Comparison of Microsoft Windows versions
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.
All versions of Microsoft Windows are commercial proprietary software.
General information
Basic general information about Windows.DOS shells
Windows 9x
Windows NT
Windows Embedded Compact
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 | Codename | Based on | 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 | 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 | Unsupported | Macallan | CE 5.0 | Embedded kernel | Embedded | ||||
| Windows Embedded CE 6.0 | 2006-11-01 | Unsupported | Yamazaki | CE 6.0 | Hybrid kernel | ||||||
| Windows Embedded Compact 7 | 2011-03-01 | Supported | Chelan | CE 7.0 | Hybrid | Standard, POSReady | - | ||||
| Windows Embedded Compact 2013 | 2013-08-11 | Update 17 | Supported | CE 8.0 | Standard Industry Handheld | Embedded |
Windows Mobile
is Microsoft's discontinued line of operating systems for smartphones.| Name | Release date | RTM build | Current version | Status support | Codename | Based on | Supported architectures |
| Windows Pocket PC 2000 | 2000-04-19 | Unsupported | Raiper | CE 3.0 | |||
| Windows Pocket PC 2002 | 2001-10-01 | Unsupported | Merlin | 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
is Microsoft's discontinued line of operating systems for smartphones.| Name | Release date | RTM build | Current version | Status support | Codename | Based on | Supported architectures |
| Windows Phone 7 | 2010-11-08 | 7004 | 7.10.8862 | End of life | Photon | CE 6.0 | ARM |
| Windows Phone 7.5 | 2011-09-27 | 7720 | 7.10.8862 | End of life | Mango | CE 6.1 | ARM |
| Windows Phone 7.8 | 2013-02-01 | 8858 | 7.10.8862 | End of life | CE 6.1 | ARM | |
| Windows Phone 8 | 2012-10-29 | 10211 | 10.0.10586 | End of life | Apollo, Portico | NT 6.2 | ARM |
| Windows Phone 8.1 | 2014-04-14 | 12359 | 10.0.10586 | End of life | Blue | NT 6.3 | ARM |
| Windows 10 Mobile | 2015-11-08 | 10586 | 10.0.10586 | End of life | Threshold | NT 10.0 | ARM |
Technical information
DOS shells
Windows 9x
It is possible to install the MS-DOS variants 7.0 and 7.1 without the graphics user interface of Windows. If an independent installation of both, DOS and Windows is desired, DOS ought to be installed prior to Windows, at the start of a small partition. The system must be transferred by the "SYSTEM" DOS-command, while the other files constituting DOS can simply be copied. Such a stand-alone installation of MS-DOS 8 is not possible, 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 | DDIs | Safe Mode | Data Execution Prevention | DirectX |
| Windows NT 3.1 | IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS | Win32, OS/2, POSIX | DLL, KMD | |||||||||||
| Windows NT 3.5 | IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS | Win32, OS/2, POSIX | DLL, KMD | |||||||||||
| Windows NT 3.51 | IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC | Win32, OS/2, POSIX | DLL, KMD | |||||||||||
| Windows NT 4.0 | IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC | Windows Update | Win32, OS/2, POSIX | DLL, KMD | 3.0a, 5.0 | |||||||||
| Windows 2000 | IA-32 | Windows Update, WSUS | Win32, OS/2, POSIX | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF | 7.0, 9.0c | |||||||||
| Windows XP | IA-32, Itanium, x64 | Windows Update, WSUS | Win32,.NET | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1 | 9.0c | |||||||||
| Windows Server 2003 | IA-32, Itanium, x64 | Windows Update, WSUS | Win32 | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1 | 9.0c | |||||||||
| Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs | IA-32 | Windows Update, WSUS | Win32 | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1 | 9.0c | |||||||||
| Windows Vista | IA-32, x64 | Windows Marketplace | Windows Update, WSUS | Win32,.NET, POSIX | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1 | 10.1 11.0 | ||||||||
| Windows Server 2008 | IA-32, Itanium, x64 | Windows Update, WSUS | Win32 | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1 | 10.1 11.0 | |||||||||
| Windows Home Server | IA-32 | Windows Update | Win32 | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1 | 9.0c | |||||||||
| Windows 7 | IA-32, x64 | Windows Update, WSUS | Win32,.NET | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1 | 11.0 11.1 | |||||||||
| Windows Server 2008 R2 | Itanium, x64 | Windows Update, WSUS | Win32,.NET | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1 | 11.0 11.1 | |||||||||
| Windows Home Server 2011 | x64 | Windows Update | Win32 | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1 | 11.0 11.1 | |||||||||
| Windows Server 2012 | x64 | Windows Store | Windows Store | Windows Update, WSUS | Win32,.NET, WinRT | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1 | 11.1 | |||||||
| Windows 8 | IA-32, x64 | Windows Store | Windows Store | Windows Update, WSUS | Win32,.NET, WinRT | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1 | 11.1 | |||||||
| Windows 8.1 | IA-32, x64 | Windows Store | Windows Store, PowerShell | Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store | Win32,.NET, WinRT | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1, UMDFv2 | 11.2 | |||||||
| Windows Server 2012 R2 | x64 | Windows Store | Windows Store | Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store | Win32,.NET, WinRT | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1, UMDFv2 | 11.2 | |||||||
| Windows 10 | IA-32, x64 | Windows Store | Windows Store, PowerShell | Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store | Win32,.NET, WinRT, Linux | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1, UMDFv2 | 12 | |||||||
| Windows Server 2016 | x64 | Windows Store | Windows Store | Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store | Win32,.NET, WinRT | DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1, UMDFv2 | 12 |
Windows Phone
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 USB flash drives.Windows 9x
Windows NT
Windows Phone
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
Windows NT
Windows Phone
Physical memory limits
Maximum limits on physical memory that Windows can address vary depending on both the Windows version and between IA-32 and x64 versions.Windows 9x
- Windows 95: 480 MB
- Windows 98: 1 GB
- Windows Me: 1.5 GB
Windows NT
Security features
Features
Timeline
Other lists
- List of Microsoft Windows versions
- List of operating systems
- Comparison of operating systems
- Comparison of kernels
- Comparison of Windows Vista and Windows XP
- History of Microsoft Windows
- Comparison of DOS operating systems
- Architecture of the Windows NT operating system line
- Microsoft codenames
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 – compatibility layer which allows to execute programs that were originally written for Microsoft Windows