (WinFLP). It is only available to Software

Assurance customers. The aim of WinFLP is to give companies a viable upgrade option

for older PCs that are running Windows 95, 98, and Me that will be supported with
patches and updates for the next several years. Most user applications will typically be

run on a remote machine using Terminal Services or Citrix.

Windows Home Server

Windows Home Server (codenamed Q, Quattro) is a server product based on Windows

Server 2003, designed for consumer use. The system was announced on January 7,

2007 by Russel Adolfo. Windows Home Server can be configured and monitored using

a console program that can be installed on a client PC. Such features as Media

Sharing, local and remote drive backup and file duplication are all listed as features.

The release of Windows Home Server Power Pack 3 added support for Windows 7 to

Windows Home Server.

Windows Vista and Server 2000

Windows Vista was released on January, 2007 to business customers - consumer

versions followed on January 30, 2007. Windows Vista intended to have enhanced

security by introducing a new restricted user mode called User Account Control,

replacing the "administrator-by-default" philosophy of Windows XP. Vista was the target

of much criticism and negative press, and in general was not well regarded; this was

seen as leading to the relatively swift release of Windows 7.

One major difference between Vista and earlier versions of Windows, Windows 95 and

later, is that the original start button was replaced with the Windows icon in a circle

(called the Start Orb). Vista also features new graphics features, the Windows
Aero GUI, new applications (such as Windows Calendar, Windows DVD Maker and

some new games including Chess, Mahjong, and Purble Place), Internet Explorer

7, Windows Media Player 11, and a large number of underlying architectural changes

including Windows Powershell being shipped with the operating system, which many

believed to have taken place in Windows 7's architecture and later. Windows Vista has

the version number NT 6.0. Since its release, Windows Vista has had two service

packs.

Windows Vista ships in six editions:

 Starter (only available in developing countries)

 Home Basic

 Home Premium

 Business

 Enterprise (only available to large business and enterprise)

 Ultimate (combines both Home Premium and Enterprise)

All editions (except Starter edition) are currently available in both 32-bit and 64-bit

versions. The biggest advantage of the 64-bit version is breaking the 4 gigabyte

memory barrier, which 32-bit computers cannot fully access.

Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2

Windows 7 was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and reached general retail

availability on October 22, 2009. It was previously known by the codenames Blackcomb
and Vienna. Windows 7 has the version number NT 6.1. Since its release, Windows 7

has had one service pack.

Some features of Windows 7 are faster booting, Device Stage, Windows PowerShell,

less obtrusive User Account Control, multi-touch, and improved window

management. Features included with Windows Vista and not in Windows 7 include the

sidebar (although gadgets remain) and several programs that were removed in favor of

downloading their Windows Live counterparts.

Windows 7 ships in six editions

 Starter (available worldwide)

 Home Basic

 Home Premium

 Professional

 Enterprise (available to volume-license business customers only)

 Ultimate

 In some countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic,

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Greece,

Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,

Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia,

Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland), there are other editions that lack some

features such as Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center and Internet

Explorer - these editions were called names such as "Windows 7 N." Microsoft

focuses on selling Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional. All editions,

 except the Starter edition, are available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Unlike

the corresponding Vista editions, the Professional and Enterprise editions are

supersets of the Home Premium edition.

 At the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2008, Microsoft also

announced Windows Server 2008 R2, as the server variant of Windows 7.

Windows Server 2008 R2 ships in 64-bit versions (x64 and Itanium) only.

Windows Thin PC

In 2010, Microsoft released Windows Thin PC or WinTPC, which is a feature- and size-

reduced locked-down version of Windows 7 expressly designed to turn older PCs into

thin clients. WinTPC is available for software assurance customers and relies on cloud

computing in a business network. Wireless operation is supported since WinTPC has

full wireless stack integration, but wireless operation may not be as good as the

operation on a wired connection.

Windows Home Server 2011

Windows Home Server 2011 code named 'Vail was released on April 6, 2011, Windows

Home Server 2011 is built on the Windows Server 2008 R2 code base and removed the

Drive Extender drive pooling technology in the original Windows Home Server release.

Windows Home Server 2011 is considered a "major release". Its predecessor was built

on Windows Server 2003. WHS 2011 only supports x86-64 hardware.

