• Reinstall Windows Xp Home Edition
• Windows Xp Home Edition Download
• Windows Xp Editions Comparison Chart
• Windows Xp Editions Comparison

Part of a series on
Windows XP
Releases and editions (x64·Media Center·Fundamentals)

^CwHV has also a Core-edition without HyperV Windows Embedded Compact. Windows Embedded Compact (Windows CE) is a variation of Microsoft's Windows operating system for minimalistic computers and embedded systems. Windows CE is a distinctly different kernel, rather than a trimmed-down version of desktop Windows.

Windows XP has been released in several editions since its original release in 2001.

Windows XP is available in many languages.^[1] In addition, add-ons translating the user interface are also available for certain languages.^[2]

• 1Home and Professional
• 2Starter Edition
• 3Media Center Edition
• 4Tablet PC Edition
• 664-bit editions
• 7Editions for embedded systems
  • 7.2Windows XP Embedded

Home and Professional[edit]

Diagram representing the main editions of Windows XP, based on the category of the edition (grey) and codebase (black arrow)

The first two editions released by Microsoft are Windows XP Home Edition, designed for home users, and Windows XP Professional, designed for business and power users.

Windows XP Professional offers a number of features unavailable in the Home Edition, including:^[3]

• The ability to become part of a Windows Server domain, a group of computers that are remotely managed by one or more central servers.
• An access control scheme that allows specific permissions on files to be granted to specific users under normal circumstances. However, users can use tools other than Windows Explorer (like cacls or File Manager), or restart to Safe Mode to modify access control lists.
• Remote Desktop server, which allows a PC to be operated by another Windows XP user over a local area network or the Internet.
• Offline Files and Folders, which allow the PC to automatically store a copy of files from another networked computer and work with them while disconnected from the network.
• Encrypting File System, which encrypts files stored on the computer's hard drive so they cannot be read by another user, even with physical access to the storage medium.
• Centralized administration features, including Group Policies, Automatic Software Installation and Maintenance, Roaming User Profiles, and Remote Installation Services (RIS).
• Internet Information Services (IIS), Microsoft's HTTP and FTP Server.
• Support for two physical central processing units (CPUs). (Because the number of CPU cores and hyper-threading capabilities on modern CPUs are considered to be part of a single physical processor, multicore CPUs are supported using XP Home Edition.)^[4][5]
• Windows Management Instrumentation Console (WMIC): WMIC is a command-line tool designed to ease WMI information retrieval about a system by using simple keywords (aliases).
• The ability to switch hard disk storage type from Basic to Dynamic and vice versa.

Edition N[edit]

In March 2004, the European Commission fined Microsoft €497 million (£395 million or $784 million) and ordered the company to provide a version of Windows without Windows Media Player. The Commission concluded that Microsoft 'broke European Union competition law by leveraging its near monopoly in the market for PC operating systems onto the markets for work group server operating systems and for media players'. After unsuccessful appeals in 2004 and 2005, Microsoft reached an agreement with the Commission where it would release a court-compliant version, Windows XP Edition N. This version does not include the company's Windows Media Player but instead encourages users to pick and download their own media player. Microsoft wanted to call this version Reduced Media Edition, but EU regulators objected and suggested the Edition N name, with the N signifying 'not with Media Player'^[6] for both Home and Professional editions of Windows XP. Because it is sold at the same price as the version with Windows Media Player included, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Fujitsu Siemens have chosen not to stock the product. However, Dell did offer the operating system for a short time. Consumer interest has been low, with roughly 1,500 units shipped to OEMs, and no reported sales to consumers.^{[7][8][9][10]}

The N editions of Windows XP also do not include Windows Movie Maker, but Microsoft has made this available as a separate download.^[11]

K & KN[edit]

In December 2005, the Korean Fair Trade Commission ordered Microsoft to make available editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 that do not contain Windows Media Player or Windows Messenger.^[12] Like the European Commission decision, this decision was based on the grounds that Microsoft had abused its dominant position in the market to push other products onto consumers. Unlike that decision, however, Microsoft was also forced to withdraw the non-compliant versions of Windows from the South Korean market.

The K and KN editions of Windows XP Home Edition and Professional Edition were released in August 2006, and are only available in English and Korean. Both editions contain links to third-party instant messenger and media player software.^[13]

Home Edition ULCPC[edit]

This edition of Windows XP Home is intended for sale with certain 'low-cost' netbooks and will appear labeled as 'Windows XP Home Edition ULCPC' (with 'ULCPC' standing for 'ultra-low-cost personal computer').^[14]

Professional Blade PC Edition[edit]

This version comes preinstalled on OEM solutions providing desktops on Blade PC hardware. In addition to a copy of Windows XP Professional, it includes a Remote Desktop License.^[15]

Starter Edition[edit]

Windows XP Starter Edition is a lower-cost version of Windows XP available in Thailand, Vietnam, Turkey, Indonesia, India, Philippines, Russia, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Uruguay, Malaysia, and Venezuela. It is similar to Windows XP Home, but is limited to low-end hardware, can only run 3 programs at a time, and has some other features either removed or disabled by default.

According to a Microsoft press release, Windows XP Starter Edition is 'a low-cost introduction to the Microsoft Windows XP operating system designed for first-time desktop PC users in developing countries.'

Specialization[edit]

The Starter Edition includes some special features for certain markets where consumers may not be computer literate. Not found in the Home Edition, these include localised help features for those who may not speak English, a country-specific computer wallpaper^[16] and screensavers, and other default settings designed for easier use than typical Windows XP installations. The Malaysian version, for example, contains a desktop background of the Kuala Lumpur skyline.

In addition, the Starter Edition also has some unique limitations to prevent it from displacing more expensive versions of Windows XP.^[17] Only three applications can be run at once on the Starter Edition, and each application may open a maximum of three windows. The maximum screen resolution is 1024×768, and there is no support for workgroup networking or domains. In addition, the Starter Edition is licensed only for low-end processors like Intel's Celeron or AMD's Duron and Sempron. There is also a 512 MB limit on main memory and a 120 GB disk size limit.^[17] Microsoft has not made it clear, however, if this is for total disk space, per partition, or per disk. There are also fewer options for customizing the themes, desktop, and taskbar.

Market adoption[edit]

On October 9, 2006, Microsoft announced^[18] that they reached a milestone of 1 million units of Windows XP Starter Edition sold. In the mass market, however, the Starter Edition has not had much success. In many markets where it is available, pirated versions of higher end versions of Windows are more popular than their legal counterparts. In these markets, non-genuine copies of XP Professional can be obtained at a mall. These stores typically charge only for the amount of the CDs/DVDs taken up by the files, not the original retail value. Unlicensed copies of Windows XP Professional typically cost $0.70, since it only uses 1 CD, compared to around $30 for a properly licensed copy of XP Starter.^[19]

Media Center Edition[edit]

This edition, which was code-named 'Freestyle' during its development, was first released in September 2002.^[20] The initial release was available solely in conjunction with computers that included media center capabilities, and could not be purchased separately. The first major update was released in 2004 and distributed by Tier 1 OEMs who had previously sold Windows XP Media Center Edition PC, and then updated again in 2005, which was the first edition available for System Builders. Many of the features of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (including screen dancers, auto playlist DJ, and high end visual screen savers) were taken from the Windows XP Plus! packages. These were originally shipped as add-ons to Windows XP to enhance the users experience of their Windows XP machine.

Releases[edit]

A preview version of Windows XP Media Center Edition from Microsoft's eHome division, was shown as CES 2002, with the final version released in July 2002.^[21]

• Windows XP Media Center Edition ('Freestyle', July 2002) ^[22] This was the original release. Updates to this release added features such as FM radio tuning. This release combined with updates is sometimes referred to as Windows XP Media Center Edition 2003.^[23]
• Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 ('Harmony', September 2003) ^[24] Windows XP Service Pack 2 upgrades earlier versions of MCE to this one.
• Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 ('Symphony', October 2004) ^[25] is the first edition of MCE available to non-Tier 1 system builders. Among other things it includes support for Media Center Extenders, and CD/DVD-Video burning support.^[26]
• Update Rollup 2 for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 ('Emerald', October 2005) ^[27][28] is a major update to MCE 2005 (Symphony) and was a recommended download. It adds support for the Xbox 360 as a media center extender, DVB-T broadcasts, and support for two ATSC tuner cards.

