Windows Server R2 | Microsoft Volume Licensing

Minimum 1. Maximum 2. Qualifiers: Units \”kilobytes\”. For more information about using uint64 values in scripts, see Scripting in WMI. Number, in kilobytes, that can be mapped into the operating system paging files without causing any other pages to be swapped out.

Date object was installed. This property does not require a value to indicate that the object is installed. Optimize for Applications 0. Optimize for System Performance 1. Language identifier used by the operating system. Each language has a unique language identifier LANGID , a bit value that consists of a primary language identifier and a secondary language identifier.

Name of the operating system manufacturer. For Windows-based systems, this value is \”Microsoft Corporation\”. Maximum number of process contexts the operating system can support. If there is no fixed maximum, the value should be 0 zero. On systems that have a fixed maximum, this object can help diagnose failures that occur when the maximum is reached—if unknown, enter 0xFFFFFFFF.

Maximum number, in kilobytes, of memory that can be allocated to a process. For operating systems with no virtual memory, typically this value is equal to the total amount of physical memory minus the memory used by the BIOS and the operating system.

For some operating systems, this value may be infinity, in which case 0 zero should be entered. In other cases, this value could be a constant, for example, 2G or 4G. For example, \”en-us\”. MUI Pack languages are resource files that can be installed on the English version of the operating system.

When an MUI Pack is installed, you can can change the user interface language to one of 33 supported languages. Number of user licenses for the operating system. If unlimited, enter 0 zero. If unknown, enter Architecture of the operating system, as opposed to the processor.

Language version of the operating system installed. The following list lists the possible values. Example: 0x German, Switzerland. Installed and licensed system product additions to the operating system.

The following list lists possible values. Microsoft Small Business Server was once installed, but may have been upgraded to another version of Windows. OtherTypeDescription \”. Unknown 0. Other 1. Digital Unix 6. OpenVMS 7. JavaVM May 31, July 11, December 5, Channel 9. Retrieved November 2, The Florida SunFlash. July 7, Personal Computer World. October The AlphaNT Source.

Archived from the original on July 8, Retrieved January 1, Archived from the original on January 9, Archived from the original on December 20, Archived from the original on June 25, Retrieved June 25, Technology network.

Microsoft TechNet. Retrieved October 14, Windows Server Editions. August 15, Microsoft Support Center. November 1, Archived from the original on February 27, Archived from the original on June 22, October 31, Archived from the original on March 20, November 13, Archived from the original on May 30, Retrieved September 10, September 14, Archived from the original on July 17, Retrieved August 10, January 21, Retrieved January 11, Archived from the original on February 12, Microsoft Windows.

Components History Timeline Criticism. Windows 1. Windows 95 Windows 98 Windows Me. Embedded Compact CE 5. Phone 7 Phone 8 Phone 8. Cairo Nashville Neptune Odyssey. In , Microsoft released Windows 98 Second Edition, an interim release.

One of the more notable new features was the addition of Internet Connection Sharing , a form of network address translation , allowing several machines on a LAN Local Area Network to share a single Internet connection.

Hardware support through device drivers was increased and this version shipped with Internet Explorer 5. Many minor problems that existed in the first edition were fixed making it, according to many, the most stable release of the Windows 9x family. Mainstream support for Windows 98 and 98 SE ended on June 30, , and ended extended support on July 11, It has the version number Windows NT 5. Windows has had four official service packs.

It was successfully deployed both on the server and the workstation markets. Amongst Windows \’s most significant new features was Active Directory , a near-complete replacement of the NT 4. Terminal Services , previously only available as a separate edition of NT 4, was expanded to all server versions.

A number of features from Windows 98 were incorporated also, such as an improved Device Manager, Windows Media Player , and a revised DirectX that made it possible for the first time for many modern games to work on the NT kernel.

Windows is also the last NT-kernel Windows operating system to lack product activation. While Windows upgrades were available for Windows 95 and Windows 98, it was not intended for home users. It was the last DOS-based operating system from Microsoft. Windows Me introduced a new multimedia-editing application called Windows Movie Maker , came standard with Internet Explorer 5.

System Restore was a notable feature that would continue to thrive in all later versions of Windows. Windows Me was conceived as a quick one-year project that served as a stopgap release between Windows 98 and Windows XP.

