Windows Server 2003 R2

Windows Server 2003 R2, an update of Windows Server 2003, was released to manufacturing on 6 December 2005. It is distributed on two CDs, with one CD being the Windows Server 2003 SP1 CD. The other CD adds many optionally installable features for Windows Server 2003. The R2 update was released for all x86 and x64 versions. Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise Edition was not released for Itanium. Features:

Internet Information Services (IIS) v6.0 - A significantly improved[clarification needed] version of IIS. Increased default security over previous versions, due to the built-in firewall and having most services disabled by default.[citation needed] Significant improvements[clarification needed] to Message Queuing. Manage Your Server - a role management administrative tool that allows an administrator to choose what functionality the server should provide. Improvements to Active Directory, such as the ability to deactivate classes from theschema, or to run multiple instances of the directory server (ADAM) Improvements to Group Policy handling and administration[clarification needed] Provides a backup system to restore lost files[which?] Improved disk management, including the ability to back up from shadows of files, allowing the backup of open files. Improved scripting and command line tools[clarification needed], which are part of Microsoft's initiative to bring a complete command shell to the next version of Windows.[citation needed] Support for a hardware-based "watchdog timer", which can restart the server if the operating system does not respond within a certain amount of time.[3]

Additional Features:

Branch Office Server Management

Centralized management tools for file and printers Enhanced Distributed File System (DFS) namespace management interface More efficient WAN data replication with Remote Differential Compression.

Identity and Access Management Extranet Single Sign-On and identity federation Centralized administration of extranet application access Automated disabling of extranet access based on Active Directory account information User access logging Cross-platform web Single Sign-On and password synchronization using Network Information

Service (NIS) Storage Management

File Server Resource Manager (storage utilization reporting) Enhanced quota management File screening limits files types allowed

Storage Manager for Storage Area Networks (SAN) (storage array configuration)

Server Virtualization A new licensing policy allows up to 4 virtual instances on Enterprise Edition and Unlimited on

Datacenter Edition Utilities and SDK for UNIX-Based Applications add-on, giving a relatively full Unix development environment.

Base Utilities SVR-5 Utilities Base SDK GNU SDK GNU Utilities Perl 5 Visual Studio Debugger Add-in

Windows XP Desktop

Features Windows XP featured a new task-based GUI (Graphical user interface). The Start menu and Taskbar were updated and many visual effects were added, including:

A translucent blue selection rectangle in Windows Explorer Drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop Task-based sidebars in Explorer windows ("common tasks") The ability to group the taskbar buttons of the windows of one application into one button The ability to lock the taskbar and other toolbars to prevent accidental changes The highlighting of recently added programs on the Start menu Shadows under menus (Windows 2000 had shadows under mouse pointers, but not menus)

Windows XP themes

Default Blue (Luna)

Windows Classic

XP Media Center

The new start menu design in the "Energy blue" theme.

The "task grouping" feature introduced in Windows XP showing both grouped and ungrouped tasks.

Windows XP analyzes the performance impact of visual effects and uses this to determine whether to enable them, so as to prevent the new functionality from consuming excessive additional processing overhead. Users can further customize these settings.[16] Some effects, such as alpha compositing (transparency and fading), are handled entirely by many newer video cards. However, if the video card is not capable of hardware alpha blending, performance can be substantially degraded, and Microsoft recommends the feature should be turned off manually.[17] Windows XP added the ability for Windows to use "Visual Styles" to change the appearance of the user interface. However, visual styles must be cryptographically signed by Microsoft to run. Luna is the name of the new visual style that ships with Windows XP, and is enabled by default for machines with more than 64 MiB of RAM. Lunarefers only to one particular visual style, not to all of the new user interface features of Windows XP as a whole. Some users "patch" the uxtheme.dll file that restricts the ability to use visual styles, created by the general public or the user, on Windows XP.[18] In addition to the included Windows XP themes, there is one previously unreleased theme with a dark blue taskbar and window bars similar to Windows Vista titled "Royale Noir" available as unofficial download.[19] Microsoft officially released a modified version of this theme as the "Zune" theme, to celebrate the launch of its Zune portable media player in November 2006. The differences are only visual with a new glassy look along with a black taskbar instead of dark blue and an orange start button instead of green.[20] Additionally, the Media Center "Energy Blue" theme, which was included in the Media Center editions, is also available to download for use on all Windows XP editions.[21] The default wallpaper, Bliss, is a BMP photograph of a landscape in the Napa Valley outside Napa, California,[22] with rolling green hills and a blue sky with stratocumulus and cirrus clouds. The Windows 2000 "classic" interface can be used instead if preferred. Several third party utilities exist that provide hundreds of different visual styles.

