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Comparison of Microsoft Windows versions

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Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of computer software operating systems created by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs).

General information

Basic general information about Windows.

DOS shells

Name Release date Latest version Status support Source model Codename OS required Architecture Editions Target market
Windows 1.0 1985-11-20 1.04 (1987-04-08) Unsupported
(2001-12-31) 		Closed source Interface Manager DOS 2.0 or higher 16-bit Desktops
Windows 2.0 1987-12-09 2.03 (1987-12-09) Unsupported
(2001-12-31) 		Closed source ? 16-bit Desktops
Windows 2.1x 1988-05-27 2.11 (1989-03-13) Unsupported
(2001-12-31) 		Closed source ? 16-bit Desktops
Windows 3.0 1990-05-22 3.0a with
Multimedia Extensions
(1991-10-20) 		Unsupported
(2001-12-31) 		Closed source DOS 3.1 or higher 16-bit Windows 3.0
Windows 3.0a
Windows 3.0a with Multimedia Extensions 		Desktops
Windows 3.1x 1992-04-06 3.11 (1993-12-31) Unsupported
(2001-12-31) 		Closed source
  • 3.1: Janus
  • 3.1 for Workgroups: Kato
  • 3.11: Snowball (LB)
  • 3.11 for Workgroups: Sparta
 DOS 3.3 or higher 16-bit* Windows 3.1 (build 040)
Windows for Workgroups 3.1
Windows 3.11
Windows for Workgroups 3.11
Windows 3.2 (Simplified Chinese only) 		Desktops
* Has partial 32-bit compatibility with Win32s

Windows 9x

Name Release date RTM build Latest version Status support Source model Codename MS-DOS version Kernel type Architecture Editions Target market
Windows 95 1995-08-24 950 4.00.950C OSR2.5 (1997-11-26) Unsupported
(2001-12-31) 		Closed source Chicago MS-DOS 7.0, MS-DOS 7.1 (OSR2.x) Monolithic Hybrid 16/32-bit Retail, OSR1, OSR2, OSR2.1, OSR2.5 Desktops
Windows 98/98 SE 1998-06-25 1998 4.10.2222A (1999-04-23) Unsupported
(2006-07-11) 		Closed source Memphis MS-DOS 7.1 Monolithic Hybrid 16/32-bit First edition, Second Edition Desktops
Windows Me 2000-06-19 3000 4.90.3000 (2000-09-14) Unsupported
(2006-07-11) 		Closed source Millennium MS-DOS 8.0 Monolithic Hybrid 16/32-bit Template:Sp1, sp2, sp3, sp4 Desktops

