How to tell if the OS is Windows XP or higher?

Question

I am trying to play with the Environment.OSVersion.Version object and can't really tell what version would indicate that the OS is Windows XP or higher (e.g. I want to exclude Windows 2000, ME or previous versions).

Answer 1

Use the System.OperatingSystem object, then filter on the Major & Minor version numbers.

I've used these functions in the past:

static bool IsWinXPOrHigher()
{
    OperatingSystem OS = Environment.OSVersion;
    return (OS.Platform == PlatformID.Win32NT) && ((OS.Version.Major > 5) || ((OS.Version.Major == 5) && (OS.Version.Minor >= 1)));
}

static bool IsWinVistaOrHigher()
{
    OperatingSystem OS = Environment.OSVersion;
    return (OS.Platform == PlatformID.Win32NT) && (OS.Version.Major >= 6);
}

Answer 2

Check the Major property is greater than or equal to 5, and if 5 then Minor is at least 1. (XP was 5.1, 2003 was 5.2, Vista/2008 were 6.0).

List of Windows Version Numbers on MSDN.

Answer 3

You shouldn't check the version number. Instead, you should check for the functionality you need. If it is a specific API you're after for example, LoadLibrary and GetProcAddress it - that way, you're not dependent on the version number.