A file that lists all files contained in a particular folder that need to be renamed from an 8.3 format name to a long file name during Setup. All file names must be in 8.3 format if you run Setup using Winnt.exe, or if you copy a set of files from one computer to another using MS-DOS.

The default directory where Windows is installed, most commonly C:\winnt.

The file name extension for Administrative Templates files.

Cabinet file. A single cabinet file that stores multiple compressed files. These files are commonly used in software installation and to reduce the file size and the associated download time for Web content.

Information file. A file created for a particular adapter that provides the operating system with information required to set up a device, such as a list of valid logical configurations for the device, the names of driver files associated with the device, and so on. An .inf file is provided typically on a disk by the device manufacturer or may be included in the operating system.

Initialization file. Commonly used under Windows 3.x and earlier, .ini files have been used by both the operating system and individual applications to store persistent settings related to an application, driver, or piece of hardware. In Windows 32-bit operating systems, .ini files are supported for backward compatibility, but the registry is the preferred location for storing such settings.

Internet settings file. A file that provides Windows Update Setup with Internet settings that configure the browser and associated components. You can create multiple versions of your browser package by changing the .ins file used by each package. Use the Profile Manager to create, save, and load .ins files.

The Ethernet standard for local area networks using twisted-pair cable carrying data at 100 megabits per second (Mbps).

The standard format for file names in MS-DOS and Windows 3.1. A file name with eight or fewer characters, followed by a period (dot), followed by a three-character file name extension.

A Microsoft employee who is the primary contact for the business relationship between the OEM and Microsoft.

The Windows-based directory service. Active Directory stores information about objects on a network and makes this information available to users and network administrators. Active Directory gives network users access to permitted resources anywhere on the network using a single logon process. It provides network administrators with an intuitive, hierarchical view of the network and a single point of administration for all network objects.

An administrative tool used by an administrator to perform day-to-day Active Directory administration tasks. The tasks that can be performed with this tool include creating, deleting, modifying, moving, and setting permissions on objects stored in the directory. Examples of objects in Active Directory are organizational units, users, contacts, groups, computers, printers, and shared file objects.

A partition from which an x86-based computer starts up. The active partition must be a primary partition on a basic disk. If you use Windows exclusively, the active partition can be the same as the system volume.

The volume from which the computer starts up. The active volume must be a simple volume on a dynamic disk. You cannot mark an existing dynamic volume as the active volume, but you can upgrade a basic disk containing the active partition to a dynamic disk. After the disk is upgraded to dynamic, the partition becomes a simple volume that is active.

Devices that are traditionally added to the base computer system to increase functionality, such as audio, networking, graphics, or SCSI controller. Add-on devices fall into two categories: devices built onto the system board, and devices on expansion cards, added to the system through a system board connector, such as PCI.

In Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition, a person responsible for making system changes on the local computer. For example, an administrator, on the local computer, can install software, maintain local user and group accounts, assign passwords and permissions, and manage local files.

In Windows XP Professional, administrators are members of the local administrators group and have full control over the local computer.

An open industry specification that defines power management on a wide range of mobile, desktop, and server computers and peripherals. ACPI is the foundation for the OnNow industry initiative that allows system manufacturers to deliver computers that start at the touch of a keyboard. ACPI design is essential to take full advantage of power management and Plug and Play.

An interactive animated character who guides users through Windows Welcome. The character interacts with the user in ways similar to the natural aspects of human social communication. Characters can respond by using synthesized speech, recorded audio, or text in a cartoon word balloon.

The smallest amount of disk space that can be allocated to hold a file. All file systems used by Windows organize hard disks based on allocation units. The smaller the allocation unit size, the more efficiently a disk stores information. If you do not specify an allocation unit size when formatting the disk, Windows picks default sizes based on the size of the volume. These default sizes are selected to reduce the amount of space that is lost and the amount of fragmentation on the volume. Also called a cluster.

The AMD 64-bit instruction set architecture. The AMD64 platform enables 64-bit memory addressing, and it is compatible with the x86 instruction set architecture.

