Microsoft Windows Operating Systems Over Time (Comparison)


Submitted by R. Turk
May 20, 2012 - 1 year 3 weeks ago

It is needless to say that Microsoft Windows operating systems have most certainly changed over the years since the release of Windows 95. It was released in a time when USB was the new thing, yet floppy drives were still popular. Infrared was still a viable connection option and FAT32 partitions was the ideal type of partition used to install it. Over the years, Windows operating systems have become much more advanced in their usability and capabilities.

But don't take my word for it. Below is a chart that shows how the operating system have advanced overtime. And just think that Windows 8 will be coming out soon to replace Windows 7. Windows 7 has only been out for a few years after replacing the now properly defunct Vista. Windows XP and Windows 2000 were always known for their reliability in their prime. Now, look below to see how much of a revolution the Microsoft operating system has taken over time.

Operating Systems and Their Capabilities Over Time
  Release Date RAM Requirement Maximum RAM Supported Minimum Hard Drive Requirement Maximum Hard Drive Supported Architecture
Windows 95 August 24, 1995 4 MB 480 MB 50-55 MB 2 GB 32-bit
Windows 98 June 25, 1998 16 MB (24 MB recommended) 1.5 GB 500 MB 32 GB (137 GB in certain cases) 32-bit
Windows 2000 February 17, 2000 32 MB (128 MB recommended) 4 GB 1 GB (5 GB recommended) 137 GB

32-bit

64-bit Available later for servers

Windows XP October 25, 2001 64 MB (128 MB recommended) 4 GB (128 GB for 64-bit) 1.5 GB+ (6 GB for 64-bit) 2 TB

32-bit

64-bit

Windows Vista January 30, 2007 512 MB-1 GB 4 GB (128 GB for 64-bit) 15 GB 2 TB (with using GPT, it can support up to 256 TB)

32-bit

64-bit

Windows 7

October 22, 2009 1 GB-2 GB 4 GB (192 GB for 64-bit) 16-20 GB 2 TB (with using GPT, it can support up to 256 TB)

32-bit

64-bit

This table shows you how much operating systems have changed over time. It has gone from being able to install an operating system with 4 MB of RAM to needing over a 1 GB. It has gone from being able to support a 2 GB hard drive to supporting a 2 TB hard drive that is 1000 times larger. The technology world has undergone a revolution in operating systems, and this is just the beginning. We will expect big things from Microsoft when they come out with Windows 8 soon.


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