useful facts

Windows Command Guide 2010

- 1 - © 2010, BCDALAI's Free Tech. Support Blog

Useful Facts on Windows Updated: 22nd Jan 2011

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Useful Facts on Windows

1. Dynamic disks are not supported on portable computers or on Windows XP Home Edition based computers.

2. In windows XP Home Edition the following features are not available: Group Policies, Automatic Software Installation and Maintenance, Roaming User Profiles, Offline Files and Folders, Remote Desktop, NTFS, EFS (Encrypted File System), joining a domain, dynamic disks, IIS (Internet Information Services), Remote Installation Services (RIS), Windows Management Instrumentation Console (WMIC), Microsoft's HTTP and FTP Server, Windows Backup (ntbackup.exe), Automated System Recovery (ASR) and support more than one processor.

3. Automated System Recovery is not a supported feature in Windows XP Home Edition using Backup, but Backup is provided on the CD-ROM as additional value to help back up critical system data. To Manually Install the Backup Utility: Double-click the Ntbackup.msi file from the Windows XP Home Edition CD-ROM to start a wizard that installs Backup: CD-ROM Drive:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP. Follow the wizard. When the wizard is complete, click Finish.

4. Creating rescue disk feature is not available in Windows Server 2003. 5. You cannot format/create a partition more than 32GB as fat 32 file system. 6. You cannot see or access NTFS partitions in Windows 95/98/ME because these

operating systems don’t support NTFS file system. 7. You cannot run two Operating Systems simultaneously from one drive/partition; if you will do

this the last operating system you installed on that drive will only run. 8. If you install and run MSN Explorer version 6, your MSN POP3 e-mail account will be

migrated to an MSN Hotmail account. If you have Outlook and Outlook Express configured for POP3, you will no longer receive your new MSN e-mail messages.

9. Deleting or reformatting any dynamic disk volume using the Recovery console's DISKPART or FORMAT command or during Windows 2000 text-mode Setup, could result in permanent data loss.

10. You cannot install Windows Vista on FAT/FAT32 file system. Installation of Windows Vista in FAT/FAT32 file system is not supported except NTFS file system.

11. There is no Boot.ini file in Windows Vista. The Boot.ini file is used for legacy Windows versions when dual-booting only.

12. You can’t run two or more instances of Windows Installer in Windows XP/2003 Server or lower version of windows. Because running of two or more instances of Windows Installer in Windows Installer v3.1 or lower is not supported. This feature is only supported in Windows Installer v4.0 and later versions e.g. in OS like Windows Vista and later.

13. NetMeeting 3.02 (in Vista) does not support remote desktop sharing. Therefore, the Remote Desktop Sharing option is not available on the Tools menu in NetMeeting 3.02.

14. The default workgroup name in windows XP Home Edition is “MSHome” and in XP Pro, Windows Server 2003 and in Windows Vista it is “WORKGROUP”.

15. Windows Vista Starter and Basic Editions do not support control /name Microsoft.Personalization command.

16. The former name of “Microsoft Dynamics products” is “Microsoft Business Solutions”. 17. The former name of “Windows SteadyState” is “Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit”. 18. Windows Server 2008 is the last 32-bit OS from Microsoft. All future server OS from

Microsoft will be 64-bit e.g. Windows Server 2008 R2 (only 64-bit release). 19. The Fast Saves feature in Word 2003 no longer functions after you install Office 2003

Service Pack 3. The Allow fast saves check box still exists in the Save options in Word 2003. However, the functionality of the option has been disabled. The Fast Saves feature speeds up the saving of a document by saving only the changes that are made to the document. Additionally, documents that are saved when the Fast Saves feature is enabled may contain content that you may not want to share with other people when you distribute the document electronically. This information is known as metadata. Metadata is used for a variety of purposes to improve the editing, the viewing, the filing, and the retrieval of Office files. Because of the design of the Fast Saves feature, text or comments that you delete from a document may remain in the document even after you save the document. Therefore, Microsoft has disabled the functionality of the Fast Saves feature in Office 2003 SP3 to increase the security of Word 2003 documents.