A standard single-byte character encoding scheme used for text-based data. ASCII uses designated 7-bit or 8-bit number combinations to represent either 128 or 256 possible characters. Standard ASCII uses 7 bits to represent all uppercase and lowercase letters, the numbers 0 through 9, punctuation marks, and special control characters used in U.S. English. Most current x86-based systems support the use of extended (or "high") ASCII. Extended ASCII allows the eighth bit of each character to identify an additional 128 special symbol characters, foreign-language letters, and graphic symbols.

A text file that scripts the answers for a series of graphical user interface (GUI) dialog boxes. The answer file for Setup is commonly called Unattend.txt, but for a network preinstallation, you can name the file anything you like. For a CD-based Setup, the answer file must be named Winnt.sif. The answer files for Sysprep are Sysprep.inf and Winbom.ini. You can create or modify these answer files in a text editor or through Setup Manager.

A software technique for smoothing the jagged appearance of curved or diagonal lines caused by poor resolution on a display screen. Methods of anti-aliasing include surrounding pixels with intermediate shades and manipulating the size and horizontal alignment of the pixels.

Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller. A distributed set of devices that form an interrupt controller.

The set of network protocols on which AppleTalk network architecture is based. The AppleTalk Protocol is installed with Services for Macintosh to help users access resources on a network.

A set of routines that an application uses to request and carry out lower-level services performed by a computer's operating system. These routines usually carry out maintenance tasks such as managing files and displaying information.

The relationship of width and height for an image. When an image is displayed on different screens, the aspect ratio must be kept the same to avoid either vertical or horizontal distortion.

The resources contained in the device node that are allocated for the device. For Plug and Play cards, the assigned resources for a device can change dynamically or from one system start-up to the next.

Not dependent on timing. Each application or command runs in the specified order, but the specified item does not wait for any previously started processes to finish before an application or command runs.

The layer of the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) protocol stack that parses data into the payload portion of the ATM cell for transport across an ATM network.

Run the Setup program for an application that is already staged on the destination computer.

For files, information that indicates whether a file is read-only, hidden, ready for archiving (backing up), compressed, or encrypted, and whether the file contents should be indexed for fast file searching.

In Active Directory, a property of an object. For each object class, the schema defines which attributes an instance of the class must have and which additional attributes it might have.

Verifying, before it is delivered to the end user, that the fully-manufactured computer functions as expected. After auditing, always reseal the operating system to reset the first-run experience for the user.

The process for verifying that an entity or object is who or what it claims to be. Examples include confirming the source and integrity of information, such as verifying a digital signature or verifying the identity of a user or computer.

An independent company licensed by Microsoft Licensing, Inc., to manage the production and distribution of multipacks of Windows XP OEM products to system builders. If you purchase Microsoft software from someone other than a Microsoft authorized distributor, you run the risk of purchasing counterfeit software, which usually has many of the following problems: missing drivers, missing documentation, viruses, bugs, and other defects. Installing legitimate Microsoft products prevents customer problems and reduces requests for customer support.

An independent company licensed by Microsoft Licensing, Inc., to manage the production and distribution of Microsoft OEM products for royalty OEMs. Microsoft Licensing, Inc., supplies the authorized replicator with the master components, manufacturing and assembly specifications, and other pertinent instructions. The authorized replicator manufactures and assembles genuine Microsoft products to exact specifications. The benefits of using an authorized replicator include protection against piracy, consistent high-quality software, and competitive prices.

Automatically logging on to the computer using the Administrator account when the computer restarts.

A TCP/IP feature in Windows XP and products in the Windows Server 2003 family that automatically configures a unique IP address from the range 169.254.0.1 through 169.254.255.254 and a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0 when the TCP/IP protocol is configured for dynamic addressing and a DHCP server is not available. The APIPA range of IP addresses is reserved by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), and IP addresses within this range are not used on the Internet.

The data transfer capacity of a transmission medium.

In digital communications, the transfer capacity expressed in bits per second (bps) or megabits per second (Mbps). For example, Ethernet accommodates a bandwidth of 10,000,000 bps or 10 Mbps.

In analog communications, the difference between the highest and lowest frequencies in a specific range. For example, an analog telephone line accommodates a bandwidth of 3,000 hertz (Hz), the difference between the lowest (300 Hz) and highest (3,300 Hz) frequencies that it can carry.

