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Windows 1
This is where is all started, Windows made their first program! This specific program was unique for the time due to the fact that it relied heavily on the mouse. -
Windows 1
Microsoft made it first successful run with Windows 1! Unique for the time due to its heavy rely on the computer mouse, opposed to the usual typing. -
Windows 2
Two years after Microsoft's first release, Windows 2 was born, unique and innovative for the time due to the ability to have multiple windows open and the ability to maximize and minimize a page. Not to mention the new features. -
Windows 2
Two years after the original release, Microsoft released Windows 2, a innovation to the computer world due to the ability of having multiple windows open. Not to mention that the user could now maximize and minimize a page! -
Windows 3
The first Windows that required a hard drive, increasing the ability tremendously! Rivaling even the Apple Macintosh and Commodore Amiga! This version also brought with it a game of solitaire. -
Windows 3.1
A upgrade from a previous software, Windows 3.1 added TrueType fonts making Windows a exceptional publishing platform for the first time. -
Windows 95
As the name states, this Microsoft software was released in 1995 with a ton of new features and abilities! Few being the new Start button, plug and play, and 32 bit environment! -
Windows 98
Windows 98 built on 95, adding new features and fixing some old bugs. USB was a big new upgrade, leading to its success in the future. Alongside that, additions to windows explorer were also made, I.E. the introduction of navigation buttons. -
Windows 2000
The enterprise twin of ME, Windows 2000 was released in February 2000 and was based on Microsoft’s business-orientated system Windows NT and later became the basis for Windows XP. Microsoft’s automatic updating played an important role in Windows 2000 and became the first Windows to support hibernation. -
Windows ME
Considered a low point in the Windows lifespan, ME was buggy, slow, and failed to install properly. Yet it was the last of the Windows software to use MS-DOS. -
WIndows XP
It was based on Windows NT like Windows 2000, but brought the consumer-friendly elements from Windows ME. The Start menu and task bar got a visual overhaul, bringing the familiar green Start button, blue task bar and vista wallpaper, along with various shadow and other visual effects.Windows XP was the longest running Microsoft operating system, seeing three major updates and support up until April 2014 – 13 years from its original release date. -
WIndows 7
faster, more stable and easier to use, becoming the operating system most users and business would upgrade to from Windows XP, forgoing Vista entirely.
Handwriting recognition debuted in 7, as did the ability to “snap” windows to the tops or sides of the screen, allowing faster more automatic window resizing.
Windows 7 saw Microsoft hit in Europe with antitrust investigations over the pre-installing of IE. -
Windows Vista
buggy, burdened the user with hundreds of requests for app permissions under “User Account Control” - the outcome of the Trustworthy Computing initiative which now meant that users had to approve or disapprove attempts by programs to make various changes. The problem with UAC was that it led to complacency, with people clicking “yes” to almost anything - taking security back to the pre-UAC state. -
Windows 8
Windows 8 was faster than previous versions of Windows and included support for the new, much faster USB 3.0 devices. The Windows Store, which offers universal Windows apps that run in a full-screen mode only, was introduced. Programs could still be installed from third-parties like other iterations of Windows, but they could only access the traditional desktop interface of Windows. -
Windows 8.1
Windows 8.1 re-introduced the Start button, which brought up the Start screen from the desktop view of Windows 8.1. Users could also choose to boot directly into the desktop of Windows 8.1, which was more suitable for those using a desktop computer with a mouse and keyboard than the touch-focused Start screen. -
Windows 10
Windows 10 represents another step in Microsoft’s U-turn, bringing back the Start menu and more balance to traditional desktop computer users.
Some interesting features include the ability to switch between a keyboard and mouse mode and a tablet mode, for those computers like the Surface Pro 3 with a detachable keyboard.
