<P> Microsoft Windows was announced by Bill Gates on November 10, 1983 . Microsoft introduced Windows as a graphical user interface for MS - DOS, which had been introduced a couple of years earlier . In the 1990s, the product line evolved from an operating environment into a fully complete, modern operating system over two lines of development, each with their own separate codebase . </P> <P> The first versions of Windows (1.0 through to 3.11) were programs run from MS - DOS which then took over the screen and launched an application called Program Manager; later on, Windows 95, though still being based on MS - DOS, was its own operating system, using a 16 - bit DOS - based kernel and a 32 - bit user space . Windows 95 introduced many features that have been part of the product ever since, including the Start menu, the taskbar, and Windows Explorer (renamed File Explorer in Windows 8). In 1997, Microsoft released Internet Explorer 4 which included the (at the time) controversial Windows Desktop Update . It aimed to integrate Internet Explorer and the web into the user interface and also brought many new features into Windows, such as the ability to display JPEG images as the desktop wallpaper and single window navigation in Windows Explorer . In 1998, Microsoft released Windows 98, which also included the Windows Desktop Update and Internet Explorer 4 by default . The inclusion of Internet Explorer 4 and the Desktop Update led to an anti-trust case in the United States . Windows 98 also includes plug and play, which allows devices to work when plugged in without requiring a system reboot or manual configuration, and USB support out of the box . Windows ME, the last DOS - based version of Windows, was aimed at consumers and released in 2000 . It introduced System Restore, Help and Support Center, updated versions of the Disk Defragmenter and other system tools . </P>

When was the first version of microsoft windows released