Comparison of Microsoft Windows versions

Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of computer software operating systems 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 DR5	Pre-release version	0.9 (1984)	Unsupported (1985)	Closed source	Interface Manager	DOS 2.2 Only	16-bit		Desktops
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	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	N/A	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	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, Professional, Media Center, Tablet PC, Starter, Embedded, Home N,^[1]^[2] Home K,^[3] Home KN,^[4] Professional N,^[1]^[2] Professional K,^[3] Professional KN,^[4] Professional x64	Desktop, Workstation, Embedded PCs
Windows Server 2003	2003-04-24	3790	5.2.3790 SP2 (2007-03-13)	Supported (Until 2015-07-15)	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, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, Ultimate, Home Basic K, Home Basic N, Home Basic KN, Home Premium K, Home Premium KN, Business K, Business N, Business KN, Enterprise K, Enterprise KN, Ultimate K, Ultimate 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, Standard, Enterprise, Small Business Server, Datacenter, Web Core, Standard Core, Enterprise Core, Datacenter Core, Standard without HyperV, Enterprise without HyperV, Datacenter without HyperV, Standard Core without HyperV, Enterprise Core without HyperV, Datacenter Core without HyperV, HPC, HyperV Core, Foundation, Storage	Server
Windows Home Server	2007-06-16	3790	5.2	Unsupported (8 January 2013)	Closed source	Q, Quattro	NT 5.2	IA-32, x86-64	Home Server	Server
Windows 7	2009-10-22^[5]	7600 (SP1: 7601)	6.1	Supported	Closed source, Shared source	"7", Vienna	NT 6.1	IA-32, x86-64	Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, Enterprise, Starter E,^[6] Home Basic E, Home Premium E, Professional E, Ultimate E, Enterprise E, Starter N, Home Basic N, Home Premium N, Professional N, Ultimate N, Enterprise N, Starter K, Home Basic K, Home Premium K, Professional K, Ultimate K, Enterprise K, Starter KN, Home Basic KN, Home Premium KN, Professional KN, Ultimate KN, Enterprise 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, Enterprise, Datacenter, Web, Standard Core, Enterprise Core, Datacenter Core, Web Core	Server
Windows Home Server 2011	2011-04-05	8400	6.1	Supported	Closed source	Vail	NT 6.1	x86-64	Home Server	Server
Windows Server 2012	2012-9-4	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	Supported	Closed source, Shared source	"8"	NT 6.2	IA-32, x86-64, ARM architecture (ARMv7)	Windows 8, Professional, Enterprise, N,^[7] Professional N, Enterprise N, Enterprise K, Enterprise 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, ARM architecture (ARMv7)	Windows 8.1, Pro, Enterprise, Pro N,^[8] Enterprise N, Enterprise K, Enterprise 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 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	?	N/A

Windows Mobile

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

Name	Release date	Codename	Based on (kernel)
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					Photon	CE 6.0
Windows Phone 7.5	2011-11					Mango	CE 6.1
Windows Phone 7.8	2013-01						CE 6.1
Windows Phone 8	2012-10-29	10211	6.2	Supported	Closed source, Shared source	Apollo, Portico	NT 6.2	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) ^[9]	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

Windows NT

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

Name	Architecture	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)	N/A		Win32, OS/2, POSIX	No	No
Windows NT 3.5	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS	No	Yes	No	?	Yes (except on CDFS volumes)	N/A		Win32, OS/2, POSIX	No	No
Windows NT 3.51	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC	No	Yes	No	?	Yes (except on CDFS volumes)	N/A		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	N/A	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)^[10]	Yes	Yes	N/A	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+)^[11]	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET	Yes	Yes (in SP2)
Windows Server 2003	IA-32, Itanium, x64	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)^[12]	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32	Yes	Yes (in SP1)
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs	IA-32	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32	Yes	Yes
Windows Vista	IA-32, x64	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)	Yes	Yes	N/A	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	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32	Yes	Yes
Windows Home Server	IA-32	?	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)	?	Yes	N/A	Windows Update	Win32	?	?
Windows 7	IA-32, x64	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET	Yes	Yes
Windows Server 2008 R2	Itanium, x64	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET	Yes	Yes
Windows Home Server 2011	x64	?	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)	?	Yes	N/A	Windows Update	Win32	?	?
Windows Server 2012	x64	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET, WinRT	Yes	Yes
Windows 8	IA-32, x64	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET, WinRT	Yes	Yes
Windows 8.1	IA-32, x64	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	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	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store, PowerShell	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	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 (More Info)	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 Phone