20. Office files that are saved in (e.g. .html, .mht, .rtf, .xml) no longer contain the version number of Office after you install Office 2003 Service Pack 3. This is because this behavior was changed in Office 2003 SP3 to improve the security of Office 2003 documents.

21. Microsoft Office 2010, codenamed “Office 14” will also be the first version of Office to ship

in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. 22. Microsoft Office 2010 will not support for Windows XP Professional 64-bit, and Windows

Server 2003. 23. XP Mode is supported on Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions only. 24. BitLocker, BitLocker To Go, Boot from VHD disk image and MUI multiple languages (35

languages) support is only available for Windows 7 Ultimate edition. 25. The Windows Package Manager (pkgmgr.exe) is used to install and uninstall Windows

optional features; it replaces sysocmgr.exe, which was available in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.

26. The version of Office 2010, “Office Starter 2010” will replace the low-end home productivity software, “Microsoft Works”.

27. Local Group Policy Editor is only available in Professional (Business), Enterprise and Ultimate Editions of Windows 7 and Windows Vista. Users of Windows 7 or Windows Vista Starter, Home Basic and Home Premium will not get Local Group Policy Editor.

28. Windows Service Pack Release Dates:

Windows XP: Service Pack 1 (SP1): 9th September 2002 Service Pack 1a (SP1a): 3rd February 2003 Service Pack 2 (SP2): 6th August 2004 Service Pack 3 (SP3): 21st April 2008

Windows Server 2003: Service Pack 1 (SP1): 30th March 2005 Service Pack 2 (SP2): 13th March 2007

Windows Server 2003 (x64) and Windows XP Professional x64 Editions: Service Pack 2 (SP2): 12th March 2007

Windows Vista: Service Pack 1 (SP1): 18th March 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2): 26th May 2009

Windows Server 2008 Editions: Service Pack 1 (SP1): Included with RTM on 27th Feb 2008 Service Pack 2 (SP2): 26th May 2009

29. Upgrading from the following language versions of Windows XP to the matching language of Windows Vista is not supported: a. Windows XP with the following Language Interface Packs installed: Bulgarian,

Croatian, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Romanian, Serbian-Latin, Slovak, Slovenian, Thai, or Ukrainian.

b. Windows XP Media Center Edition: Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong), Traditional Chinese (Taiwan), Czech, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, or Turkish.

c. Windows XP Tablet PC Edition: Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.

If you have one of these operating systems, you will need to perform a clean installation of Windows Vista.

30. The following features are not available in Windows Vista: a. Active Desktop b. HyperTerminal c. Luna Visual Theme d. MSN Explorer e. NetMeeting (replaced with “Windows Meeting Space”) f. Telnet.exe is no longer installed by default, but is installable feature through




“Programs and Features”. g. The network Messenger Service (Winchat.exe). h. Windows Messenger i. WinHlp32.exe, used to display 32-bit .hlp files (help pages, replaced by .chm files)

More Useful Stuffs

Major Versions of IIS

Versions OS Platforms Year Released

1 Windows NT 3.51 1996

2 Windows NT 4.0 1996

3 Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 1996

4 Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack 1997

5 Windows 2000 1999

5.1 Windows XP Professional Windows XP Media Center Edition

2001

6 Windows Server 2003 Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

2003

7 Windows Vista (Business, Enterprise, Ultimate Editions)

2006

7 Windows Server 2008 2008

7.5 Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows 7

2009

CHANGED FEATURES AND NAMES

On - Vista, Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 etc. and other technologies. Note: Including the features, technologies, components and services. The names are changed and the

functionality of some items has been enhanced and moved or consolidated with other items in a new item.

