Features and Characteristics of Windows

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Features and Characteristics of Windows

• Chapter 3

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Overview

• In this chapter, you will learn to
• Identify and differentiate the features an
  characteristics of Windows 9x/Me
• Identify and differentiate the features an
  characteristics of Windows NT/2000/XP

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Features and Characteristics of Windows 9x/Me
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Windows

• Windows 3.1 was a graphical shell that ran on top
  of DOS
• Microsoft debuted Windows 95 as its first
  standalone GUI operating system
• Windows 9x and Me followed in later years
• Many files and configuration utilities were held
  over from earlier OSs

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The Windows Boot Process

• Windows 9x is a combination of the DOS
  protected-mode interface (DPMI) and a
  protected-mode GUI
• Windows 9x first starts the DOS aspect of Windows
  and then the GUI
• Booting Windows 9x without the GUI from the boot
  menu is different than running a DOS window
  inside Windows 9x

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FAT32

• Later versions of Windows 95 and all versions of
  Windows that followed support the FAT32 file
  format
• Partitions up to 2 terabytes in size

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Long Filenames

• Windows 9x/Me
• Allows long file names up to 255 characters in
  length
• Removed the old 8.3 filename limitation of DOS
• Adopted the 16-bit unicode character set
• Unicode supports 65,536 characters
• ASCII used by DOS was 8-bits and supported only
  256 characters

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DPMI Core Files

• IO.SYS
• Combined the previous IO.SYS and MSDOS.SYS into
  IO.SYS
• MSDOS.SYS
• Used as a startup options file read-only,
  hidden text file in root directory
• COMMAND.COM
• Not needed if the system will always run in the
  GUI mode

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Boot Menu
Press F8 (or the left Ctrl key in Windows 98)
when Starting Windows.. appears to access the
Boot Menu
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Boot Menu

• Normal
• Logged
• Creates a bootlog.txt file detailing the boot up
  process
• Safe mode
• Only the OS, mouse, keyboard, and VGA video
  drivers are loaded
• Useful when Windows wont boot due to a bad
  driver
• Safe mode with network support
• Step-by-step confirmation

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Boot Menu

• Command prompt only
• Does everything but start the GUI
• Just type win to start Windows
• Safe mode command prompt only
• Skips all startup files
• Must reboot to start Windows
• Previous version of MS-DOS
• Useful only if you installed Windows over a true
  DOS system

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MSDOS.SYS

• MSDOS.SYS
• Hidden, read-only text file that replaces many of
  the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT functions
• Edit using any text editor (after unchecking its
  attributes)
• Organized like an INI file with groups and
  options under each setting
• There are many useful options in the Options
  group see pages 429-430 in the book for a
  listing

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Configuration Files

• Windows 9x/Me will use CONFIG.SYS and
  AUTOEXEC.BAT to load legacy device drivers and
  terminate and stay resident (TSR) programs

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Legacy GUI Files

• After the DPMI-level OS files, configuration
  files, and utilities load, WIN.COM runs and
  initiates the graphical portion of the OS
• Incorporates legacy INI files to provide support
  to older applications
• INI files are text files that may be edited with
  any text editor such as Notepad
• INI files are broken in sections called groups
• Two main INI files from Windows 3.1 that
  still exist in later versions of
  Windows are SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI

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SYSTEM.INI

• All resources were initialized in the SYSTEM.INI
  file in Windows 3.1
• SYSTEM.INI still exists in Windows 2000/XP today
  to provide backward compatibility
• Windows 9x/Me require SYSTEM.INI

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WIN.INI

• WIN.INI provided the personalizations of Windows
  3.1
• Rarely have a WIN.INI in Windows 9x/Me/2000/XP
• Dealing with SYSTEM.INI and WIN.INI is usually
  not necessary
• Unless you get error messages indicating a device
  driver cant be found
• Just find the culprit and put a semicolon in
  front of the line to disable it
• There are two lines in WIN.INI that may cause
  problems
• LOAD and RUN that automatically loads programs
  when Windows starts

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The Windows 9x GUI Architecture
User interface
Core functions handled by the Kernel, Graphical
Device Interface, and User modules
Virtual Memory Manager Installable File System
Real-mode drivers are loaded by config.sys or
autoexec.bat. Protected mode drivers are loaded
with the GUI
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Major Difference Among Windows

