Microsoft Windows

Windows NT: Started as a family of operating system with Windows NT 3.1, an operating system for
server computers and workstations. It now consists
of three operating system subfamilies that are released almost at the same time and share the same
kernel

Windows redirects here. For the part of a building, see

window. For other uses, see Windows (disambiguation).
Microsoft Windows (or simply Windows) is a metafamily of graphical operating systems developed, marketed,
and sold by Microsoft. It consists of several families
of operating systems, each of which cater to a certain sector of the computing industry. Active Windows families include Windows NT, Windows Embedded and Windows Phone; these may encompass subfamilies, e.g. Windows Embedded Compact (Windows CE)
or Windows Server. Defunct Windows families include
Windows 9x and Windows Mobile.

Windows: The operating system for mainstream personal computers. The latest version
is Windows 10. It is almost impossible for
someone unfamiliar with the subject to identify the members of this family by name because they do not adhere to any specic rule;
e.g. Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows
8/8.1 and Windows RT are members of this
family but Windows 3.1 is not. The main competitor of this family is OS X by Apple Inc.
(c.f. Usage share of operating systems Market share by category)

Microsoft introduced an operating environment named

Windows on November 20, 1985, as a graphical operating
system shell for MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs).[4] Microsoft
Windows came to dominate the worlds personal computer market with over 90% market share, overtaking
Mac OS, which had been introduced in 1984. However,
since 2012, thanks to the massive growth of smartphones,
Windows sells less than Android, which became the most
popular operating system in 2014, when counting all of
the computing platforms each operating system runs on;
in 2014, the number of Windows devices sold were less
than 25% of Android devices sold. However, comparisons across dierent markets are not fully relevant; and
for personal computers, Windows is still the most popular
operating system.

Windows Server: The operating system for

server computers.
The latest version is
Windows Server 2012 R2. Unlike its clients
sibling, it has adopted a strong naming scheme.
The main competitor of this family is Linux.
(c.f. Usage share of operating systems Market share by category)
Windows PE: A lightweight version of its Windows sibling meant to operate as a live operating system, used for installing Windows
on bare-metal computers (especially on many
computers at once), recovery or troubleshooting purposes. The latest version is Windows
PE 5.1.

As of July 2015, the most recent version of Windows for

personal computers, tablets and smartphones is Windows
10. The most recent versions for server computers and
embedded devices are respectively Windows Server 2012
R2 and Windows Embedded 8. A specialized version of
Windows runs on the Xbox One game console.[5]

Windows Phone: An operating system sold only to

manufacturers of smartphones. The rst version was
Windows Phone 7. The latest version is Windows
Phone 8.1. The main competitor of this family is
Android by Google. (c.f. Usage share of operating
systems Market share by category)

The next server version of Windows is Windows Server

2016, which is expected to be released in early 2016.

1
1.1

Genealogy

Windows Embedded: Initially, Microsoft developed Windows CE as a general-purpose operating system for every device that was too resourcelimited to be called a full-edged computer. Eventually, however, Windows CE was renamed Windows Embedded Compact and was folded under
Windows Compact trademark which also consists
of Windows Embedded Industry, Windows Embedded Professional, Windows Embedded Standard,

By marketing role

Microsoft, the developer of Windows, has registered several trademarks each of which denote a family of Windows operating systems that target a specic sector of the
computing industry. As of 2014, the following Windows
families are being actively developed:
1

VERSION HISTORY

Windows Embedded Handheld and Windows Em- of Windows 1.0 is a program known as the MS-DOS
bedded Automotive.[6]
Executive. Components included Calculator, Calendar, Cardle, Clipboard viewer, Clock, Control Panel,
The following Windows families are no longer being de- Notepad, Paint, Reversi, Terminal and Write. Windows
1.0 does not allow overlapping windows. Instead all winveloped:
dows are tiled. Only modal dialog boxes may appear over
Windows 9x: An operating system that targeted other windows.
consumers market. Discontinued because of subop- Windows 2.0 was released in December 1987, and was
timal performance. (PC World called its last ver- more popular than its predecessor. It features several imsion, Windows ME, one of the worst products of provements to the user interface and memory manageall times.)[7] Microsoft now caters to the consumers ment. Windows 2.03 changed the OS from tiled windows
market with Windows NT.
to overlapping windows. The result of this change led
Windows Mobile: The predecessor to Windows
Phone, it was a mobile phone operating system. The
rst version was called Pocket PC 2000; the third
version, Windows Mobile 2003 is the rst version
to adopt the Windows Mobile trademark. The last
version is Windows Mobile 6.5.

