NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Windows Aero

Windows Aero is the graphical user interface for Windows Vista, an operating system released by Microsoft in November 2006. Its name is an acronym (or backronym) for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and Open.^[1] Intended to be a cleaner, more powerful, more efficient and more aesthetically pleasing user interface, it includes new transparencies, live thumbnails, live icons, animations and eye candy. It replaces the Luna visual theme of its predecessor, Windows XP. Aero also encompasses a set of user interface design guidelines for Microsoft Windows. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A graphical user interface (GUI) is a type of user interface which allows people to interact with a computer and computer-controlled devices which employ graphical icons, visual indicators or special graphical elements called widgets, along with text labels or text navigation to represent the information and actions available to... Windows Vista is a line of graphical operating systems used on personal computers, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, Tablet PCs, and media centers. ... It has been suggested that Maintenance OS be merged into this article or section. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Backronym and Apronym (Discuss) Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations, such as NATO, laser, and ABC, written as the initial letter or letters of words, and pronounced on the basis of this abbreviated written form. ... A backronym (or bacronym) is a phrase that is constructed after the fact from a previously existing abbreviation, the abbreviation being an initialism or an acronym. ... See: transparency (optics) alpha compositing GIF#Transparency transparency (overhead projector) market transparency transparency (telecommunication) transparency (computing) For X11 pseudo-transparency, see pseudo-transparency. ... Eye candy is an expression used to describe something that is most remarkable by its appearance, but that doesnt have anything else so exciting. ... Luna is the codename for the default Windows XP theme. ... Windows XP is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ...

History

Like Windows XP, Aero's base icons were designed by The Iconfactory^[2]. Windows XP is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ... The Iconfactory is a small software and graphic design company that specializes in creating icons and software for creating and using icons. ...

Until the release of Windows Vista Beta 1 in July 2005, little or nothing had been shown of Aero in public/leaked builds. Previous user interfaces were Plex, which was featured in Longhorn builds 3683-4029; Slate, which was featured in build 4051 and was available until build 4093; and Jade (build 4074, 4083 and 4093, actually an early preview of Aero). Microsoft started using Aero in public builds in build 5048. The first build with full-featured Aero was build 5219. Build 5270 (released in December 2005) contained an implementation of Aero which was virtually complete, according to sources at Microsoft, though a number of stylistic changes were introduced between then and the operating system's release. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Originally, Aero was to have three levels available, one code-named "To Go", which had the Desktop Window Manager (DWM) composition engine (previously known as DCE) disabled. The next was to be AeroExpress, lacking many features of the highest level code-named Aero Glass. However, in December 2005, Microsoft announced that there would only be two levels available, "Windows Vista Aero" and "Windows Vista Basic", with the previous "Express" level integrated into the new "Windows Vista Aero" level. A control panel was added to enable the user to fine tune this functionality, such as being able to turn off the "glass" translucency effect. These levels are provided so that the Aero interface (to some extent) can be used with a relatively low-end graphics card. Desktop Window Manager (DWM) is currently the name for the new windowing system that will be available in all versions of Windows Vista, except Starter Edition, to enable the new Aero user interface. ...

Initially, a variation of Aero, codenamed "Aero Diamond", was slated to be the user interface for the Windows Vista Media Center experience. Although there has been no official mention of Diamond for a number of years, it may refer to the expectation that the interface will be written in pure XAML (as was Aero initially) but this has not been confirmed. Extensible Application Markup Language (pronounced zammel ()) by Microsoft is a declarative XML-based language used to define objects and their properties, relationships and interactions. ...