A character that has meaning independent of other characters, or any graphical character that is not a diacritical mark.

A physical disk that can be accessed by MS-DOS and all Windows-based operating systems. Basic disks can contain up to four primary partitions, or three primary partitions and an extended partition with multiple logical drives. If you want to create partitions that span multiple disks, you must first convert the basic disk to a dynamic disk by using Disk Management or the Diskpart.exe command-line tool.

On x86-based computers, the set of essential software routines that test hardware at startup, start the operating system, and support the transfer of data among hardware devices. The BIOS is stored in read-only memory (ROM) so that it can be executed when you turn on the computer. Although critical to performance, the BIOS is usually invisible to computer users.

A primary partition or logical drive that resides on a basic disk.

Bi-Directional text. A mixture of characters that are read from left to right and characters that are read from right to left. For example, most Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi, and Urdu characters are read from right to left, but numbers and quoted Western terms within these languages' text are read from left to right.

Responsible in a non-ACPI Plug and Play system for identifying all hardware devices on the motherboard of the computer. The BIOS supports an API that enables all Plug and Play computers to be queried in a common manner.

The smallest unit of information handled by a computer. One bit expresses a 1 or a 0 in a binary numeral, or a true or false logical condition. A group of 8 bits makes up a byte, which can represent many types of information, such as a letter of the alphabet, a decimal digit, or other character. Also known as a binary digit.

Numbers of colors or levels of gray that can be displayed at one time. Controlled by the amount of memory in the computer's graphics controller card. An 8-bit controller can display 256 colors or levels of gray; a 16-bit controller, 64,000 colors; and a 24-bit controller, 16.8 million colors.

A file format for images used to customize the graphics in an Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) package.

The number of bits transmitted every second, used as a measure of the speed at which a device, such as a modem, can transfer data.

The partition that contains the Windows operating system and its support files. The boot partition can be, but does not have to be, the same as the system partition.

A program that is run automatically when a computer is turned on or booted. After first performing a few basic hardware tests, the bootstrap loader loads and passes control to a larger loader program, which typically then loads the operating system. The bootstrap loader typically resides in the computer's read-only memory (ROM).

To incorporate a company name, logo, support information, and Help files into the Microsoft Windows installation.

The license agreement between a system builder and Microsoft Licensing, Inc., affixed to the side of every OEM Distribution Pack. By opening the package, you agree to all the terms of the Break-The-Seal agreement. If you do not agree to all the terms of the agreement, contact the Microsoft OEM authorized distributor it was purchased from and make arrangements to return the software.

Of or relating to communications systems in which the medium of transmission (such as a wire or fiber-optic cable) carries multiple messages at a time, each message modulated on its own carrier frequency by a modem.

Software that interprets the markup of files in HTML, formats them into Web pages, and displays them to the end user. Some browsers also permit end users to send and receive e-mail, read newsgroups, and play sound or video files embedded in Web documents.

To manufacture a computer according to a customer's specification.

To manufacture computers according to a general specification.

The default security groups installed with the operating system. Built-in groups have been granted useful collections of rights and built-in abilities.

In most cases, built-in groups provide all the capabilities needed by a particular user. For example, members of the built-in Backup Operators group can back up and restore files and folders. To provide a needed set of capabilities to a user account, assign it to the appropriate built-in group.

A communication line used for data transfer among the components of a computer system. A bus essentially allows different parts of the system to share data. For example, a bus connects the disk-drive controller, memory, and input/output ports to the microprocessor.

A modem that sends and receives data through a coaxial cable television network instead of telephone lines.

A special memory subsystem in which frequently used data values are duplicated for quick access.

A file used by DNS servers and clients to store responses to DNS queries. For Windows DNS servers, the cache file is named Cache.dns by default.

The process of temporarily storing recently accessed information in a special memory subsystem for quicker access.

Starting a computer from the retail product CD-ROM and then installing Windows on the hard disk using the Setup program on the CD. This method is much slower than installing Windows from a network and is not recommended. For an unattended Setup using the CD boot method, the Unattend.txt file must be named Winnt.sif. The user can select in the winnt.sif if they want to select the partition manually or have it automatically selected.