Version history

Main article: History of Microsoft Windows

See also: List of Microsoft Windows versions

to Apple Computer ling a suit against Microsoft alleging infringement on Apples copyrights.[9][10] Windows
2.0 also introduced more sophisticated keyboard shortcuts and could make use of expanded memory.
Windows 2.1 was released in two dierent versions:
Windows/286 and Windows/386. Windows/386 uses the
virtual 8086 mode of the Intel 80386 to multitask several DOS programs and the paged memory model to emulate expanded memory using available extended memory. Windows/286, in spite of its name, runs on both Intel
8086 and Intel 80286 processors. It runs in real mode but
can make use of the high memory area.

In addition to full Windows-packages, there were

The term Windows collectively describes any or all of sev- runtime-only versions that shipped with early Windows
eral generations of Microsoft operating system products. software from third parties and made it possible to run
their Windows software on MS-DOS and without the full
These products are generally categorized as follows:
Windows feature set.
The early versions of Windows are often thought of
as graphical shells, mostly because they ran on top of
MS-DOS and use it for le system services.[11] HowMain articles: Windows 1.0, Windows 2.0 and Windows
ever, even the earliest Windows versions already assumed
2.1x
many typical operating system functions; notably, havThe history of Windows dates back to September 1981,
ing their own executable le format and providing their
own device drivers (timer, graphics, printer, mouse, keyboard and sound). Unlike MS-DOS, Windows allowed
users to execute multiple graphical applications at the
same time, through cooperative multitasking. Windows
implemented an elaborate, segment-based, software virtual memory scheme, which allows it to run applications larger than available memory: code segments and
resources are swapped in and thrown away when memory
became scarce; data segments moved in memory when a
given application had relinquished processor control.

2.1

Early versions

Windows 1.0, the rst version, released in 1985

when Chase Bishop, a computer scientist, designed the

rst model of an electronic device and project Interface
Manager was started. It was announced in November
1983 (after the Apple Lisa, but before the Macintosh)
under the name Windows, but Windows 1.0 was not
released until November 1985.[8] Windows 1.0 was to
compete with Apple's operating system, but achieved
little popularity. Windows 1.0 is not a complete operating system; rather, it extends MS-DOS. The shell

2.2 Windows 3.x

Main articles: Windows 3.0 and Windows 3.1x
Windows 3.0, released in 1990, improved the design,
mostly because of virtual memory and loadable virtual
device drivers (VxDs) that allow Windows to share arbitrary devices between multi-tasked DOS applications.
Windows 3.0 applications can run in protected mode,
which gives them access to several megabytes of memory
without the obligation to participate in the software vir-

2.4

Windows NT

3
puter desktops around the world.[17] Microsoft published
four OEM Service Releases (OSR) of Windows 95, each
of which was roughly equivalent to a service pack. The
rst OSR of Windows 95 was also the rst version of
Windows to be bundled with Microsofts web browser,
Internet Explorer.[18] Mainstream support for Windows
95 ended on December 31, 2000, and extended support
for Windows 95 ended on December 31, 2001.[19]

Windows 3.0, released in 1990

tual memory scheme. They run inside the same address

space, where the segmented memory provides a degree of
protection. Windows 3.0 also featured improvements to
the user interface. Microsoft rewrote critical operations
from C into assembly. Windows 3.0 is the rst Microsoft
Windows version to achieve broad commercial success,
selling 2 million copies in the rst six months.[12][13]
Windows 3.1, made generally available on March 1,
1992, featured a facelift. In August 1993, Windows for
Workgroups, a special version with integrated peer-topeer networking features and a version number of 3.11,
was released. It was sold along Windows 3.1. Support
for Windows 3.1 ended on December 31, 2001.[14]
Windows 3.2, released 1994, is an updated version of
the Chinese version of Windows 3.1.[15] The update was
limited to this language version, as it xed only issues
related to the complex writing system of the Chinese
language.[16] Windows 3.2 was generally sold by computer manufacturers with a ten-disk version of MS-DOS
that also had Simplied Chinese characters in basic output and some translated utilities.

