Windows NT 3.1

Windows NT 3.1 is the first version of Windows NT. It was originally targeted for the Intel i860 CPU, but that was later abandoned and the system was instead ported to the MIPS platform in 1989 and to the Intel 386 in 1990. Later on it was also released for the DEC Alpha.

Its codename was NT OS/2 due to the fact that it was initially going to be OS/2 3.0. However, even before OS/2 2.0 was completed, IBM and Microsoft ended their partnership 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 it introduced is heavily based upon IBM's HPFS used in OS/2, both even use 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 Compaq SystemPro/XL and its clones.