Windows NT

Name Release date RTM build Current version Status support License Codename, working name Based on (kernel) Supported architectures Editions OS type
Windows NT 3.1 1993-07-27 528 3.10.528 SP3
(1994-11-10) 		Unsupported
(2001-12-31) 		Closed source New Technology OS/2 NT 3.1 IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS Workstation,
Advanced Server 		Workstation,
Server
Windows NT 3.5 1994-09-21 807 3.50.807 SP3
(1995-06-21) 		Unsupported
(2001-12-31) 		Closed source Daytona NT 3.5 IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS Workstation,
Server 		Workstation,
Server
Windows NT 3.51 1995-05-30 1057 3.51.1057 SP5
(1996-09-19) 		Unsupported
(2001-12-31) 		Closed source ? NT 3.51 IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC Workstation,
Server 		Workstation,
Server
Windows NT 4.0 1996-08-24 1381 4.00.1381 SP6a
(1999-11-30) 		Unsupported
(2004-12-31) 		Closed source Cairo
Hydra (Terminal Server) 		NT 4.0 IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC Workstation,
Server,
Server Enterprise Edition,
Terminal Server,
Embedded 		Workstation,
Server,
Embedded PCs
Windows 2000 2000-02-17 2195 5.0 SP4 Rollup 1 v2
(2005-09-13) 		Unsupported
(2010-07-13) 		Shared source Memphis NT NT 5.0 IA-32, IA-64, x86 Professional,
Server,
Advanced Server,
Datacenter Server,
Powered (Embedded) 		Desktop,
Workstation,
Server,
Embedded PCs
Windows XP 2001-10-25 2600 5.1.2600 SP3
(2008-04-21) 		Unsupported
(2014-04-08) 		Shared source Whistler NT 5.1; NT 5.2
(64-bit 2003 and x64) 		IA-32, IA-64, x86-64 Starter Edition,
Home N K KN,
Professional N K KN x64,
Media Center,
Tablet PC,
Starter,
Embedded 		Desktop,
Workstation,
Embedded PCs
Windows Server 2003 2003-04-24 3790 5.2.3790 SP2
(2007-03-13) 		Unsupported
(2015-07-14) 		Shared source Whistler Server, Windows .NET Server NT 5.2 IA-32, IA-64, x86-64 Standard,
Enterprise,
Datacenter,
Web,
Storage,
Small Business Server,
Compute Cluster 		Server,
Network Appliance,
Embedded PCs,
HPC
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs 2006-07-08 2600 RTM
(2006-07-08) 		Unsupported
(2014-04-08) 		Shared source Eiger, Monch NT 5.1 IA-32 Fundamentals for Legacy PCs Desktop
Windows Vista 2006-11-08 6000 (SP2: 6002) 6.0 SP2
(2009-04-28) 		Supported Closed source,
Shared source 		Longhorn NT 6.0 IA-32, x86-64 Starter,
Home Basic N K KN,
Home Premium K KN,
Business N K KN,
Enterprise K KN,
Ultimate K KN 		Desktop,
Workstation
Windows Server 2008 2008-02-27 6001 (SP2: 6002) 6.0 SP2
(2008-02-27) 		Supported Closed source,
Shared source 		Longhorn Server NT 6.0 IA-32, IA-64, x86-64 Web Core,
Standard Core wHV CwHV,
Enterprise Core wHV CwHV,
Small Business Server,
Datacenter Core wHV CwHV,
HPC,
HyperV Core,
Foundation,
Storage 		Server
Windows Home Server 2007-06-16 3790 5.2 Unsupported (2013-01-08) Closed source Q, Quattro NT 5.2 IA-32, x86-64 Home Server Server
Windows 7 2009-10-22[1] 7600 (SP1: 7601) 6.1 Supported Closed source,
Shared source 		"7", Vienna NT 6.1 IA-32, x86-64 Starter N K KN,
Home Basic N K KN,
Home Premium N K KN,
Professional N K KN,
Ultimate N K KN,
Enterprise N K KN 		Desktop, Workstation, Multi-Touch
Windows Server 2008 R2 2009-10-22 7600 (SP1: 7601) 6.1 Supported Closed source,
Shared source 		"7" Server NT 6.1 IA-64, x86-64 Standard Core,
Enterprise Core,
Datacenter Core,
We Core 		Server
Windows Home Server 2011 2011-04-05 8400 6.1 Unsupported
(2016-04-12) 		Closed source Vail NT 6.1 x86-64 Home Server Server
Windows Server 2012 2012-09-04 9200 6.2 Supported Closed source,
Shared source 		"8" Server NT 6.2 x86-64 Foundation
Essentials
Standard
Datacenter 		Server
Windows 8 2012-10-26 9200 6.2 Unsupported
(2016-01-12) 		Closed source,
Shared source 		"8" NT 6.2 IA-32, x86-64, ARMv7 Windows 8 N,
Pro N,
Enterprise N K KN,
Windows RT 		Desktop,
Workstation,
Multitouch
Windows 8.1 2013-10-18 9600 6.3 Supported Closed source,
Shared source 		"Blue" NT 6.3 IA-32, x86-64, ARMv7 Windows 8 N,
Pro N,
Enterprise N K KN,
Windows RT 8.1 		Desktop,
Workstation,
Multitouch
Windows Server 2012 R2 2013-10-18 9600 6.3 Supported Closed source,
Shared source 		"Blue" Server NT 6.3 x86-64 Foundation
Essentials
Standard
Datacenter 		Server
Windows 10 2015-07-29 10240 10.0 Supported Closed source,
Shared source 		"Threshold" NT 10.0 IA-32, x86-64, ARMv7 Home N KN,
Pro N KN,
Enterprise N KN,
Education N KN,
Mobile,
Mobile Enterprise,
IoT Core 		Desktop,
Workstation,
Multitouch,
Smartphones,
PDAs,
IoT
2015-11-12 10586
2016-07-18 14393 "Redstone"
Windows Server 2016 2016-10-12 14393 10.0 Supported Closed source,
Shared source 		NT 10.0 x86-64 Server
^N has also an N-edition
^K has also an N-edition
^KN has also an N-edition
^x64 has a separate x64-edition
^Core has also a Core-edition
^wHV has also an edition without HyperV
^CwHV has also a Core-edition without HyperV