2.3

Windows 9x

Main article: Windows 9x

The next major consumer-oriented release of Windows,
Windows 95, was released on August 24, 1995. While
still remaining MS-DOS-based, Windows 95 introduced
support for native 32-bit applications, plug and play hardware, preemptive multitasking, long le names of up
to 255 characters, and provided increased stability over
its predecessors. Windows 95 also introduced a redesigned, object oriented user interface, replacing the
previous Program Manager with the Start menu, taskbar,
and Windows Explorer shell. Windows 95 was a major
commercial success for Microsoft; Ina Fried of CNET remarked that by the time Windows 95 was nally ushered
o the market in 2001, it had become a xture on com-

Windows 95 was followed up with the release of

Windows 98 on June 25, 1998, which introduced the
Windows Driver Model, support for USB composite devices, support for ACPI, hibernation, and support for
multi-monitor congurations. Windows 98 also included
integration with Internet Explorer 4 through Active Desktop and other aspects of the Windows Desktop Update (a
series of enhancements to the Explorer shell which were
also made available for Windows 95). In May 1999, Microsoft released Windows 98 Second Edition, an updated
version of Windows 98. Windows 98 SE added Internet
Explorer 5.0 and Windows Media Player 6.2 amongst
other upgrades. Mainstream support for Windows 98
ended on June 30, 2002, and extended support for Windows 98 ended on July 11, 2006.[20]
On September 14, 2000, Microsoft released Windows
ME (Millennium Edition), the last DOS-based version
of Windows. Windows ME incorporated visual interface
enhancements from its Windows NT-based counterpart
Windows 2000, had faster boot times than previous versions (which however, required the removal of the ability to access a real mode DOS environment, removing
compatibility with some older programs),[21] expanded
multimedia functionality (including Windows Media
Player 7, Windows Movie Maker, and the Windows Image Acquisition framework for retrieving images from
scanners and digital cameras), additional system utilities
such as System File Protection and System Restore, and
updated home networking tools.[22] However, Windows
ME was faced with criticism for its speed and instability,
along with hardware compatibility issues and its removal
of real mode DOS support. PC World considered Windows ME to be one of the worst operating systems Microsoft had ever released, and the 4th worst tech product
of all time.[7]

2.4 Windows NT
Main article: Windows NT

2.4.1 Early versions

In November 1988, a new development team within Microsoft (which included former Digital Equipment Corporation developers Dave Cutler and Mark Lucovsky) began work on a revamped version of IBM and Microsofts
OS/2 operating system known as NT OS/2. NT OS/2

4
was intended to be a secure, multi-user operating system
with POSIX compatibility and a modular, portable kernel
with preemptive multitasking and support for multiple
processor architectures. However, following the successful release of Windows 3.0, the NT development team decided to rework the project to use an extended 32-bit port
of the Windows API known as Win32 instead of those
of OS/2. Win32 maintained a similar structure to the
Windows APIs (allowing existing Windows applications
to easily be ported to the platform), but also supported
the capabilities of the existing NT kernel. Following its
approval by Microsofts sta, development continued on
what was now Windows NT, the rst 32-bit version of
Windows. However, IBM objected to the changes, and
ultimately continued OS/2 development on its own.[23][24]
The rst release of the resulting operating system,
Windows NT 3.1 (named to associate it with Windows
3.1) was released in July 1993, with versions for desktop workstations and servers. Windows NT 3.5 was released in September 1994, focusing on performance improvements and support for Novell's NetWare, and was
followed up by Windows NT 3.51 in May 1995, which
included additional improvements and support for the
PowerPC architecture. Windows NT 4.0 was released
in June 1996, introducing the redesigned interface of
Windows 95 to the NT series. On February 17, 2000,
Microsoft released Windows 2000, a successor to NT 4.0.
The Windows NT name was dropped at this point in order
to put a greater focus on the Windows brand.[24]
Home versions of Windows NT The next major version of Windows NT, Windows XP, was released on October 25, 2001. The introduction of Windows XP aimed
to unify the consumer-oriented Windows 9x series with
the architecture introduced by Windows NT, a change
which Microsoft promised would provide better performance over its DOS-based predecessors. Windows XP
would also introduce a redesigned user interface (including an updated Start menu and a task-oriented Windows
Explorer), streamlined multimedia and networking features, Internet Explorer 6, integration with Microsofts
.NET Passport services, modes to help provide compatibility with software designed for previous versions of
Windows, and Remote Assistance functionality.[25]
At retail, Windows XP was now marketed in two main
editions: the Home edition was targeted towards consumers, while the Professional edition was targeted
towards business environments and power users, and
included additional security and networking features.
Home and Professional were later accompanied by the
Media Center edition (designed for home theater PCs,
with an emphasis on support for DVD playback, TV
tuner cards, DVR functionality, and remote controls),
and the Tablet PC edition (designed for mobile devices meeting its specications for a tablet computer, with
support for stylus pen input and additional pen-enabled
applications).[26][27][28] Mainstream support for Windows

