Unit -1 :

Microsoft Windows (also referred to as Windows or Win) is a graphical operating

system developed and published by Microsoft. It provides a way to store files, run software,
play games, watch videos, and connect to the Internet. Microsoft Windows was first
introduced with version 1.0 on November 10, 1983. Over a dozen versions of Windows were
released after that, including the current version, Windows 11.

In 1993, the first business-oriented version of Windows was released, which is known
as Windows NT 3.1. Then it introduced the next versions, Windows 3.5, 4/0, and Windows
2000. When the XP Windows was released by Microsoft in 2001, the company designed its
various versions for a personal and business environment.

Editions of Windows

Microsoft has produced several editions of Windows, starting with Windows XP. These
versions have the same core operating system, but some versions included advance features
with an additional cost. There are two most common editions of Windows:

o Windows Home
o Windows Professional

Windows Home

Windows Home is basic edition of Windows. It offers all the fundamental functions of
Windows, such as browsing the web, connecting to the Internet, playing video games, using
office software, watching videos. Furthermore, it is less expensive and comes pre-installed
with many new computers.

Windows Professional

Windows Professional is also known as Window Pro or win Pro. It is an enhanced edition of
Windows, which is beneficial for power users and small to medium-size businesses. It
contains all features of Windows Home as well as the following:

o Remote Desktop: Windows Professional editions allow users to create a remote

desktop connection. It provides users the option to connect with another computer
remotely, including share the control of its mouse, keyboard, and view display. It is
 mainly accessed with the help of port 3389. Additionally, we can also use the
TeamViewer or VNC application to create a remote desktop connection.
o Trusted Boot: It provides security as encrypting to the boot loader and protects the
computer from rootkits (Collection of software tools that allow users to enter another
computer through an unauthorized way known as rootkits).
o Bitlocker: It allows users to encrypt a storage drive by using AES (Advanced
Encryption Standard) algorithm. This feature is present in Windows 7, and Windows
Vista (Only ultimate and Enterprise versions), including Windows Server 2008.

Version History

Windows 1.0 Microsoft introduced Windows with its first version 1.0. It was released
on 20 November 1985, and at the beginning, it was sold for $100.00.
Additionally, it was the first effort by Microsoft to produce a graphical
user interface in 16-bit.

Windows 2.0 The second version, Windows 2.0, was produced by Microsoft on 9

December 1987 as well as it also introduced the Window 386 on the same
day. Initially, the price was the same $100.00 for both of the Windows in the
market.
It came with new features such as it was able to overlap each other, and it
also introduced the new way to maximize and minimize the window, instead
of using 'zooming' and 'iconizing' respectively.
Furthermore, it also included the control panel feature where several system
settings and configuration options are available in one place. Even Microsoft
Word and Excel were also used for the first time on Windows 2.  

Windows It was released in June 1988, and at the beginning, its price was $100.00. 
286

Windows 3.0 It was the first Windows that needed a hard drive. It was launched by
Microsoft on 22 May 1990. Its full version was sold for $149.95, and the
updated version was $79.95. Additionally, the multimedia
supported Windows 3 was introduced in October 1991.
Windows version 3.0 gained more success, and it became a challenge for
Apple's Macintosh and the Commodore Amiga GUI as it was provided pre-
installed on computers by PC compatible manufacturers as well as Zenith
Data Systems.
It was also able to run the MS-DOS program in Windows that allowed
multitasking in legacy programs as well as supported 256 colors, which made
the interface more colorful and advanced.
Windows 3.1 It was launched in April 1992, when it was in development its code name was
Sparta. It was the commonly used operating system for the PC graphical user
interface. In the first two months after its release, more than one million
copies were sold. It made the Windows usable publishing platform for the
first time by introducing the TrueType fonts. Minesweeper was also used for
the first time on the Windows 3.1.
It was needed only 1MB of RAM to run, and it allowed users to control the
MS-DOS programs with the help of a mouse for the first time. Furthermore, it
was also the first operating system to be distributed on a CD-ROM.
Some other generations of version 3.1 are as follows:
o In 1992, the Windows for Workgroups 3.1 was launched.
o Microsoft introduced Windows NT 3.1 on 27 July 1993.
o An updated version of Windows 3.1, Windows 3.11, was introduced
on 31 December 1993.
o In February 1994, the Windows for Workgroups 3.11 was launched.
o On 21 September 1994, the Windows NT 5 was introduced.
o The next version Windows NT 3.51, was introduced on 30 May 1995.