Microsoft decided to discontinue Windows Home Server 2011 on July 5, 2012 while

including its features into Windows Server 2012 Essentials . Windows Home Server
2011 was supported until April 12, 2016On October 26, 2012, Microsoft released

Windows 8 to the public. One edition, Windows RT, runs on some system-on-a-chip

devices with mobile 32-bit ARM (ARMv7) processors. Windows 8 features a redesigned

user interface, designed to make it easier for touchscreen users to use Windows. The

interface introduced an updated Start menu known as the Start screen, and a new full-

screen application platform. The desktop interface is also present for running windowed

applications, although Windows RT will not run any desktop applications not included in

the system. On the Building Windows 8 blog, it was announced that a computer running

Windows 8 can boot up much faster than Windows 7. New features also include USB

3.0 support, the Windows Store, the ability to run from USB drives with Windows To Go,

and others. Windows 8 was given the kernel number NT 6.2, with its successor 8.1

receiving the kernel number 6.3. So far, neither has had any service packs yet, although

many consider Windows 8.1 to be a service pack for Windows 8.The first public preview

of Windows Server 2012 and was also shown by Microsoft at the 2011 Microsoft

Worldwide Partner Conference.

Windows 8 and Server 2012

Windows 8 Release Preview and Windows Server 2012 Release Candidate were both

released on May 31, 2012. Product development on Windows 8 was completed on

August 1, 2012, and it was released to manufacturing the same day. Windows Server
2012 went on sale to the public on September 4, 2012. Windows 8 went on sale

October 26, 2012.

Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2 were released on October 17, 2013.

Windows 8.1 is available as an update in the Windows store for Windows 8 users only

and also available to download for clean installation. The update adds new options for

resizing the live tiles on the Start screen.

Windows 10 and Server 2016

Windows 10, codenamed Threshold, is the current release of the Microsoft Windows

operating system. Unveiled on August 30, 2014, it was released on July 29, 2015. It

was distributed without charge to Windows 7 and 8.1 users for one year after release. A

number of new features like Cortana, the Microsoft Edge web browser, the ability to

view Windows Store apps as a window instead of fullscreen, virtual desktops, revamped

core apps, Continuum, and a unified Settings app were all features debuted in Windows

10. Microsoft has announced that Windows 10 will be the last major version of its series

of operating systems to be released. Instead, Microsoft will release major updates to the

operating system via download or in Windows Update, similar to the way updates are

delivered in macOS.

So far, 3 major versions have been released, and 1 which has been announced for

release in 2017:

 Version 1507, the original version of Windows 10, codenamed Threshold 1 and

released in July 2015. Kernel version number: 10.0.10240.

 Version 1511, announced as the November Update and codenamed Threshold 2. It

was released in November 2015. This update added many visual tweaks, such as

more consistent context menus and the ability to change the color of window

titlebars. Windows 10 can now be activated with a product key for Windows 7 and

later, thus simplifying the activation process and essentially making Windows 10

free for anyone who has Windows 7 or later, even after the free upgrade period

ended. A "Find My Device" feature was added, allowing users to track their devices

if they lose them, similar to the Find My iPhone service that Apple offers.

Controversially, the Start menu now displays "featured apps". A few tweaks were

added to Microsoft Edge, including tab previews and the ability to sync the browser

with other devices running Windows 10. Kernel version number: 10.0.10586.

 Version 1607, announced as the Anniversary Update and codenamed Redstone 1.

It is the first of 4 planned updates with the "Redstone" codename. Its version

number, 1607, means that it was supposed to launch in July 2016, however it was

delayed until August 2016. Tons of new features were included in the version,

including more integration with Cortana, a dark theme, browser extension support

for Microsoft Edge, click-to-play Flash by default, tab pinning, web notifications,

swipe navigation in Edge, and the ability for Windows Hello to use a fingerprint

sensor to sign into apps and websites, similar to Touch ID on the iPhone. Also

added was Windows Ink, which improves digital inking in many apps, and the

Windows Ink Workspace which lists pen-compatible apps, as well as quick shortcuts

to a sticky notes app and a sketchpad. Microsoft, through their partnership

with Canonical, integrated a full Ubuntu bash shell via the Windows Subsystem for
 Linux. Notable tweaks in this version of Windows 10 include the removal of the

controversial password-sharing feature of Microsoft's Wi-Fi Sense service, a slightly

redesigned Start menu, Tablet Mode working more like Windows 8,

overhauled emoji, improvements to the lock screen, calendar integration in the

taskbar, and the Blue Screen of Death now showing a QR code which users can

scan to quickly find out what caused the error. This version of Windows 10's kernel

version is 10.0.14393.