Many of the new features were available from the Windows Update site as updates for older Windows versions System Restore and Windows Movie Maker were exceptions. Windows Me was criticized for stability issues, as well as for lacking real mode DOS support, to the point of being referred to as the \”Mistake Edition. The initial release was met with considerable criticism , particularly in the area of security , leading to the release of three major Service Packs. Service Pack 2 provided significant improvements and encouraged widespread adoption of XP among both home and business users.

Windows XP was one of Microsoft\’s longest-running flagship operating systems, beginning with the public release on October 25, , for at least 5 years, and ending on January 30, , when it was succeeded by Windows Vista.

On April 25, , Microsoft launched Windows Server , a notable update to Windows Server encompassing many new security features, a new \”Manage Your Server \” wizard that simplifies configuring a machine for specific roles, and improved performance. It is based on the Windows NT 5. A few services not essential for server environments are disabled by default for stability reasons, most noticeable are the \”Windows Audio\” and \”Themes\” services; users have to enable them manually to get sound or the \” Luna \” look as per Windows XP.

The hardware acceleration for display is also turned off by default, users have to turn the acceleration level up themselves if they trust the display card driver. Among the new features are a number of management features for branch offices, file serving, printing and company-wide identity integration.

Windows Server R2, an update of Windows Server , was released to manufacturing on December 6, The other CD adds many optionally installable features for Windows Server The R2 update was released for all x86 and x64 versions, except Windows Server R2 Enterprise Edition, which was not released for Itanium. It is designed to use the expanded bit memory address space provided by the x86—64 architecture.

Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is based on the Windows Server codebase, with the server features removed and client features added. It is only available to Software Assurance customers. The aim of WinFLP is to give companies a viable upgrade option for older PCs that are running Windows 95, 98, and Me that will be supported with patches and updates for the next several years. Most user applications will typically be run on a remote machine using Terminal Services or Citrix.

While being visually the same as Windows XP, it has some differences. For example, if the screen has been set to 16 bit colors, the Windows recycle bin icon and some XP bit icons will show. Paint and some games like Solitaire aren\’t present too. Windows Home Server code-named Q, Quattro is a server product based on Windows Server , designed for consumer use.

The system was announced on January 7, , by Bill Gates. Windows Home Server can be configured and monitored using a console program that can be installed on a client PC. Such features as Media Sharing, local and remote drive backup and file duplication are all listed as features.

Windows Vista was released on November 30, , to business customers—consumer versions followed on January 30, Windows Vista intended to have enhanced security by introducing a new restricted user mode called User Account Control , replacing the \”administrator-by-default\” philosophy of Windows XP. Vista was the target of much criticism and negative press, and in general was not well regarded, this was seen as leading to the relatively swift release of Windows 7.

One major difference between Vista and earlier versions of Windows, Windows 95 and later, was that the original start button was replaced with the Windows icon in a circle called the Start Orb.

Windows Vista had the version number NT 6. During its lifetime, Windows Vista had two service packs. Windows Vista shipped in six editions : [36]. All editions except Starter edition were available in both bit and bit versions. The biggest advantage of the bit version was breaking the 4 gigabyte memory barrier, which bit computers cannot fully access. Windows Server built on the technological and security advances first introduced with Windows Vista, and was significantly more modular than its predecessor, Windows Server Windows 7 was released to manufacturing on July 22, , and reached general retail availability on October 22, The interface was renewed with a bigger taskbar and some improvements in the searching system and the Start menu.

Windows 7 met with positive reviews, which said the OS was faster and easier to use than Windows Vista. Windows 7 shipped in six editions : [40]. In some countries in the European Union , there were other editions that lacked some features such as Windows Media Player, Windows Media Center and Internet Explorer—these editions were called names such as \”Windows 7 N. All editions, except the Starter edition, were available in both bit and bit versions.

Unlike the corresponding Vista editions, the Professional and Enterprise editions were supersets of the Home Premium edition. Windows Server R2 shipped in bit versions x64 and Itanium only. WinTPC was available for software assurance customers and relied on cloud computing in a business network. Wireless operation is supported since WinTPC has full wireless stack integration, but wireless operation may not be as good as the operation on a wired connection.

Windows Home Server code named \’Vail\’ [43] was released on April 6, WHS only supports x hardware. Microsoft decided to discontinue Windows Home Server on July 5, while including its features into Windows Server Essentials. Windows 8 went on sale to the public on October 26, Windows 8 features a redesigned user interface, designed to make it easier for touchscreen users to use Windows.

