Windows versions in order: From Microsoft DOS to Windows 11

Windows has come a long way since its launch in 1981 when the first version of the operating system was launched.  Back then, the operating system worked on a Command-Line interface and had minimal functionality. The upcoming Windows 11 would complete the 40-year-long journey of this operating system. And since a lot of readers are wondering about the previous versions of Windows, here is a list of Windows versions in order, all the way from 1981 to 2021. 

Windows versions in order 

• MS-DOS – Microsoft Disk Operating System (1981) was designed for personal computers compatible with IBM
• Windows 1.0 – 2.0 (1985) was the first time when the "point and click" mechanism was used to interact with the operating system. Windows 2.0 marked the introduction of desktop icons and improved graphics.
• Windows 3.0 (1990) debuted with 16 colour support for Intel 386 processor. The look from this version of Windows has formed the basis of many upcoming versions 
• Windows 95 (August 1995) was the first version to support 32-bit applications. It ran on a DOS-free platform. 
• Windows NT 3.1 – 4.0 (1993) ha two versions - Windows NT server and Windows NT Workstation 
• Windows 98 (June 1998)  came with a desktop that combined Internet Explorer with the operating system
• Windows ME – Millennium Edition (September 2000) was a minor upgrade that laid the foundation for coming versions.
• Windows 2000 (February 2000) revolutionalized the operating system forever. It could run full-fledged applications, supported data exchange over the internet. The company released 4 versions, namely Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Server, Windows Advanced Server and Windows Datacenter Server, which were based on the amount of traffic they could manage.  
• Windows XP (October 2001) was a refined version of Windows 2000 and came with refined connectivity features for interacting with wireless networks. It was the first operating system to support 802.11x WSS which is used even today in computers. It was one of the most successful operating systems from Microsoft. Microsoft ended support for Windows XP back in 2014. 
• Windows Vista (November 2006) was an improvement over Windows XP. It offered a more secure, reliable and manageable OS for computers. Hardware troubleshooting capability was also introduced through this version of Windows. Along with that, faster boot time and a 'sleep' state were new features that came with Windows Vista.
• Windows 7 (October 2009) came along with an improved user interface, multi-touch controls and Internet Explorer  8. It was perhaps the foundation of several latest windows version. A new Windows Media centre, graphical interface layout, support for virtual drives and improve security were some of the key features of Windows 7.
• Windows 8 came with instant boot support and was designed for touch-enabled devices. The Metro design incorporated in WIndows 8 was borrowed from the previous version and refined for delivering better performance and usability. A completely new Start menu, Live Tiles and support for ARM processors were the key features of Windows 8.

Latest Windows version 

• Windows 10 was launched in July 2015 and is still the official flag-holder of Microsoft's operating system. Windows 10 came with advanced multi-device support, high-speed data transfer rates and Microsoft Edge, the new internet browser. Users who were using the previous version of Windows were eligible to upgrade to Windows 10, completely free. According to reports, Windows 10 has over 1 billion users globally, who are using one of the seven different versions that are available since launch. Currently, the Windows 10 21H1 is the latest windows version. However, it might be the Windows 10 last version as Windows is about to reveal the next big update on June 24, 2021.
• Windows 11 is the upcoming version of Windows, which has already surfaced on the internet earlier this week. Also being called the 21H2 update, Windows 11 is said to take over from Windows 10 last version in the later part of this year. 

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