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

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
Version	CPU	Minimum	Recommended	Free disk space	Video adapter and monitor
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	?	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	233 MHz	64 MB	128 MB	500 MB
Windows XP Professional x64	700 MHz Itanium^[13]	1 GB^[13]	?	6 GB^[13]
Windows Server 2003	1 GHz (x86) or 1.4 GHz (x64)	2 GB	10 GB
Windows Vista	800 MHz	384 MB (Starter) 512 MB (others) ^[14]	1 GB	15 GB (~6.5 GB for OS)
Windows Server 2008	1 GHz (x86) or 1.4 GHz (x64)	384 MB (Starter) 512 MB (others) ^[14]	2 GB	10 GB
Windows 7	1 GHz	1 GB (x86) 2 GB (x64)	4 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 Phone

Version	CPU	RAM		Free disk space	Video adapter and monitor
Version	CPU	Minimum	Recommended	Free disk space	Video adapter and monitor
Windows Phone 8	1 GHz	512 MB	N/A	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.^[15]^[16]

Windows 9x

Windows 95: 480 MB^[17]
Windows 98: 1 GB
Windows Me: 1.5 GB

Windows NT

Operating system	Limit on IA-32	Limit on x64
4.0.a !Windows NT 4.0	4 GB	N/A
5.0.b !Windows 2000 Professional/Server	4 GB	N/A
5.0.c !Windows 2000 Advanced Server	8 GB	N/A
5.0.d !Windows 2000 Datacenter	32 GB	N/A
5.1.a !Windows XP Starter	0.5 GB !512 MB	N/A
5.1.b !Windows XP Home	4 GB	N/A
5.1.c !Windows XP Professional	4 GB	128 GB
5.1.sp0.w !Windows Server 2003 RTM Web	2 GB	N/A
5.1.sp0.x !Windows Server 2003 RTM Standard/Small Business	4 GB	N/A
5.1.sp0.z !Windows Server 2003 RTM Enterprise/Datacenter	64 GB	N/A
5.1.sp1.x !Windows Server 2003 R2/SP1 Standard	4 GB	32 GB
5.1.sp1.z !Windows Server 2003 R2/SP1 Enterprise/Datacenter	64 GB	1024 GB !1 TB
6.0.a !Windows Vista Starter	1 GB	N/A
6.0.b !Windows Vista Home Basic	4 GB	8 GB
6.0.c !Windows Vista Home Premium	4 GB	16 GB
6.0.f !Windows Vista Business/Enterprise/Ultimate	4 GB	128 GB
6.0.v !Windows Home Server	4 GB	N/A
6.0.x !Windows Server 2008 Web Server/Standard/Small Business	4 GB	32 GB
6.0.y !Windows HPC Server 2008	N/A	128 GB
6.0.z !Windows Server 2008 Enterprise/Datacenter	64 GB	1024 GB !1 TB
6.1.a !Windows 7 Starter	2 GB	N/A
6.1.b !Windows 7 Home Basic	4 GB	8 GB
6.1.c !Windows 7 Home Premium	4 GB	16 GB
6.1.f !Windows 7 Professional/Enterprise/Ultimate	4 GB	192 GB
6.1.w !Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation	N/A	8 GB
6.1.x !Windows Server 2008 R2 Web Server/Standard	N/A	32 GB
6.1.y !Windows HPC Server 2008 R2	N/A	128 GB
6.1.z !Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise/Datacenter	N/A	2048 GB !2 TB
6.2.a !Windows 8	4 GB	128 GB
6.2.c !Windows 8 Pro/Enterprise	4 GB	512 GB
6.2.w !Windows Server 2012 Foundation	N/A	32 GB
6.2.x !Windows Server 2012 Essentials	N/A	64 GB
6.2.z !Windows Server 2012 Standard/Datacenter	N/A	4096 GB !4 TB
6.2.z !Windows Storage Server 2012 Standard	N/A	4096 GB !4 TB
6.2.z !Windows Storage Server 2012 Workgroup	N/A	32 GB

Security features

	Resource access control	Subsystem isolation mechanisms	Integrated firewall	Encrypted file systems
Windows 2000	ACLs		TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes (NTFS only)
Windows XP	ACLs	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall (from SP2), TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes (NTFS only)
Windows Server 2003	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes
Windows Vista	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes
Windows Server 2008	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes
Windows 7	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes
Windows Server 2012	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes
Windows 8	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes

