Windows Roadmap
There have been lots of flavors of Microsoft Windows released over the years.
This chart below shows where they fit along the timeline and in relation to other releases.
Windows 95, 98, and Me follow the tradition of Windows 3.x (and earler versions) in that they are all based upon MS-DOS, which is the primary reason for their unreliability.
The benefit of these platforms is the lower hardware requirements than the Windows NT line (see below), and the support for just about any hardware or software you throw at it.
Windows 2000 and Windows XP are based upon the newer "Windows NT" architecture, which replaces the DOS base with the NT kernel, providing a far more stable and secure environment.
The down side is that the support for Windows NT is not nearly as strong as it is for Windows 9x/Me, especially with regards to specialty hardware (such as video capture devices, game controllers, etc.) and games.
Windows XP, released at the end of 2001, is intended to be a single, unifying product, replacing all Windows lines.
XP is based on the Windows NT kernel (it's actually only a slight revision of Windows 2000, and is known internally as Windows NT 5.1) and should eliminate the problems of all its predecessors, including the scant industry support of the NT line and the poor performance and reliability of the 9x/Me line.
Not sure which version of Windows to use?
- If your computer is a Pentium II running at 500 Mhz or faster, or if you're using any Pentium-III or Pentium-IV, then Windows XP is the way to go.
Now, we don't necessarily recommend the latest version of any Microsoft product, but in this case, it really is substantially better and more stable than Windows 9x/Me.
- If your computer is older, perhaps a slower Pentium II, or a Pentium-class computer, then Windows Me is faster and slightly better-designed than its predicessor, Windows 98 Second Edition.
However, Windows 98 SE is still very common, and should be fine for slower computers.
- If whatever you're using now is working fine, then you probably shouldn't bother upgrading at all.
Related articles:
Those operating systems covered at Annoyances.org are shown in the chart below with a blue checkmark ( ).
Windows versions covered by an Annoyances book have a small book icon - click the book icon for details about the book.
If you're considering upgrading to a more recent release of Windows than you're using now, be sure to view our Upgrade your Operating System page.
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