Microsoft Windows NT is the name of a now defunct operating system built for Intel microprocessors. Though better known by the name Workstation, this 32-bit operating system is separate from another Microsoft service called Windows NT Server. On Pentium systems – a type of Intel processor – NT provides performance that would otherwise only be achievable on much more expensive and elaborate machines.
Technipages Explains Microsoft Windows NT
Microsoft Windows NT is compatible with personal productivity applications like Notebook and the like, but it was specifically designed with engineers, scientists, statisticians, mathematicians and other technical or professional workers in mind. They often need to carry out processor-intensive tasks, which is why NT prioritises that over, say, graphics performance. NT, while designed for Intel Pentium machines, also runs on Alpha and MIPS processors, but not AMD processors like Ryzen, for example. Despite its limitations, Workstation was a fully functional multi-user multiprocessing OS.
NT’s interface has changed throughout the years, but as of version 4, it looked like Microsoft Windows 95/98 did. NT has been replaced with a newer Microsoft product by now – Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional. It is compatible with newer and more recent processors, while also having added functionality. Since NT’s first release in 1993, the professional-only version of the OS has not managed to overtake the regular Windows versions in popularity, though during its heyday, it was commonly used among its intended target audience.
Common Uses of Microsoft Windows NT
- Windows NT is a precursor to Windows 2000 Professional.
- Also called Workstation, NT was specially designed for certain professionals – engineers and scientists for example.
- Microsoft Windows NT was first published in 1993.
Common Misuses of Microsoft Windows NT
- Windows NT was the OS version that came before Windows 98.