• Windows 98 is basically Windows 95 with a lot of
  new toys to improve usability or to address bugs
• A startup disk is a special bootable floppy disk
  that contains utilities to help you fix a system
  that wont boot Windows
• Both 95 and 98 allow you to make a startup disk
• 95s does not support a CD-ROM
• 98s supports almost all CD-ROMs

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Major Difference Among Windows

• FAT32 is supported in all Windows versions except
  the first version of Windows 95
• System Information Tool
• Provides a launch point for almost every Windows
  98/SE/Me utility
• Windows Update
• Utility to keep Windows up to date
• Found on the Start menu

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Major Difference Among Windows

• Disk Cleanup Utility
• Active Desktop
• Load active web pages on your desktop
• Vastly improved version of Internet Explorer

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Major Difference Among Windows

• Internet Connection Sharing
• Included since Windows 98 SE
• Enables multiple PCs to share an Internet
  connection
• System Restore
• Windows Me shares the core files and structure of
  Windows 9x but has the look and feel of Windows
  2000
• Enables you to create Restore Points that will
  take your system back to its previous state at a
  given point in time

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But Underneath

• Windows 98, 98 SE, and Me are nearly identical to
  Windows 95

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Features and Characteristics of Windows NT/2000/XP
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Windows NT

• Microsoft released Windows NT in 1996
• High-performance 32-bit GUI OS
• Windows 2000 and XP share the same core
  structure, files, and features but differ in ease
  of use and hardware support
• Windows NT looks like Windows 95 but thats where
  the similarities end

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OS Organization

• Robust, scalable, cross-platform
• Object-oriented approach designed to support
  multiple platforms such as x86, DEC Alpha, MIPS,
  and PowerPC by using a Hardware Abstraction Layer
• Robustness comes from separating process and
  running them in various subsystems
• Supports symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) allowing
  support for up to 32 CPUs

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Window NT Organization
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NT File System (NTFS)

• NT File System (NTFS)
• Robust and powerful
• Long filenames containing up to 255 characters
• Advanced FAT called the Master File Table (MFT)
• Keeps a backup copy in the middle of the drive
  which shows up as a small, immovable chunk of
  data when you defrag
• Backwards compatible with DOS and Windows 9x
• Transaction logging determines incomplete file
  transactions, and restores the file back to the
  original format automatically and invisibly

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NTFS Security

• To gain access to a Windows NT/2000/XP system,
  you must have a valid user account and password
• Every Windows NT/2000 PC has an administrator
  account that has full access to everything
• Create users using Users and Passwords in Windows
  2000 or User Accounts in Windows XP

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Groups

• A group is a collection of user accounts that
  share the same access capabilities
• Assign access to a group and then put users into
  the group
• Users will inherit the access assigned to the
  group
• Windows provides several built-in groups

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Built-in Groups

• Administrators
• May perform all administrative tasks on the
  computer
• Backup Operators
• May use Windows Backup
• Guests
• May perform only specific tasks that are granted
• Guest account is a member

• Power Users
• May create and modify local user accounts and
  share resources on the local computer
• Replicator
• Supports file replication in a domain
• Users
• May perform only tasks specifically assigned
• Local user accounts that are created become
  members
• Everyone

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NTFS Permissions

• NTFS permissions in NT/2000/XP
• Details every user and group that has access to a
  file or folder
• Lists the specific level of access allowed
• Available only on volumes formatted as NTFS
• NTFS security is effective whether a user
• Gains access at the computer
• Gains access over the network

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NTFS Permissions

• Ownership
• When you create a new file or folder you become
  the owner
• Owners have full control
• Be default, everyone is given full control
  permission
• Take Ownership
• Enables a user permission to take ownership of a
  file or folder
• Administrator account can take ownership without
  being given permission

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NTFS Permissions

• Change permission
• Can give or take away permissions for other
  accounts
• Folder permissions
• Apply to folders
• File permissions
• Apply to files

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NTFS Folder Permissions

• Full Control
• Enables you to do anything you want
• To deny all access, deny Full Control
• Modify
• Cannot delete files or subfolders but may modify
  them
• Read Execute
• Enables you to see the contents of the folder and
  subfolders
• List Folder Contents
• Enables you to see the contents of the folder and
  subfolders