 Version 1704, announced as the Creators Update and codenamed Redstone 2.

Planned features for this update include a new Paint 3D application, which allows

users to create and modify 3D models, integration with Microsoft's HoloLens and

other "mixed-reality" headsets produced by other manufactures, Windows

MyPeople, which allows users to manage contacts, Xbox game broadcasting,

support for newly developed APIs such as WDDM 2.2, Dolby Atmos support,

improvements to the Settings app, and more Edge and Cortana improvements. This

version will also include tweaks to system apps, such as an address bar in

the Registry Editor, Windows PowerShell being the default command line interface

instead of the Command Prompt and the Windows Subsytem for Linux being

upgraded to support Ubuntu 16.04. One could infer from the version number that

this version of Windows 10 will be released in April 2017.

Windows Server 2016

Windows Server 2016 is a release of the Microsoft Windows Server operating system

that was unveiled on September 30, 2014. Windows Server 2016 was officially released

at Microsoft's Ignite Conference, September 26–30, 2016.

INTRODUCTION TO WINDOWS

Windows is the operating system sold by the Seattle-based company Microsoft.

Microsoft, originally christened "Traf-O-Data" in 1972, was renamed "Micro-soft" in

November 1975, then "Microsoft" on November 26, 1976.

Microsoft entered the marketplace in August 1981 by releasing version 1.0 of the

operating system Microsoft DOS (MS-DOS), a 16-bit command-line operating system

The first version of Microsoft Windows (Microsoft Windows 1.0) came out in

November 1985. It had a graphical user interface, inspired by the user interface of the

Apple computers of the time. Windows 1.0 was not succesful with the public, and

Microsoft Windows 2.0, launched December 9, 1987, did not do much better.

It was on May 22, 1990 that Microsoft Windows became a success, with Windows 3.0,

then Windows 3.1 in 1992, and finally Microsoft Windows for Workgroups, later

renamed Windows 3.11, which included network capabilities. Windows 3.1 cannot be

considered an entirely separate operating system because it was only a graphical user

interface running on top of MS-DOS.

On August 24, 1995, Microsoft launched the operating system Microsoft Windows 95.

Windows 95 signified Microsoft's willingness to transfer some of MS-DOS's capabilities

into Windows, but this new version was based more heavily on 16-bit DOS and retained

the limitations of the FAT16 file system, so that it was not possible to use long file

names.

After minor revisions of Microsoft Windows 95, named Windows 95A OSR1, Windows

95B OSR2, Windows 95B OSR2.1 and Windows 95C OSR2.5, Microsoft released the

next version of Windows on June 25, 1998: Windows 98. Windows 98 natively

supported features other than those of MS-DOS but was still based upon it. What's

more, Windows 98 suffered from poor memory handling when multiple applications

were running, which could cause system malfunctions. A second edition of Windows 98

came out on February 17, 2000; it was named Windows 98 SE (for "Second Edition").

On September 14, 2000, Microsoft released Windows Me (for Millennium Edition), also

called Windows Millennium. Windows Millennium was based largely on Windows 98

(and therefore on MS-DOS), but added additional multimedia and software capabilities.

Furthermore, Windows Millennium included a system-restore mechanism for returning

to a previous state in the event of a crash.

Concurrent with these releases, Microsoft had been selling (since 1992) an entirely 32-

bit operating system (which therefore was not based on MS-DOS) for professional use,

at a time when business primarily used mainframes. It was Windows NT (for Windows

"New Technology"). Windows NT was not a new version of Windows 95 or an

improvement on it, but an entirely different operating system

On May 24, 1993, the first version of Windows NT was released. It was called Windows

NT 3.1, and was followed by Windows NT 3.5 in September 1994 and Windows
3.51 in June 1995. With Windows NT 4.0, launched for sale on August 24, 1996,

Windows NT finally became a true success.

In July 1998, Microsoft released Windows NT 4.0 TSE (Terminal Server Emulation),

the first Windows system that allowed terminals to be plugged into a server, i.e. use thin

clients to open a session on the server.

On February 17, 2000, the next version of NT 4.0 was renamed Windows

2000 (instead of Windows NT 5.0) in order to highlight the unification of "NT" with the

"Windows 9x" systems. Windows 2000 is an entirely 32-bit system with caracteristics of

Windows NT, as well as an improved task manager and full compatibility

with USB and FireWire peripherals.