Windows 95 As the name specifies, Windows 95 was launched on 24 August 1995, and
within four days of its release, more than one million copies were sold. It
introduced the Start button and Start menu features for the first time,
including important features such as a 32-bit environment, multitasking, and
taskbar. Furthermore, MS-DOS still played a vital role in Windows 95, with the
help of some programs and elements.
Internet Explorer was also used on the Windows 95 for the first time, but it
could not be installed by default, it needed the Windows 95 plus pack for it.
Later, Windows 95 improved and included the IE browser by default.

Windows 95 It was introduced on 24 February 1996.

Service Pack

Windows NT On 29 July 1996, Windows NT 4.0 was launched.

4.0

Windows CE o The first version 0 of Windows CE was introduced in November 1996.

o The Second version 0 of Windows CE was launched in November
1997.
o The next version 1 of Windows CE was released in July 1998.
 o The third version, 3.0 of Windows CE, was introduced in 1999.

Windows 98 It was developed on Windows 95, and introduced in June 1998. It was
released, including Internet Explorer 4, Windows Address Book, Outlook
Express, Microsoft Chat, and NetShow Player.
The second version of Windows 98 was introduced on 5 May 1999, in this
version the NetShow Player was replaced by Windows Media Player 6.2. It was
also brought with the address bar and back/forward navigation buttons in
Windows Explorer, and more other features.
Windows 98 came with the new feature Windows Driver model for computer
components and accessories, which offered support to all future editions of
Windows. Furthermore, it was improved USB support including USB mice and
USB hubs.

Windows On 17 February 2000, it was launched.

2000

Windows ME It was invented in September 2000, and it was the last operating system,
which was based on MS-DOS and in the Windows 9x line. According to the
enterprise market, it was considered consumer-aimed Windows with the
Windows 2000. It was also provided some useful features for consumers as
well as more automated system recovery tools.
Additionally, an Internet Explorer, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows
Media Player 7 were used on Windows ME for the first time.

Windows It was introduced on 17 February 2000. Basically, it was based on Microsoft

2000 business-oriented system Windows NT, and later it provided the base for the
Windows XP. Furthermore, the automatic updating feature made their
appearance for the first time on Windows 2000, and it was the first operating
system to support hibernation.

Windows XP Windows XP was considered the best edition of Windows; it was introduced
on 25 October 2001. It followed Windows ME and provided consumer-
friendly elements. The 64-bit version of Windows XP was introduced on 28
March 2003. Furthermore, Its Professional x64 version was introduced on 24
April 2005.
The start button and taskbar were replaced by including the green Start
button, blue task bar, and vista wallpaper, as well as several shadows and
more visual effects.
It also brought some important features, such as ClearType, which helps to
read content on LCD screens, autoplay from CDs and other media, different
automated update, and recovery tools.
 Additionally, It was used for the longest time, and even when it was
discontinued, it was used at an estimated 430 m PC.

Windows It was introduced by Microsoft In January 2007. It was brought the better look
Vista and feel user interface and included transparent elements, security, and
search. When it was in the development phase, its code name was
"Longhorn." Windows Media Player 11 and Internet Explorer 7 were made
their appearance for the first time on Windows Vista, included Windows
Defender, an anti-spyware program. It was also provided some useful
features such as Windows DVD Maker, speech recognition, and Photo Gallery.
Furthermore, it was the first operating system to be distributed on DVD.

Windows On 27 February 2008, Microsoft introduced Windows Server 2008.

