History and Future of Microsoft Operating Systems, The

Windows 95 About Microsoft XENIX MS-DOS 1.x - 3.x Windows 1.0 - 2.x MS-DOS 4.0 Windows 3.x MS-DOS 5.0 - 6.x Windows NT 3.x Windows 95 Windows NT 4.0 Windows CE 1.0 - 3.0 Windows 98 & 98 SE Windows 2000 Windows ME Windows XP Windows 95 is often considered the biggest Windows upgrade to date. The differences include the fact that it does not require a separate version of MS-DOS, a completely redesigned interface, Plug and Play hardware compatibility, the addition of Windows Explorer, a 32-bit design, the ability to do preemptive multitasking, the ability to use long filenames, and improved multimedia support.12 As indicated previously, some of these items were introduced with Windows NT 3.1. However, because of Windows NT's focus on business and networking, Windows 95 - which is intended for home users - is generally compared to Windows for Workgroups 3.11, the previous Windows release for home users.