After the 2005 release, Microsoft focused their efforts on building new media center features into 'Home Premium' and 'Ultimate' editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7, which have Windows Media Center built-in and, unlike the releases of Windows XP Media Center Edition, were available for retail purchase without the necessary hardware.

Features[edit]

The most notable feature unique to this edition is the Windows Media Center, which provides a large-font, remotely accessible interface ('10-foot user interface') for television viewing on the computer as well as recording and playback, a TV guide, DVD playback, video playback, photo viewing, and music playback. Unlike competing commercial digital video recorder products, Microsoft does not charge a monthly subscription fee for its Media Center TV guide service.

Due to strict hardware requirements, Microsoft did not sell Media Center Edition in retail markets alongside the Home and Professional editions. Microsoft only distributes it to MSDN subscribers and OEMSystem Builders in certain countries. Consumers generally purchase Media Center pre-installed on a new computer, or from a reseller that sells OEM versions of Microsoft software.

Media Center Edition was the only consumer-oriented edition of Windows XP that was updated with new features on an annual basis during the five-year development of Windows Vista. The MCE 2005 release, for example, includes an update to Windows Movie Maker that supports burning DVDs, a new visual style called 'Royale', support for Media Center Extenders, and SoundSpectrum's G-Force sound visualizations. Microsoft also released its own remote control, receiver and infrared blaster with MCE 2005. A new specially designed wireless computer keyboard for MCE 2005 was released September 2005.

Using Media Center Extenders or the Xbox 360, Media Center Edition is also able to connect and stream recorded TV, music and pictures, over a network connection.

Media Center Edition retains most of the features included in Windows XP Professional as it is simply an add-on to Professional, installed when provided with a valid MCE product key during setup. All Professional features have been left in, including Remote Desktop and the Encrypting File System, however the ability to join an Active Directory domain has been removed as it is marketed as a home product with no need for domain support. One value in the registry is all that is needed to circumvent this restriction;^[29] if the installation of MCE 2005 is an in-place upgrade from a previous version already joined to a domain, this ability is retained, unless a user uses a Windows Media Center Extender: in this case, such ability is lost and cannot be restored. Presumably, Microsoft introduced this limit because Media Center Extender devices, introduced in this version, rely on the Fast User Switching component, but this component must be disabled in order to join a domain.^[30][31]

Hardware requirements[edit]

Media Center has higher hardware requirements than other editions of Windows XP. MCE 2005 requires at least a 1.6 GHz processor, DirectX 9.0 hardware-accelerated GPU (ATI Radeon 9 series or nVidia GeForce FX series or higher), and 256 MB of system RAM. Some functionality, such as Media Center Extender support, use of multiple tuners, or HDTV playback/recording carries higher system requirements.

Media Center is much more restricted in the range of hardware that it supports than most other software DVR solutions. Media Center tuners must have a standardized driver interface, and they (originally) required a hardware MPEG-2 encoder, closed caption support, and a number of other features. Media Center remote controls are standardized in terms of button labels and functionality, and, to a degree, general layout.

Tablet PC Edition[edit]

This edition is intended for specially designed notebook/laptop computers called tablet PCs. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is compatible with a pen-sensitive screen, supporting handwritten notes and portrait-oriented screens. Except for MSDN and Volume License subscribers, Windows XP Tablet Edition could not be purchased separately.^[32]

Tablet PC Edition is a superset of Windows XP Professional, the difference being tablet functionality, including alternate text input (Tablet PC Input Panel) and basic drivers for support of tablet PC specific hardware. Requirements to install Tablet PC Edition include a tablet digitizer or touchscreen device, and hardware control buttons including a Ctrl-Alt-Delete shortcut button, scrolling buttons, and at least one user-configurable application button.

There have been two releases:

• Windows XP Tablet PC Edition – The original version released in November 2002.
• Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 – The Tablet PC version released in August 2004 (codenamed Lonestar) as part of Windows XP Service Pack 2. The 2005 edition is available as a service pack upgrade, or as a new OEM version.

Service Pack 2 for Windows XP includes Tablet PC Edition 2005 and is a free upgrade. This version brought improved handwriting recognition and improved the Input Panel, allowing it to be used in almost every application. The Input Panel was also revised to extend speech recognition services (input and correction) to other applications.

Included software[edit]

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is based on Windows XP Professional and includes all the software features provided in it. In addition, it includes some of the following components:

• Tablet PC Input Panel
• Sticky Notes
• Energy Blue theme

The following downloadable packs released by Microsoft add more functionality:

• Microsoft Experience Pack
  • Ink Art
  • Ink Crossword
  • Ink Desktop
  • Media Transfer
  • Snipping Tool 2.0
• Education Pack
  • Ink Flash Cards
  • Equation Writer
  • GoBinder Lite
  • Hexic Deluxe

Technology[edit]

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition utilizes the Ink object as a means of data input and storage. This is a data type created as part of the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition API that allows users to manipulate and process handwritten data, including recognition results and, in some cases, the pressure information for each part of the stroke. Properties of Ink can be changed in much the same way as properties of other objects, and the data can be saved to allow future reference. Many applications referencing the Ink object also allow handwritten notes to be filtered and searched through, based on the recognition results stored when Ink is saved.

Integrated with the operating system is a Tablet PC Input Panel (TIP) which allows handwriting to be converted into text for use in most non-full-screen applications. The integrated handwriting recognition in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 can recognize print, cursive, or mixed writing. Accuracy can be increased by configuring the recognizer to expect left-handed writing or right-handed writing. Recognition in a variety of languages is available with the install of a recognizer pack. The handwriting engine cannot be trained to recognize a particular handwriting style, so the user must modify their handwriting to be better recognized by the system in order to use this feature effectively.

Speech recognition functionality is also incorporated into the Tablet Input Panel. Compared to previous versions, a substantially improved speech recognition engine version 6 (which also ships with Office 2003) and a tutorial, microphone wizard and training modules are included. It is possible to dictate text using speech in certain supported applications and control the Windows GUI and applications using speech, although the accuracy improvements further made in Windows Vista surpass these features. An update for Windows XP Tablet PC Edition containing Ink Analysis and StylusInput API support introduced in Windows Vista is also available.

Subscription and pre-paid editions[edit]

In 2006, Microsoft made available two additional editions of Windows XP Home Edition for hardware manufacturers that wanted to provide subscription-based or pay as you go-based^{[clarification needed Link to correct article]} models for selling computers. These editions, named Windows XP Home Edition for Subscription Computers, and Windows XP Home Edition for Prepaid Computers respectively, are part of the 'Microsoft FlexGo' initiative, described in a company-issued press release as, '[making] PCs more accessible by dramatically reducing the entry cost and enabling customers to pay for their computer as they use it, through the purchase of prepaid cards. Market trials are starting first in emerging markets where inadequate access to consumer credit, unpredictable income and high entry costs prevent many consumers from purchasing a computer.'^[33] These editions were targeted towards emerging markets such as India, Brazil, Hungary and Vietnam.

Both editions contain additional components that enforce the subscription models via metering.^[34] The metering is typically enforced with a hardware component to prevent tampering. The installation of Windows operates in 'normal mode', 'Limited Access Mode', or 'Hardware Locked Mode' depending on the state of the subscription. When a computer has a positive time balance, it operates in 'normal mode' and functions as a regular Windows XP Home Edition machine. When the time balance expires, the machine will then operate in 'Limited Access Mode' for an amount of time set by the hardware manufacturer (five hours by default) before entering 'Hardware Locked Mode'. In Limited Access Mode, the screen uses high-contrast and low-resolution display settings, and in Hardware Locked Mode, the operating system is disabled entirely, and a message is displayed on boot-up with instructions on how to re-enable the machine.

64-bit editions[edit]

Two distinct editions of Windows XP were released to support 64-bit hardware.

Windows XP 64-Bit Edition[edit]

Windows XP 64-Bit Edition was designed to run on IntelItanium family of microprocessors in their native IA-64 mode.

Two versions of Windows XP 64-Bit Edition were released:

• Windows XP 64-Bit Edition for Itanium systems, Version 2002 – Based on Windows XP codebase, was released simultaneously alongside the 32-Bit version of Windows XP on October 25, 2001.^[35]
• Windows XP 64-Bit Edition, Version 2003 – Based on Windows Server 2003 codebase (which added support for the Itanium 2 processor), was released on March 28, 2003.^[36]

This edition was discontinued in January 2005, after Hewlett-Packard, the last distributor of Itanium-based workstations, stopped selling Itanium systems marketed as 'workstations'.^[37] As of July 2005, Windows XP 64-Bit Edition is no longer supported, and no further security updates were made available.

