The first version of Windows

The first versions of Windows (1.0 through to 3.11) were graphical shells that ran from MS-DOS. Later on, Windows 95, though still being based on MS-DOS, was its own operating system, using a 16-bit DOS-based kernel and 32-bit userspace. 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).