Windows Embedded Compact

Windows Embedded Compact (Windows CE) is a variation of Microsoft's Windows operating system for minimalistic computers and embedded systems. Windows CE is a distinctly different kernel, rather than a trimmed-down version of desktop Windows. It is supported on Intel x86 and compatibles, MIPS, ARM, and Hitachi SuperH processors.

Release date RTM build Current version Status support License Codename Based on (kernel) Kernel type Operating environments Editions Purpose Short description
Windows CE 1.0 1996-11 Pegasus, Alder CE 1.0 Embedded first release of Microsoft's Windows CE line for minimalistic computers and embedded systems
Windows CE 2.0 1997-11 Mercury, Apollo CE 2.0 2.1, 2.11 Embedded
Windows CE 3.0 2000-04 Unsupported
(2007-10-09) 		Shared source Cedar, Galileo, Rapier, Merlin, Stinger CE 3.0 Embedded kernel Embedded
Windows CE 4.0 2002-01-07 Talisker CE 4.0 4.1, 4.2 Embedded
Windows CE 5.0 2004-07-09 5.0 (2004-07-09) Supported Shared source Macallan CE 5.0 Embedded kernel Embedded
Windows Embedded CE 6.0 2006-11-01 Shared source Yamazaki CE 6.0 Hybrid kernel
Windows Embedded Compact 7 2011-03-01 ? ? Supported Shared source ? CE 7.0 Hybrid ? —

Windows Mobile

Windows Mobile is Microsoft's discontinued line of operating systems for smartphones.

Name Release date RTM build Current version Status support License Codename Based on (kernel) Supported architectures
Windows Pocket PC 2002 CE 3.0
Windows Mobile 2003 2003-06-23 Ozone CE 4.20
Windows Mobile 5.0 2005-05-9/12 Magneto CE 5.0
Windows Mobile 6.0 2007-02-12 Crossbow CE 5.2
Windows Mobile 6.1 2008-04-01
Windows Mobile 6.5 2009-05-18

Windows Phone

As of 2013 Windows Phone is Microsoft's active line of operating systems for smartphones.

Name Release date RTM build Current version Status support License Codename Based on (kernel) Supported architectures
Windows Phone 7 2010-11-08 7004 7.10.8862 End of life Closed source,
Shared source 		Photon CE 6.0 ARM
Windows Phone 7.5 2011-09-27 7720 End of life Closed source,
Shared source 		Mango CE 6.1 ARM
Windows Phone 7.8 2013-02-01 8858 End of life Closed source,
Shared source 		CE 6.1 ARM
Windows Phone 8 2012-10-29 10211 10.0.10586 End of life Closed source,
Shared source 		Apollo, Portico NT 6.2 ARM[citation needed]
Windows Phone 8.1 2014-04-14 12359 Supported Closed source,
Shared source 		Blue NT 6.3 ARM
Windows 10 Mobile 2015-11-08 10586 Supported Closed source,
Shared source 		Threshold NT 10.0 ARM

Technical information

DOS shells

Name Architecture Integrated firewall SMP support USB support UDMA support LFN support Update management APIs Safe Mode
Windows 1.0 x86 16-bit No No No No No No Win16 No
Windows 2.0 x86 16-bit No No No No No No Win16 No
Windows 3.0 x86 16-bit No No No No No No Win16 No
Windows 3.1x x86 16-bit (partial 32-bit compatibility through Win32s) No No No No No No Win16, Win32s No