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NTFS Folder Permissions

• Read
• Enables you to read any files in the folder
• Write
• Enables you to write to files and create new
  files and folders
• By default, permissions are inherited from parent
  folders
• This may be prevented by removing the check mark
  at the bottom

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NTFS Folder Permissions
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NTFS File Permissions

• Full Control
• Enables you to do anything
• Modify
• Enables you to do anything except take ownership
  or change permissions
• Read Execute
• If the file is a program, you can run it
• Read
• If the file is data, you can read it
• Write
• Enables you to write to the file

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Combining Permissions

• Users effective permissions are the cumulative
  (or least restrictive) permissions resulting from
  a combination of user and group permissions

• Deny permission overrides all other
  permissionsDeny always becomes the effective
  permission
• File permissions override folder permissions

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Booting Up vs. Going Graphical

• Windows 9x and Windows 2000 differ significantly
  in the level of integration between the graphical
  interface and the text-based functions
• Both operating systems have primary boot files
  that start the operating system
• The boot file must be on the boot partition and
  the GUI file can be installed in any other drive
  letter
• Microsoft terminology for NT/2000
• System partition partition you boot from
• Boot partition partition that holds NT or 2000
  files

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Booting Up vs. Going Graphical

• Windows NT and Windows 2000 do not have a pure
  command prompt environment
• Windows NT can log on to the command prompt only
  after the GUI is started

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Preboot Sequence

• The computer runs power-on self test (POST)
  routines to determine the amount of physical
  memory, hardware components, and so on
• The computer BIOS locates the boot device and
  loads and runs the master boot record (MBR)
• The MBR locates, loads into memory, and executes
  the boot sector
• The computer loads and initializes the NTLDR file

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The Boot Process

• NT Loader manages the booting process
• Windows NT/2000/XP boot files that must be in the
  root directory of the system partition are
• NTLDR (NT Loader)
• BOOT.INI
• NTDETECT.COM
• NTBOOTDD.SYS (only needed for SCSI controllers
  that dont have their own ROM BIOS)
• After the boot files start the PC, NTLDR passes
  control to the Windows NT kernel (NTOSKRNL.EXE)
• The GUI begins to load

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Boot Files NTLDR

• NTLDR (NT Loader) manages the boot up process
  until control is handed over to NTOSKRL (NT
  kernel)
• To find available operating systems, NTLDR reads
  the boot.ini file
• If multiple OSs are available a menu shows up

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Boot Files BOOT.INI

• BOOT.INI is a text file that lists the available
  OSs and where to find the boot partition

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More Boot Files

• BOOTSEC.DOS is read by NTLDR if it finds a
  different OS to load
• NTDETECT.COM detects the hardware if you choose
  to boot to NT/2000/XP
• NTBOOTDD.SYS is used if NTLDR detects that the
  boot partition resides on a SCSI drive that lacks
  a ROM chip for BIOS support

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Service Packs

• Windows NT uses service packs to fix operating
  system bugs and limitations in the architecture

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Major Differences among Windows NT, 2000, and XP

• Windows 2000 combines an improved NT core with
  the ease-of-use and tech-friendly elements from
  Windows 9x
• The robustness of NT with the Windows 98 user
  interface
• Windows XP extended that merger into a fully new
  OS
• User organization is better to enhance file and
  folder security
• NTFS 5.0 added encryption, mount points, disk
  quotas, and dynamic disks to NTs NTFS 4.0

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Major Differences among Windows NT, 2000, and XP

• Easier administration through Microsoft
  Management Console and the Computer Management
  tool
• Windows XP improved upon 2000 by adding built in
  support for burning CDs, an improved Start menu,
  and the Windows Update utility
• Windows XP has the Files and Settings Transfer
  Wizard that allows you to transfer everything
  from an old drive to a new one (get the update
  before using)

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Major Differences among Windows NT, 2000, and XP

• Windows XP comes with System Restore to take a
  snapshot of your system in order to restore it to
  its previous state
• Driver Rollback enables you to rollback
  individual device drivers in Windows XP
• Remote Assistance is possible with Remote Access
• Gives you the ability to take control of any
  Windows XP PC remotely

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