Additional features:

Windows XP introduced several new features to the Windows line, including:

GDI+ graphics subsystem and improved image management and viewing in the shell [23] DirectX 8.1 upgradeable to DirectX 9.0c Start Menu and Taskbar improvements

A number of new features in Windows Explorer including task panes, tiles and filmstrip views, improved sorting and grouping, searching by document categories, customizable infotips, built-in CD burning, AutoPlay, Simple File Sharing and WebDAV mini-redirector.

Improved imaging features such as Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, improved image handling and thumbnail caching in Explorer

A number of kernel enhancements and power management improvements [24][25]

Faster start-up, (due to improved Prefetch functions) logon, logoff, hibernation and application launch sequences.[24] The ability to discard a newer device driver in favor of the previous one (known as driver rollback) should a driver upgrade not produce desirable results.[26] Numerous improvements to increase the system reliability such as improved System Restore, Automated System Recovery, Windows Error Reporting and driver reliability. A new, arguably more user-friendly interface, including the framework for developing themes for the desktop environment [27] and richer icons with alpha transparency Hardware support improvements such as USB 2.0, FireWire 800, Windows Image Acquisition, Media Transfer Protocol, DualView for multi-monitors and audio improvements. Fast user switching, which allows a user to save the current state and open applications of their desktop and allow another user to log on without losing that information [28] The ClearType font rendering mechanism, which is designed to improve text readability on liquid crystal display (LCD) and similar monitors, especially laptops.[29][30] Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop features, which allow users to connect to a computer running Windows XP from across a network or the Internet and access their applications, files, printers, and devices or request help.[31] New networking features [32] including Windows Firewall, Internet Connection Sharing integration with UPnP, NAT traversal APIs, Quality of Service features, IPv6 and Teredo tunneling, Background Intelligent Transfer Service, extended fax features, network bridging, peer to peer networking, support for most DSL modems, IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) connections with auto configuration and roaming, TAPI 3.1,Bluetooth and networking over FireWire.

New security features such as Software Restriction Policies, Credential Manager, Encrypting File System improvements, improved certificate services, smart card and PKI support. Windows XP SP2 introduced Data Execution Prevention, Windows Security Center and Attachment Manager.

Side-by-side assemblies and registration-free COM

Improved media features in Windows Media format runtime, Windows Media Player, Windows Movie Maker, TV/video capture and playback technologies, Windows Media Encoder and introduction of Windows Media Center General improvements to international support such as more locales, languages and scripts, MUI support in Terminal Services, improved IMEs and National Language Support, Text Services Framework

Handwriting recognition, speech recognition and digital ink support accessible through the Tablet PC Input Panel (TIP) in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Numerous improvements to system administration tools such as Windows Installer, Windows Script Host, Disk Defragmenter, Windows Task Manager, Group Policy, CHKDSK, NTBackup, Microsoft Management Console, Shadow Copy, Registry Editor, Sysprep and WMI[33]

Improved application compatibility and shims compared to Windows 2000 Updated accessories and games. Improvements to IntelliMirror features such as Offline Files, Roaming user profiles and Folder redirection.

Windows XP Licensing and media types

There are three main types of Windows XP licenses: Retail, Volume (VLK), and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). All three types of licenses are available for Windows XP Professional (32-bit and 64-bit). Windows XP Home Edition is limited to Retail and OEM licenses whereas Windows XP Media Center Edition and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition are exclusively available through VLK and OEM licenses. Each type of license has a different installation CD. For customized or retail media, there is a small difference on each type of disc that will allow that installation disc to accept only one type of product key. Only retail and volume licenses include support for end-user installation scenarios from Microsoft. OEM software is preinstalled on systems and is supported by the system manufacturer rather than Microsoft. The price of such software is lower. There are two important restrictions on OEM licenses: Microsoft does not offer technical support, and the license cannot be transferred to another computer. The cost of OEM software products bundled with systems is not disclosed by Microsoft nor by its partners, as each system manufacturer will define its own bundling price. Microsoft recommends that system manufacturers have their systems tested, for a fee, as part of the Windows Quality Online Services (Winqual) which includes extensive testing so that no component will cause instability in the Windows operating system due to incompatibility with the Windows operating system or with other system components or their respective drivers. Having a system tested and approved will allow the manufacturer to bear the "Certified for Windows" logo sticker on the exterior of the system, and there are additional benefits for having a tested product. This includes the product's being listed on the Windows Marketplace. Because of the fees and extensive requirements, Microsoft acknowledges that smaller system manufacturers may not opt in to the program until they produce computer systems at a modest rate and on recurring designs.