FEATURES / SERVICES / TOOLS

SL. NEWER FORMER

WINDOWS VISTA (Client) WINDOWS 2000, XP, SERVER 2003

01 Backup and Restore Center NTBackup (Windows Backup Utility)

02 Computer My Computer

03 Credential Manager Stored Use Names and Passwords

04 Documents My Documents

05 Ease of Access Center Accessibility Options

06 Getting Started or Welcome Center Windows XP Tour

07 Music My Music

08 Network Discovery Protocol (NDP) Computer Browser

09 Network Places My Network Places

10 Pictures My Pictures

11 Programs and Features Add or Remove Programs

12 Recent Documents My Recent Documents

13 Recovery Recovery Console

14 Region and Language Regional Settings

15 Reliability and Performance Monitor Performance Monitor

16 Run As / Run As Administrator Run As

17 Security Configuration Management Local Security Settings

18 Subsystem for Unix-based Applications Windows Services for Unix

19 Superfetch Prefetch

20 Sync Center Microsoft Synchronization Manager

21 System Integrity Check and Repair System File Checker (SFC)

22 System Protection System Restore

23 Task Scheduler Scheduled Tasks

24 Users Documents and Settings

25 Videos My Videos

26 Windows Complete PC Restore Automated System Recovery (ASR)

27 Windows Contacts Address Book

28 Windows Deployment Services (WDS) Remote Installation Services (RIS)

29 Windows Easy Transfer (WET) Files and Setting Transfer Wizard

30 Windows Error Reporting (WER) Error Reporting

31 Windows Live Messenger Windows Messenger




32 Windows Mail Outlook Express

33 Windows Meeting Space NetMeeting

34 Windows Photo Gallery Windows Picture and Fax Viewer

35 Windows Remote Assistance Remote Assistance

36 Windows Resource Protection (WRP) Windows File Protection (WFP)

WINDOWS 7 WINDOWS VISTA

37 Action Center Problem Reports and Solutions

38 Action Center Windows Security Center

39 Backup and Restore Backup and Restore Center

40 Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM.exe)

pkgmgr.exe, peimg.exe, intlcfg.exe

41 Desktop Gadgets Windows Sidebar

42 Devices And Printers Printers

43 Get Programs (Online) Windows Marketplace

44 Getting Started Welcome Center

45 Networks Network Places

46 Pen and Touch Pen and Input Devices

47 Region and Language Regional and Language Options

48 System Image Backup Complete PC Backup

49 System Image Restore Complete PC Restore

50 Windows Photo Viewer Windows Photo Gallery

WINDOWS SERVER 2008 (Server) WINDOWS SERVER 2003

51 Problem Reports and Solutions Error Reporting

52 Server Manager Computer Management

53 Windows Firewall with Advanced Security Windows Firewall

54 Windows Server Backup NTBackup (Windows Backup Utility)

WINDOWS SERVER 2008 R2 (Server) WINDOWS SERVER 2008

55 Remote Desktop Services Terminal Services

56 Terminal Services Gateway RD (Remote Desktop) Gateway

OTHER TECHNOLOGY / FEATURES

57 Bing Live Search

58 Custom Compatibility Fixes Shim

59 Live Framework MeshFX

60 Live Mesh Windows Live Sync

61 Live Migration Quick Migration

62 Live Search Windows Live Search

63 Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) Business Desktop Deployment Toolkit (BDD)

64 Microsoft Dynamics products Microsoft Business Solutions

65 Microsoft Outlook Microsoft Office Outlook

66 Microsoft SharePoint Workspace Microsoft Office Groove

67 System Center Configuration Manager Systems Management Server (SMS)

68 System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM)

Data Protection Server

69 System Center Operations Manager (SCOM)

Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM)