VERSION HISTORY

XP ended on April 14, 2009. Extended support ended on

April 8, 2014.[29]
After Windows 2000, Microsoft also changed its release
schedules for server operating systems; the server counterpart of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, was released in April 2003.[24] It was followed in December
2005, by Windows Server 2003 R2.
2.4.2 Windows Vista
After a lengthy development process, Windows Vista was
released on November 30, 2006, for volume licensing and
January 30, 2007, for consumers. It contained a number
of new features, from a redesigned shell and user interface
to signicant technical changes, with a particular focus on
security features. It was available in a number of dierent
editions, and has been subject to some criticism, such as
drop of performance, longer boot time, criticism of new
UAC, and stricter license agreement. Vistas server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 was released in early 2008.
2.4.3 Windows 7
On July 22, 2009, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008
R2 were released as RTM (release to manufacturing)
while the former was released to the public 3 months later
on October 22, 2009. Unlike its predecessor, Windows
Vista, which introduced a large number of new features,
Windows 7 was intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line, with the goal of
being compatible with applications and hardware with
which Windows Vista was already compatible.[30] Windows 7 has multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows
shell with an updated taskbar, a home networking system
called HomeGroup,[31] and performance improvements.
2.4.4 Windows 8 and 8.1
Windows 8, the successor to Windows 7, was released
generally on October 26, 2012. A number of signicant changes were made on Windows 8, including the introduction of a user interface based around Microsofts
Metro design language with optimizations for touchbased devices such as tablets and all-in-one PCs. These
changes include the Start screen, which uses large tiles
that are more convenient for touch interactions and allow for the display of continually updated information,
and a new class of apps which are designed primarily for
use on touch-based devices. Other changes include increased integration with cloud services and other online
platforms (such as social networks and Microsofts own
SkyDrive and Xbox Live services), the Windows Store
service for software distribution, and a new variant known
as Windows RT for use on devices that utilize the ARM
architecture.[32][33][34][35][36][37] An update to Windows
8, called Windows 8.1,[38] was released on October 17,

2.4

Windows NT

2013, and includes features such as new live tile sizes,

deeper SkyDrive integration, and many other revisions.
Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 has been subject to some
criticism, such as removal of Start Menu.

2.4.5

Windows 10

Main article: Windows 10

5
Availability of languages depends on the application developers themselves.
Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 introduces a new
Language Control Panel where both the interface and input languages can be simultaneously changed, and language packs, regardless of type, can be downloaded from
a central location. The PC Settings app in Windows 8.1
and Windows Server 2012 R2 also includes a counterpart settings page for this. Changing the interface language also changes the language of preinstalled Windows
Store apps (such as Mail, Maps and News) and certain
other Microsoft-developed apps (such as Remote Desktop). The above limitations for language packs are however still in eect, except that full language packs can be
installed for any edition except Single Language, which
caters to emerging markets.

On September 30, 2014, Microsoft announced Windows

10 as the successor to Windows 8.1. It was released on
July 29, 2015, and addresses shortcomings in the user interface rst introduced with Windows 8. Changes include
the return of the Start Menu, a virtual desktop system, and
the ability to run Windows Store apps within windows on
the desktop rather than in full-screen mode. Windows 10
is said to be available to update from qualied Windows
7 with SP1 and Windows 8.1 computers from the Get
Windows 10 Application (for Windows 7, Windows 8.1)
or Windows Update (Windows 7).[39]
2.4.7 Platform support
2.4.6

