Select the first letter of the word from the list above to jump to appropriate section of the glossary or type the term on which you want to search.

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Windows

(Microsoft Windows) the operating system developed by Microsoft that became popular in the early 1990s utilizing graphical user interface technology. The early versions ran using DOS as a platform. In the 1980s Microsoft offered Windows versions 1 and 2 but they never caught on. In 1990, the company introduced the Windows 3 series, which revolutionized the software industry allowing users a wide variety of computing options.

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Windows 2000

also called "Win2K" and "W2K," Windows 2000 was a major upgrade to Windows NT 4, launched in early 2000. Available in one client and three server versions, Windows 2000 added support for Plug and Play. Windows 2000 uses the same interface as Windows 95/98, but added considerably more features, dialogs and options.

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Windows 95

introduced by Microsoft in 1995, the long-awaited operating system was much improved from the earlier version Windows 3.1, with a new user interface and the ability to support 32 bit applications. Windows 95 discontinued using DOS as its underlying platform. Software specifically designed to run with Windows 95 runs faster and more efficiently. Windows 95 includes a number of free applications, as did its predecessor Windows 3.1. Microsoft’s Web browser, Internet Explorer, is included with Windows 95.

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Windows 98

an updated version of Windows 95, the 98 version was originally going to be called Memphis, then Windows 97, but the company was unable to meet the projected release date. Among the new features in Windows 98 are, the Active Desktop, which combines features of Internet Explorer with the operating system (one benefit here is a user has the option of single clicking a mouse to fetch a file or access a Web page). Additional benefits of the newer version are a feature that better utilizes disk space, faster loading of programs, and automatic troubleshooting and maintenance wizards.

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Windows NT

the most sophisticated of Microsoft’s operating systems, NT is a high-performance system utilizing multitasking and graphical user interface. More similar to UNIX, Windows was never built on the DOS platform. NT includes a security system that prevents programs from manipulating hardware without proper authorization (the underlying cause of many system crashes). There are two versions of Windows NT, Windows NT Workstation (Of which Windows 2000 was born) and Windows NT Server, designed for use in networking.

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Windows Product Activation

The method used to activate Windows XP for single-user licenses. Bulk licenses to companies do not contain Windows Product Activation (WPA). When XP is installed, WPA combines the XP product ID with identification data from the hardware components it finds in the machine (display, SCSI, IDE and network adapters, hard drive serial number, processor type and serial number, etc.). This combined ID (the HWID) must be transmitted to Microsoft within 30 days, whereby Microsoft returns an internal authorization that is stored in the operating system, making it valid. If more than six hardware components are replaced, the activation must be done again.

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Windows Vista

the next version of Windows for clients and servers. With the client version expected in 2006 and the server version in 2007, Vista (code named Longhorn) adds numerous features, including improved security and advanced multimedia capabilities. Vista also includes Trustworthy Computing (Palladium) and greater support for digital rights management.

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Windows XP

the current client version of Windows. XP is a major upgrade to the client version of Windows 2000 with numerous changes to the user interface. XP added improved support for gaming, digital photography, instant messaging and wireless networking. It added a personal firewall and improved sharing connections to the Internet. Although XP is a client operating system, it can function as a server in a peer-to-peer network.

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WINS

(Windows Internet Naming Service) is a name server and service for NetBIOS computer names. Effectively, it is to NetBIOS names what DNS is to IP Addresses - a central store for information, so that when a client needs to contact a computer on the network, it can query the central database for the address to contact rather than broadcasting a request for which address to contact. The system therefore reduces broadcast traffic on the network. As of Windows 2000, WINS has been deprecated in favour of DNS and Active Directory.

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Wintel

a sarcastic term used to describe the combination of Windows operating systems with Intel microprocessors. The term refers to the fact that the Windows 3 series and 95 operating systems ran only on Intel microprocessors.