Windows XP 64-Bit Edition was not marketed as the Itanium version of Microsoft's other Windows XP editions, but, instead, as a separate edition made solely for the Itanium processor and its 64-bit instructions. It is mostly analogous to Windows XP Professional, but numerous older technologies, such as DAO, Jet database, NTVDM, and Windows on Windows, are no longer present, so support for MS-DOS and Win16 applications is absent. The original version also lacks most media applications, such as Windows Media Player, NetMeeting, Windows Movie Maker, and integrated CD burning, although WMP and NetMeeting were added in the 2003 version.

Similar to the ability of previous alternate architecture ports of Windows (Windows NT 4.0 for PowerPC, MIPS R4x00, and Alpha) to run 16-bit x86 code via Windows on Windows, Windows XP 64-Bit Edition can run standard x86 32-bit applications through its WOW64 (Windows-on-Windows 64-bit) emulation layer. While the original Itanium processor contains an on-chip IA-32 decoder, it was deemed far too slow for serious use (running at about 400 MHz), so Microsoft and Intel wrote a software 32 to 64-bit translator dubbed the IA-32 Execution Layer. It allows real time translation of x86 32-bit instructions into IA-64 instructions, allowing 32-bit applications to run (albeit significantly more slowly than native code).

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition[edit]

This edition supports the x86-64 extension of the Intel IA-32 architecture. x86-64 is implemented by AMD as 'AMD64', found in AMD's Opteron, Athlon 64 chips (and in selected Sempron processors), and implemented by Intel as 'Intel 64' (formerly known as IA-32e and EM64T), found in some of Intel's Pentium 4 and most of Intel's later chips. It was released on April 25, 2005.^[38]

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition uses version 5.2.3790.1830 of core operating system binaries,^[39] the same version used by Windows Server 2003 SP1 as they were the latest versions during the operating system's development. Even service packs and updates for Windows XP x64 and Windows Server 2003 x64 are distributed in unified packages,^[40] much in the manner as Windows 2000 Professional and Server editions for x86.

During the initial development phases (2003–2004), Windows XP Professional x64 Edition was named Windows XP 64-Bit Edition for x86 Extended Systems and later, Windows XP 64-Bit Edition for Extended Systems, as opposed to 64-Bit Edition for Itanium Systems.

Service packs[edit]

The RTM version of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is based on Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 codebase.^[41] For the same reason, Service Pack 2 for Windows XP x64 Edition, released on the March 13, 2007, is not the same as Service Pack 2 for 32-bit versions of Windows XP.^[42] In fact, due to the earlier release date of the 32-bit version, many of the key features introduced by Service Pack 2 for 32-bit (x86) editions of Windows XP were already present in the RTM version of its 64-bit (x86-64) counterpart.^[41] Service Pack 2 is the first and last released service pack for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.

Software compatibility[edit]

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition uses a technology named Windows-on-Windows 64-bit (WOW64), which permits the execution of 32-bit x86 applications. It was first employed in Windows XP 64-Bit Edition (for the Itanium), but then reused for the 'x64 Editions' of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

Since the x86-64 architecture includes hardware-level support for 32-bit instructions, WOW64 switches the processor between 32- and 64-bit modes. According to Microsoft, 32-bit software running under WOW64 has a similar performance when executing under 32-bit Windows, but with fewer threads possible and other overheads.^[43] All 32-bit processes are shown with *32 in the task manager, while 64-bit processes have no extra text present.

Although 32-bit applications can be run transparently, the mixing of the two types of code within the same process is not allowed. A 64-bit application cannot link against a 32-bit library (DLL) and, similarly, a 32-bit application cannot link against a 64-bit library. This may lead to the need for library developers to provide both 32- and 64-bit binary versions of their libraries. Windows XP x64 Edition includes both 32- and 64-bit versions of Internet Explorer 6, in order to allow for the possibility that some third-party browser plugins or ActiveX controls may not yet be available in 64-bit versions.

Older 32-bit drivers and services are not supported by 64-bit Windows, but video and audio codecs such as XviD or OggDS (which are 32-bit DLLs), are supported as long as the media player that uses them is 32-bit as well.

64-bit Windows does not include NTVDM or Windows on Windows, so there is no native support for the execution of MS-DOS or 16-bit Windows applications, such as those written for Windows 3.1.

Advantages[edit]

The primary benefit of moving to 64-bit is the increase in the maximum allocatable virtual memory. A single standard process on a 32-bit Windows operating system is limited to a total of 2,093,056 kilobytes (2GB minus one 4KB page), while large address aware ^[44] 32-bit processes can allocate up to 4GB. Windows XP x64 can support much more memory; although the theoretical memory limit a 64-bit computer can address is about 16exabytes, Windows XP x64 is limited to 128GB of physical memory and 8 terabytes of virtual memory per process while the practical limit is usually the size of the pagefile.

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows XP 64-bit Edition Version 2003 are the only releases of Windows XP to include Internet Information Services 6.0, which matches the version shipped with Windows Server 2003; other versions of XP include 5.1. 64-bit versions of Windows XP are also immune to certain types of viruses and malware that target 32-bit systems, since most system files are 64-bit. The extra registers of the x86-64 architecture can result in performance improvements in certain kinds of applications, but more often than not, will result in a slight decrease in performance when compared to the same application implemented in 32 bit x86 code running on Windows XP 32 bit editions.

Editions for embedded systems[edit]

Microsoft has released a number of editions of Windows XP that are targeted towards developers of embedded devices, for use in specific consumer electronics, set-top boxes, kiosks/ATMs, medical devices, arcade video games, point-of-sale terminals, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) components.^[45] These editions all belong to Windows Embedded subfamilies.

Windows XP for Embedded Systems[edit]

Windows XP for Embedded Systems is binary identical to Windows XP Professional, but is licensed only for embedded devices.

Windows XP Embedded[edit]

Windows XP Embedded, commonly abbreviated 'XPe', is a componentized version of the Professional edition of Windows XP. An original equipment manufacturer is free to choose only the components needed thereby reducing operating system footprint and also reducing attack area as compared with XP Professional. Unlike Windows CE, Microsoft's operating system for portable devices and consumer electronics, XP Embedded provides the full Windows API, and support for the full range of applications and device drivers written for Microsoft Windows. The system requirements state that XPe can run on devices with at least 32 MB Compact Flash, 32 MB RAM and a P-200 microprocessor. XPe was released on November 28, 2001. As of October 2008, the newest release is Windows XP Embedded Service Pack 3.

The devices targeted for XPe have included automatic teller machines, arcade games, slot machines, cash registers, industrialrobotics, thin clients, set-top boxes, network attached storage (NAS), time clocks, navigation devices, railroad locomotives, etc.^[45] Custom versions of the OS can be deployed onto anything but a full-fledged PC; even though XPe supports the same hardware that XP Professional supports (x86 architecture), licensing restrictions prevent it from being deployed on to standard PCs. However, Microsoft has made some exceptions to this rule, allowing XPe alongside a standard OEM install of Windows. Some Dell notebooks contain an embedded XP installation as part of the MediaDirect 2.0 feature, and they were also found on some Acer ones as well as the Samsung Q1.

Windows Embedded Standard 2009 succeeded XPe in 2H 2008. Windows Embedded Standard 2009 is derived from Windows XP Embedded since Microsoft at the time of its development did not have a componentized version of Windows Vista.^[46] Windows Embedded Standard 2009 includes Silverlight, .NET Framework 3.5, Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11, RDP 6.1, Network Access Protection, Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer and support for being managed by Windows Server Update Services and System Center Configuration Manager.^[47]

Windows Embedded Standard 7 has succeeded Windows Embedded Standard 2009 in April 2010 and is a componentized version of Windows 7.

Features[edit]

Write filters

XPe includes components known as write filters, which can be used to filter out disk writes. The volumes can be marked as read-only using these filters and all writes to it can be redirected. Applications in user mode are unaware of this write filtering. XPe ships with two write filters:

1. Enhanced Write Filter (EWF): Protects a system at volume level. It redirects all disk writes to a protected drive, to RAM or a separate disk. EWF is extremely useful when used in thin clients that have flash memory as their primary boot source.
2. File Based Write Filter (FBWF): Allows the configuration of individual files as read/write on a protected volume

USB boot

XPe adds a USB boot option to Windows. An XPe embedded device can be configured to boot from a USB drive.