User interface

For the first time since the release of Windows 95, Microsoft has completely revised its user interface guidelines, covering aesthetics, common controls such as buttons and radio buttons, task dialogs, wizards, common dialogs, control panels, icons, fonts, user notifications, and the "tone" of text used.^[3] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 500 pixelsFull resolution (1280 Ã— 800 pixel, file size: 640 KB, MIME type: image/png) The Aero glass effects on Windows Vista. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 500 pixelsFull resolution (1280 Ã— 800 pixel, file size: 640 KB, MIME type: image/png) The Aero glass effects on Windows Vista. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... A wizard is an interactive computer program acting as an interface to lead a user through a complex task using dialog steps. ... Image File history File links Vista_Flip_3d. ... Image File history File links Vista_Flip_3d. ... Image File history File links Vista_Flip_2d. ... Image File history File links Vista_Flip_2d. ... Image File history File links Livethumbnails. ... Image File history File links Livethumbnails. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Segoe UI (pronounced //) is a sans-serif typeface used in Microsoft products for user interface text, as well as for some online user assistance material, designed to improve the consistency in how users see all text across all languages. ... Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. ... A wizard is an interactive computer program acting as an interface to lead a user through a complex task using dialog steps. ...

Aero Wizards

Wizard 97^[4] has been the prevailing standard for wizard design, visual layout, and functionality used in Windows 98 through to Windows Server 2003, as well as most Microsoft products in that time frame. Aero Wizards are the replacement for Wizard 97, incorporating visual updates to match the aesthetics of the rest of Aero, as well as changing the interaction flow. Windows 98 (codenamed Memphis and formerly known as Windows 97[2]) is a graphical operating system released on June 25, 1998 by Microsoft and the successor to Windows 95. ... Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft. ...

Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system (RDBMS) produced by Microsoft. ...

Notifications

Notifications allow an application or operating system component with an icon in the system tray to create a pop-up window with some information about an event or problem. These windows, first introduced in Windows 2000 and known colloquially as "balloons", are similar in appearance to the speech balloons that are commonly seen in comics. Balloons were often criticized in prior versions of Windows due to their intrusiveness, especially with regard to how they interacted with full-screen applications such as games. Notifications in Aero aim to be less intrusive by gradually fading in and out, and not appearing at all if a full-screen application or screensaver is being displayed – in these cases, notifications are queued until an appropriate time. Larger icons and multiple font sizes and colors are also introduced with Aero's notification windows. Windows 2000 (also referred to as Win2K) is a preemptive, interruptible, graphical and business-oriented operating system that was designed to work with either uniprocessor or symmetric multi-processor 32-bit Intel x86 computers. ... The three most common speech ballons (top to bottom: speech, thought, scream). ... Comics (or, less commonly, sequential art) is a form of visual art consisting of images which are commonly combined with text, often in the form of speech balloons or image captions. ...

Font

The Segoe UI typeface is the new default font for Aero with languages that use Latin, Greek, and Cyrillic character sets. The default font size is also increased from 8pt to 9pt to improve readability. In the Segoe UI typeface, the numeral zero ("0") is narrow, while capital letter "O" is wider, and numeral one ("1") has a top hook, while capital letter "I" has equal crown and base. Segoe UI (pronounced //) is a sans-serif typeface used in Microsoft products for user interface text, as well as for some online user assistance material, designed to improve the consistency in how users see all text across all languages. ... In typography, a typeface is a co-ordinated set of character designs, which usually comprises an alphabet of letters, a set of numerals and a set of punctuation marks. ...

Phrasing tone

The Vista User Experience Guidelines also address the issue of "tone" in the writing of text used with the Aero user interface. Prior design guidelines from Microsoft had not done much to address the issue of how user interface text is phrased, and as such, the way that information and requests are presented to the user has not been consistent between parts of the operating system.

Research done by Microsoft had informed them that users were finding Windows difficult to use and understand. Users were dissatisfied or felt insulted because of the phrasing of some messages. In particular, computer terminology and jargon were overused and used inconsistently, creating a barrier to understanding for newer users, and messages were unclear or perceived as patronizing.

