Microsoft Windows is an operating system developed by Microsoft Corporation in 1985 to run on your computer. It is the most popular operating system used by different types and brands of PC.
Since it was launched in 1985, Microsoft has released several versions of its Windows, each coming with superior updates to the previous editions. It was designed to run on computers only, but the first version for mobile became available in 2003.Microsoft Windows is available in client versions, Server versions, Device versions, Automotive versions, and Mobile versions. This post will explore the different versions in detail. Read on to find out more.
Windows Version List With Editions
| Windows version | Editions | Release Date |
|---|---|---|
|
Windows 11 |
Windows 11 Home Windows 11 Pro Windows Education Windows 11 Pro Education Windows 11 Enterprise |
October 2021 |
|
Windows 10 |
Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro Windows 10 Pro for Workstations Windows 10 Pro Education Windows 10 Enterprise Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC (formerly LTSB) Windows 10 Education Windows 10 IoT Core Windows 10 IoT Enterprise Windows 10 S (Used for Enterprise and Education purpose) |
July 2015 |
|
Windows 8.1 |
Windows 8.1 Windows 8.1 Pro Windows 8.1 Enterprise Windows 8.1 OEM Windows 8.1 with Bing |
October 2013 |
|
Windows 8 |
Windows 8 Windows 8 Pro Windows 8 Enterprise Windows 8 OEM |
October 2012 |
|
Windows 7 |
Windows 7 Starter Windows 7 Home Basic Windows 7 Home Premium Windows 7 Professional Windows 7 Enterprise Windows 7 Ultimate Windows Thin PC |
October 2009 |
|
Windows Vista |
Windows Vista Starter Windows Vista Home Basic Windows Vista Home Premium Windows Vista Business Windows Vista Enterprise Windows Vista Ultimate |
January 2007 |
|
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition |
N/A |
April 2005 |
|
Windows XP |
Windows XP Starter Windows XP Home Windows XP Professional Windows XP 64-bit Edition |
October 2001 |
|
Windows Me |
N/A |
September 2000 |
|
Windows 2000 |
Professional |
February 2000 |
|
Windows 98 |
Windows 98 Windows 98 Second Edition |
June 1998 |
|
Windows NT 4.0 |
Windows NT 4.0 Workstation |
August 1996 |
|
Windows 95 |
Windows 95 Windows 95 SP1 (December 31, 1995) Windows 95 OSR1 (February 14, 1996) Windows 95 OSR2 (August 24, 1996) Windows 95 USB Supplement to OSR2 (August 27, 1997) Windows 95 OSR2.1 (August 27, 1997) Windows 95 OSR2.5 (November 26, 1997) |
August 1995 |
|
Windows NT 3.51 |
Windows NT 3.51 Workstation |
May 1995 |
|
Windows NT 3.5 |
Windows NT 3.5 Workstation |
September 1994 |
|
Windows 3.2 |
N/A |
November 1993 |
|
Windows for Workgroups 3.11 |
N/A |
November 1993 |
|
Windows NT 3.1 |
Windows NT 3.1 |
July 1993 |
|
Windows 3.1 |
Windows 3.1 Windows for Workgroups 3.1 (October 1992 |
April 1992 |
|
Windows 3.0 |
N/A |
May 1990 |
|
Windows 2.11 |
Windows/286 Windows/386 |
March 1989 |
|
Windows 2.10 |
Windows/286 Windows/386 |
May 1988 |
|
Windows 2.03 |
N/A |
December 1987 |
|
Windows 1.04 |
N/A |
April 1987 |
|
Windows 1.03 |
N/A |
August 1986 |
|
Windows 1.02 |
N/A |
May 1986 |
|
Windows 1.0 |
N/A |
November 1985 |
Microsoft Windows Server Versions
Below are the available Microsoft Server Versions list with Editions, which is used for hosting web-applications:
| Windows version | Editions |
|---|---|
|
Windows Server 2019 |
Windows Server 2019 Essentials Windows Server 2019 Standard Windows Server 2019 Datacenter |
|
Windows Server 2016 |
Windows Server 2016 Essentials Windows Server 2016 Standard Windows Server 2016 Datacenter |
|
Windows Server 2012 R2 |
Windows Server 2012 R2 Foundation Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard Windows Server 2012 R2 Datacenter |
|
Windows Server 2012 |
Windows Server 2012 Foundation Windows Server 2012 Essentials Windows Server 2012 Standard Windows Server 2012 Datacenter Windows MultiPoint Server 2012 |
|
Windows Server 2008 |
Windows Server 2008 Standard Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Windows Server 2008 for Itanium-based Systems Windows Server Foundation 2008 Windows Essential Business Server 2008 Windows HPC Server 2008 Windows Small Business Server 2008 Windows Storage Server 2008 Windows Web Server 2008 |