The interface introduced an updated Start menu known as the Start screen, and a new full-screen application platform. The desktop interface is also present for running windowed applications, although Windows RT will not run any desktop applications not included in the system.

On the Building Windows 8 blog, it was announced that a computer running Windows 8 can boot up much faster than Windows 7. Windows 8. So far, neither has had any service packs yet, although many consider Windows 8. However, Windows 8. Windows 10 was unveiled on September 30, , as the successor for Windows 8, and was released on July 29, A number of new features like Cortana , the Microsoft Edge web browser, the ability to view Windows Store apps as a window instead of fullscreen, the return of the Start menu, virtual desktops, revamped core apps, Continuum, and a unified Settings app were all features debuted in Windows The system was announced as a service OS that would receive constant performance and stability updates.

Unlike Windows 8, Windows 10 received mostly positive reviews, praising improvements of stability and practicality than its predecessor, however, it received some criticsm due to mandatory update installation, privacy concerns and advertising-supported software tactics.

Although Microsoft claimed Windows 10 would be the last Windows version, eventually a new major release, Windows 11, was announced in That made Windows 10 last longer as Microsoft\’s flagship operating system than any other version of Windows, beginning with the public release on July 29, , for six years, and ending on October 5, , when Windows 11 was released.

Windows Server Essentials was released to manufacturing on October 9, [14] and was made generally available on November 1, Unlike its predecessor, Windows Server can switch between \” Server Core \” and \”Server with a GUI \” installation options without a full reinstallation.

Server Core — an option with a command-line interface only — is now the recommended configuration. There is also a third installation option that allows some GUI elements such as MMC and Server Manager to run, but without the normal desktop, shell or default programs like File Explorer. Server Manager has been redesigned with an emphasis on easing management of multiple servers. Windows Server includes a new version of Windows Task Manager together with the old version. In the new Processes tab, the processes are displayed in varying shades of yellow, with darker shades representing heavier resource use.

Unlike the Windows 8 version of Task Manager which looks similar , the \”Disk\” activity graph is not enabled by default. The CPU tab no longer displays individual graphs for every logical processor on the system by default, although that remains an option. Additionally, it can display data for each non-uniform memory access NUMA node. When displaying data for each logical processor for machines with more than 64 logical processors, the CPU tab now displays simple utilization percentages on heat-mapping tiles.

Hovering the cursor over any logical processor\’s data now shows the NUMA node of that processor and its ID, if applicable. Additionally, a new Startup tab has been added that lists startup applications, [25] however this tab does not exist in Windows Server Windows Server has an IP address management role for discovering, monitoring, auditing, and managing the IP address space used on a corporate network.

Both IPv4 and IPv6 are fully supported. Upgrades of the domain functional level to Windows Server are simplified; it can be performed entirely in Server Manager. Active Directory Federation Services is no longer required to be downloaded when installed as a role, and claims which can be used by the Active Directory Federation Services have been introduced into the Kerberos token. Additionally, many of the former restrictions on resource consumption have been greatly lifted. Each virtual machine in this version of Hyper-V can access up to 64 virtual processors, up to 1 terabyte of memory, and up to 64 terabytes of virtual disk space per virtual hard disk using a new.

Major new features of ReFS include: [40] [41]. In Windows Server , automated error-correction with integrity streams is only supported on mirrored spaces; automatic recovery on parity spaces was added in Windows 8. Windows Server includes version 8. Windows Server supports the following maximum hardware specifications. Windows Server runs only on x processors.

Unlike older versions, Windows Server does not support Itanium. Upgrades from Windows Server and Windows Server R2 are supported, although upgrades from prior releases are not.

Reviews of Windows Server have been generally positive. InfoWorld noted that Server \’s use of Windows 8\’s panned \”Metro\” user interface was countered by Microsoft\’s increasing emphasis on the Server Core mode, which had been \”fleshed out with new depth and ease-of-use features\” and increased use of the \”practically mandatory\” PowerShell.

