In which year was Windows 3.1 released?

Windows 3.1 is a series of 16-bit operating environments produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, released on 6 April 1992. Windows 3.1 was first sold as a successor to Windows 3.0 but later developed into an important concept in its own right. Subsequent versions of the 3.1 series were released between 1992 and 1993.

Since the launch of the Windows operating environment in 1985, Microsoft had worked to gain industry and user support for the firm’s Windows concept based on a graphical user interface. The 3.1 version still ran on top of the old operating system known as MS-DOS. But with Windows 3.1 Microsoft was able to take two important steps that changed the prospects of the company. First, the improvements in text rendering and multimedia, combined with the increased availability of Windows applications from the industry, made trips to the DOS command line less necessary. Second, after fixing major bugs in Windows 3.0 and adding attractive new features, the firm was now able to push hard to have Windows pre-installed on new PCs instead of relying on users to purchase and install Windows after the fact.

During its lifespan, Windows 3.1 introduced several enhancements, including improved system stability, expanded support for multimedia, TrueType fonts, and workgroup networking. In 1995 the 3.1 series was superseded by Windows 95. On 31 December 2001, Microsoft declared Windows 3.1 obsolete and stopped providing support and updates for the system.