Windows NT 3.1

Windows NT 3.1 is the first version of Windows NT. It had a very similar interface to Windows 3.1 but unlike Windows 3.1, Windows NT 3.1 was a complete 32-bit based operating system while Windows 3.1 was a constrictive 16-bit based operating environment. Windows NT 3.1 also doesn't rely on DOS. The name NT stands for "New Technology", meaning that Windows NT 3.1 was a re-engineered Windows operating system.

Windows NT was publicly demonstrated for the first time at COMDEX in October 1991. At the Win32 PDC conference in June 1992, Windows NT was demonstrated for the x86 and MIPS processors. On 26 July 1993, Windows NT 3.1 was released for x86 and MIPS, followed by the DEC Alpha version in September. The Workstation version was sold at $495 while the server version was $1495.

This OS was initially going to be OS/2 3.0. However, even before OS/2 2.0 finished, IBM and Microsoft ended their partnership (due to the high sales success of Windows 3.0 and IBM learning of the NT project in January 1991), and the latter developed Windows NT on their own, and the new OS was very reminiscent of OS/2. For example, the NTFS file system is introduced and is heavily based upon IBM's HPFS used in OS/2, even using the same disk partition ID. It was succeeded by Windows NT 3.5 in 1994. Several update packages were released for NT 3.1 during its lifetime.

The boot screen only shows the processor count if a multiprocessor kernel and HAL is being used, which would be the case on systems like the Compaq SystemPro/XL and its clones.