Multilingual support

Multilingual support is built into Windows. The language

for both the keyboard and the interface can be changed
through the Region and Language Control Panel. Components for all supported input languages, such as Input
Method Editors, are automatically installed during Windows installation (in Windows XP and earlier, les for
East Asian languages, such as Chinese, and right-to-left
scripts, such as Arabic, may need to be installed separately, also from the said Control Panel). Third-party
IMEs may also be installed if a user feels that the provided one is insucient for their needs.
Interface languages for the operating system are free for
download, but some languages are limited to certain editions of Windows. Language Interface Packs (LIPs) are
redistributable and may be downloaded from Microsofts
Download Center and installed for any edition of Windows (XP or later) - they translate most, but not all, of the
Windows interface, and require a certain base language
(the language which Windows originally shipped with).
This is used for most languages in emerging markets. Full
Language Packs, which translates the complete operating
system, are only available for specic editions of Windows (Ultimate and Enterprise editions of Windows Vista
and 7, and all editions of Windows 8, 8.1 and RT except Single Language). They do not require a specic
base language, and are commonly used for more popular
languages such as French or Chinese. These languages
cannot be downloaded through the Download Center, but
available as optional updates through the Windows Update service (except Windows 8).

Windows NT included support for several dierent platforms before the x86-based personal computer became
dominant in the professional world. Windows NT 4.0
and its predecessors supported PowerPC, DEC Alpha
and MIPS R4000. (Although some these platforms implement 64-bit computing, the operating system treated
them as 32-bit.) However, Windows 2000, the successor of Windows NT 4.0, dropped support for all platforms except the third generation x86 (known as IA-32)
or newer in 32-bit mode. The client line of Window NT
family still runs on IA-32, although the Windows Server
line has ceased supporting this platform with the release
of Windows Server 2008 R2.
With the introduction of the Intel Itanium architecture
(IA-64), Microsoft released new versions of Windows
to support it. Itanium versions of Windows XP and
Windows Server 2003 were released at the same time as
their mainstream x86 counterparts. Windows XP 64-Bit
Edition, released in 2005, is the last Windows client operating systems to support Itanium. Windows Server line
continued to support this platform until Windows Server
2012; Windows Server 2008 R2 is the last Windows operating system to support Itanium architecture.
On April 25, 2005, Microsoft released Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions to support the x86-64 (or simply x64), the eighth
generation of x86 architecture. Windows Vista was the
rst client version of Windows NT to be released simultaneously in IA-32 and x64 editions. x64 is still supported.

An edition of Windows 8 known as Windows RT was

specically created for computers with ARM architecture
and while ARM is still used for Windows smartphones
The interface language of installed applications are not with Windows 10, tablets with Windows RT will not be
aected by changes in the Windows interface language. updated.

2.5

4 USAGE SHARE

Windows CE

Main articles: Windows CE and Windows Phone

Windows CE (ocially known as Windows Embed-

Windows timeline: Bar chart

view
talk
edit

The latest current version of Windows CE, Windows Embedded

Compact 7, displaying a concept media player UI.

ded Compact), is an edition of Windows that runs on

minimalistic computers, like satellite navigation systems
and some mobile phones. Windows Embedded Compact
is based on its own dedicated kernel, dubbed Windows
CE kernel. Microsoft licenses Windows CE to OEMs and
device makers. The OEMs and device makers can modify and create their own user interfaces and experiences,
while Windows CE provides the technical foundation to
do so.
Windows CE was used in the Dreamcast along with
Segas own proprietary OS for the console. Windows CE
was the core from which Windows Mobile was derived.
Its successor, Windows Phone 7, was based on components from both Windows CE 6.0 R3 and Windows CE The Windows family tree
7.0. Windows Phone 8 however, is based on the same
NT-kernel as Windows 8.
Windows Embedded Compact is not to be confused with
Windows XP Embedded or Windows NT 4.0 Embedded, 4 Usage share
modular editions of Windows based on Windows NT kerMain article: Usage share of operating systems
nel.

2.6

Xbox OS

^ Note: W3Counter, includes so-called

mobile operating systems, not only desktop
ones.