|
Windows Server 2003 R2 |
Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Windows Server 2003 R2 (Web Edition) Windows Server 2003 R2 (Standard Edition) Windows Server 2003 R2 (Enterprise Edition) Windows Server 2003 R2 (Datacenter Edition) Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 (CCS) Windows Storage Server Windows Home Server |
|
Windows Server 2003 |
Windows Small Business Server 2003 Windows Server 2003 (Web Edition) Windows Server 2003 (Standard Edition) Windows Server 2003 (Enterprise Edition) Windows Server 2003 (Datacenter Edition) Windows Storage Server |
|
Windows 2000 |
Windows 2000 Server Windows 2000 Advanced Server Windows 2000 Datacenter Server |
|
Windows NT 4.0 |
Windows NT 4.0 Server Windows NT 4.0 Server Enterprise Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition |
|
Windows NT 3.51 |
Windows NT 3.51 Server |
|
Windows NT 3.5 |
Windows NT 3.5 Server |
Microsoft PC Windows Versions and Their Details
Below is the list of the Microsoft windows that are available for PC.
Windows 11
Windows 11 is the latest version of Microsoft Windows released in October 2021. It has two main editions - the Home edition for consumer users and the Pro edition for professional users.
Windows 11 supports the following editions; Windows 11 Home, Windows 11 Pro, the Windows Education, Windows 11 Pro Education, and Windows 11 Enterprise. It supports about one hundred languages. It has easy-to-use tools that help you optimize your screen space and maximize productivity.
The operating system is free through Windows updates to Windows 10 users with the minimum requirements. Windows 7 and 8 users must first upgrade to Windows 10 before upgrading to Windows 11.
Windows 10
Windows 10 is a member of the Microsoft Windows operating system family. It was the newest Microsoft operating system before releasing Windows 11 in 2021. It was made available in 2015 and stood as the best Microsoft operating system for 6 years. It has updated features compared to its predecessor, and it is the best alternative for Windows PCs that do not meet the minimum requirements for Windows 11.
The operating system supports different versions. Some of the versions it supports are Windows Home, Windows Pro, Windows Education, Windows Pro Education, Windows Enterprise, etc.
Windows 8.1
Windows 8.1 is another version of Microsoft's operating system made available in 2013 as part of a shift by Microsoft towards regular, yearly upgrades for its products and services. It has expanded functionality to apps than Windows 8.0 have, and it is still relevant to many Windows users. Although Its start menu has live tiles like Windows 8, you will notice its improvements when you use its features.
Windows 8.0
Windows 8.0 is a colorful and easy-to-use operating system optimized for touch-sensitive systems. It is a good choice of an operating system for non-professional users, and it became available for users in October 2012. It supports Pro, Enterprise, and OEM editions.
Windows 8 features high speed and an innovative and dynamic desktop. It is bug-free, and it has a speedy boot time.
Windows 7
Microsoft has released several versions of its Windows before releasing Windows 7 in 2009. But, the October 2007 release was revolutionary. Its features marked a turnaround in the history of Microsoft Windows.
Windows 7 introduced new graphical features and a new taskbar that works closely with what you have in the Mac OS X dock. It also has device management and security enhancements that make it easier to use. Other factors that made it attractive and easy to use are its Improved backup, Less annoying notifications, and new ways of organizing files with libraries. Windows 7 supports seven editions: Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Enterprise, Windows 7 Ultimate, and Windows 7 Thin PC.
Microsoft also has other versions of Windows for mobile phones and other devices.
Conclusion
The above are the most relevant versions of Microsoft Windows. The latest version for personal computers is the Windows 11, also called the next-generation Windows OS.
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