The windows system is an operating system developed by Microsoft. It is used on personal computers and tablets. It has a number of features that enhance productivity.
It supports multiuser access and provides a means for users to synchronize their settings across different computers. It also allows multiple graphical applications to run simultaneously.
Windows 1.0
The first major version of Windows, Microsoft’s graphical operating system, was released in November 20, 1985. It worked on top of MS-DOS and looked similar to Visi On and Apple’s Lisa, but it let you run many programs right away and encouraged the use of a mouse instead of typing commands.
It had tiled windows instead of overlapping ones and allowed you to multitask, something that wasn’t very common at the time. It also included programs like Calculator, Paint and Notepad.
It received mixed reviews and required a lot of hardware resources to run. It had four releases, numbered 1.01 through to 1.04, and Microsoft stopped supporting it on December 31, 2001.
Windows NT
The NT series of Microsoft operating systems was built from the ground up with a new core designed to do more than the older 16-bit Windows releases. It features multiprocessing, multiuser systems; a pure 32-bit kernel with 32-bit memory addressing; support for multiple instruction set architectures and hardware platforms; and an extensive suite of system services.
Like UNIX, NT is a true multiprogramming operating system; each user process has its own, protected virtual address space and can access any file on the system. The memory manager implements a demand-paged, paging, and swapping memory management scheme.
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system that allows you to access applications, files, and other features of your computer. It uses a desktop as its standard interface. This is a workspace that contains icons (or graphical pictures) representing different aspects of your computer.
Windows XP was built on new technology called Windows NT and was the first version of Microsoft’s consumer OS to abandon MS-DOS. It was the successor to a project codenamed Neptune and an updated version of the business OS codenamed Odyssey.
Windows XP enabled multiple users to use the same computer by providing each person with a separate computer account. This feature also allows you to choose Switch User or Log Off, which will either allow the other person to continue using your computer or close all your applications.
Windows Vista
The Windows Vista product lineup helps customers achieve clarity in their digital world, quickly find what they want, stay safe and secure online, run a variety of software and applications, and keep their PCs up-to-date and running smoothly. Windows Vista features a new graphical and visual style called Windows Aero; a content index and desktop search platform, Windows Search; peer-to-peer technologies to simplify sharing files and media across computers and devices; and many other improvements.
It also includes technologies such as ReadyBoost and ReadyDrive which utilize fast flash memory (located on USB drives and hybrid hard disk drives) to improve system performance by caching frequently used programs and data. Other major changes include a complete restructuring of the architecture of the audio, display, print and network sub-systems and revisions to deployment, installation, servicing and startup procedures.
Windows 7
The Windows 7 operating system improves on the features that debuted in Vista, but it also takes advantage of advances in computer hardware. Depending on the computer’s capabilities, performance tests show that Windows 7 can make computers run faster and more efficiently than Vista.
Windows 7 has new window management capabilities, including Aero Snap that enables users to view two windows side by side. It also has Jump Lists that display the files and tasks most frequently used with applications. But Microsoft is struggling to get users to upgrade from the older operating system. Its free upgrade programme ended this year, and without continued software updates, PCs that remain on Windows 7 will be at greater risk of viruses and security risks.
Windows 8
The latest OS version from Microsoft is Windows 8 (and its 8.1 update). It has been designed to work on both traditional PCs and touch-screen devices.
It features an updated desktop with a simplified interface that works with touch gestures, Windows To Go functionality that lets you save all of your files, applications and settings on a thumb drive for re-installation, and improved multi-monitor support. It also has a File History feature that tracks and backs up all revisions of your defined files.
Performance wise, it has been tested to be faster than Windows 7 (in areas such as boot-up time, compression/decompression of files, reading from USB devices, encoding movies & video rendering and Geekbench tests). It uses the same next generation kernel as Windows Server 2012 which is receiving rave reviews.
Windows 10
Windows 10 is Microsoft’s current version of its desktop operating system, and runs on PCs, laptops and tablets. The OS includes built-in two-factor authentication (2FA) through Windows Hello and integration with Microsoft accounts and the company’s cloud-based identity service, formerly known as Microsoft Entra ID.
IT administrators can manage the OS and its configuration and security settings using Group Policy, Configuration Manager or Microsoft Intune. Users can control how much data the OS shares with Microsoft through the privacy settings and can adjust their permissions at any time.
The “Quality” and “Feature” update channels deliver monthly updates to the operating system. Quality updates make incremental improvements to the OS, while Feature updates introduce major new features and architectural enhancements.