Windows NT 3.51

Windows NT 3.51
Version of the OS/2 1.x, POSIX.1
License	Commercial proprietary software
Preceded by	Windows NT 3.5 (1994)
Succeeded by	Windows NT 4.0 (1996)
Support status
Server	Mainstream support ended on September 30, 2000; Extended support ended on September 30, 2002
Workstation	Mainstream support ended on December 31, 2000; Extended support ended on December 31, 2001;

Windows NT 3.51 is a major release of the

client/server support for inter-operating with Windows 95, which was released almost three months after NT 3.51. Windows NT 4.0 became its successor a year later. Mainstream support for Windows NT 3.51 Workstation ended on December 31, 2000,^[2] and extended support ended on December 31, 2001,^[2] while Windows NT 3.51 Server mainstream support ended on September 30, 2000,^[2] followed by extended support on September 30, 2002.^[2] Both editions were succeeded by Windows NT 4.0

Workstation and Windows NT 4.0 Server, respectively.

Overview

The release of Windows NT 3.51 was dubbed "the PowerPC release" at Microsoft. The original intention was to release a PowerPC edition of NT 3.5, but according to Microsoft's David Thompson, "we basically sat around for 9 months fixing bugs while we waited for IBM to finish the Power PC hardware".

x86, MIPS, and Alpha

architectures.

New features introduced in Windows NT 3.51 include

WinLogon (GINA), 3D support in OpenGL, persistent IP routes when using TCP/IP, automatic display of textual descriptions when the mouse pointer was placed on toolbar buttons ("tooltips") and support for Windows 95 common controls.^[5]

In view of the significant difference in the kernel base, Windows NT 3.51 is readily able to run a large number of

Win32 applications designed for Windows 95

. More recent 32-bit applications will not work, as the developers have prevented their application from working with any Windows version earlier than Windows 98, and also because some applications do not work properly with the older Windows NT 3.51 interface.

Despite this, Microsoft in their application releases muddied the issue, releasing

Firefox were operable up to version 2.0.0.22, released in April 2009; they required a few manual file updates to work without compromising browsing security.^[6]^[7]^[8]

Windows NT 3.51 is the last of the series to be compatible with the

Intel 80386

processor.

NewShell

On May 26, 1995, Microsoft released a test version of a shell refresh, named the Shell Technology Preview, and often referred to informally as "NewShell". This was the first incarnation of the modern Windows GUI with the Taskbar and

MSDN and CompuServe

users on August 8, 1995. Both releases held Windows Explorer builds of 3.51.1053.1. The preview program provided early feedback for the Shell Update Release, the next major Windows NT version with the new interface built-in, which was released in July 1996 as Windows NT 4.0.

Updates

Five Service Packs were released for NT 3.51, introducing both bug fixes and new features. Service Pack 5, for example, fixed issues related to the Year 2000 problem.

Hardware requirements

Windows NT 3.51 hardware requirements^[10]
Category	Minimum requirement
Processor	MHz
Memory	Workstation edition: 12 MB Server edition: 16 MB
Video card	VGA
Hard disk drive standard	EIDE, SCSI or ESDI
Free hard disk drive space	90 MB
Installation media	floppy disk drive or active network connection

Supported EIDE addressing schemes include logical block addressing (LBA), ONTrack Disk Manager, EZDrive, and extended cylinder-head-sector (ECHS).

References

^ ^a ^b Adams, Paul (August 4, 2009). "Windows NT History". Microsoft Build.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows NT 3.51". Microsoft. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
^ Thurrott, Paul (January 24, 2003). "Windows Server 2003: The Road To Gold - Part One: The Early Years". SuperSite for Windows. Archived from the original on June 4, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
^ Daily, Sean (February 20, 2014). "Optimizing NTFS". Windows NT Magazine. Retrieved June 25, 2017 – via TechNet.
^ "Windows NT 3.51 Product Overview". Support. Microsoft. October 31, 2006. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007.
^ "System Requirements". Installation Instructions for SeaMonkey 1.1.19. March 16, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
^ Lineback, Nathan (2010). "Misc Windows". toastytech.com. p. 4. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
^ Lineback, Nathan. "Web Browsing fixes for NT 3.51, 95, and NT 4". toastytech.com. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
^ Ruley, John D. (September 1995). "NT Gets the Look But Not the Logo". How-To Columns. WinMag. Archived from the original on March 14, 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2009. Internet Archive
^ "Windows NT 3.5x Setup Troubleshooting Guide". Microsoft Support. Microsoft. November 1, 2006. Archived from the original on February 23, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2009.

External links

[reldates-1] Adams, Paul (August 4, 2009). "Windows NT History". Microsoft Build.

[NT3.51Sup-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "Microsoft Support Lifecycle for Windows NT 3.51". Microsoft. Retrieved January 15, 2019.

[3] Thurrott, Paul (January 24, 2003). "Windows Server 2003: The Road To Gold - Part One: The Early Years". SuperSite for Windows. Archived from the original on June 4, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2009.

[4] Daily, Sean (February 20, 2014). "Optimizing NTFS". Windows NT Magazine. Retrieved June 25, 2017 – via TechNet.

[5] "Windows NT 3.51 Product Overview". Support. Microsoft. October 31, 2006. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007.

[6] "System Requirements". Installation Instructions for SeaMonkey 1.1.19. March 16, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2015.

[7] Lineback, Nathan (2010). "Misc Windows". toastytech.com. p. 4. Retrieved November 30, 2015.

[8] Lineback, Nathan. "Web Browsing fixes for NT 3.51, 95, and NT 4". toastytech.com. Retrieved November 30, 2015.

[9] Ruley, John D. (September 1995). "NT Gets the Look But Not the Logo". How-To Columns. WinMag. Archived from the original on March 14, 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2009. Internet Archive

[10] "Windows NT 3.5x Setup Troubleshooting Guide". Microsoft Support. Microsoft. November 1, 2006. Archived from the original on February 23, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2009.

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