CD boot

An XPe device can be configured to boot from a CD-ROM. This allows the device to boot without the requirement of having a physical hard disk drive as well as provides a 'fresh boot' every time the image is booted (a property inherited by the fact that the operating system is being booted from read-only media). One drawback to this technology is updating or servicing the image requires the complete process of setting up the runtime image to be completed once again from start to end.

Network boot

An XPe device can be configured to boot from a properly configured network. Synonymous to CD boot, network boot removes the requirement of having the physical hard drive as well as providing the 'fresh boot' behavior. One bonus to Network Boot though is the ability to service the already setup image. Once the image is updated the image is simply posted to the RIS Server and once clients are rebooted they will receive the updated image.

Windows Embedded for Point of Service[edit]

Windows Embedded for Point of Service (WEPOS) is a specialization of Windows XP Embedded. It was released on May 25, 2005, and focuses on the point of sale device market, such as fuel pumps, self checkout stations, automated teller machines and cash registers.^[45] It is not available for purchase directly from Microsoft, but is instead licensed to original equipment manufacturers.^[48]

Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 succeeded WEPOS in January 2009. Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 is derived from WEPOS since Microsoft at the time of its development did not have a componentized version of Windows Vista.^[49]

Windows Embedded POSReady 7 has succeeded Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 in July 2011 and is based on Windows 7 SP1.

Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs[edit]

In July 2006, Microsoft introduced a 'thin-client' variant of Windows XP Embedded called Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs, which targets older machines (as early as the original Pentium). It is only available to Software Assurance customers. It is intended for those who would like to upgrade to Windows XP to take advantage of its security and management capabilities, but cannot afford to purchase new hardware.^[50]

Windows Thin PC has succeeded Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs in June 2011 and is based on Windows Embedded Standard 7 SP1.

References[edit]

1. ^Microsoft Windows XP Multilingual User Interface (MUI) Pack
2. ^'Unlimited Potential: Local Language Program'. Microsoft. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
3. ^Comparing Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional Feature Differences.
4. ^'Windows XP and Multicore Processor Licensing'. Microsoft. June 7, 2005.
5. ^'Windows XP Home Edition Comparison Guide'. Microsoft. July 2, 2001.
6. ^'Description of Windows XP Home Edition N and Windows XP Professional N'. Support. Microsoft. 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2017-01-30. These new versions are named Windows XP Home Edition N and Windows XP Professional N, where Ｎ stands for 'Ｎot with Windows Media Player.'
7. ^'Windows XP-lite 'not value for money''. Silicon.com. June 28, 2005. Archived from the original on November 2, 2005. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
8. ^Bishop, Todd (December 24, 2004). 'Europe gets 'reduced' Windows'. Seattle Pi.
9. ^'European Windows Called 'Windows XP Home Edition N''. Redmondmag.com. March 28, 2005. Archived from the original on April 7, 2005. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
10. ^'Microsoft and EU reach agreement'. BBC. March 28, 2005.
11. ^'Description of Windows XP Home Edition N and Windows XP Professional N (MSKB 886540)'. Knowledge Base. Microsoft. June 5, 2007. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
12. ^Nate Anderson (December 7, 2005). 'South Korea fines Microsoft for antitrust abuses'. Ars Technica. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
13. ^'Changes to Windows XP Home Edition K and Windows XP Professional K from earlier versions of Windows XP (MSKB 922474)'. Knowledge Base. Microsoft. September 15, 2006. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
14. ^'Microsoft Announces Extended Availability of Windows XP Home for ULCPCs'. News Center. Redmond, Washington: Microsoft. April 3, 2008.
15. ^'Microsoft® Desktop Operating Systems - Licensing in blade PC Environments'. Microsoft. November 2004. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
16. ^'Microsoft Windows XP Starter Edition Image Gallery'. Microsoft. September 29, 2004. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
17. ^ ^ab'Microsoft Windows XP Starter Edition Fact Sheet' (Press release). Microsoft. December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-08.
18. ^'Windows XP Starter Edition Milestone: Helping Millions Cross the Digital Divide'. PressPass (Press release). Microsoft. October 9, 2006.
19. ^Chai, Winston (29 September 2004). 'India to be fifth 'flagship' for Windows XP Starter Edition'. ZDNet. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 15 October 2007.
20. ^'Windows XP Media Center Edition Released to Manufacturing In Time for Holiday 2002' (Press release). Microsoft. 3 September 2002. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
21. ^'Windows XP Media Center Edition ('Freestyle') Preview: Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows'. Archived from the original on 2002-06-07. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
22. ^Microsoft Unveils Windows XP Media Center Edition, Previously Code-Named 'Freestyle'
23. ^Windows XP Service Pack 2 with Advanced Security Technologies Review: Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows
24. ^Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 Delivers New Home Entertainment Experiences
25. ^Microsoft, Industry Partners Deliver on Promise of Digital Entertainment Anywhere
26. ^If you are installing Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, you can use a Windows XP Media Center Edition Product key or a Windows XP Professional product key.^{[citation needed]}
27. ^'Emerald Is Finally Here: Charlie Owen blog'. Archived from the original on 2007-08-05. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
28. ^Software Update for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Enables High-Fidelity Access to PC Digital Entertainment via Xbox 360
29. ^'How to activate Join Domain on MCE 2005'. Archived from the original on 2008-04-22. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
30. ^'You cannot join your computer to a domain in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (KB887212)'. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
31. ^'Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Frequently Asked Questions (Question 'Can I connect a new PC running Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 to a work network or domain?''. Retrieved 2007-04-22.
32. ^'Windows XP Tablet PC Edition frequently asked questions'. Support. Microsoft. November 10, 2004. Archived from the original on January 13, 2005.
33. ^'Microsoft Unveils Pay-As-You-Go Personal Computing Designed for Emerging Market Consumers'. PressPass (Press release). Microsoft. May 21, 2006. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
34. ^'A description of metering behavior on computers that are running Windows XP Home Edition for Prepaid Computers or Windows XP Home Edition for Subscription Computers'. Microsoft. June 29, 2007. Retrieved 2008-06-07.
35. ^'Microsoft Unveils Plans for 64-Bit Windows Platform'.
36. ^'Microsoft Releases Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2003 to Manufacturing'.
37. ^Joris Evers (5 January 2005). 'Microsoft nixes Windows XP for Itanium'. Computerworld. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
38. ^'Microsoft Raises the Speed Limit with the Availability of 64-Bit Editions of Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional'. PressPass (Press release). Microsoft. January 5, 2005. Retrieved 2009-02-21.
39. ^'A description of the x64-based versions of Windows Server 2003 and of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition'. Microsoft. October 11, 2007. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
40. ^Typically, a security update for English-language x64 Editions of Server 2003 and XP Professional is named WindowsServer2003.WindowsXP-KBnnnnnn-SP2-x64-ENU.exe or WindowsServer2003.WindowsXP-KBnnnnnnn-x64-ENU.exe,
41. ^ ^ab'A description of the x64-based versions of Windows Server 2003 and of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition (Revision 3.8)'. Microsoft Support. Microsoft Corporation. October 11, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
42. ^'Windows Server 2003 & Windows XP x64 Service Pack Technical Overview'. Technet.microsoft.com. January 25, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
43. ^'Performance and Memory Consumption Under WOW64'. Microsoft. Retrieved 2013-05-06.
44. ^'/LARGEADDRESSAWARE (Handle Large Addresses)'. Visual Studio 2005 Documentation - Visual C++ - Linker Options. Microsoft. Retrieved 2010-06-19. The /LARGEADDRESSAWARE option tells the linker that the application can handle addresses larger than 2 gigabytes.
45. ^ ^abc'Which Windows Embedded Product is Right for my Device?'. Microsoft. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
46. ^Microsoft Charts Its Road Map for Windows Embedded Business
47. ^Microsoft Press Release on Windows Embedded Standard 2009
48. ^'Microsoft releases Windows Embedded for Point of Service'. geekzone.co.nz. May 25, 2005. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
49. ^'Microsoft Releases Windows Embedded POSReady 2009'. microsoft.com. January 12, 2009. Retrieved 2014-12-12.
50. ^'Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs'. Microsoft. September 9, 2005. Retrieved 2009-02-12.