Windows 9x

Name Kernel Kernel type Architecture Integrated firewall SMP support USB support UDMA support LFN support Update management APIs Safe Mode
Windows 95 MS-DOS 7.0 (Win95, Win95A), MS-DOS 7.1 (Win95B, Win95C) Monolithic kernel x86, hybrid 16/32-bit No No Partial (OSR 2.1/2.5 only) [2] No Yes Windows Update Win16, Win32 Yes
Windows 98 MS-DOS 7.1 Monolithic kernel x86, hybrid 16/32-bit No No Yes Yes Yes Windows Update Win16, Win32 Yes
Windows 98 Second Edition MS-DOS 7.1 Monolithic kernel x86, hybrid 16/32-bit No No Yes Yes Yes Windows Update Win16, Win32 Yes
Windows Me MS-DOS 8.0 Monolithic kernel x86, hybrid 16/32-bit No No Yes Yes Yes Windows Update Win16, Win32 Yes

The MS-DOS variants 7.0 and 7.1 can be separated from Windows to small partition on a new harddrive, if a second operative system is wanted or in order to run old programmes. If someone wants to, or is in need of, a DOS system together with of Windows, then DOS ought to be installed prior to the Windows installation, in the beginning of a small partition of a hard disk. The system must be transferred by the (dangerous) "SYSTEM" DOS-command. While other required files just can be copied. They are those files which are located in the DOS-root and the entire COMMAND directory. But as all DOS files are tiny or small compared to many modern Windows files, one may copy them all just as well. MS-DOS 8, cannot be used as a second or third operative system, as it's designed to work as real mode for Windows Me and nothing else.

Windows NT

The Windows NT kernel powers all recent Windows operating systems. It runs on IA-32, x64 and Itanium processors.

Name Architecture Store Integrated firewall SMP support USB support UDMA support Long filename support Package management Update management APIs Safe Mode Data Execution Prevention
Windows NT 3.1 IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS — No Yes No ? Yes (NTFS and HPFS volumes only) — Win32, OS/2, POSIX No No
Windows NT 3.5 IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS — No Yes No ? Yes (except on CDFS volumes) — Win32, OS/2, POSIX No No
Windows NT 3.51 IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC — No Yes No ? Yes (except on CDFS volumes) — Win32, OS/2, POSIX No No
Windows NT 4.0 IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC — No Yes Yes (if the Ion USB update is installed) Yes Yes — Windows Update (if Internet Explorer 5 or later is installed) Win32, OS/2, POSIX No No
Windows 2000 IA-32 — No Yes Yes (USB 2.0 with update or SP4)[3] Yes Yes — Windows Update, WSUS Win32, OS/2, POSIX Yes No
Windows XP IA-32, Itanium, x64 — Yes Yes (Professional Edition only) Yes (USB 2.0 with update or SP1+)[4] Yes Yes — Windows Update, WSUS Win32, .NET Yes Yes (in SP2)
Windows Server 2003 IA-32, Itanium, x64 — Yes Yes Yes (USB 2.0)[5] Yes Yes — Windows Update, WSUS Win32 Yes Yes (in SP1)
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs IA-32 — Yes No Yes Yes Yes — Windows Update, WSUS Win32 Yes Yes
Windows Vista IA-32, x64 Windows Marketplace Yes Yes Yes (USB 2.0) Yes Yes — Windows Update, WSUS Win32, .NET, POSIX (only Enterprise and Ultimate) Yes Yes
Windows Server 2008 IA-32, Itanium, x64 — Yes Yes Yes (USB 2.0) Yes Yes — Windows Update, WSUS Win32 Yes Yes
Windows Home Server IA-32 — ? Yes Yes (USB 2.0) ? Yes — Windows Update Win32 ? ?
Windows 7 IA-32, x64 — Yes Yes Yes (USB 2.0) Yes Yes — Windows Update, WSUS Win32, .NET Yes Yes
Windows Server 2008 R2 Itanium, x64 — Yes Yes Yes (USB 2.0) Yes Yes — Windows Update, WSUS Win32, .NET Yes Yes
Windows Home Server 2011 x64 — ? Yes Yes (USB 2.0) ? Yes — Windows Update Win32 ? ?
Windows Server 2012 x64 Windows Store Yes Yes Yes (USB 3.0) Yes Yes Windows Store Windows Update, WSUS Win32, .NET, WinRT Yes Yes
Windows 8 IA-32, x64 Windows Store Yes Yes Yes (USB 3.0) Yes Yes Windows Store Windows Update, WSUS Win32, .NET, WinRT Yes Yes
Windows 8.1 IA-32, x64 Windows Store Yes Yes Yes (USB 3.0) Yes Yes Windows Store, PowerShell Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store Win32, .NET, WinRT Yes Yes
Windows Server 2012 R2 x64 Windows Store Yes Yes Yes (USB 3.0) Yes Yes Windows Store Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store Win32, .NET, WinRT Yes Yes
Windows 10 IA-32, x64 Windows Store Yes Yes Yes (USB 3.0) Yes Yes Windows Store, PowerShell Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store Win32, .NET, WinRT Yes Yes
Windows Server 2016 x64 Windows Store Yes Yes Yes (USB 3.0) Yes Yes Windows Store Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store Win32, .NET, WinRT Yes Yes