Compact disc read-only memory. A form of storage characterized by high capacity (roughly 650 MB) and the use of laser optics instead of magnetic means for reading data.

A digital document that is commonly used for authentication and to secure information on open networks. A certificate securely binds a public key to the entity that holds the corresponding private key. Certificates are digitally signed by the issuing certification authority (CA), and they can be issued for a user, a computer, or a service.

A label with sophisticated anti-counterfeiting features that helps the end user identify that the computer uses a validly licensed copy of Microsoft Windows. The product name and a unique product key appear in the center of the label. The OEM must physically attach the COA label to the computer chassis, and it should never be removed from the computer.

A document maintained and published by a certification authority that lists certificates that have been revoked.

A Windows construct that specifies the format and content of certificates based on their intended usage. When requesting a certificate from a Windows enterprise certification authority (CA), certificate requestors can select from a variety of certificate types that are based on certificate templates.

A signed list of root certification authority certificates that an administrator considers reputable for designated purposes, such as client authentication or secure e-mail.

An entity responsible for establishing and vouching for the authenticity of public keys belonging to subjects (usually users or computers) or other certification authorities. Activities of a certification authority can include binding public keys to distinguished names through signed certificates, managing certificate serial numbers, and certificate revocation.

The simplest element used to represent written languages. The appearance of a character is not constant; a character's appearance depends on the font used, as well as the context of surrounding text.

An identifier for a specific page or a conceptually related set of pages that tracks the user's navigation through Windows Welcome.

An object that resides in another object. A child object implies relation. For example, a file is a child object that resides in a folder, which is the parent object.

An installation of Windows that has not been modified and has not had any additional software installed on it.

A font display technology that dramatically improves font display resolution so that letters on the computer screen appear smooth, not jagged. ClearType dramatically improves the readability of text on color LCD monitors with a digital interface, such as those found in laptops and high-quality flat-panel desktop displays.

Any computer or program connecting to, or requesting the services of, another computer or program. Client can also refer to the software that enables the computer or program to establish the connection.

For a local area network (LAN) or the Internet, a computer that uses shared network resources provided by another computer (called a server).

A license that specifies the number of client computers that can connect to and use software located on a server.

In data storage, the smallest amount of disk space that can be allocated to hold a file. All file systems used by Windows organize hard disks based on clusters, which consist of one or more contiguous sectors. The smaller the cluster size, the more efficiently a disk stores information. If no cluster size is specified during formatting, Windows picks defaults based on the size of the volume. These defaults are selected to reduce the amount of space that is lost and the amount of fragmentation on the volume. Also called an allocation unit.

In computer networking, a group of independent computers that work together to provide a common set of services and present a single-system image to clients. The use of a cluster enhances the availability of the services and the scalability and manageability of the operating system that provides the services.

A text file that GUI-mode Setup executes when installing optional components, such as applications.

A means of providing support for character sets and keyboard layouts for different countries or regions. A code page is a table that relates the binary character codes used by a program to keys on the keyboard or to characters on the display.

Hardware that can convert audio or video signals between analog and digital forms (coder/decoder); hardware or software that can compress and uncompress audio or video data (compression/decompression); or the combination of coder/decoder and compression/decompression. Generally, a codec compresses uncompressed digital data so that the data uses less memory.

The end-user manual and any other items that the OEM packages with a new computer.

An ID used by the Plug and Play Manager. If Plug and Play does not locate a match for the device hardware ID, Plug and Play installs the driver .inf file associated with the compatible ID.

A text element consisting of a base character and a diacritic or accent mark. Although most common in the Latin script, other scripts (including Greek, Devanagari, and Tamil) also have composite characters.

The Windows Plug and Play system component that drives the process of locating devices, setting up their nodes in the hardware tree, and running the resources allocation process. Each of the three phases of configuration management--boot time, real mode, and protected mode--have their own configuration managers.

A file and folder structure that contain the necessary configuration settings that control the preinstallation process and define the manufacturers' custom information.

To manufacture a computer according to a customer's specification by customizing a pre-existing image of a master installation.

A client dialer used to obtain Internet access.

The left pane in Microsoft Management Console (MMC) that displays the items contained in the console. The items in the console tree and their hierarchical organization determine the capabilities of a console.