External links[edit]

Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of computer software operating systems created by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs).

All versions of Microsoft Windows are commercialproprietary software.

• 1General information
• 2Technical information
• 3Supported file systems
• 4Hardware requirements
• 5Physical memory limits
• 9See also

General information[edit]

Basic general information about Windows.

DOS shells[edit]

Name	Release date	Latest version	Status support	Codename	OS required	Architecture	Editions	Target market
Windows 1.0	1985-11-20	1.04 (1987-04-08)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)	Interface Manager	DOS 2.0 or higher	16-bit	Desktops
Windows 2.0	1987-09-08	2.03 (1987-12-09)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)	?	16-bit	Desktops
Windows 2.1x	1988-05-27	2.11 (1989-03-13)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)	?	16-bit	Desktops
Windows 3.0	1990-05-22	3.0a with Multimedia Extensions (1991-10-20)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)	DOS 3.1 or higher	16-bit	Windows 3.0 Windows 3.0a Windows 3.0a with Multimedia Extensions	Desktops
Windows 3.1x	1992-04-06	3.11 (1993-12-31)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)	3.1: Janus 3.1 for Workgroups: Kato 3.11: Snowball (LB) 3.11 for Workgroups: Sparta	DOS 3.3 or higher	16-bit*	Windows 3.1 (build 040) Windows for Workgroups 3.1 Windows 3.11 Windows for Workgroups 3.11 Windows 3.2 (Simplified Chinese only)	Desktops

* Has partial 32-bit compatibility with Win32s

Windows 9x[edit]

Name	Release date	RTM build	Latest version	Status support	Codename	MS-DOS version	Kernel type	Architecture	Editions	Target market
Windows 95	1995-08-15	950	4.00.950C OSR2.5 (1997-11-26)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)	Chicago	MS-DOS 7.0, MS-DOS 7.1 (OSR2.x)	Monolithic	Hybrid 16/32-bit	Retail, OSR1, OSR2, OSR2.1, OSR2.5	Desktops
Windows 98	1998-05-15	1998	4.10.1998	Unsupported (2006-07-11)	Memphis	MS-DOS 7.1	Monolithic	Hybrid 16/32-bit	Desktops
Windows 98 SE	1999-05-05	2222	4.10.2222A (2000-02-25)	Unsupported (2006-07-11)	MS-DOS 7.1	Monolithic	Hybrid 16/32-bit	Desktops
Windows Me	2000-06-19	3000	4.90.3000 (2000-09-14)	Unsupported (2006-07-11)	Millennium	MS-DOS 8.0	Monolithic	Hybrid 16/32-bit	Desktops

Windows NT[edit]

Name	Release date	Version	RTM build	Latest build	Status support	Codename, working name	Supported architectures	Editions	OS type
Windows NT 3.1	1993-07-27	3.1	528	528 SP3 (1994-11-10)	Unsupported (2000-12-31)	New Technology OS/2	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS	Workstation, Advanced Server	Workstation, Server
Windows NT 3.5	1994-09-21	3.5	807	807 SP3 (1995-06-21)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)	Daytona	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS	Workstation, Server	Workstation, Server
Windows NT 3.51	1995-05-30	3.51	1057	1057 SP5 (1996-09-19)	Unsupported (2001-12-31)	?	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC	Workstation, Server	Workstation, Server
Windows NT 4.0	1996-07-31	4.0	1381	1381 SP6a (1999-11-30)	Unsupported (2004-06-30)	Cairo/Shell Update Release Hydra (Terminal Server) Impala (Embedded)	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC	Workstation, Server, Server Enterprise Edition, Terminal Server, Embedded	Workstation, Server, Embedded PCs
Windows 2000	1999-12-15	5.0	2195	SP4 Rollup 1 v2 (2005-09-13)	Unsupported (2010-07-13)	Memphis NT	IA-32	Professional, Server, Advanced Server, Datacenter Server, Powered (Embedded)	Desktop, Workstation, Server, Embedded PCs
Windows XP	2001-08-24	5.1	2600	2600 SP3 (2008-04-21)	Unsupported (2014-04-08)	Whistler	IA-32, IA-64, x86-64	Home NKKN, Professional NKKNx64, Media Center, Tablet PC, Starter, Embedded	Desktop, Workstation, Embedded PCs
Windows Server 2003	2003-04-24	5.2	3790	3790 SP2 (2007-03-13)	Unsupported (2015-07-14)	Whistler Server, Windows .NET Server	IA-32, IA-64, x86-64	Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter, Web, Storage, Small Business Server, Compute Cluster	Server, Network Appliance, Embedded PCs, HPC
Windows Server 2003 R2	2005	5.2	3790	?	Unsupported (2015-07-14)	?	IA-32, x86-64	Server, Network Appliance, Embedded PCs, HPC
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs	2006-07-08	5.1	2600	N/A	Unsupported (2014-04-08)	Eiger, Monch	IA-32	Fundamentals for Legacy PCs	Desktop
Windows Vista	2006-11-30	6.0	6000	6.0.6002 SP2 (2009-04-28)	Unsupported (2017-04-11)	Longhorn	IA-32, x86-64	Starter, Home Basic NKKN, Home Premium KKN, Business NKKN, Enterprise KKN, Ultimate KKN	Desktop, Workstation
Windows Home Server	2007-11-04	5.2	3790	N/A	Unsupported (2013-01-08)	Q, Quattro	IA-32, x86-64	Home Server	Server
Windows Server 2008	2008-02-04	6.0	6001	6002 SP2 (2008-02-27)	Supported (2020-01-14)	Longhorn Server	IA-32, IA-64, x86-64	Web Core, Standard CorewHVCwHV, Enterprise CorewHVCwHV, Small Business Server, Datacenter CorewHVCwHV, HPC, HyperV Core, Foundation, Storage	Server
Windows 7	2009-07-22	6.1	7600	7601 SP1	Supported (2020-01-14)	'7', Blackcomb, Vienna	IA-32, x86-64	Starter NKKN, Home Basic NKKN, Home Premium NKKN, Professional NKKN, Ultimate NKKN, Enterprise NKKN	Desktop, Workstation, Multi-Touch
Windows Server 2008 R2	2009-07-22	6.1	7600	7601 SP1	Supported (2020-01-14)	'7' Server	IA-64, x86-64	Standard Core, Enterprise Core, Datacenter Core, Web Core	Server
Windows Home Server 2011	2011-04-06	6.1	8400	N/A	Unsupported (2016-04-12)	Vail	x86-64	Home Server	Server
Windows Server 2012	2012-08-01	6.2	9200	N/A	Supported (2023-10-10)	'8' Server	x86-64	Foundation Essentials Standard Datacenter	Server
Windows 8	2012-08-01	6.2	9200	N/A	Unsupported (2016-01-12)	'8'	IA-32, x86-64, ARMv7	Windows 8 N, Pro N, Enterprise NKKN, Windows RT	Desktop, Workstation, Multitouch
Windows 8.1	2013-08-27	6.3	9600	N/A	Supported (2023-01-10)	'Blue'	IA-32, x86-64, ARMv7	Windows 8 N, Pro N, Enterprise NKKN, Windows RT 8.1	Desktop, Workstation, Multitouch
Windows Server 2012 R2	2013-10-18	6.3	9600	N/A	Supported (2023-10-10)	'Blue' Server	x86-64	Foundation Essentials Standard Datacenter	Server
Windows 10	2015-07-29	10.0	10240	N/A	Unsupported (2017-05-09)	'Threshold'	IA-32, x86-64, ARMv7, ARM64 since 1709	Home NKN, Pro NKN, Enterprise NKN, Education NKN, Mobile, Mobile Enterprise, IoT Core	Desktop, Workstation, Multitouch, Smartphones, PDAs, IoT
	2015-11-12		10586	N/A	Unsupported (2017-10-10)	'Threshold 2'
	2016-08-01		14393	N/A	Unsupported (2018-04-10)	'Redstone'
	2017-04-11		15063	N/A	Unsupported (2018-10-09)	'Redstone 2'
	2017-10-17		16299	N/A	Unsupported (2019-04-09)	'Redstone 3'
	2018-04-30		17134	N/A	Supported	'Redstone 4'
	2018-10-02		17763	N/A		'Redstone 5'
	2019-05-21		18362	18362.239		'19H1'
Windows Server 2016	2016-09-26		14393	N/A	Supported	'Redstone' Server	x86-64	Server
Windows Server 2019	2018-10-02		17763	Supported	'Redstone' Server 5	x86-64	Server
Name	Release date	Version	RTM build	Latest build	Status support	Codename, working name	Supported architectures	Editions	OS type

^N has also an N-edition

^K has also an N-edition

^KN has also an N-edition

^x64 has a separate x64-edition

^Core has also a Core-edition

^wHV has also an edition without HyperV

^CwHV has also a Core-edition without HyperV

Windows Embedded Compact[edit]

Windows Embedded Compact (Windows CE) is a variation of Microsoft's Windows operating system for minimalistic computers and embedded systems. Windows CE is a distinctly different kernel, rather than a trimmed-down version of desktop Windows. It is supported on Intel x86 and compatibles, MIPS, ARM, and Hitachi SuperH processors.