Windows Phone

Name Architecture Integrated firewall SMP support USB support UDMA support Package management APIs
Windows Phone 8 ARMv7 Yes Yes Yes (USB 2.0) Yes Windows Phone Store WinPRT
Windows Phone 8.1 ARMv7 Yes Yes Yes Yes Windows Phone Store WinPRT
Windows 10 Mobile ARMv7 Yes Yes Yes Yes Windows Store WinRT

Supported file systems

Various versions of Windows support various file systems, including: FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, HPFS, or NTFS, along with network file systems shared from other computers, and the ISO 9660 and UDF file systems used for CDs, DVDs, and other optical discs such as Blu-ray. Each file system is usually limited in application to certain media, for example CDs must use ISO 9660 or UDF, and as of Windows Vista, NTFS is the only file system which the operating system can be installed on. Windows Embedded CE 6.0, Windows Vista Service Pack 1, and Windows Server 2008 onwards support exFAT, a file system more suitable for flash drives.

Windows 9x

FAT12 FAT16 FAT32 HPFS ISO 9660 NTFS UDF
Windows 95 Yes Yes Yes (OSR2 or above) Network Drive Yes Network Drive No
Windows 98 Yes Yes Yes Network Drive Yes Network Drive Yes (1.5, read)
Windows Me Yes Yes Yes Network Drive Yes Network Drive Yes (1.5, read)

Windows NT

FAT12 FAT16 FAT32 HPFS ISO 9660 NTFS UDF ReFS
Windows NT 3.1, 3.5, 3.51 Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes v1.0/v1.1 ? No
Windows NT 4.0 Yes Yes No Partial Yes Yes v1.2 ? No
Windows 2000 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes v3.0 Yes No
Windows XP Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes v3.1 Yes (2.01) No
Windows Server 2003 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes v3.1 Yes No
Windows Vista Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes v5 Yes (2.6) No
Windows Server 2008 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes v5 Yes No
Windows 7 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes v5 Yes (2.6) No
Windows Server 2008 R2 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes v5 Yes (2.6) No
Windows Server 2012 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes v5 Yes (2.6) Yes
Windows 8 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes v5 Yes (2.6) No
Windows 8.1 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes v5 Yes (2.6) Yes
Windows Server 2012 R2 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes v5 Yes (2.6) Yes
Windows 10 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes v5 Yes (2.6) Yes
Windows Server 2016 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes v5 Yes (2.6) Yes

Windows Phone

FAT12 FAT16 FAT32 HPFS ISO 9660 NTFS UDF (More Info) ReFS
Windows Phone 8 ? Yes Yes No ? Yes v5 ? No
Windows Phone 8.1 ? Yes Yes No ? Yes v5 ? No
Windows 10 Mobile ? Yes Yes No ? Yes v5 ? ?

Hardware requirements

Installing Windows requires an internal or external optical drive. A keyboard and mouse are the recommended input devices, though some versions support a touchscreen. For operating systems prior to Vista, the drive must be capable of reading CD media, while in Windows Vista onwards, the drive must be DVD-compatible. The drive may be detached after installing Windows.