The guidelines for Vista and its applications suggest messages that present technically accurate advice concisely, objectively, and positively, and assume an intelligent user motivated to solve a particular problem. Specific advice includes the use of the second person and the active voice (e.g. "Print the photos on your camera") and avoidance of words like "please" and "sorry".^[5] Grammatical person, in linguistics, is deictic reference to the participant role of a referent, such as the speaker, the addressee, and others. ... In grammar, the voice of a verb describes the relationship between the action (or state) that the verb expresses and the participants identified by its arguments (subject, object, etc. ...

Requirements

Microsoft has listed the following requirements for what they call a Vista Premium Ready PC. A PC that meets or exceeds these requirements will be able to use the new Aero technologies.^[6]

The minimum requirements for graphics cards from the major vendors include the Radeon 9500 from ATI Technologies, the GeForce FX series from NVIDIA, and even the Intel GMA 950. Though the last driver from NVIDIA to support the GeForce FX series on Vista was 96.85 [1]^[7], Microsoft's WDDM drivers for NVIDIA graphics continue to support the GeForce FX series^[8]; NVIDIA's current WDDM drivers support the GeForce 6 and later series. Though some of XGI Technology's Volari GPUs supported DirectX 9, no Microsoft WDDM drivers shipped with Vista and XGI has exited the graphics card business, so Volari cards apparently will not work with Windows Aero. A gigahertz is a billion hertz or a thousand megahertz, a measure of frequency. ... 32-bit is a term applied to processors, and computer architectures which manipulate the address and data in 32-bit chunks. ... x86 or 80x86 is the generic name of a microprocessor architecture first developed and manufactured by Intel. ... In computing, a 64-bit component is one in which data are processed or stored in 64-bit units (words). ... x64 is Microsoft Corporations marketing designation for the Advanced Micro Devices AMD64 and Intel EM64T 64-bit Instruction Set Extensions to the x86 architecture, which were substantially similar as of 2004. ... A microprocessor is a programmable digital electronic component that incorporates the functions of a central processing unit (CPU) on a single semiconducting integrated circuit (IC). ... Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) is the new graphic driver model for video cards running under Windows Vista. ... VRAM an acronym for Video RAM. Generally a term used in computers to describe RAM dedicated to the purpose of displaying bitmap graphics in raster graphics hardware. ... The Radeon R300 architecture (introduced August 2002) was ATIs first DirectX 9. ... The current version of the article or section is written like a magazine article instead of the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia. ... NVIDIA GeForce FX logo The famous Dawn demo was released by NVIDIA to showcase pixel and vertex shaders effects of the GeForce FX Series The GeForce FX (codenamed NV30) is a graphics card in the GeForce line, from the manufacturer NVIDIA. // Overview NVIDIAs GeForce FX series is the fifth... NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ: NVDA) (pronounced ) is an American corporation specializing in the manufacture of GPU technologies for video cards, graphics cards, workstations, desktop computers, handhelds and more. ... The GeForce 6 Series is nVidias newest series of graphics processors. ... XGI Technology Inc. ...

A note on minimum graphics requirements: though Microsoft has listed 128 MB of Video RAM as a requirement for "Premium Ready" PCs, it does not mean a 128 MB integrated graphics processor is required to run the Aero glass theme. A 64 MB integrated graphics processor, combined with at least 1 GB of system memory, will be able to run Aero at certain resolutions.^[9] However, a Vista-specific WDDM driver for any given graphics processor is also required to run the Aero glass theme^[10]; these drivers may or may not be available. Users who believe their hardware meets Aero's minimum graphics requirements are encouraged to check their graphics processor manufacturer's website for a Vista-specific driver if they are unable to run the theme. VRAM an acronym for Video RAM. Generally a term used in computers to describe RAM dedicated to the purpose of displaying bitmap graphics in raster graphics hardware. ...