Xbox OS is an unocial name given to the version of

Windows that runs on the Xbox One.[40] It is a more spe ^ Not a subtotal. Not all versions are listed
cic implementation with an emphasis on virtualization
in this table.
(using Hyper-V) as it is three operating systems running
at once, consisting of the core operating system, a second
Gartner estimates the installed base of PCs reached 1.4
implemented for games and a more Windows-like envibillion in 2010[49] they also estimate increase to 2.3 bilronment for applications.[41]
lion by 2015. CNN Money on June 2015 also claims
that Windows currently powers 1.5 billion PCs around
the world.[50] NetMarketShare on June 2015 estimate
3 Timeline of releases
90.85% PC devices is running Windows OS.[51] Gartner also estimate small grow in PC market in year 2014,
Main article: Timeline of Microsoft Windows
2015 and 2016 thanks to Ultramobile Premium devices
Windows timeline: Table
like 2in1 tables/notebooks.[52]

5.1

File permissions

Security

Consumer versions of Windows were originally designed

for ease-of-use on a single-user PC without a network
connection, and did not have security features built in
from the outset.[53] However, Windows NT and its successors are designed for security (including on a network)
and multi-user PCs, but were not initially designed with
Internet security in mind as much, since, when it was
rst developed in the early 1990s, Internet use was less
prevalent.[54]

7
two separate tokens are assigned. The rst token contains all privileges typically awarded to an administrator,
and the second is a restricted token similar to what a standard user would receive. User applications, including the
Windows Shell, are then started with the restricted token, resulting in a reduced privilege environment even
under an Administrator account. When an application
requests higher privileges or Run as administrator is
clicked, UAC will prompt for conrmation and, if consent is given (including administrator credentials if the
account requesting the elevation is not a member of the
administrators group), start the process using the unrestricted token.[60]

These design issues combined with programming errors

(e.g. buer overows) and the popularity of Windows
means that it is a frequent target of computer worm and
virus writers. In June 2005, Bruce Schneier's Counterpane Internet Security reported that it had seen over 1,000
new viruses and worms in the previous six months.[55] 5.1 File permissions
In 2005, Kaspersky Lab found around 11,000 malicious
programsviruses, Trojans, back-doors, and exploits All Windows versions from Windows NT 3 have been
based on a le system permission system referred to as
written for Windows.[56]
AGLP (Accounts, Global, Local, Permissions) AGDLP
Microsoft releases security patches through its Windows
which in essence where le permissions are applied to the
Update service approximately once a month (usually the
le/folder in the form of a 'local group' which then has
second Tuesday of the month), although critical updates
other 'global groups as members. These global groups
are made available at shorter intervals when necessary.[57]
then hold other groups or users depending on dierIn versions of Windows after and including Windows
ent Windows versions used. This system varies from
2000 SP3 and Windows XP, updates can be automatically
other vendor products such as Linux and NetWare due
downloaded and installed if the user selects to do so. As
to the 'static' allocation of permission being applied dia result, Service Pack 2 for Windows XP, as well as Serrectory to the le or folder. However using this provice Pack 1 for Windows Server 2003, were installed by
cess of AGLP/AGDLP/AGUDLP allows a small numusers more quickly than it otherwise might have been.[58]
ber of static permissions to be applied and allows for easy
While the Windows 9x series oered the option of having changes to the account groups without reapplying the le
proles for multiple users, they had no concept of access permissions on the les and folders.
privileges, and did not allow concurrent access; and so
were not true multi-user operating systems. In addition,
they implemented only partial memory protection. They
were accordingly widely criticised for lack of security.

5.2 Windows Defender

The Windows NT series of operating systems, by contrast, are true multi-user, and implement absolute memory protection. However, a lot of the advantages of being
a true multi-user operating system were nullied by the
fact that, prior to Windows Vista, the rst user account
created during the setup process was an administrator
account, which was also the default for new accounts.
Though Windows XP did have limited accounts, the majority of home users did not change to an account type
with fewer rights partially due to the number of programs which unnecessarily required administrator rights
and so most home users ran as administrator all the
time.
Windows Vista changes this[59] by introducing a privilege
elevation system called User Account Control. When logging in as a standard user, a logon session is created and
a token containing only the most basic privileges is assigned. In this way, the new logon session is incapable
of making changes that would aect the entire system.
When logging in as a user in the Administrators group,

On January 6, 2005, Microsoft released a Beta version

of Microsoft AntiSpyware, based upon the previously released Giant AntiSpyware. On February 14, 2006, Microsoft AntiSpyware became Windows Defender with
the release of Beta 2. Windows Defender is a freeware
program designed to protect against spyware and other
unwanted software. Windows XP and Windows Server
2003 users who have genuine copies of Microsoft Windows can freely download the program from Microsofts
web site, and Windows Defender ships as part of Windows Vista and 7.[61] In Windows 8, Windows Defender
and Microsoft Security Essentials have been combined
into a single program, named Windows Defender. It is
based on Microsoft Security Essentials, borrowing its features and user interface. Although it is enabled by default,
it can be turned o to use another anti-virus solution.[62]
Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool and the optional Microsoft Safety Scanner are two other free security products oered by Microsoft.

