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====== About ======

**Windows 3.1** is a major release of **Microsoft Windows**. It was released to manufacturing on April 6, **1992**, as a successor to [[Windows 3.0]].

Like its predecessors, the **Windows 3.1** series ran as a shell on top of [[:dos|MS-DOS]]. Codenamed **Janus**, **Windows 3.1** introduced the **TrueType** font system as a competitor to Adobe Type Manager. Its multimedia was also expanded, and screensavers were introduced, alongside new software such as **Windows Media Player** and **Sound Recorder**. **File Manager** and **Control Panel** received **tweaks**, while **Windows 3.1** also saw the introduction of **Windows Registry** and add-ons. **Windows 3.1** was the **last** Windows **16-bit** operating environment and it can run more RAM in comparison with its predecessors.

Microsoft also released **special versions** of **Windows 3.1** throughout **1992 and 1993**; in Europe and Japan, Windows 3.1 was introduced with more language support, while [[:Tandy]] Video Information System received a special version, called [[Modular Windows]]. **In November 1993, Windows 3.11 was released** as a minor update, while **Windows 3.2 was released as a Simplified Chinese version** of Windows 3.1. Microsoft also introduced **Windows for Workgroups**, the first version of Windows to allow **integrated networking**. Mostly oriented towards businesses, it received network improvements and it allowed users to **share files**, use **print server**s, and **chat online**, while it also introduced **peer-to-peer networking**.

The series is considered to be an improvement on its predecessors. It was praised for its reinvigoration of the user interface and technical design. Windows 3.1 **sold over three million copies during the first three months** of its release, although its counterpart Windows for Workgroups was noted as a "business disappointment" due to its small amount of sold copies. It was succeeded by Windows NT 3.1 and Windows 95, and Microsoft ended the support for Windows 3.1 series on **December 31, 2001**, except for the embedded version, which was retired in **2008**.

====== Development History ======

[[Windows 3.0]], the predecessor of **3.1**, was released in **1990**, and is considered to be the first version of Windows to receive critical acclaim. [[Windows 3.0]] received around **10 million sales** before the release of **Windows 3.1** on April 6, 1992. Microsoft began a television advertising campaign for the first time on March 1, 1992. The advertisements, developed by Ogilvy & Mather, were designed to introduce a broader audience to [[:windows|Windows]].

**Windows 3.1** was codenamed **Janus**. Like its predecessors, the operating environment runs as a shell on top of [[:dos|MS-DOS]], although it does not include the [[:dos|MS-DOS]] **Executive shell**. After the introduction of Windows 1.0, Microsoft had worked on gaining support from companies to expand its operating environment on different types on PCs. [[:Tandy]] Corporation was open to shipping [[:Tandy]] Sensation PCs with the **Windows 3.1** operating environment. [[:IBM]] and its PCs were also provided with **Windows 3.1**.

====== System requirements ======

  * **80286** processor for standard mode, **80386** or higher for enhanced mode. **Windows for Workgroups** - **386SX** processor or higher.
  * **1 MB of memory** (640 KB of conventional memory). **Windows for Workgroups** - **3 MB of memory** (640 KB of conventional memory)
  * A hard disk with at least **6.5 MB of free space** (8 MB for enhanced mode users), and at least one floppy disk drive. **Windows for Workgroups** - A hard disk with at least **8 MB of free space** (14 MB needed for a complete installation), and at least one floppy disk drive.
  * VGA adapter 
  * Optional hardware includes a Hayes, MultiTech, TrailBlazer, or any other compatible modem if user wants to connect to a network
  * [[:dos|MS-DOS]] 3.1 or higher
  * A Microsoft-compatible pointing device (**mouse**) is recommended, but not required