Windows 9x

CPU RAM Free disk space
Windows 95 386 4 MB 120 MB
Windows 98 486 DX2 66 MHz 16 MB 300 MB
Windows Me (Millennium Edition) Pentium 150 MHz 32 MB 400 MB

Windows NT

Version CPU RAM Free disk space Video adapter and monitor
Minimum Recommended
Windows NT 3.51 Workstation 386, 25 MHz 8 MB ? 90 MB ?
Windows NT 4.0 Workstation 486, 33 MHz 12 MB ? 110 MB ?
Windows 2000 Professional 133 MHz 32 MB 128 MB 650 MB VGA (640 × 480)
Windows XP 233 MHz 64 MB 128 MB 1.5 GB SVGA (800 × 600)
For Aero (if applicable):
128 MB VRAM
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs 500 MB
Windows XP Professional x64 700 MHz Itanium[6] 1 GB[6] ? 6 GB[6]
Windows Server 2003 1 GHz (x86) or 1.4 GHz (x64) 128 MB 256 MB
Windows Vista 800 MHz 384 MB (Starter)
512 MB (others)

[7]

2 GB 15 GB
(~6.5 GB for OS)
Windows Server 2008 1 GHz (x86) or 1.4 GHz (x64) 2 GB 10 GB
Windows 7 1 GHz 1 GB (x86)
2 GB (x64) 		2 GB 16 GB
(~6.5 GB for OS)
Windows Server 2012 1.4 GHz (x86-64) 512 MB 1 GB 10 GB
Windows 8 1 GHz 1 GB (x86)
2 GB (x64) 		4 GB 20 GB
(~6.5 GB for OS) 		1024 x 768 for Windows Store apps
1366 x 768 to snap apps
Windows 10 1 GHz or faster processor or SoC 1 GB (x86)
2 GB (x64) 		1 GB 16 GB (x86)
20 GB (x64) 		800x600
Windows Server 2016

Windows Phone

Version CPU RAM Free disk space Video adapter and monitor
Minimum Recommended
Windows Phone 7 0.8 GHz 256 MB — 4 GB WVGA (800 × 480)
Windows Phone 8 1 GHz 512 MB — 8 GB WVGA (800 × 480)
Windows Phone 8.1 1 GHz 512 MB — 4 GB WVGA (800 × 480)
Windows 10 Mobile 1 GHz 512 MB 1 GB 8 GB WVGA (800 × 480)

Physical memory limits

Maximum limits on physical memory (RAM) that Windows can address vary depending on both the Windows version and between IA-32 and x64 versions.[8][9]

Windows 9x

  • Windows 95: 480 MB[10]
  • Windows 98: 1 GB
  • Windows Me: 1.5 GB

Windows NT

Operating system Limit on IA-32 Limit on x64
Windows NT 4.0 4 GB —
Windows 2000 Professional/Server 4 GB —
Windows 2000 Advanced Server 8 GB —
Windows 2000 Datacenter 32 GB —
Windows XP Starter 512 MB —
Windows XP Home 4 GB —
Windows XP Professional 4 GB 128 GB
Windows Server 2003 RTM Web 2 GB —
Windows Server 2003 RTM Standard/Small Business 4 GB —
Windows Server 2003 RTM Enterprise/Datacenter 64 GB —
Windows Server 2003 R2/SP1 Standard 4 GB 32 GB
Windows Server 2003 R2/SP1 Enterprise/Datacenter 64 GB 1 TB
Windows Vista Starter 1 GB —
Windows Vista Home Basic 4 GB 8 GB
Windows Vista Home Premium 4 GB 16 GB
Windows Vista Business/Enterprise/Ultimate 4 GB 128 GB
Windows Home Server 4 GB —
Windows Server 2008 Web Server/Standard/Small Business 4 GB 32 GB
Windows HPC Server 2008 — 128 GB
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise/Datacenter 64 GB 1 TB
Windows 7 Starter 2 GB —
Windows 7 Home Basic 4 GB 8 GB
Windows 7 Home Premium 4 GB 16 GB
Windows 7 Professional/Enterprise/Ultimate 4 GB 192 GB
Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation — 8 GB
Windows Server 2008 R2 Web Server/Standard — 32 GB
Windows HPC Server 2008 R2 — 128 GB
Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise/Datacenter — 2 TB
Windows 8 4 GB 128 GB
Windows 8 Pro/Enterprise 4 GB 512 GB
Windows Server 2012 Foundation — 32 GB
Windows Server 2012 Essentials — 64 GB
Windows Server 2012 Standard/Datacenter — 4 TB
Windows Storage Server 2012 Standard — 4 TB
Windows Storage Server 2012 Workgroup — 32 GB
Hyper-V Server 2012 — 4 TB
Windows 10 Home 4 GB 128 GB
Windows 10 Pro 4 GB 2 TB
Windows 10 Education 4 GB 2 TB
Windows 10 Enterprise 4 GB 2 TB
Windows Server 2016 Standard — 24 TB
Windows Server 2016 Datacenter — 24 TB

