Windows 3.1
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| Windows 3.1 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Basic Information | |
| Microsoft Corporation | |
| Microsoft Corporation | |
Type(s) |
Operating System |
| 80286 and IA-32 | |
Status(es) |
Unsupported |
| Microsoft Windows | |
Predecessor |
Windows 3.00a |
Successor |
Windows 3.11, Windows for Workgroups 3.1 |
Codename(s) |
Sparta |
Platform(s) |
MS-DOS |
 International Release Date(s)
| |
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Windows 3.1 (codenamed Sparta) is a graphical operating system released by Microsoft Corporation in April 1992. Support officially ended on December 31, 2001. Its business counterpart was Windows for Workgroups 3.1.
Features[edit | edit source]
Windows 3.1 featured many changes over its predecessor Windows 3.00a, such as:
- Windows 3.1 cannot be run in Real Mode, effectively dropping support for Intel 8086 and 8088 processors; Windows 3.1 requires a minimum of an Intel 80286 CPU.
- Virtual Memory, a technique for swapping between RAM and disk space that increases the number of applications that can be run simultaneously.
- Data sharing by applications using Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) and Object Linking and Embedding (OLE)
- TrueType Fonts, which are displayed in WYSIWYG fashion and can be scaled to any size. This made Windows 3.1 a viable platform for desktop publishing.
- Network-aware File Manager and Print Manager utilities, which enables access to shared network drives and printers. The File Manager itself was significantly improved over the one shipped with Windows 3.0.
- While Windows 3.1 could access a theoretical 4 GB of RAM in 386 Enhanced Mode, the practical upper limit for system memory was 256 MB.