70 Windows Activation Technology (WAT) Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA)

71 Windows DAC MDAC (Microsoft Data Access Components)

72 Windows File Protection System File Protection (WinME)

73 Windows Installer Microsoft Installer

74 Windows Internet Explorer (IE7 onwards) Microsoft Internet Explorer (upto IE6)

75 Windows Live Butterfly MSN Butterfly

76 Windows Live Family Safety Windows Live OneCare Family Safety

77 Windows Live Mesh Live Mesh

78 Windows Live Photo Gallery Windows Photo Gallery

79 Windows Live Search MSN Search

80 Windows Live SkyDrive Windows Live Folders

81 Windows Live Sync Windows Live FolderShare

82 Windows Script Host Windows Scripting Host

83 Windows SteadyState Microsoft Shared Computer Toolkit

84 Windows Virtual PC Microsoft Virtual PC

Naming Trends (New to Old) Networks > Network Places > My Network Places




Windows Resource Protection (Vista/Win7) > Windows File Protection (System File Checker sfc.exe) (2K/XP/2K3) > System File Protection (WinME)

Bing > Live Search > Windows Live Search > MSN Search

Windows Live Mesh > Live Mesh > Windows Live Sync > Windows Live FolderShare

Note: Including the features, technologies and components. The names are changed and the functionality of

some items has been enhanced or consolidated with other new feature. This list is meant to make an easy understanding of the features in different versions of Windows. The word MY in the feature names are removed as in My Computer, My Documents to Computer, Documents respectively. Sometimes you may not notice the

small changes in the many features listed here. Many previous features that were named after the word “Microsoft” that are the part of Windows platform are later renamed with the word “Windows”. Microsoft Virtual PC - Windows Virtual PC Microsoft Internet Explorer - Windows Internet Explorer etc.

Original CD/DVD Volume Labels for Windows OS CD/DVD (used by Microsoft):

SL. OPERATING SYSTEM / SOFTWARE CD/DVD LABELS

01 Windows 98 SE Win98SE

02 Windows Millennium Windows Me

03 Windows NT4 NTWKS40A

04 Windows 2000 Professional W2PFPP_EN

05 Windows 2000 Server W2SFPP_EN

06 Windows 2000 Advanced Server W2AFPP_EN

07 Windows 2000 Datacenter Server W2DFPP_EN

08 Windows XP Home (Retail) WXHFPP_EN

09 Windows XP Home (Corp) WXHVOL_EN

10 Windows XP Home (OEM) WXHOEM_EN

11 Windows XP Pro (If nothing specified) WXPCCP_EN

12 Windows XP Pro (Retail) WXPFPP_EN

13 Windows XP Pro (Corp) WXPVOL_EN

14 Windows XP Pro (OEM) WXPOEM_EN

15 Windows XP Media Center Edition MRMPFPP_EN

16 Windows XP Tablet PC (Corp) VRMPVOL_EN

17 Windows Server 2003 (Corp) (VLK) ARMEVOL_EN

18 Windows Server 2003 (Standard) NRMSFPP_EN

19 Windows Server 2003 (Web) NRMWFPP_EN

20 Windows Server 2003 (Enterprise) NRMEFPP_EN

21 Windows Vista Home Premium VISTA_32_PREMIUM

22 Windows Vista Enterprise (RTM) (DVD) LRMEVOL_EN_DVD

23 Windows Vista Ultimate (RTM) (DVD) LRMCFRE_EN_DVD

24 Windows Vista x64 Editions N/A

25 Windows XP Professional x64 ARMPXVOL_EN

26 Windows Server 2003 R2 N/A

26 Windows Server 2003 x64 N/A

28 Windows Home Server N/A

29 Windows Server 2008 (RTM) (DVD) KRMSVOL_EN_DVD

30 Windows Server 2008 (DVD) KRMSFRE_EN_DVD

31 Windows 7 (RTM) (DVD) GRMCULFRER_EN_DVD

32 Windows 7 Enterprise RTM x64 GRMCENXVOL_EN_DVD

33 Windows 7 RTM x64 GRMCPRXFRER_EN_DVD

34 Windows Server 2008 R2 (RTM) (DVD) GRMSXVOL_EN_DVD

[Notes: “N/A” means “Not Available” for now. If you know more, tell me.]