Release date	RTM build	Current version	Status support	Codename	Based on (kernel)	Kernel type	Operating environments	Editions	Purpose	Short description
Windows CE 1.0	1996-11	Pegasus, Alder	CE 1.0	Embedded	first release of Microsoft's Windows CE line for minimalistic computers and embedded systems
Windows CE 2.0	1997-11	Mercury, Apollo	CE 2.0	2.1, 2.11	Embedded
Windows CE 3.0	2000-04	Unsupported (2007-10-09)	Cedar, Galileo, Rapier, Merlin, Stinger	CE 3.0	Embedded kernel	Embedded
Windows CE 4.0	2002-01-07	Talisker	CE 4.0	4.1, 4.2	Embedded
Windows CE 5.0	2004-07-09	5.0 (2004-07-09)	Unsupported (2014-10-14)	Macallan	CE 5.0	Embedded kernel	Embedded
Windows Embedded CE 6.0	2006-11-01	Unsupported (2018-04-10)	Yamazaki	CE 6.0	Hybrid kernel
Windows Embedded Compact 7	2011-03-01	?	?	Supported (2021-04-13)	?	CE 7.0	Hybrid	? Standard, POSReadydata-sort-value=' |
Windows Embedded Compact 2013	2013-08-11	Update 17 (2017-11-15)	Supported (2023-10-10)	CE 8.0	Standard Industry (8.0, 8.1) Handheld	Embedded

Windows Mobile[edit]

Windows Mobile is Microsoft's discontinued line of operating systems for smartphones.

Name	Release date	RTM build	Current version	Status support	Codename	Based on (kernel)	Supported architectures
Windows Pocket PC 2000	2000-04-19	Unsupported (2007-09-10)	Raiper	CE 3.0
Windows Pocket PC 2002	2001-10-01	Unsupported (2008-10-14)	Merlin	CE 3.0
Windows Mobile 2003	2003-06-23	Ozone	CE 4.20
Windows Mobile 5.0	2005-05-9/12	Magneto	CE 5.0
Windows Mobile 6.0	2007-02-12	Crossbow	CE 5.2
Windows Mobile 6.1	2008-04-01
Windows Mobile 6.5	2009-05-18

Windows Phone[edit]

Windows Phone is Microsoft's discontinued line of operating systems for smartphones.

Name	Release date	RTM build	Current version	Status support	Codename	Based on (kernel)	Supported architectures
Windows Phone 7	2010-11-08	7004	7.10.8862	End of life	Photon	CE 6.0	ARM
Windows Phone 7.5	2011-09-27	7720		End of life	Mango	CE 6.1	ARM
Windows Phone 7.8	2013-02-01	8858		End of life	CE 6.1	ARM
Windows Phone 8	2012-10-29	10211	10.0.10586	End of life	Apollo, Portico	NT 6.2	ARM[citation needed]
Windows Phone 8.1	2014-04-14	12359		End of life	Blue	NT 6.3	ARM
Windows 10 Mobile	2015-11-08	10586		Supported	Threshold	NT 10.0	ARM

Technical information[edit]

DOS shells[edit]

Name	Architecture	Integrated firewall	SMP support	USB support	UDMA support	LFN support	Update management	APIs	Safe Mode
Windows 1.0	x86 16-bit	No	No	No	No	No	No	Win16	No
Windows 2.0	x86 16-bit	No	No	No	No	No	No	Win16	No
Windows 2.1x	x86 16-bit	No	No	No	No	No	No	Win16	No
Windows 3.0	x86 16-bit	No	No	No	No	No	No	Win16	No
Windows 3.1x	x86 16-bit (partial 32-bit compatibility through Win32s)	No	No	No	No	No	No	Win16, Win32s	No

Windows 9x[edit]

Name	Kernel	Kernel type	Architecture	Integrated firewall	SMP support	USB support	UDMA support	LFN support	Update management	APIs	DDIs	Safe Mode	DirectX
Windows 95	MS-DOS 7.0 (Win95, Win95A), MS-DOS 7.1 (Win95B, Win95C)	Monolithic kernel	x86, hybrid 16/32-bit	No	No	Partial (OSR 2.1/2.5 only) [1]	No	Yes	Windows Update	Win16, Win32	DOS,DLL,VxD, WDM(USB-only), direct-access	Yes	n/a(RTM/OSR1) 2.0a(OSR2/2.1) 5.0(OSR2.5) 8.0a(optional)
Windows 98	MS-DOS 7.1	Monolithic kernel	x86, hybrid 16/32-bit	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Windows Update	Win16, Win32	DOS,DLL,VxD, WDM(partial), direct-access	Yes	5.2 9.0c(oct2006)(optional)
Windows 98 Second Edition	MS-DOS 7.1	Monolithic kernel	x86, hybrid 16/32-bit	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Windows Update	Win16, Win32	DOS,DLL,VxD, WDM(partial), direct-access	Yes	6.1a 9.0c(oct2006)(optional)
Windows Me	MS-DOS 8.0	Monolithic kernel	x86, hybrid 16/32-bit	No	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Windows Update	Win16, Win32	DLL,VxD, WDM(partial), direct-access	Yes	7.1 9.0c(oct2006)(optional)

It is possible to install the MS-DOS variants 7.0 and 7.1 without the graphics user interface of Windows. If an independent installation of both, DOS and Windows is desired, DOS ought to be installed prior to Windows, at the start of a small partition. The system must be transferred by the (dangerous) 'SYSTEM' DOS-command, while the other files constituting DOS can simply be copied (the files located in the DOS-root and the entire COMMAND directory). Such a stand-alone installation of MS-DOS 8 is not possible, as it's designed to work as real mode for Windows Me and nothing else.

Windows NT[edit]

Reinstall Windows Xp Home Edition

The Windows NT kernel powers all recent Windows operating systems. It runs on IA-32, x64 and Itanium processors.