Features

Version	Shell	Visual styles	Internet Explorer	Web server	Windows Media Player	Command-line interpreter
Windows 1.0	MS-DOS executive	(Unnamed)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Windows 2.0	MS-DOS executive	(Unnamed)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Windows 3.0	Program Manager	(Unnamed)	N/A	N/A	3.0 (Multimedia Extension edition only)	N/A
Windows 3.1x	Program Manager	(Unnamed)	N/A	N/A	3.1	N/A
Windows 95	Windows shell	Classic	2.0 in OSR1 3.0 in OSR2 and OSR2.1 4.0 in OSR2.5	N/A	4.0	COMMAND.COM
Windows NT 4.0	Windows shell	Classic	2.0	PWS	4.0	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE
Windows 98	Windows shell	Classic	4.01	PWS	4.0	COMMAND.COM
Windows 98 SE	Windows shell	Classic	5.0	PWS	4.0	COMMAND.COM
Windows 2000	Windows shell	Classic	5.01	IIS 5.0	5.0 and 6.4 (side by side)	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE
Windows Me	Windows shell	Classic	5.5	N/A	6.4 and 7.0 (side by side)	COMMAND.COM
Windows XP	Windows shell	Luna (default), Classic	6.0	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 in SP1)	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell (optional)
Windows Vista	Windows shell	Aero (default), Classic	7.0	IIS 7	11	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell (optional)
Windows Server 2008	Windows shell, Server Core	Classic (default), Aero (via "Desktop Experience")	7.0	IIS 7	11 (enabled by installing "Desktop Experience")	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell (optional)
Windows 7	Windows shell	Aero (default), Classic	8.0	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")	8.0	IIS 7.5	12 (via "Desktop Experience")	CMD.EXE, PowerShell v2.0
Windows Server 2012	Windows shell, Server Core	Metro-inspired	10.0	IIS 8	12 (via "Desktop Experience")	CMD.EXE, PowerShell v3.0
Windows 8	Windows shell	Metro-inspired	10.0	IIS 8	12	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell v3.0
Windows Server 2012 R2	Windows shell, Windows server core	Metro-inspired	11.0	IIS 8.5	12 (via "Desktop Experience")	CMD.EXE, PowerShell v4.0

Timeline

Main article: Timeline of Microsoft Windows

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 "Microsoft to Release Windows XP Home Edition N and Windows XP Professional N in Europe". Microsoft. June 8, 2005.
↑ 2.0 2.1 "Description of Windows XP Home Edition N and Windows XP Professional N". Microsoft.
↑ 3.0 3.1 "Changes to Windows XP Home Edition K and Windows XP Professional K from earlier versions of Windows XP". Microsoft.
↑ 4.0 4.1 "Description of the feature changes and the functionality changes in Windows XP Home Edition KN and in Windows XP Professional KN". Microsoft.
↑ LeBlanc, Brandon (June 2, 2009). "The Date for General Availability (GA) of Windows 7 is...". The Windows Blog. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
↑ "Update on E editions of Windows 7". Microsoft.
↑ "Description of the Windows Media Feature Pack for N and KN versions of all Windows 8 editions". Microsoft.
↑ "Media Feature Pack for Windows 8.1 N and Windows 8.1 KN Editions: April 2014". Microsoft.
↑ Availability of Universal Serial Bus Support in Windows 95 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/253756/EN-US
↑ "Updated USB 2.0 Drivers Are Available in Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4)". Microsoft Support. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
↑ 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.
↑ "USB 2.0 and Windows Operating Systems". Windows Hardware Development. May 11, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "Release Notes for Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Setup". Microsoft. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
↑ "Windows Vista Starter Fact Sheet". Microsoft. December 2007.
↑ "What is the maximum amount of RAM the Windows operating system can handle?". Crucial. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
↑ "Memory Limits for Windows Releases". Microsoft. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
↑ Chen, Raymond. "Windows 95 doesn't boot with more than 1GB of RAM".

External links

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Basic Computing Using Windows

Operating systems by Microsoft

Desktop	Microsoft Windows 9x NT CE MS-DOS MSX-DOS OS/2 Xenix

Mobile	KIN OS Nokia Asha platform Windows Mobile Windows Phone Zune

Console	Xbox Xbox 360 Xbox One

Projects	Barrelfish HomeOS MIDAS Midori Singularity Verve

Comparison of Microsoft Windows versions

General information

DOS shells

Windows 9x

Windows NT

Windows Embedded Compact

Windows Mobile

Windows Phone

Technical information

DOS shells

Windows 9x

Windows NT

Windows Phone

Supported file systems

Windows 9x

Windows NT

Windows Phone

Hardware requirements

Windows 9x

Windows NT

Windows Phone

Physical memory limits

Windows 9x

Windows NT

Security features

Features

Timeline

See also

Other lists

Windows clones and emulators

References

External links