5.3

Third-party analysis

In an article based on a report by Symantec,[63] internetnews.com has described Microsoft Windows as having
the fewest number of patches and the shortest average
patch development time of the ve operating systems it
monitored in the last six months of 2006.[64]
A study conducted by Kevin Mitnick and marketing communications rm Avantgarde in 2004, found that an unprotected and unpatched Windows XP system with Service Pack 1 lasted only 4 minutes on the Internet before
it was compromised, and an unprotected and also unpatched Windows Server 2003 system was compromised
after being connected to the internet for 8 hours.[65] This
study does not apply to Windows XP systems running
the Service Pack 2 update (released in late 2004), which
vastly improved the security of Windows XP. The computer that was running Windows XP Service Pack 2 was
not compromised. The AOL National Cyber Security
Alliance Online Safety Study of October 2004, determined that 80% of Windows users were infected by at
least one spyware/adware product. Much documentation is available describing how to increase the security
of Microsoft Windows products. Typical suggestions include deploying Microsoft Windows behind a hardware
or software rewall, running anti-virus and anti-spyware
software, and installing patches as they become available
through Windows Update.[66]

Alternative implementations

Owing to the operating systems popularity, a number

of applications have been released that aim to provide
compatibility with Windows applications, either as a
compatibility layer for another operating system, or as a
standalone system that can run software written for Windows out of the box. These include:
Wine a free and open-source implementation of
the Windows API, allowing one to run many Windows applications on x86-based platforms, including UNIX, Linux and OS X. Wine developers refer
to it as a compatibility layer[67] and use Windowsstyle APIs to emulate Windows environment.
CrossOver a Wine package with licensed
fonts. Its developers are regular contributors
to Wine, and focus on Wine running ocially
supported applications.
Cedega proprietary fork of Wine by
TransGaming Technologies, designed specifically for running Microsoft Windows games
on Linux. A version of Cedega known as
Cider allows Windows games to run on OS
X. Since Wine was licensed under the LGPL,
Cedega has been unable to port the improve-

REFERENCES

ments made to Wine to their proprietary codebase. Cedega ceased its service in February
2011.
Darwine a port of Wine for OS X and
Darwin.
Operates by running Wine on
QEMU.
Linux Unied Kernel A set of patches to
the Linux kernel allowing rst-class Windows
executable les in Linux (using Wine DLLs)
to use Windows drivers and be faster than interpreted Wine.
ReactOS an open-source OS intended to run the
same software as Windows, originally designed to
simulate Windows NT 4.0, now aiming at Windows
7 compatibility. It has been in the development stage
since 1996.
Linspire formerly LindowsOS, a commercial
Linux distribution initially created with the goal
of running major Windows software. Changed its
name to Linspire after Microsoft v. Lindows. Discontinued in favor of Xandros Desktop.
Freedows OS an open-source attempt at creating a Windows clone for x86 platforms, intended to
be released under the GNU General Public License.
Started in 1996, by Reece K. Sellin, the project was
never completed, getting only to the stage of design
discussions which featured a number of novel concepts until it was suspended in 2002.[68][69][70]

7 See also
Architecture of Windows NT
Wintel
De facto standard
Dominant design

8 References
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[14] Windows 3.1 Standard Edition Support Lifecycle. Retrieved January 3, 2011.

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Available. Microsoft. October 30, 2003. Retrieved
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[17] Windows 95 turns 15: Has Microsofts OS peaked?".