A block of data that a Web server stores on a client system. When a user returns to the same Web site, the browser sends a copy of the cookie back to the server. Cookies identify users, instruct the server to send a customized version of the requested Web page, and submit account information for the user.

Software that a system builder does not obtain from an authorized distributor, or that a royalty OEM does not obtain from an authorized replicator. Counterfeit software usually has many of the following problems: missing drivers, missing documentation, viruses, bugs, and other defects. Installing legitimate Microsoft products helps ensure the quality of your products, prevents customer problems, and reduces requests for customer support.

The purchaser of a new computer.

To detect, locate, and correct logical or syntactical errors in a program.

The on-screen work area on which windows, icons, menus, and dialog boxes appear.

A set of HTML pages that offer the end user the opportunity to sign up for Internet access. To view the offer, the end user clicks a link from the OEM link on the Start menu.

The opportunity given to the end user to register with Microsoft and the OEM, if the user failed to register during Windows Welcome.

The computer on which you preinstall Windows that will be distributed to customers. You can either run Setup on the destination computer or copy a master installation onto a destination computer.

Remove uninstalled application files from a destination computer.

Any piece of equipment that can be attached to a network or computer, for example, a computer, printer, joystick, adapter, or modem card, or any other peripheral equipment. Devices normally require a device driver to function with Windows.

For Windows licensing, electronic equipment such as computers, workstations, terminals, and handheld computers that can access or use the services of Windows operating systems, including file sharing, print sharing, remote access, and authentication.

A program that enables a specific device, such as a modem, network adapter, or printer, to communicate with the operating system. Although a device might be installed on your system, Windows cannot use the device until you have installed and configured the appropriate driver. Device drivers load automatically (for all enabled devices) when a computer is started, and thereafter they run invisibly.

A unique ASCII string for the device created by enumerators to identify a hardware device and used to cross-reference data about the device stored in the registry. Distinguishes each logical device and bus from all others on the system.

An administrative tool that you can use to manage the devices on your computer. Using Device Manager, you can view and change device properties, update device drivers, configure device settings, and uninstall devices.

A computer running the Microsoft DHCP service that offers dynamic configuration of IP addresses and related information to DHCP-enabled clients.

Any mark placed over, under, or through a character, usually to indicate a change in phonetic value from the unmarked state. A character that is attached to it is a base character. Most diacritics are non-spacing characters that do not increase the width of the base character.

The connection to your network if you use a device that uses the telephone network. This includes modems with a standard telephone line, ISDN cards with high-speed ISDN lines, or X.25 networks.

If you are a typical user, you might have one or two dial-up connections, for example, to the Internet and to your corporate network. In a more complex server situation, multiple network modem connections might be used to implement advanced routing.

Connecting to a remote network or the Internet through a dial-up connection, such as a modem.

A means for originators of a message, file, or other digitally encoded information to bind their identity to the information. The process of digitally signing information entails transforming the information, as well as some secret information held by the sender, into a tag called a signature. Digital signatures are used in public key environments, and they provide nonrepudiation and integrity services.

A storage device that is attached to a computer.

Using third-party hardware or software to copy a full master Windows XP installation onto the hard disks of multiple destination computers. The master computer and destination computers must have compatible hardware abstraction layers (HALs). The destination computer can be delivered directly to customers, or it might require additional processing on the factory production line.

A command-line utility for formatting and managing disk partitions and volumes.

A network folder that contains the source files for Windows products that you preinstall. It may also contain the OPK tools and your configuration sets. This folder can be manually created or created by Setup Manager.

To connect a laptop or notebook computer to a docking station.

A unit for housing a portable computer that contains a power connection, expansion slots, and connections to peripherals, such as a monitor, printer, full-sized keyboard, and mouse. The docking station turns the portable computer into a desktop computer.

In Active Directory, a collection of computer, user, and group objects defined by the administrator. These objects share a common directory database, security policies, and security relationships with other domains.

In DNS, any tree or subtree within the DNS namespace. Although the names for DNS domains often correspond to Active Directory domains, DNS domains should not be confused with Active Directory domains.

