Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows was a set of popular operating environments, beginning in the 1980s; the name was also given to the later operating systems (NT, etc).
The first two generations of Windows ran on top of MS-DOS. 16-bit real mode versions include 1.0.x and 2.0 for the 286 and 386.
Windows 386 v2.0.x included the 386 Virtual Machine Mode (VMM), effectively a type 2 hypervisor on top of MS-DOS for running 8086 virtual machines via the v86 mode feature of the 386 processor. Windows itself was still a 16-bit real mode program, even running on the 386 VMM.
16-bit protected mode versions of Windows include 3.0 and 3.1. While capable of running on the 386, Windows itself was a 16-bit program, unable itself to exploit any 386 features, except for processor robust version of virtual memory, and a Virtual-86 mode.
32-bit hybrid protected/real mode versions include 95, 98 and Me.
Pure 32bit versions are the NT based versions of Windows NT, including NT 3.1, 3.5, 3.51, 4.0, 2000, XP, 2003, 2003r2, 2008, Vista, 2008r2, 7, 2012, 8, 2012r2, 8.1
See also
| v • d • e Microsoft Windows Versions, Vendors and Related |
|---|
| 16 bit - Windows 1.0 • Windows 2.0 • Windows 3.0 • Windows 3.1 • Windows 3.2
Hybrid 32/16 bit - win32s • Windows 95 • Windows 98 • Windows ME 32 bit - Windows NT 3.1 • Windows NT 3.5 • Windows NT 3.51• Windows NT 4.0 |
