The release to manufacturing of Microsoft Windows NT on July 27, 1993, marked an important milestone for Microsoft. It completed a project Microsoft began in the late 1980s to build an advanced new operating system from scratch. "Windows NT represents nothing less than a fundamental change in the way that companies can address their business computing requirements," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said at its release. Windows NT was the first Windows operating system to combine support for high-end client/server business applications with the industry's leading personal productivity applications. The operating system broke new ground in security, operating system power, performance, desktop scalability, and reliability with a range of key new features. These included a pre-emptive multitasking scheduler for Windows-based applications, integrated networking, domain server security, OS/2 and POSIX subsystems, support for multiple processor architectures, and the NTFS file system. Windows NT 3.1 contained overlapping windows and other features similar to Windows 3.1. The new operating system began with version 3.1 in order to maintain consistency with Windows 3.1, which at the time was a well-established operating system for both home and business users. Windows NT was geared toward business users and was initially available in both a desktop (workstation) version and a server version called Windows NT Advanced Server. The desktop version was well received by developers because of its security, stability, and rich Microsoft Win32 application programming interface (API)-a combination that made it easier to support powerful programs. Windows NT was a strategic platform that could integrate client/server applications with existing Windows-based desktop applications, or function as a technical workstation to run high-end engineering or scientific applications.
Windows NT Workstation 3.5 supported the OpenGL graphics standard, which helped power high-end applications for software development, engineering, financial analysis, scientific, and business-critical tasks. The Windows NT Workstation 3.5 release provided the highest degree of protection yet for critical business applications and data. The product also offered 32-bit performance improvements, better application support, including support for NetWare file and print servers, and improved productivity features, such as the capability to give files 255-character names.
Windows 95 was the successor to Microsoft's three existing general-purpose desktop operating systemsWindows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups, and MS-DOS. Windows 95 included an integrated 32-bit TCP/IP stack for built-in Internet support, dial-up networking, and new Plug and Play capabilities that made it easy for users to install hardware and software. The 32-bit operating system also offered enhanced multimedia capabilities, more powerful features for mobile computing, and integrated networking. In order to keep memory requirements to a minimum, it did not include support for such features as system-level security or Unicode, which came later.This upgrade to Microsoft's business desktop operating system brought increased ease of use and simplified management, higher network throughput, and a complete set of tools for developing and managing intranets.Windows NT Workstation 4.0 included the popular Windows 95 user interface and improved networking support, providing secure, easy access to the Internet and corporate intranets. In October 1998, Microsoft announced that Windows NT would no longer carry the initials  NT," and that the next major version of the operating system would be called Windows 2000.