A second release, Windows Server R2 , which is derived from the Windows 8. Microsoft originally planned to end support for Windows Server and Windows Server R2 on January 10, , but in order to provide customers the standard transition lifecycle timeline, Microsoft extended Windows Server and R2 support in March by 9 months. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Server operating system by Microsoft released in Closed-source Source-available through Shared Source Initiative. This program allows customers to purchase security updates in yearly installments for the operating system through at most October 13, only for volume licensed editions.

See also: Features new to Windows 8. Main article: Windows Task Manager. Main article: ReFS. Other editions support less. Each license of Windows Server Standard allows up to two virtual instances of Windows Server Standard on that physical server. If more virtual instances of Windows Server Standard are needed, each additional license of Windows Server allows up to two more virtual instances of Windows Server Standard, even though the physical server itself may have sufficient licenses for its processor chip count.

Because Windows Server Datacenter has no limit on the number of virtual instances per licensed server, only enough licenses for the physical server are needed for any number of virtual instances of Windows Server Datacenter. If the number of processor chips or virtual instances is an odd number, the number of licenses required is the same as the next even number. For example, a single-processor-chip server would still require 1 license, the same as if the server were two-processor-chip and a five-processor-chip server would require 3 licenses, the same as if the server were six-processor-chip, and if 15 virtual instances of Windows Server Standard are needed on one server, 8 licenses of Windows Server , which can cover up to 16 virtual instances, are needed assuming, in this example, that the processor chip count does not exceed In that case, the number of physical processors cannot exceed twice the number of licenses assigned to the server.

Microsoft Support. January Archived from the original on February 27, Retrieved October 10, Windows Server Blog. TechNet blogs. Archived from the original on December 22, Retrieved January 29, CBS Interactive.

Archived from the original on August 12, Retrieved January 1, Archived from the original on November 19, Retrieved April 17,

Windows server 2012 standard vs datacenter features free. Windows Server 2012 R2

It was made more compatible with Windows NT 4. Windows Server brought in enhanced Active Directory compatibility and better deployment support to ease the transition from Windows NT 4. Windows Server is the first server edition of Windows to support the IA64 and x64 architectures.

The product went through several name changes during the course of development. When first announced in , it was known by its codename \”Whistler Server\”; it was named \”Windows Server\” for a brief time in mid, followed by \”Windows. NET Server\” and \”Windows.

NET Server \”. After Microsoft chose to focus the \”. NET\” branding on the. Windows Server was the first Microsoft Windows version which was thoroughly subjected to semi-automated testing for bugs with a software system called PREfast [17] developed by computer scientist Amitabh Srivastava at Microsoft Research.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates stated that Windows Server was Microsoft\’s \”most rigorously tested software to date. Microsoft used Windows Server \’s kernel in the development of Windows Vista.

Windows Server comes in a number of editions, each targeted towards a particular size and type of business. NET technology. Domain controller and Terminal Services functionality are not included on Web Edition.

However, Remote Desktop for Administration is available. Only 10 concurrent file-sharing connections are allowed at any moment. NET Framework version 2. When using it for storage or as a back-end with another remote server as the front-end, CALs may still be required. Microsoft Windows Server Standard is aimed towards small to medium-sized businesses.

Standard Edition supports file and printer sharing, offers secure Internet connectivity, and allows centralized desktop application deployment. A specialized variant for the x64 architecture was released in April Windows Server Enterprise is aimed towards medium to large businesses. It also provides the ability to hot-add supported hardware. Windows Server Enterprise is also the required edition to issue custom certificate templates.

Windows Server Datacenter is designed [25] for infrastructures demanding high security and reliability. Windows Server is available for IA, Itanium, and x64 processors. It supports a maximum of 32 physical processors on IA platform or 64 physical processors on x64 and IA hardware. The Datacenter edition, like the Enterprise edition, supports 8-node clustering. Clustering increases availability and fault tolerance of server installations by distributing and replicating the service among many servers.

This edition supports clustering with each cluster having its own dedicated storage, or with all cluster nodes connected to a common SAN.

Windows Compute Cluster Server CCS , released in June , is designed for high-end applications that require high performance computing clusters. It is designed to be deployed on numerous computers to be clustered together to achieve supercomputing speeds. Each Compute Cluster Server network comprises at least one controlling head node and subordinate processing nodes that carry out most of the work. It ties nodes together with a powerful inter-process communication mechanism which can be complex because of communications between hundreds or even thousands of processors working in parallel.