Security features

Resource access control Subsystem isolation mechanisms Integrated firewall Encrypted file systems Defender Windows Hello
Windows 2000 ACLs TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec Yes (NTFS only) No No
Windows XP ACLs Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects Windows Firewall (from SP2), TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec Yes (NTFS only) Optional No
Windows Server 2003 ACLs, Privileges, RBAC Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec Yes Optional No
Windows Vista ACLs, Privileges, RBAC Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec Yes Yes No
Windows Server 2008 ACLs, Privileges, RBAC Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec Yes Yes No
Windows 7 ACLs, Privileges, RBAC Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec Yes Yes No
Windows Server 2012 ACLs, Privileges, RBAC Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec Yes Yes No
Windows 8 ACLs, Privileges, RBAC Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec Yes Yes No
Windows Server 2012 R2 ACLs, Privileges, RBAC Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec Yes Yes No
Windows 8.1 ACLs, Privileges, RBAC Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec Yes Yes No
Windows 10 ACLs, Privileges, RBAC Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec Yes Yes Yes
Windows Server 2016 ACLs, Privileges, RBAC Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec Yes Yes ?

Features

Version Shell Visual styles Browser Web server Windows Media Player Command-line interpreter
Windows 1.0 MS-DOS executive (Unnamed) — — — —
Windows 2.0 MS-DOS executive (Unnamed) — — — —
Windows 3.0 Program Manager (Unnamed) — — 3.0 (Multimedia Extension edition only) —
Windows 3.1x Program Manager (Unnamed) — — 3.1 —
Windows 95 Windows shell Classic Internet Explorer 2 in OSR1
Internet Explorer 3 in OSR2 and OSR2.1
Internet Explorer 4 in OSR2.5 		— 4.0 COMMAND.COM
Windows NT 4.0 Windows shell Classic Internet Explorer 2 PWS 4.0 COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE
Windows 98 Windows shell Classic Internet Explorer 4.01 PWS 4.0 COMMAND.COM
Windows 98 SE Windows shell Classic Internet Explorer 5 PWS 4.0 COMMAND.COM
Windows 2000 Windows shell Classic Internet Explorer 5.01 IIS 5.0 5.0 and 6.4 (side by side) COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE
Windows Me Windows shell Classic Internet Explorer 5.5 — 6.4 and 7.0 (side by side) COMMAND.COM
Windows XP Windows shell Luna (default), Classic Internet Explorer 6 IIS 5.1 5.1, 6.4 and 8 (in RTM)
5.1, 6.4 and 9 (in SP1) 		COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE,
PowerShell (optional)
Windows Server 2003 Windows shell Classic (default), Luna 6.0 IIS 6.0 9, 10 COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE,
PowerShell (optional)
Windows Vista Windows shell Aero (default), Classic Internet Explorer 7 IIS 7 11 COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE,
PowerShell (optional)
Windows Server 2008 Windows shell, Server Core Classic (default), Aero (via "Desktop Experience") Internet Explorer 7 IIS 7 11 (enabled by installing "Desktop Experience") COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE,
PowerShell (optional)
Windows 7 Windows shell Aero (default), Classic Internet Explorer 8 IIS 7.5 12 COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE,
PowerShell v2.0
Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows shell, Server Core Classic (default), Aero (via "Desktop Experience") Internet Explorer 8 IIS 7.5 12 (via "Desktop Experience") CMD.EXE,
PowerShell v2.0
Windows Server 2012 Windows shell, Server Core Metro-inspired Internet Explorer 10 IIS 8 12 (via "Desktop Experience") CMD.EXE,
PowerShell v3.0
Windows 8 Windows shell Metro-inspired Internet Explorer 10 IIS 8 12 COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE,
PowerShell v3.0
Windows Server 2012 R2 Windows shell, Windows server core Metro-inspired Internet Explorer 11 IIS 8.5 12 (via "Desktop Experience") CMD.EXE,
PowerShell v4.0
Windows 8.1 Windows shell Metro-inspired Internet Explorer 11 IIS 8.5 12 COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE,
PowerShell v4.0
Windows 10 Windows shell Microsoft Design Language 2 Internet Explorer 11
Microsoft Edge 12-13 		IIS 10.0 12 COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE,
PowerShell v5.0
Windows Server 2016 Windows shell, Windows server core Microsoft Design Language 2 Internet Explorer 11
Microsoft Edge 13 		IIS 10.0 12 (via "Desktop Experience") CMD.EXE,
PowerShell v5.0

