I've been using Windows PCs all my life. The very first PC in my house was an HP Brio Pentium 3 system running Windows 98. Over 24 years or so, I've used almost all versions of Windows, but not all of them were great. Microsoft has had its fair share of hits and misses, and I definitely have my favorites.

The most popular operating system in the world has gone through a lot of changes over the years, and almost all of us hold special memories associated with particular iterations. So I wanted to take a trip down memory lane and revisit the Windows versions that I feel are the best of all time.

4 Windows 98: The one that started it all

This felt so crazy hi-tech in 2000

Windows 98 was my first "window" into computers. It was the OS installed on all the computers in my school and on the first PC that my family bought, back in 2000. What is now considered a blocky, greyish design seemed perfectly fine to me back then. For an eight-year-old kid, it actually seemed pretty advanced. I still remember the shiny installation disc, fun wallpapers, and games like SkiFree, 3D Pinball for Windows, and Blood Bath at Red Falls.

It was an operating system of many firsts (though I didn't know that at the time). The Start menu and Windows Update were the most memorable of these, along with Disk Cleanup and NetShow player, the predecessor to Windows Media Player. I could barely use the internet back then, but the few times I did, Internet Explorer managed to make it feel like a remarkable experience. For four or five years, Windows 98 was a big part of my PC experience.

3 Windows XP: The real deal

Probably your first Windows

I think Windows XP is dear to everyone. It may well have been the first version of Windows used by many of the people reading this. And I'm guessing most of them would think of it fondly, thanks to its iconic Luna theme, default Bliss background, and countless other small details that made it so alluring. Windows XP was the OS I used on my first-ever custom PC. Its bright, colorful, and inviting theme was a breath of fresh air compared to the business-like vibe of Windows 98 or Windows 2000.

Windows XP was launched more than 22 years ago, but still lives rent-free in my mind. It ditched the MS-DOS kernel, introduced plenty of visual changes, brought in ClearType for better text clarity on LCDs, and revamped the Start menu. With upgrades to the taskbar and many popular apps like Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and Windows Messenger, Windows XP was a game-changer, not just visually but also in terms of functionality.

2 Windows 7: The definitive Windows

It could never get better than this, could it?

That's exactly what I thought when I migrated from Windows XP to Windows 7 — it might never get better than this. Honestly, Windows 7 felt like a futuristic Windows version sent back in time for the good of humanity. For someone who had skipped Windows Vista entirely (my good fortune), the radically different visual palette of Windows 7 compared to Windows XP was mind-boggling. Not only that, the vastly improved loading times, overall smoothness, and tons of new features made Windows 7 the perfect OS for me.

Talking about features, Windows 7 brought innovations like pinning apps to the taskbar, clicking the far-right section of the taskbar to show the desktop, and dragging windows to the top and sides to maximize and multitask respectively. There were many new games and gadgets you could spend hours playing around with. Compared to Windows Vista, a lot more customization was possible. Everything from the startup sound and boot animation to the refined Aero theme and wallpapers felt premium. Windows 7 was what Windows Vista should have been all along.

1 Windows 10: The final form

I'll stick with it as long as I can

Finally, we've arrived at the OS I'm using right now — Windows 10. I had skipped Windows 8 (lucky again) and kept using Windows 7 for years. Migrating to Windows 10 wasn't really top of my priority list. I was so happy with what I had that Windows 10 just seemed like an unnecessary upgrade. But, after building a new PC in 2017, I had no option but to move to the new Windows version which had been out for over two years by that point. And, boy, was I surprised.

Not only was Windows 10 a great balance between the tiled, tablet-focused Windows 8 and the greatness that was Windows 7, but it also introduced virtual desktops, Microsoft Edge, a revamped Settings app, and a new Control Panel. Despite my reluctance to leave Windows 7, I grew to love Windows 10's sophisticated visuals and simplified navigation. I tried Windows 11 for a few weeks when it launched, but swiftly abandoned it in favor of its predecessor.

For now, Windows 10 is as good as it gets, and I'll do my best to avoid migrating to Windows 11. Statistics show that more and more people are moving to Windows 10, so it seems I'm not the only one who prefers the older way.

Divided by opinions, united by Windows

It's remarkable to think that Windows 10 is still running on 70% of the world's desktop computers, even as Windows 11 has grown to a 26% share. But it's worth remembering, whether you're still rocking a version that predates Windows 10 or have fully committed to Windows 11, we all regularly use the same underlying features and are part of a shared Windows experience.