In an Active Directory forest, a server that contains a writable copy of the Active Directory database, participates in Active Directory replication, and controls access to network resources. Administrators can manage user accounts, network access, shared resources, site topology, and other directory objects from any domain controller in the forest.

The name given by an administrator to a collection of networked computers that share a common directory. Part of the DNS naming structure, domain names consist of a sequence of name labels separated by periods.

A domain controller that holds the domain naming operations master role in Active Directory. The domain naming master controls the addition or removal of domains in the forest. At any time, the domain naming master role can be assigned to only one domain controller in the forest.

In DNS, the inverted hierarchical tree structure that is used to index domain names. Domain trees are similar in purpose and concept to the directory trees used by computer filing systems for disk storage. For example, when numerous files are stored on disk, directories can be used to organize the files into logical collections. When a domain tree has one or more branches, each branch can organize domain names used in the namespace into logical collections.

In Active Directory, a hierarchical structure of one or more domains, connected by transitive, bidirectional trusts, that forms a contiguous namespace. Multiple domain trees can belong to the same forest.

A set of characters in which each character is represented by two bytes. Some languages, such as Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, require double-byte character sets.

Kernel-mode code used either to control or emulate a hardware device.

A file containing all of the device drivers that ship with Windows XP.

Digital video disk. A form of storage characterized by high capacity (roughly 650 MB) and the use of laser optics rather than magnetic means for reading data. Optical disk storage commonly used for audio, video, and computer data. DVDs range in capacity from 4.7 GB to 17 GB, and can store significantly more than a CD-ROM.

A data type that is composed of hexadecimal data with a maximum allotted space of 4 bytes.

A physical disk that provides features that basic disks do not, such as support for volumes that span multiple disks. Dynamic disks use a hidden database to track information about dynamic volumes on the disk and other dynamic disks in the computer. You convert basic disks to dynamic by using the Disk Management snap-in or the DiskPart command-line tool. When you convert a basic disk to dynamic, all existing basic volumes become dynamic volumes.

A TCP/IP service protocol that offers dynamic leased configuration of host IP addresses and distributes other configuration parameters to eligible network clients. DHCP provides safe, reliable, and simple TCP/IP network configuration, prevents address conflicts, and helps conserve the use of client IP addresses on the network.

DHCP uses a client/server model where the DHCP server maintains centralized management of IP addresses that are used on the network. DHCP-supporting clients can then request and obtain lease of an IP address from a DHCP server as part of their network boot process.

A volume that resides on a dynamic disk. Windows supports five types of dynamic volumes: simple, spanned, striped, mirrored, and RAID-5. A dynamic volume is formatted by using a file system, such as file allocation table (FAT) or NTFS, and has a drive letter assigned to it.

An operating system feature that allows executable routines (generally serving a specific function or set of functions) to be stored separately as files with .dll extensions. These routines are loaded only when needed by the program that calls them.

On Itanium-based computers, a portion on a GUID partition table (GPT) disk that is formatted with the file allocation table (FAT) file system and contains the files necessary to start the computer. Every Itanium-based computer must have at least one GPT disk with an EFI system partition. The EFI system partition serves the same purpose as the system volume found on x86-based computers.

The general class of microcontrollers used to support OEM-specific implementation, mainly in mobile environments. The embedded controller performs complex low-level functions through a simple interface to the host microprocessor(s).

ACPI defines a standard hardware and software communications interface between an operating system driver and an embedded controller, such as Smart Battery and AML code. This allows any operating system to provide a standard driver that can directly communicate with an embedded controller in the system, thus allowing other drivers to communicate with and use the resources of the system embedded controllers.

The process of disguising a message or data in such a way as to hide its substance.

The person who ultimately receives the computer manufactured by the OEM.

A legal agreement between a software or hardware manufacturer and the end user, with regard to the terms of use and transfer of the software.

Any significant occurrence in the system or an application that requires users to be notified or an entry to be added to a log.

A component you can use to view and manage event logs, gather information about hardware and software problems, and monitor security events. Event Viewer maintains logs about program, security, and system events.

A socket in a computer, designed to hold expansion boards and connect them to the system bus.