Retail
Retail licenses, those purchased from a retail store in complete packaging, are of two sub-types: "Upgrade" and "Full Purchase Product", often abbreviated by Microsoft as FPP. FPP licenses are transferable from one computer to another, provided the previous installation is removed from the old computer. Although upgrade licenses are also transferable, a user must have a previous version of Windows even on the new computer to which they are moving the installation. Retail licenses include installation support for end-users, provided directly by Microsoft.

Volume License
A Volume License is the license given to a software version sold to businesses under a direct purchase agreement with Microsoft, and is sold as an upgrade license only, meaning that a previous license must be available for each new volume license. Volume license versions of Windows XP use a Volume License Key (VLK), which is a product key that does not require product activation. The term "Volume License Key" refers to the ability to use one product key for multiple systems, depending on the type of agreement. Since Windows XP Volume License versions do not require product activation, this led to leaked copies of VLK media and product keys from businesses leading to piracy of Windows XP quickly spreading across the Internet upon early release. Beginning with Service Pack 1, Microsoft's active attempts to search out and blacklist known pirated VLK product keys became well known due to the inability to install the service pack on a system with one of the blacklisted keys. Later, this led to the Windows Genuine Advantage program.

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)

Original equipment manufacturer (OEM) licenses are preinstalled on, and sold with, pre-assembled computers from system manufacturers. There are two types of OEM product types those used for "direct OEMs" (major name brands that buy through a direct contract with Microsoft and produce and brand their own media from a Microsoft "Gold Master Copy" by using an authorized Microsoft duplication partner), and those used for "system builders" (local computer shops that buy generic, unbranded kits through authorized Microsoft distributors). Direct OEM product keys

will often not activate with system builder installation media because direct OEMs are now required by Microsoft to pre-activate their copies in the factory using their own internal mechanism before delivery to the customer. It is recommended that system builders also pre-activate their systems before delivery, but this is not mandatory. OEM installations can be customized using the Microsoft OEM Preinstallation Kit with branding, logos, additional applications, optional services, alternate applications for certain Windows components, Internet Explorer links, and various other customizations. All OEM customers must include support and contact information for the initial installation of Windows because it is the responsibility for the OEM to support the Windows installation, and is not provided by Microsoft to the end-user. Direct OEMs must create their own media, but have the option of creating their own custom recovery solution, which may or may not be similar to a generic installation. Direct OEMs may provide a recovery partition on the hard drive as the custom recovery solution rather than providing disc-based media with the computer. Some end-users have found this to be a troublesome option, because in the event of an out-of-warranty hard drive failure, they may not have access to any installation media in order to reinstall Windows onto a new hard drive. System builders are not allowed the option to create a custom recovery CD/DVD media. The only deliverable media available for a system builder to give to the end-user is the unbranded OEM system builder hologram media kit. Because of this, when end-users reformat their hard drives and re-install from the installation media, they lose all the custom branding and support information that the system builder would have included. As a supplemental recovery method to a CD/DVD-based installation, a system builder may employ a fully customized recovery solution on the hard drive. Whether utilizing a recovery partition or not, a system builder must still include the original generic OEM system builder hologram CD/DVD media kit. OEM licenses are not transferable from one computer to another. Every computer sold/resold with an OEM license must include all of the original installation media or recovery solution, documentation, Certificate of Authenticity, and product key sticker with the sale. Microsoft requires that all OEM system manufacturers include as part of the configuration the Windows Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE), which is the initial setup wizard encountered the first time Windows boots up. It is also required that valueadded resellers (VAR's), retailers, and general resellers not tamper with the OEM's customized OOBE mechanism unless under permission by the OEM, and it is a recommended configuration for systems that are privately resold so that a customer will have a like-new computer experience upon first boot-up. OEM licenses are to be installed by professional system manufacturers only. Under Microsoft's OEM License Agreement, they are not to be sold to end-users under any circumstance, and are to be preinstalled on a computer using the OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) before shipment to the customer, and must include at the very least the manufacturer's support contact information. They are, therefore, designed for installation only on a single computer and are not transferable, even if the original computer is no longer in use. This is not usually an issue for users who purchase new computer systems, because most pre-assembled systems ship with a preinstalled operating system. There are few circumstances where Microsoft will allow the transfer of an OEM license from one non-functioning system to another, but the OEM System Builder License Agreement (SBLA), as well as the OEM End User License Agreement (EULA) do not contain any allowance for this, so it is entirely up to Microsoft's discretion, depending on the situation.[108]

Non-use by end user

In the event that an end user decides that they do not wish to use a preinstalled version of Windows, Microsoft's End User License Agreement (EULA) provides that the software may be returned to the OEM for a refund.[109] Despite refusal of some manufacturers to honor the entitlement, it has been enforced by courts in some countries.[110][111]