The application programming interface consists of over functions. A job launcher enables users to execute jobs to be executed in the computing cluster. Windows Storage Server , a part of the Windows Server series, is a specialized server operating system for network-attached storage NAS. Launched in at Storage Decisions in Chicago, it is optimized for use in file and print sharing and also in storage area network SAN scenarios.

It is only available through Original equipment manufacturers OEMs. Windows Storage Server NAS equipment can be headless , which means that they are without any monitors, keyboards or mice, and are administered remotely.

Such devices are plugged into any existing IP network and the storage capacity is available to all users. Multiple such NAS servers can be clustered to appear as a single device, which allows responsibility for serving clients to be shared in such a way that if one server fails then other servers can take over often termed a failover which also improves fault-tolerance.

Windows Storage Server can also be used to create a Storage Area Network , in which the data is transferred in terms of chunks rather than files, thus providing more granularity to the data that can be transferred.

This provides higher performance to database and transaction processing applications. Single instance storage SIS scans storage volumes for duplicate files, and moves the duplicate files to the common SIS store.

The file on the volume is replaced with a link to the file. Windows Storage Server R2 provides an index-based, full-text search based on the indexing engine already built into Windows server. Windows Storage Server can be promoted to function as a domain controller; however, this edition is not licensed to run directory services. It can be joined to an existing domain as a member server.

Windows Small Business Server SBS is a software suite which includes Windows Server and additional technologies aimed at providing a small business with a complete technology solution. SBS has the following design limitations, mainly affecting Active Directory: [30]. Windows Home Server was announced on January 7, , at the Consumer Electronics Show by Bill Gates and is intended to be a solution for homes with multiple connected PCs to offer file sharing, automated backups, and remote access.

Intended use was for building firewall, VPN caching servers and similar appliances. Availability of the original version ended May 28, Availability of R2 ended March 5, End of extended support was July 14, all variants except Storage Server [9] , and End of Licence was May 28, R2 and original.

All variants continued to receive Critical security updates until the end of extended support: [37]. While many features of the bit variant of Windows XP were brought over into Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, other limitations imposed by constraints such as only supporting bit drivers, and support for bit programs being dropped led to incompatibilities with the bit Windows XP editions available.

Among the improvements are many of the same updates that were provided to Windows XP users with Service Pack 2. Features that are added with Service Pack 1 include:. This property does not require a value to indicate that the object is installed. Optimize for Applications 0.

Optimize for System Performance 1. Language identifier used by the operating system. Each language has a unique language identifier LANGID , a bit value that consists of a primary language identifier and a secondary language identifier. Name of the operating system manufacturer. For Windows-based systems, this value is \”Microsoft Corporation\”. Maximum number of process contexts the operating system can support. If there is no fixed maximum, the value should be 0 zero. On systems that have a fixed maximum, this object can help diagnose failures that occur when the maximum is reached—if unknown, enter 0xFFFFFFFF.

Maximum number, in kilobytes, of memory that can be allocated to a process. For operating systems with no virtual memory, typically this value is equal to the total amount of physical memory minus the memory used by the BIOS and the operating system. For some operating systems, this value may be infinity, in which case 0 zero should be entered. In other cases, this value could be a constant, for example, 2G or 4G.

For example, \”en-us\”. MUI Pack languages are resource files that can be installed on the English version of the operating system. When an MUI Pack is installed, you can can change the user interface language to one of 33 supported languages.

Number of user licenses for the operating system. If unlimited, enter 0 zero. If unknown, enter Architecture of the operating system, as opposed to the processor. Language version of the operating system installed.

The following list lists the possible values. Example: 0x German, Switzerland. Installed and licensed system product additions to the operating system.

The following list lists possible values. Microsoft Small Business Server was once installed, but may have been upgraded to another version of Windows. OtherTypeDescription \”. Unknown 0. Other 1. Digital Unix 6. OpenVMS 7. JavaVM WIN3x NetWare Reliant UNIX SCO UnixWare SCO OpenServer Sequent Solaris SunOS TandemNSK TandemNT Interactive UNIX FreeBSD NetBSD GNU Hurd MACH Kernel Inferno IxWorks VxWorks NextStep PalmPilot Some computer historians [ who?

Like prior versions of Windows, version 2. In such a configuration, it could run under another multitasker like DESQview , which used the protected mode. It was also the first version to support the High Memory Area when running on an Intel compatible processor.

