Operating System Differences

	Windows XP	Windows 7	Windows 8
License	Proprietary commercial software	Proprietary commercial software	Proprietary commercial software
Worldwide release	October 25, 2001	October 22, 2009	October 26, 2012
Stable release	April 21, 2008	February 22, 2011	August 1, 2012
Kernel type	Hybrid	Hybrid	Hybrid
Platform support	IA-32, x86-64 and Itanium	IA-32 and x86-64	IA-32, x64, and ARM
Preceded by	Windows 2000 Windows ME	Windows Vista	Windows 7
Succeeded by	Windows Vista	Windows 8	-
Physical Memory Limits	4 GB-128 GB depending on the version and the architecture.	2 – 192 GB depending on the version and architecture.	4 GB -2048 GB depending on architecture.
Processors	32 for 32-bit, 64 for 64-bit	32 for 32-bit, 256 for 64-bit	32 for 32-bit, 256 for 64-bit
New Features	GDI+ graphics subsystem DirectX 8.1 upgradeable to DirectX 9.0c Improved Taskbar New features (task panes, tiles, improved sorting and grouping, built-in CD player, Autoplay, Simple File Sharing, etc.) Kernel enhancements Faster start-up Ability to discard a newer device driver in favor of previous one. More user-friendly interface Fast user switching ClearType Font rendering mechanism. New networking features (Windows Firewall, Internet Connection Sharing integration with UPnP, NAT traversal APIs, Quality of Service features, IPv6 and Teredo tunneling, etc.) Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop features. New security features Side-by-side assemblies Improved media features Handwriting recognition, speech recognition and digital ink support. Improved application compatibility and shims compared to Windows 2000 Updated accessories and games	Touch and handwriting recognition Support for virtual hard disks Improved performance on multi-core processors Improved boot performance DirectAccess Kernel improvements Taskbar New version of Windows Media Center XPS Essential Pack New calculator Jump Lists Show desktop button shifted to right-hand size 13 Additional Sound Schemes Window borders and the taskbar do not turn opaque when a window is maximized Allows more customization A new version of Microsoft Virtual PC, newly renamed as Windows Virtual PC Supports the mounting of a virtual hard disk (VHD) as normal data storage. The Remote Desktop Protocol supports real-time multimedia application. Shadow Copy Improved backup and restore New Extended Linguistic Services API Better support for solid-state drives, including the new TRIM command New networking API with support for building SOAP-based web services in native code.	Faster startup Support of ARM architecture new "Hybrid Boot" mode New lock screen New Start Menu Native USB 3.0 support 4K Advanced Format Microsoft Account Integration Windows Store Windows To Go NFC support Windows Explorer renamed to File Explorer File Explorer includes a ribbon in place of a command bar. Storage Spaces allows combination of different sized hard disks Redesigned Task Manager Additional Security Features (SmartScreen, Security Essentials, Parental Controls, etc) Heavier integration with online services Direct synchronization to SkyDrive App. Xbox branded multi-media apps Internet Explorer 10 as a program and an app. Charms Redesigned Interface and desktop Supports UEFI specification known as ‘Secure boot’.
Removed Features	CD Player, DVDPlayer and Imaging for Windows NetBEUI and NetDDE are deprecated. DLC and AppleTalk network protocols are removed. Plug-and-play–incompatible communication devices are not supported. Service Pack 2 and Service Pack 3 also remove features from Windows XP.	Classic Start Menu user interface Few Taskbar features Windows Explorer features Windows Media Player features InkBall Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker, Windows Calendar and Windows Mail.	Traditional Start Menu Windows Media Player no longer supports DVDs Windows Media Center as a purchasable option Changes in Backup and Restore Shadow Copy removed