Similarities to Mac OS X

Amongst others, WinSuperSite reviewer Paul Thurrott has noted many similarities between Aero and Aqua; he suggests that the use of translucency in the interface is going to make comparisons with Mac OS X's interface "hard to avoid."^[11] Long-time Mac columnist and book author John Rizzo wrote in an eWeek article, "Microsoft seems to have taken many cues from Mac OS X with the user interface and features, right down to some of the terminology. Even some of Vista's icons are amazingly similar to those in Tiger."^[12] Paul Thurrott (born October 29, 1966)[1] is a technology reporter, published author, and news editor for Windows IT Pro Magazine. ... Mac OS X 10. ... Mac OS X (official IPA pronunciation: ) is a line of proprietary, graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. ... Mac OS X version 10. ...

2000/XP emulation

Programs, such as Visual Task Tips and AlphaXP have the ability to emulate most of the features of Windows Aero on older Windows systems, like Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

References

class="preview" id="pv106"> James Allchin James Edward Allchin (born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1951) is co-President of the Platform Products and Services Group at Microsoft, responsible for Microsofts operating systems, streaming media products and Internet services. ... is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Iconfactory is a small software and graphic design company that specializes in creating icons and software for creating and using icons. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... May 20 is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is now the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Paul Thurrott (born October 29, 1966)[1] is a technology reporter, published author, and news editor for Windows IT Pro Magazine. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... is the 128th day of the year (129th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

Windows Vista (formerly codenamed Windows Longhorn) has many significant new features compared with previous Microsoft Windows versions, covering most aspects of the operating system. ... Development of Windows Vista occurred over the span of five and a half years, starting in earnest in May 2001,[1] prior to the release of Microsofts Windows XP operating system, and continuing until November 2006. ... Desktop Window Manager (DWM) is currently the name for the new windowing system that will be available in all versions of Windows Vista, except Starter Edition, to enable the new Aero user interface. ... Beryl is a compositing window manager for the X Window System. ...