Version 2. In Apple Computer, Inc. Microsoft Corp. Judge William Schwarzer dropped all but 10 of Apple\’s claims of copyright infringement, and ruled that most of the remaining 10 were over uncopyrightable ideas. On December 31, , Microsoft declared Windows 2.

Windows 3. A few months after introduction, Windows 3. A \”multimedia\” version, Windows 3. This version was the precursor to the multimedia features available in Windows 3. The features listed above and growing market support from application software developers made Windows 3.

Support was discontinued on December 31, Its API was incompatible with Windows. Version 1. They cooperated with each other in developing their PC operating systems, and had access to each other\’s code. After an interim 1. Microsoft would later imitate much of it in Windows Still, much of the system had bit code internally which required, among other things, device drivers to be bit code as well.

It also removed Real Mode, and only ran on an or better processor. Later Microsoft also released Windows 3. In and , Microsoft released Windows for Workgroups WfW , which was available both as an add-on for existing Windows 3. Windows for Workgroups included improved network drivers and protocol stacks, and support for peer-to-peer networking.

There were two versions of Windows for Workgroups, WfW 3. Unlike prior versions, Windows for Workgroups 3. All these versions continued version 3. Even though the 3. The Windows API became the de facto standard for consumer software. On December 31, , Microsoft declared Windows 3. Meanwhile, Microsoft continued to develop Windows NT. This successor was codenamed Cairo. In hindsight, Cairo was a much more difficult project than Microsoft had anticipated and, as a result, NT and Chicago would not be unified until Windows XP —albeit Windows , oriented to business, had already unified most of the system\’s bolts and gears, it was XP that was sold to home consumers like Windows 95 and came to be viewed as the final unified OS.

Driver support was lacking due to the increased programming difficulty in dealing with NT\’s superior hardware abstraction model. This problem plagued the NT line all the way through Windows Programmers complained that it was too hard to write drivers for NT, and hardware developers were not going to go through the trouble of developing drivers for a small segment of the market. Additionally, although allowing for good performance and fuller exploitation of system resources, it was also resource-intensive on limited hardware, and thus was only suitable for larger, more expensive machines.

However, these same features made Windows NT perfect for the LAN server market which in was experiencing a rapid boom, as office networking was becoming common. Windows NT version 3. The Win32 API had three levels of implementation: the complete one for Windows NT, a subset for Chicago originally called Win32c missing features primarily of interest to enterprise customers at the time such as security and Unicode support, and a more limited subset called Win32s which could be used on Windows 3.

Thus Microsoft sought to ensure some degree of compatibility between the Chicago design and Windows NT, even though the two systems had radically different internal architectures. Windows NT was the first Windows operating system based on a hybrid kernel. The hybrid kernel was designed as a modified microkernel , influenced by the Mach microkernel developed by Richard Rashid at Carnegie Mellon University, but without meeting all of the criteria of a pure microkernel.

As released, Windows NT 3. The 3. Support for Windows NT 3. After Windows 3. The Win32 API first introduced with Windows NT was adopted as the standard bit programming interface, with Win16 compatibility being preserved through a technique known as \” thunking \”.

A new object-oriented GUI was not originally planned as part of the release, although elements of the Cairo user interface were borrowed and added as other aspects of the release notably Plug and Play slipped. Microsoft did not change all of the Windows code to bit; parts of it remained bit albeit not directly using real mode for reasons of compatibility, performance, and development time.

Additionally it was necessary to carry over design decisions from earlier versions of Windows for reasons of backwards compatibility, even if these design decisions no longer matched a more modern computing environment. These factors eventually began to impact the operating system\’s efficiency and stability.

Microsoft marketing adopted Windows 95 as the product name for Chicago when it was released on August 24, Microsoft had a double gain from its release: first, it made it impossible for consumers to run Windows 95 on a cheaper, non-Microsoft DOS, secondly, although traces of DOS were never completely removed from the system and MS DOS 7 would be loaded briefly as a part of the booting process, Windows 95 applications ran solely in enhanced mode, with a flat bit address space and virtual memory.

These features make it possible for Win32 applications to address up to 2 gigabytes of virtual RAM with another 2 GB reserved for the operating system , and in theory prevented them from inadvertently corrupting the memory space of other Win32 applications. Three years after its introduction, Windows 95 was succeeded by Windows Unlike with Windows 3.