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[22] Windows Millennium Edition: All About Me.
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[25] Windows XP review. CNET. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
[26] David Coursey (October 25, 2001). The 10 top things
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[36] Microsoft talks Windows Store features, Metro app sandboxing for Windows 8 developers. The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
[37] Miller, Michael. Build: More Details On Building Windows 8 Metro Apps. PC Magazine. Retrieved February
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[38] Windows 8.1 now available!. Blogs.windows.com. Retrieved on October 31, 2013.
[39] Announcing Windows 10 - Windows Blog. September
30, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
[40] Anand Lal Shimpi. The Xbox One - Mini Review &
Comparison to Xbox 360/PS4. anandtech.com.
[41] Xbox One: Hardware and software specs detailed and
analyzed - Three operating systems in one. ExtremeTech. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
[42] Microsoft Support Lifecycle. Microsoft.
[43] Microsoft Delivers New Wave of Technologies to Help
Businesses Thrive in Todays Economy (Press release).
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[44] Windows 10 Features - Microsoft (Press release).
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[45] Microsoft Support Lifecycle (Press release). Microsoft.
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[46] Operating System Market Share. Net Market Share.
Net Applications. September 2015. Retrieved 2 October
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[47] StatCounter Global Stats. Global Stats. StatCounter.
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[48] Global Web Stats. W3Counter. Awio Web Services.
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10

[49] https://www.gartner.com/doc/1602818/
forecast-pc-installed-base-worldwide
[50] http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/24/technology/
windows-microsoft-sales/index.html
[51] http://www.netmarketshare.com/

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[68] A Students Dream of Creating A New Operating System Encounters Problems. The Chronicle of Higher Education. September 18, 1998. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
[69] Older blog entries for chipx86. Advogato.org. Advogato. June 27, 2002. Retrieved May 17, 2013.

[52] http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2954317

[70] Freedows splits. Slashdot. Dice Holdings. August 31,

1998. Retrieved May 17, 2013.

[53] Multi-user memory protection was not introduced until

Windows NT and XP, and a computers default user was
an administrator until Windows Vista. Source: UACBlog.

9 External links

[54] Telephones and Internet Users by Country, 1990 and

2005. Information Please Database. Retrieved June 9,
2009.

Ocial website

[55] Bruce Schneier (June 15, 2005). Crypto-Gram Newsletter. Counterpane Internet Security, Inc. Retrieved April
22, 2007.

Microsoft Developer Network

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Rise. InternetNews. QuinStreet. Retrieved January 3,
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[57] Ryan Naraine (June 8, 2005). Microsofts Security Response Center: How Little Patches Are Made. eWeek.
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[58] John Foley (October 20, 2004). Windows XP SP2
Distribution Surpasses 100 Million. InformationWeek.
UBM TechWeb. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
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in a TechNet bulletin. Source: Windows Vista Security
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[60] Kenny Kerr (September 29, 2006). Windows Vista for
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[65] Automated Bots Overtake PCs Without Firewalls
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Akmaie Ajam, ZverCD and Anonymous: 1016

10.2

10.2

Images

13

Images

File:Commons-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: ? Contributors: ? Original

artist: ?
File:Folder_Hexagonal_Icon.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Folder_Hexagonal_Icon.svg License: Cc-bysa-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:M_box.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/M_box.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Own
work based on: File:Microsoft.svg Original artist: Ariesk47 (<a href='//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Ariesk47' title='User
talk:Ariesk47'>talk</a>)
File:Open_book_nae_02.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Open_book_nae_02.svg License: CC0
Contributors: OpenClipart Original artist: nae
File:People_icon.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/People_icon.svg License: CC0 Contributors: OpenClipart Original artist: OpenClipart
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Wiki_letter_w.svg Original artist: Wiki_letter_w.svg: Jarkko Piiroinen
File:Wikibooks-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Wikibooks-logo.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Contributors: Own work Original artist: User:Bastique, User:Ramac et al.
File:Wikiversity-logo-Snorky.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1b/Wikiversity-logo-en.svg License:
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File:Windows1.0.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4e/Windows1.0.png License: ? Contributors:
Screenshot taken and uploaded by Remember the dot (talk contribs) Original artist: ?
File:WindowsCE7.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bc/WindowsCE7.png License: ? Contributors:
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File:Windows_10_build_10240_(RTM).png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/43/Windows_10_build_10240_
%28RTM%29.png License: Fair use Contributors: Self Original artist: Microsoft
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Contributors:
Screenshot is taken and uploaded by Tyomitch (talk contribs) Original artist: ?
File:Windows_Updated_Family_Tree.png Source:
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Family_Tree.png License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Made with CorelDraw 16. I tried saving in .SVG but it always showed
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File:Windows_logo__2012_(dark_blue).svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/Windows_logo_%E2%
80%93_2012_%28dark_blue%29.svg License: Public domain Contributors: Windows 10 Original artist: File:Windows 10 Logo.svg: Multiple editors; see image description page

10.3

Content license

Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0