Timeline

Main article: Timeline of Microsoft Windows
Timeline of Windows versions
Windows 1.0Windows 2.0Windows 2.1xWindows 3.0Windows 3.1xWindows 3.1xWindows NT 3.1Windows NT 3.5Windows NT 3.51Windows 95Windows NT 4.0Windows 98Windows NT 4.0Windows 2000Pocket PC 2000Windows MePocket PC 2002Windows XPWindows XPWindows Server 2003Windows Mobile 2003Windows Mobile 5.0Windows Embedded IndustryWindows Server 2003 R2Windows Mobile 6.0Windows VistaWindows Home ServerWindows Mobile 6.1Windows Server 2008Windows Embedded IndustryWindows Mobile 6.5Windows 7Windows Server 2008 R2Windows MultiPoint ServerWindows Phone 7Windows Home Server 2011Windows MultiPoint ServerWindows Embedded IndustryWindows Server 2012Windows 8Windows Phone 8Windows MultiPoint ServerWindows Embedded 8 IndustryWindows 8.1Windows Embedded 8.1 IndustryWindows Server 2012 R2Windows Phone 8.1Windows 10 (original release)Windows 10 (original release)Windows IoTWindows 10, version 1511Windows 10 Mobile version historyWindows 10, version 1607Windows 10 Mobile version historyWindows 10, version 1607Windows IoTWindows Server 2016Windows 10, version 1703Windows 10 Mobile version historyWindows 10, version 1709Windows 10 Mobile version historyWindows 10, version 1803Windows 10, version 1809Windows 10, version 1809Windows IoTWindows Server 2019Windows IoTWindows 10, version 1903Windows 10, version 1909Windows 10, version 2004Windows 10, version 20H2Windows 10, version 21H1Windows Server 2022Windows IoTWindows 11, version 21H2Windows 10, version 21H2Windows 10, version 21H2Windows IoTWindows 11, version 22H2Windows 10, version 22H2Windows 11, version 23H2


See also

Other lists

Windows clones and emulators

  • Freedows OS – Windows clone
  • ReactOS – project to develop an operating system that is binary compatible with application software and device drivers for Microsoft Windows NT version 5.x
  • Wine (software) – compatibility layer which allows to execute programs that were originally written for Microsoft Windows

References

  1. ^ LeBlanc, Brandon (June 2, 2009). "The Date for General Availability (GA) of Windows 7 is..." The Windows Blog. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  2. ^ Availability of Universal Serial Bus Support in Windows 95 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/253756/EN-US
  3. ^ "Updated USB 2.0 Drivers Are Available in Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4)". Microsoft Support. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  4. ^ Jones, Don (August 5, 2002). "USB 2.0 Support in Windows XP: High Speed at Last". Microsoft. Archived from the original on December 31, 2004. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  5. ^ "USB 2.0 and Windows Operating Systems". Windows Hardware Development. May 11, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c "Release Notes for Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Setup". Microsoft. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Windows Vista Starter Fact Sheet". Microsoft. December 2007.
  8. ^ "What is the maximum amount of RAM the Windows operating system can handle?". Crucial. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  9. ^ "Memory Limits for Windows Releases". Microsoft. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  10. ^ Chen, Raymond. "Windows 95 doesn't boot with more than 1GB of RAM".
Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Basic Computing Using Windows
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