[[Category:Operating Systems]] '''Windows''' is a generic name for a series of loosely-related operating systems developed by [[Microsoft]]. The earliest versions, through [[wp:Windows 3.1x#Windows 3.2|Windows 3.2]], were 16-bit shells that ran on top of [[DOS]] rather than true operating systems, while the [[wp:Windows 9x|9x]] line ([[wp:Windows 95|Windows 95]], [[wp:Windows 98|Windows 98]], and [[wp:Windows Me|Windows Me]]) were 32-bit shells on top of DOS. The [[Windows NT]] line of operating systems (starting with [[wp:Windows NT 3.1|Windows NT 3.1]] and continuing through the current version, [[wp:Windows 10|Windows 10]]) has no ties to DOS or the 9x line but was instead developed separately.

Not to be confused with the windows that are the basis of nearly all modern graphical user interfaces ([[GUI]]s). See [[wp:Window (computing)|Wikipedia's "window" article]] for a thorough discussion of what a window is.