Name	Architecture	Store	Integrated firewall	SMP support	USB support	UDMA support	Long filename support	Package management	Update management	APIs	DDIs	Safe Mode	Data Execution Prevention	DirectX
Windows NT 3.1	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS	N/A	No	Yes	No	?	Yes (NTFS and HPFS volumes only)	N/A	Win32, OS/2, POSIX	DLL, KMD	No	No	No
Windows NT 3.5	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS	N/A	No	Yes	No	?	Yes (except on CDFS volumes)	N/A	Win32, OS/2, POSIX	DLL, KMD	No	No	No
Windows NT 3.51	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC	N/A	No	Yes	No	?	Yes (except on CDFS volumes)	N/A	Win32, OS/2, POSIX	DLL, KMD	No	No	No
Windows NT 4.0	IA-32, DEC Alpha, MIPS, PowerPC	N/A	No	Yes	Yes (if the Ion USB update is installed)	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update (if Internet Explorer 5 or later is installed)	Win32, OS/2, POSIX	DLL, KMD	No	No	Yes 3.0a, 5.0(unofficial)
Windows 2000	IA-32	N/A	No	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0 with update or SP4)[2]	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, OS/2, POSIX	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF	Yes	No	Yes 7.0, 9.0c(feb2010)(optional)
Windows XP	IA-32(NT5.1), Itanium(NT5.1/5.2), x64(NT5.2)	N/A	Yes	Yes (Professional Edition only)	Yes (USB 2.0 with update or SP1+)[3]	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes (in SP2)	Yes 9.0c
Windows Server 2003	IA-32, Itanium, x64	N/A	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)[4]	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes (in SP1)	Yes 9.0c
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs	IA-32	N/A	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes	Yes 9.0c
Windows Vista	IA-32, x64	Windows Marketplace	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET, POSIX (only Enterprise and Ultimate)	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes	Yes 10.1 11.0(optional)
Windows Server 2008	IA-32, Itanium, x64	N/A	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes	Yes 10.1 11.0(optional)
Windows Home Server	IA-32	N/A	?	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)	?	Yes	N/A	Windows Update	Win32	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	?	?	Yes 9.0c
Windows 7	IA-32, x64	N/A	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes	Yes 11.0 11.1(optional)
Windows Server 2008 R2	Itanium, x64	N/A	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	N/A	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes	Yes 11.0 11.1(optional)
Windows Home Server 2011	x64	N/A	?	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	?	Yes	N/A	Windows Update	Win32	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	?	?	Yes 11.0 11.1(optional)
Windows Server 2012	x64	Windows Store	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET, WinRT	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes	Yes 11.1
Windows 8	IA-32, x64	Windows Store	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store	Windows Update, WSUS	Win32, .NET, WinRT	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1	Yes	Yes	Yes 11.1
Windows 8.1	IA-32, x64	Windows Store	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store, PowerShell	Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store	Win32, .NET, WinRT	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1, UMDFv2	Yes	Yes	Yes 11.2
Windows Server 2012 R2	x64	Windows Store	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.0)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store	Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store	Win32, .NET, WinRT	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1, UMDFv2	Yes	Yes	Yes 11.2
Windows 10	IA-32, x64	Windows Store	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store, PowerShell	Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store	Win32, .NET, WinRT, Linux	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1, UMDFv2	Yes	Yes	Yes 12
Windows Server 2016	x64	Windows Store	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3)	Yes	Yes	Windows Store	Windows Update, WSUS, Windows Store	Win32, .NET, WinRT	DLL, KMD, WDM, KMDF, UMDFv1, UMDFv2	Yes	Yes	Yes 12

Windows Phone[edit]

Name	Architecture	Integrated firewall	SMP support	USB support	UDMA support	Package management	APIs
Windows Phone 8	ARMv7	Yes	Yes	Yes (USB 2.0)	Yes	Windows Phone Store	Silverlight
Windows Phone 8.1	ARMv7	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Windows Phone Store	Silverlight WinRT
Windows 10 Mobile	ARMv7	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Microsoft Store

Supported file systems[edit]

Various versions of Windows support various file systems, including: FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, HPFS, or NTFS, along with network file systems shared from other computers, and the ISO 9660 and UDF file systems used for CDs, DVDs, and other optical discs such as Blu-ray. Each file system is usually limited in application to certain media, for example CDs must use ISO 9660 or UDF, and as of Windows Vista, NTFS is the only file system which the operating system can be installed on. Windows Embedded CE 6.0, Windows Vista Service Pack 1, and Windows Server 2008 onwards support exFAT, a file system more suitable for USB flash drives.

Windows 9x[edit]

FAT12	FAT16	FAT32	HPFS	ISO 9660	NTFS	UDF
Windows 95	Yes	Yes	Yes (OSR2 or above)	Network Drive	Yes	Network Drive	No
Windows 98	Yes	Yes	Yes	Network Drive	Yes	Network Drive	Yes (1.5, read)
Windows Me	Yes	Yes	Yes	Network Drive	Yes	Network Drive	Yes (1.5, read)

Windows NT[edit]

FAT12	FAT16	FAT32	HPFS	ISO 9660	NTFS	exFAT	UDF	ReFS
Windows NT 3.1, 3.5, 3.51	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes v1.0/v1.1	No	?	No
Windows NT 4.0	Yes	Yes	No	Partial	Yes	Yes v1.2	No	?	No
Windows 2000	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v3.0	No	Yes	No
Windows XP	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v3.1	Optional	Yes (2.01)	No
Windows Server 2003	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v3.1	Optional	Yes	No
Windows Vista	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	No
Windows Server 2008	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes	No
Windows 7	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	Yes
Windows Server 2008 R2	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	Yes
Windows Server 2012	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	Yes
Windows 8	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	No
Windows 8.1	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	Yes
Windows Server 2012 R2	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	Yes
Windows 10	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	Yes
Windows Server 2016	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes v5	Yes	Yes (2.6)	Yes

Windows Phone[edit]

FAT12	FAT16	FAT32	HPFS	ISO 9660	NTFS	UDF (More Info)	ReFS
Windows Phone 8	?	Yes	Yes	No	?	Yes v5	?	No
Windows Phone 8.1	?	Yes	Yes	No	?	Yes v5	?	No
Windows 10 Mobile	?	Yes	Yes	No	?	Yes v5	?	?

Hardware requirements[edit]

Installing Windows requires an internal or external optical drive. A keyboard and mouse are the recommended input devices, though some versions support a touchscreen. For operating systems prior to Vista, the drive must be capable of reading CD media, while in Windows Vista onwards, the drive must be DVD-compatible. The drive may be detached after installing Windows.

Windows 9x[edit]

CPU	RAM	Free disk space
Windows 95	386	4 MB	120 MB
Windows 98	486 DX2 66 MHz	16 MB	300 MB
Windows Me (Millennium Edition)	Pentium 150 MHz	32 MB	400 MB

Windows NT[edit]

Version	CPU	RAM		Free disk space	Video adapter and monitor
		Minimum	Recommended
Windows NT 3.51 Workstation	386, 25 MHz	8 MB	16 MB	90 MB	VGA (640x480)
Windows NT 4.0 Workstation	486, 33 MHz	12 MB	?	110 MB
Windows 2000 Professional	133 MHz	32 MB	128 MB	650 MB
Windows XP	233 MHz	64 MB	128 MB	1.5 GB	Super VGA (800x600)
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs				500 MB
Windows XP 64-Bit Edition	700 MHz Itanium[5]	1 GB[5]	?	6 GB[5]
Windows Server 2003	1 GHz (x86) or 1.4 GHz (x64)	128 MB	256 MB	2 GB (x86) 4 GB (x64)
Windows Vista	800 MHz	384 MB (Starter) 512 MB (others)	2 GB	15 GB (~6.5 GB for OS)	Super VGA (800x600) WDDM & DirectX 9 for Aero
Windows Server 2008	1 GHz (x86) or 1.4 GHz (x64)		2 GB	10 GB
Windows 7	1 GHz	1 GB (x86) 2 GB (x64)	4 GB	16 GB (x86) 20 GB (x64) (~6.5 GB for OS)
Windows Server 2012	1.4 GHz (x86-64)	512 MB	1 GB	10 GB	Super VGA (800x600), 32-bit color
Windows 8	1 GHz	1 GB (x86) 2 GB (x64)	4 GB	16 GB (x86) 20 GB (x64) (~6.5 GB for OS)	Super VGA (800x600), 32-bit color 1024 x 768 for Windows Store apps 1366 x 768 to snap apps
Windows 10	1 GHz or faster processor or SoC	1 GB (x86) 2 GB (x64)	4 GB	16 GB (x86) 20 GB (x64)	Super VGA (800x600), 32-bit color
Windows Server 2016	1.4 GHz 64-bit processor	512 MB ECC 2 GB with Desktop Experience installed[7]	depends on role	32 GB	Super VGA (1024 x768)

Windows Phone[edit]

Version	CPU	RAM		Free disk space	Video adapter and monitor
		Minimum	Recommended
Windows Phone 7	0.8 GHz	256 MB	N/A	4 GB	WVGA (800 × 480)
Windows Phone 8	1 GHz	512 MB	N/A	8 GB	WVGA (800 × 480)
Windows Phone 8.1	1 GHz	512 MB	N/A	4 GB	WVGA (800 × 480)
Windows 10 Mobile	1 GHz	1 GB	2 GB	8 GB	WVGA (800 × 480)

Physical memory limits[edit]

Maximum limits on physical memory (RAM) that Windows can address vary depending on both the Windows version and between IA-32 and x64 versions.^[8][9]

Windows 9x[edit]

• Windows 95: 480 MB^[10]
• Windows 98: 1 GB
• Windows Me: 1.5 GB

Windows NT[edit]

