OS/2 Version 2.0 treats all processes executing in the system as protected mode processes. No real mode support is provided by OS/2 Version 2.0; such support is not necessary since the Multiple Virtual DOS Machines feature allows DOS and DOS extender applications such as Microsoft Windows 3.0 applications to run in virtual DOS machines, which are regarded by the operating system as protected mode tasks in their own right. In this way, full pre-emptive multitasking and memory protection are available to all applications executing in the system, including DOS and Microsoft Windows applications.