Then, on October 25, 2001, Windows XP arrived on the scene. This was a merger of

the preceding operating systems.

Finally, on April 24, 2003, a server operating system was released by

Microsoft: Windows Server 2003.

List of Microsoft operating systems

MS-DOS

 See MS-DOS Versions for a full list.

Windows

 Windows 1.0 (1985)

 Windows 2.0 (1987)

 Windows 3.x (1990, 1992)

 Windows 95 (1995)

 Windows 98 (1998)

 Windows ME (2000)

 Windows XP (2001)

 Windows Vista (2006)

 Windows 7 (2009)

 Windows 8 (2012)

 Windows 8.1 (2013)

 Windows 10 (2015)
 Windows 10 (Anniversary Update) (2016)

Windows NT

 Windows NT 3.1 (1993)

 Windows NT 3.5 (1994)

 Windows NT 3.51 (1995)

 Windows NT 4.0 (1996)

 Windows 2000 (NT 5.0) (2000)

All releases of Windows after Windows 2000 are a part of the Windows NT family.

Windows CE

 Windows CE

 AutoPC

 Pocket PC 2000

 Pocket PC 2002

 Windows Mobile 2003

 Windows Mobile 2003 SE

 Windows Mobile 5

 Windows Mobile 6

 Smartphone 2002

 Smartphone 2003

 Portable Media Center

 Zune
 Windows Mobile

Windows Phone

 Windows Phone 7 (2010)

 Windows Phone 8 (2012)

 Windows Phone 8.1 (2014)

 Windows Mobile 10 (2015)

Xbox gaming

 Xbox system software

 Xbox 360 system software

 Xbox One system software

OS/2

 OS/2 1.0 (1987)

 OS/2 1.1 (1988)

OS/2 1.2 (1989)

 OS/2 1.3 (1990)

Function and Features of Windows Operating Systems

1) Windows Easy Transfer : One of the first things you might want to do is to transfer

your files and settings from your old computer to the brand new computer. You can do

this using an Easy Transfer Cable, CDs or DVDs, a USB flash drive, a network folder, or

an external hard disk.

2) Windows Anytime Upgrade : This feature of Windows Operating System allows you

to upgrade to any higher windows version available for your system, so you can

take full advantage of enhanced digital entertainment and other features.

3) Windows Basics : If you are new to Windows or want to refresh your knowledge

about areas such as security or working with digital pictures, this features will help you

to get started.

4) Searching and Organizing : Most folders in Windows have a search box in the

upper- right corner. To find a file in a folder, type a part of the file name in the search

box.

5) Parental Controls : Parental Controls give you the means to decide when your

children use the computer, which website they visit, and which games they are allowed

to play. You can also get reports of your children's computer activity as well.
6) Ease of Access Center : Ease of Access Center is the place to find and change

settings that can enhance how you hear, see and use your computer. You can adjust

text size and the speed of your mouse. This is also where you can go to set up your

screen reader and find other helpful tools.

7) Default Programs : This is a features of your Windows Operating System where you

can adjust and set your default programs, associate a file type or a protocol with a

program, change and set auto play settings, set program access and computer defaults.

8) Remote Desktop Connection : This features helps a user with a graphical user

interface to another computer. It is a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft

specially for Windows Operating System. Basically by entering the IP address of the

other computer you can directly see that computer's desktop right on to your desktop.
Advantage and Disadvantages of Windows Operating Systems

Advantages:

 Ease: Microsoft Windows has made much advancement and changes which

made it easy to use the operating system. Even though it is not the easiest, it

is easier than linux.

 Software: Since there are more number of Microsoft users there are more

software programs, games and utilities for windows. All most all games are

compatible to windows, some CPU intensive and graphic intensive games are

also supported.

 Hardware: All hardware manufacturers will support Microsoft windows. Due to

large number of Microsoft users and broader driver, all the hardware devices

are supported.

 Front Page Extension: When using a popular web design program having

windows hosting makes it lot more easier. You don’t have to worry if it

supported or not.

 Development: If you plan to develop windows based applications then

windows platform is most suggested as linux does not support windows

applications.
Disadvantage:

 Price: Microsoft windows is costly compared to Linux as each license costs

between $50.00-$100.00.

 Security: When compared to linux it is much more prone to viruses and other

attacks.

 Reliability: It needs to be rebooted periodically else there is a possibility of

hang up of the system.

 Software Cost: Even though the windows have softwares,games for free most

of the programs will cost more than $200.