Server 2008

Windows 7 It was introduced on 22 October 2009 to overcome all problems that were
faced by Windows Vista. It was released with user-friendly features and less
dialogue box overload. It was more stable, faster, and easy to use as
compared to release other previous versions. Additionally, the handwriting
recognition feature was used for the first time on Windows 7.
As IE was the default browser in Microsoft Windows, the antitrust
investigations used Microsoft in Europe for making it a default browser.
Consequently, it had to provide the users the option to choose and install the
browser on the first boot.

Windows On 4 September 2012, Microsoft was released Windows Server 2012.
Server 2012

Windows 8 It was introduced by Microsoft on 26 October 2012. It was released with new
features, such as a fast operating system, support for the USB 3.0 devices, and
Web store. The Web store is a place where you can download different types
of Windows applications; its full-screen mode was run for the first time on
Windows 8.

Windows 8.1 It was launched by Microsoft on 17 October 2013. It was re-launched the
Start button, which was able to display the Start screen from the desktop view
of Windows 8.1. Furthermore, it provided a way to select boot directly into
the desktop.

Windows 10 On 29 July 2015, Microsoft introduced Windows 10. It was released with
some new features such as switching between a keyboard and mouse mode
and a tablet mode, which was beneficial for the users who use computers like
surface Pro 3 with a detachable keyboard. It was designed for all Windows
platforms across several devices, as well as Windows tablets and Phones,
 including common applications.

Features of Windows

1. Control Panel: Windows provides a Control Panel feature that includes many

tools to configure and manage the resources on their computer. For example,
users can change settings for audio, video, printers, mouse, keyboard, network
connections, date and time, power saving options, user accounts, installed
applications, etc.

2. Cortana: Windows 10 introduced a feature named Cortana, which is able to

accept voice commands. It can perform various tasks such as it can answers
your questions, search data on your computer, online purchases, set
reminders, and appointments, etc. Furthermore, it acts like other voice-
activated services such as Google Assistant, Alexa, or Siri, including one more
benefit of searching the information on your computer. To open the Cortana
 in Windows 10, press Window key + S.

3. File Explorer: It is also known as Windows Explorer, which displays your files
and folders on the computer. It allows users to browse the data on the hard
drive, SSD and other inserted removable disks like pen drives and CDs, and
you can manage the content according to the requirements such as delete,
rename, search, and transfer the data.

4. Internet browser: As the internet browser is very important to search for

anything, view pages, online shopping, play games, watch videos, etc.
Windows come with a pre-installed internet browser. in Windows 10, the Edge
internet browser is the default browser. Furthermore, Internet Explorer was the
default browser in Microsoft Windows from the Windows edition 95 to 8.1
version.

5. Microsoft Paint: Since November 1985, Microsoft Windows comes with pre-

installed Microsoft Paint. It is a simple software to create, view, and edit an
image. It offers several tools to draw an image, crop, resize, and save an image
 with a different file extension.

6. Taskbar: Windows comes with a taskbar that displays currently opened

programs, it also allows users to access any specific programs. Additionally, it
includes the notification area on the right side that shows date and time,
battery, network, volume, and other background running applications.

7. Start menu: Microsoft Windows contains a start menu to the left side of the
taskbar. It displays programs and utilities that are installed on the computer. It
can be simply opened by clicking on the Start menu button or pressing the
start key on the keyboard.

8. Task Manager: Windows includes the task manager feature that provides

detail of the running applications or programs on the computer. You can also
check how much of the system resources, such as RAM, CPU, disk I/O, are
being used by each of the applications.

9. Disk Cleanup: It is used to free up disk space with the help of deleting
temporary or unnecessary files. It also helps to enhance the performance of
the computer, and boost storage space to download the programs and
documents. To open Disk Cleanup, follow the below steps:
o Open the File Explorer by pressing Window + E.
o Then, right-click on any disk drive and select Properties option from the
drop-down list.
o Now, click on the Disk Cleanup.