External Links

Categories: Graphical user interface | Windows Vista | Microsoft Windows The following is a list of Microsoft Windows components. ... Desktop Window Manager (DWM) is currently the name for the new windowing system that will be available in all versions of Windows Vista, except Starter Edition, to enable the new Aero user interface. ... Windows Explorer running on Windows Vista Windows Explorer running on Windows XP Windows Explorer is an application that is part of modern versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system that provides a graphical user interface for accessing the file systems. ... It has been suggested that Taskbar clock replacements be merged into this article or section. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In computing, Windows Shell is the most visible aspect of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Special Folders. ... On Microsoft Windows operating systems, Special Folders are folders which are presented to the user through an interface as an abstract concept, instead of an absolute folder path. ... Windows Desktop Search (or WDS) is an indexed search platform released by Microsoft for the Windows operating system. ... Virtual Folders are a feature of Microsofts upcoming operating system Windows Vista. ... GDI is short for Graphics Device Interface or Graphical Device Interface, and is one of the three core components or subsystems of Microsoft Windows. ... Microsoft DirectX (Direct eXtension) is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. ... DEP controls in Windows Vista DEP causing Windows XP to end a program Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is a feature included in modern Microsoft Windows and Linux operating systems that is intended to prevent an application or service from executing code from a non-executable memory region. ... BitLocker Drive Encryption is a data protection feature integrated into Microsofts Windows Vista operating system that provides encryption for the entire OS volume. ... The Microsoft . ... Windows Mail is an e-mail and newsgroup client included exclusively in Windows Vista. ... Windows Contacts is a address book management system, which replaces Windows Address Book. ... Windows Calendar is a calendar application that is included in Microsoft Windows Vista. ... Windows Fax and Scan (WFS) is an integrated faxing and scanning application scheduled to be included with the Windows Vista operating system. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Paint (formerly Paintbrush for Windows) is a simple graphics painting program that has been included with almost all versions of Microsoft Windows since its first release. ... WordPad is a simple word processor that is included with almost all versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows 95 upwards. ... Sound Recorder is an audio recording program included in Microsoft Windows. ... Snipping Tool is an application included in premium editions of Windows Vista and Experience Pack for Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005. ... Windows Photo Gallery (WPG) is an application included with Microsofts Windows Vista operating system that provides photo management and basic editing facilities. ... Windows Movie Maker is for gay people that is included in recent versions of Microsoft Windows. ... Windows DVD Maker is an application included in premium editions (Home Premium and Ultimate) of Windows Vista that is designed to enable the creation of DVD movies in Windows. ... Windows Internet Explorer (formerly Microsoft Internet Explorer, abbreviated MSIE), commonly abbreviated to IE, is a series of popular graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems starting in 1995. ... Windows Media Player (WMP) is a digital media player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices. ... Windows Media Center on Windows Vista build 5536 Windows Media Center is an application designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub. ... Windows Defender, previously known as Microsoft AntiSpyware, is a software product from Microsoft designed to prevent, remove and quarantine spyware on Microsofts Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista operating systems. ... An example group of Gadgets, each attached to the sidebar Add Gadgets window The Windows Sidebar is a panel for Desktop Gadgets that is anchored to the side of the Windows Vista desktop. ... Control Panel in Windows Vista Control Panel in Windows XP Classic View of the Control Panel in Windows XP Default View of the Control Panel in Windows Me Control Panel is a part of the Microsoft Windows graphical user interface which allows users to view and manipulate basic system settings... The applets listed below are components of the Microsoft Windows control panel, which allows user to define a range of settings for their computer, monitor the status of devices such as printers and modems, and set up new hardware, programs and network connections. ... Screenshot of Windows Security Center in Windows Vista. ... Windows Experience Index in Windows Vista Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT) is the codename for the automatic system optimizer/tweaker built into the Ultimate edition of Microsofts upcoming operating system, Windows Vista, as well as Windows Server codename Longhorn. WinSAT works by running a series of tests, and giving... System Restore is a component of Microsofts Windows Me and Windows XP operating systems that allows for the rolling back of system files, registry keys, installed programs, etc. ... Windows Disk Defragmenter is a computer program included in Microsoft Windows designed to increase access speed (and sometimes increase the amount of usable space) by rearranging files stored on a disk to occupy contiguous storage locations, or defragmenting. ... Windows Update version 5 through Netscape Browser 8. ... Microsoft Calculator is a calculation application included with all Microsoft Windows operating systems. ... Character Map (charmap. ... For the item of stationery, see notebook. ... Narrator in Windows XP Narrator is a light-duty screen reader utility packaged with Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista. ... Remote Assistance is a feature of Windows XP that allows a user to temporarily take over a remote Windows XP computer over a network or the internet to resolve issues. ... Screenshot of Windows Task Manager in Windows XP Windows Task Manager is a task manager application included with Microsoft Windows operating systems that provides information about computer performance and displays details about running applications, processes, network activity, logged-in users, and system services. ... Disk Cleanup application running on Windows XP Disk Cleanup application running on Windows Vista The Disk Cleanup is a computer program tool included in Microsoft Windows designed to help free up space on the computer users hard drive. ... Windows PowerShell, previously Microsoft Shell or MSH (codenamed Monad) is an extensible command line interface (CLI) shell and scripting language product developed by Microsoft. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... ntoskrnl. ... Hal. ... Windows Task Manager with System idle process selected In Windows NT-based operating systems, the System Idle Process is the system idle task: it tracks how much of the CPUs time is being utilized and issues the HLT instruction to cut the processors power usage. ... In software Svchost. ... The Windows registry is a database which stores settings and options for the operating system for Microsoft Windows 32-bit versions, 64-bit versions and Windows Mobile. ... A Windows service is an application that starts when the Microsoft Windows operating system is booted and runs in the background as long as Windows is running. ... Windows on Windows, commonly referred to as Wow, is an abstraction component of Microsoft Windows operating system. ... WOW64 (Windows-on-Windows 64-bit) is a Microsoft operating system subsystem capable of running 32-bit applications and is included on all 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windowsâ€”including Windows XP 64-bit Editions, Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition and Windows Vista 64-bit Editions. ... In computer science, a library is a collection of subprograms used to develop software. ... -1... The Windows Boot Manager is Microsofts new boot manager for Windows Vista and Windows Server Longhorn. It reads the Boot Configuration Data, and displays an operating system selection menu[1], and is thus functionally equivalent to the boot selection menu functionality of NTLDR in prior versions of Windows NT... Winlogon is the Windows NT component responsible for handling the default secure attention key, loading the user profile on logon, and optionally locking the computer when a screensaver is running (requiring another authentication step). ... The Alerter service is a Microsoft Windows service which is used to send administrative alerts. ... Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) is a component of modern Microsoft Windows operating systems that facilitates prioritized, throttled, and asynchronous transfer of files between machines using idle network bandwidth. ... Scheduling is the process of assigning tasks to a set of resources. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... The Volume Shadow Copy Service in modern versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system provides periodic snapshots of a systems volumes. ... NTFS (New Technology File System) is the standard file system of Windows NT, including its later versions Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista. ... An NTFS junction point (JP) is a feature of the NTFS file system version 3. ... In computing, an NTFS symbolic link (symlink) is a file-system object that points to another file system object. ... Microsofts latest Windows operating system, Windows Vista, includes a number of new I/O technologies and enhancements that are intended to shorten the time taken to boot the system, improve the responsiveness of the system, and improve the reliability of data storage. ... The Encrypting File System (EFS) is a file system with filesystem-level encryption available in Microsofts Windows 2000 and later operating systems. ... File Allocation Table (FAT) is a file system that was developed for MS-DOS and used in consumer versions of Microsoft Windows up to and including Windows Me. ... Fats consist of a wide group of compounds that are generally soluble in organic solvents and largely insoluble in water. ... exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table) is a file system suited especially for flash drives introduced with Windows CE 6. ... CDfs is a virtual Linux file system that provides access to individual data and audio tracks on compact discs. ... The Universal Disk Format (UDF) is a format specification of a file system for storing files on optical media. ... The Microsoft Distributed File System, or DFS, is a set of client and server services that allow a large enterprise to organize many distributed file shares into a distributed file system. ... Typically Active Directory is managed using the graphical Microsoft Management Console. ... Local Group Policy Editor in Windows XP Media Center Edition Group policy is part of Microsofts IntelliMirror technology which aims to reduce the overall cost of supporting users of Windows. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Active Directory. ... Windows Media Services (WMS) is a software component of Microsoft Windows Server that allows an administrator to generate streaming media (audio/video). ... Windows Rights Management Services (RMS) is a Microsoft Windows technology included in Windows Server 2003 that is a form of digital rights management for corporate email, documents, and intranet web pages. ... Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS; sometimes, erroneously called Server or System) is a set of Internet-based services for servers using Microsoft Windows. ... The Windows NT operating system familys architecture consists of two layers (user mode and kernel mode), with many different modules within both of these layers. ... Object Manager in Windows, categorized hierarchically using namespaces Object Manager (internally called Ob) is a special subsystem implemented as part of Windows Executive which manages Windows resources. ... The Windows NT Startup Process is the process by which Microsofts Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 operating systems initialize. ... This refers to the boot components for Windows Vista and Windows Server Longhorn. The Windows Vista Startup Process is the process by which Microsofts Windows Vista operating system initializes. ... I/O request packets (IRPs) are structures that are used by Windows Driver Model (WDM) and Windows NT device drivers to communicate with each other and the operating system. ... Kernel Transaction Manager (KTM) is a component of the Windows Vista kernel that enables applications to use atomic transactions on resources. ... Microsoft PowerToys is a set of programs provided by Microsoft for the Windows operating system. ... TweakUI is a free user interface customisation application released by Microsoft to aid end users in customising their Windows operating system. ... SyncToy is a free PowerToy designed by Microsoft that provides an easy to use graphical user interface that can automate synchronizing files and folders. ... Powertoy Calculator (Powercalc) is a graphical calculator application for Windows XP released as a PowerToy, which, unlike the built-in offering, does not evaluate everytime an operator is entered. ...

Contents

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