Operating system	Limit on IA-32	Limit on x64
Windows NT 4.0	4 GB	N/A
Windows 2000 Professional/Server	4 GB	N/A
Windows 2000 Advanced Server	8 GB	N/A
Windows 2000 Datacenter	32 GB	N/A
Windows XP Starter	512 MB	N/A
Windows XP Home	4 GB	N/A
Windows XP Professional	4 GB	128 GB
Windows Server 2003 RTM Web	2 GB	N/A
Windows Server 2003 RTM Standard/Small Business	4 GB	N/A
Windows Server 2003 RTM Enterprise/Datacenter	64 GB	N/A
Windows Server 2003 R2/SP1 Standard	4 GB	32 GB
Windows Server 2003 R2/SP1 Enterprise/Datacenter	64 GB	1 TB
Windows Vista Starter	1 GB	N/A
Windows Vista Home Basic	4 GB	8 GB
Windows Vista Home Premium	4 GB	16 GB
Windows Vista Business/Enterprise/Ultimate	4 GB	128 GB
Windows Home Server	4 GB	N/A
Windows Server 2008 Web Server/Standard/Small Business	4 GB	32 GB
Windows HPC Server 2008	N/A	128 GB
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise/Datacenter	64 GB	1 TB
Windows 7 Starter	2 GB	N/A
Windows 7 Home Basic	4 GB	8 GB
Windows 7 Home Premium	4 GB	16 GB
Windows 7 Professional/Enterprise/Ultimate	4 GB	192 GB
Windows Server 2008 R2 Foundation	N/A	8 GB
Windows Server 2008 R2 Web Server/Standard	N/A	32 GB
Windows HPC Server 2008 R2	N/A	128 GB
Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise/Datacenter	N/A	2 TB
Windows 8	4 GB	128 GB
Windows 8 Pro/Enterprise	4 GB	512 GB
Windows Server 2012 Foundation	N/A	32 GB
Windows Server 2012 Essentials	N/A	64 GB
Windows Server 2012 Standard/Datacenter	N/A	4 TB
Windows Storage Server 2012 Standard	N/A	4 TB
Windows Storage Server 2012 Workgroup	N/A	32 GB
Hyper-V Server 2012	N/A	4 TB
Windows 10 Mobile	4 GB	N/A
Windows 10 Home	4 GB	128 GB
Windows 10 Pro	4 GB	2 TB
Windows 10 Education	4 GB	2 TB
Windows 10 Enterprise	4 GB	2 TB
Windows Server 2016 Standard	N/A	24 TB
Windows Server 2016 Datacenter	N/A	24 TB

Windows Xp Home Edition Download

Security features[edit]

Resource access control	Subsystem isolation mechanisms	Integrated firewall	Encrypted file systems	Defender	Windows Hello
Windows 2000	ACLs	TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes (NTFS only)	No	No
Windows XP	ACLs	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall (from SP2), TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes (NTFS only)	Optional	No
Windows Server 2003	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Optional	No
Windows Vista	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	No
Windows Server 2008	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	No
Windows 7	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	No
Windows Server 2012	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	No
Windows 8	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	No
Windows Server 2012 R2	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	No
Windows 8.1	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	No
Windows 10	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	Yes
Windows Server 2016	ACLs, Privileges, RBAC	Win32 WindowStation, Desktop, Job objects	Windows Firewall, TCP/IP Filtering, IPSec	Yes	Yes	Yes

Features[edit]

Version	Shell	Visual styles	Browser	Web server	Windows Media Player	Command-line interpreter
Windows 1.0	MS-DOS executive	(Unnamed)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Windows 2.0	MS-DOS executive	(Unnamed)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Windows 3.0	Program Manager	(Unnamed)	N/A	N/A	3.0 (Multimedia Extension edition only)	N/A
Windows 3.1x	Program Manager	(Unnamed)	N/A	N/A	3.1	N/A
Windows 95	Windows shell	Classic	Internet Explorer 1 in OEM RTM Internet Explorer 2 in OSR1 Internet Explorer 3 in OSR2 and OSR2.1 Internet Explorer 4 in OSR2.5	N/A	4.0	COMMAND.COM
Windows NT 4.0	Windows shell	Classic	Internet Explorer 2 Internet Explorer 3 (in some localized editions)	PWS	4.0	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE
Windows 98	Windows shell	Classic	Internet Explorer 4.01	PWS	4.0	COMMAND.COM
Windows 98 SE	Windows shell	Classic	Internet Explorer 5	PWS	4.0	COMMAND.COM
Windows 2000	Windows shell	Classic	Internet Explorer 5.01	IIS 5.0	5.0 and 6.4 (side by side)	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE
Windows Me	Windows shell	Classic	Internet Explorer 5.5	N/A	6.4 and 7.0 (side by side)	COMMAND.COM
Windows XP	Windows shell	Luna (default), Classic	Internet Explorer 6	IIS 5.1	5.1, 6.4 and 8 (in RTM) 5.1, 6.4 and 9 (in SP2)	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell (optional)
Windows Server 2003	Windows shell	Classic (default), Luna	6.0	IIS 6.0	9 (in RTM), 10 (in SP1)	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell (optional)
Windows Vista	Windows shell	Aero (default), Classic	Internet Explorer 7	IIS 7	11	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell (optional)
Windows Server 2008	Windows shell, Server Core	Classic (default), Aero (via 'Desktop Experience')	Internet Explorer 7	IIS 7	11 (enabled by installing 'Desktop Experience')	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell (optional)
Windows 7	Windows shell	Aero (default), Classic	Internet Explorer 8	IIS 7.5	12	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell v2.0
Windows Server 2008 R2	Windows shell, Server Core	Classic (default), Aero (via 'Desktop Experience')	Internet Explorer 8	IIS 7.5	12 (via 'Desktop Experience')	CMD.EXE, PowerShell v2.0
Windows Server 2012	Windows shell, Server Core	Metro	Internet Explorer 10	IIS 8	12 (via 'Desktop Experience')	CMD.EXE, PowerShell v3.0
Windows 8	Windows shell	Metro	Internet Explorer 10	IIS 8	12	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell v3.0
Windows Server 2012 R2	Windows shell, Windows server core	Metro	Internet Explorer 11	IIS 8.5	12 (via 'Desktop Experience')	CMD.EXE, PowerShell v4.0
Windows 8.1	Windows shell	Metro	Internet Explorer 11	IIS 8.5	12	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell v4.0
Windows 10	Windows shell	Metro	Internet Explorer 11 Microsoft Edge 12-13	IIS 10.0	12	COMMAND.COM, CMD.EXE, PowerShell v5.0
Windows Server 2016	Windows shell, Windows server core	Metro	Internet Explorer 11 Microsoft Edge 13	IIS 10.0	12 (via 'Desktop Experience')	CMD.EXE, PowerShell v5.0
Windows Server 2019	Windows shell, Windows server core	Metro	Internet Explorer 11 Microsoft Edge 13	IIS 10.0	12 (via 'Desktop Experience')	CMD.EXE, PowerShell v5.0

Timeline[edit]

Windows Xp Editions Comparison Chart

See also[edit]

Other lists[edit]

Windows Xp Editions Comparison

Windows clones and emulators[edit]

• Freedows OS – Windows clone
• ReactOS – project to develop an operating system that is binary compatible with application software and device drivers for Microsoft Windows NT version 5.x
• Wine (software) – compatibility layer which allows to execute programs that were originally written for Microsoft Windows

References[edit]

1. ^Availability of Universal Serial Bus Support in Windows 95 http://support.microsoft.com/kb/253756/EN-US
2. ^'Updated USB 2.0 Drivers Are Available in Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (SP4)'. Microsoft Support. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
3. ^Jones, Don (August 5, 2002). 'USB 2.0 Support in Windows XP: High Speed at Last'. Microsoft. Archived from the original on December 31, 2004. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
4. ^'USB 2.0 and Windows Operating Systems'. Windows Hardware Development. May 11, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
5. ^ ^abc'Release Notes for Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Setup'. Microsoft. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
6. ^'Windows Vista Starter Fact Sheet'. Microsoft. December 2007.
7. ^jaimeo. 'System Requirements'. docs.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2018-05-24.
8. ^'What is the maximum amount of RAM the Windows operating system can handle?'. Crucial. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
9. ^'Memory Limits for Windows Releases'. Microsoft. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
10. ^Chen, Raymond. 'Windows 95 doesn't boot with more than 1GB of RAM'.

External links[edit]

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Basic Computing Using Windows