Microsoft case, blaming unfair marketing tactics on Microsoft\’s part. Some companies sold new hard drives with OSR2 preinstalled officially justifying this as needed due to the hard drive\’s capacity.

The first Microsoft Plus! Microsoft ended extended support for Windows 95 on December 31, Microsoft released the successor to NT 3. It was Microsoft\’s primary business-oriented operating system until the introduction of Windows Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows NT 4.

Both editions were succeeded by Windows Professional and the Windows Server Family, respectively. This edition was succeeded by Windows XP Embedded. On June 25, , Microsoft released Windows 98 code-named Memphis , three years after the release of Windows 95 , two years after the release of Windows NT 4. USB support in Windows 98 is marketed as a vast improvement over Windows The release continued the controversial inclusion of the Internet Explorer browser with the operating system that started with Windows 95 OEM Service Release 1.

The action eventually led to the filing of the United States v. Microsoft case, dealing with the question of whether Microsoft was introducing unfair practices into the market in an effort to eliminate competition from other companies such as Netscape.

In , Microsoft released Windows 98 Second Edition, an interim release. One of the more notable new features was the addition of Internet Connection Sharing , a form of network address translation , allowing several machines on a LAN Local Area Network to share a single Internet connection. Hardware support through device drivers was increased and this version shipped with Internet Explorer 5. Many minor problems that existed in the first edition were fixed making it, according to many, the most stable release of the Windows 9x family.

Mainstream support for Windows 98 and 98 SE ended on June 30, , and ended extended support on July 11, It has the version number Windows NT 5. Windows has had four official service packs. It was successfully deployed both on the server and the workstation markets. Amongst Windows \’s most significant new features was Active Directory , a near-complete replacement of the NT 4. Terminal Services , previously only available as a separate edition of NT 4, was expanded to all server versions.

A number of features from Windows 98 were incorporated also, such as an improved Device Manager, Windows Media Player , and a revised DirectX that made it possible for the first time for many modern games to work on the NT kernel.

Windows is also the last NT-kernel Windows operating system to lack product activation. While Windows upgrades were available for Windows 95 and Windows 98, it was not intended for home users. It was the last DOS-based operating system from Microsoft. Windows Me introduced a new multimedia-editing application called Windows Movie Maker , came standard with Internet Explorer 5. System Restore was a notable feature that would continue to thrive in all later versions of Windows. Windows Me was conceived as a quick one-year project that served as a stopgap release between Windows 98 and Windows XP.

Many of the new features were available from the Windows Update site as updates for older Windows versions System Restore and Windows Movie Maker were exceptions. Windows Me was criticized for stability issues, as well as for lacking real mode DOS support, to the point of being referred to as the \”Mistake Edition. The initial release was met with considerable criticism , particularly in the area of security , leading to the release of three major Service Packs. Service Pack 2 provided significant improvements and encouraged widespread adoption of XP among both home and business users.

Windows XP was one of Microsoft\’s longest-running flagship operating systems, beginning with the public release on October 25, , for at least 5 years, and ending on January 30, , when it was succeeded by Windows Vista. On April 25, , Microsoft launched Windows Server , a notable update to Windows Server encompassing many new security features, a new \”Manage Your Server \” wizard that simplifies configuring a machine for specific roles, and improved performance. It is based on the Windows NT 5.

A few services not essential for server environments are disabled by default for stability reasons, most noticeable are the \”Windows Audio\” and \”Themes\” services; users have to enable them manually to get sound or the \” Luna \” look as per Windows XP.

The hardware acceleration for display is also turned off by default, users have to turn the acceleration level up themselves if they trust the display card driver. Among the new features are a number of management features for branch offices, file serving, printing and company-wide identity integration.

Windows Server R2, an update of Windows Server , was released to manufacturing on December 6, The other CD adds many optionally installable features for Windows Server The R2 update was released for all x86 and x64 versions, except Windows Server R2 Enterprise Edition, which was not released for Itanium.

It is designed to use the expanded bit memory address space provided by the x86—64 architecture. Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is based on the Windows Server codebase, with the server features removed and client features added. It is only available to Software Assurance customers. The aim of WinFLP is to give companies a viable upgrade option for older PCs that are running Windows 95, 98, and Me that will be supported with patches and updates for the next several years.