A type of partition that you can create only on basic master boot record (MBR) disks. Extended partitions are useful if you want to create more than four volumes on a basic MBR disk. Unlike primary partitions, you do not format an extended partition with a file system and then assign a drive letter to it. Instead, you create one or more logical drives within the extended partition. After you create a logical drive, you format it and assign it a drive letter. An MBR disk can have up to four primary partitions or three primary partitions, one extended partition, and multiple logical drives.

In computers with the Intel Itanium processor, the interface between a computer's firmware, hardware, and the operating system. EFI defines a new partition style called GUID partition table (GPT). EFI serves the same purpose for Itanium-based computers as the basic input/output system (BIOS) found in x86-based computers. However, it has expanded capabilities that provide a consistent way to start any compatible operating system and an easy way to add EFI drivers for new bootable devices without the need to update the computer's firmware.

A mode of running Sysprep that postpones the first-run experience and allows OEMs to install additional drivers and applications, incorporate build-to-order customer information, and test the Windows installation. To run Sysprep in factory mode, use the command line Sysprep -factory.

A derivative of the file allocation table (FAT) file system. FAT32 supports smaller cluster sizes and larger volumes than FAT, which results in more efficient space allocation on FAT32 volumes.

The ability of computer hardware or software to ensure data integrity when hardware failures occur. Fault-tolerant features appear in many server operating systems and include mirrored volumes, RAID-5 volumes, and server clusters.

A file system used by MS-DOS and other Windows operating systems to organize and manage files. The file allocation table is a data structure that Windows creates when you format a volume by using FAT or FAT32 file systems. Windows stores information about each file in the file allocation table so that it can retrieve the file later.

The first of the three stages of Setup, where the Windows program files and any additional files specified are copied to the computers hard disk.

In an operating system, the overall structure in which files are named, stored, and organized. NTFS, FAT, and FAT32 are types of file systems.

A member of the TCP/IP suite of protocols, used to copy files between two computers on the Internet. Both computers must support their respective FTP roles: one must be an FTP client and the other an FTP server.

Software routines and low-level input/output instructions stored in read-only memory (ROM). Unlike random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory stays intact even in the absence of electrical power.

The software that the end user sees the first time they start a new computer. The first-run experience is known as Windows Welcome in Windows XP and Mini-Setup in the Windows Server 2003 family.

The process of updating the computerÆs BIOS software with a new version.

A graphic design applied to a collection of numbers, symbols, and characters. A font describes a certain typeface, along with other qualities such as size, spacing, and pitch.

The program that runs in the active window (the uppermost window with the highlighted title bar). The foreground program responds to commands issued by the user.

One or more Active Directory domains that share the same class and attribute definitions (schema), site and replication information (configuration), and forest-wide search capabilities (global catalog). Domains in the same forest are linked with two-way, transitive trust relationships.

Available space that you use to create logical drives within an extended partition.

Tiny Japanese kana characters written above or next to kanji characters. The kana characters indicate the correct pronunciation of the word written in kanji.

A graphical representation of either a character, a part of a character, or a sequence of characters.

Termination of a process that allows the operating system or parent process to regain normal control. Does not crash the machine or result in a general protection default (GPF) or blue screen. The user is not required to close the application, and can continue to use the other functionality.

A display format, like that of Windows, that represents a program's functions with graphic images such as buttons and icons. GUIs enable a user to perform operations and make choices by pointing and clicking with a mouse.

A collection of user accounts. By making a user account a member of a group, you give the related user all the rights and permissions granted to the group.

The infrastructure within Active Directory directory service that enables directory-based change and configuration management of user and computer settings, including security and user data. You use Group Policy to define configurations for groups of users and computers. With Group Policy, you can specify policy settings for registry-based policies, security, software installation, scripts, folder redirection, remote installation services, and Internet Explorer maintenance. The Group Policy settings that you create are contained in a Group Policy object (GPO). By associating a GPO with selected Active Directory system containers—sites, domains, and organizational units—you can apply the GPO's policy settings to the users and computers in those Active Directory containers. To create an individual GPO, use the Group Policy Object Editor. To manage Group Policy objects across an enterprise, you can use the Group Policy Management console.

The third of the three stages of Setup, during which the computers hardware and network settings are configured, you are prompted to provide an Administrator password, and you can personalize the installation.

A disk-partitioning scheme that is used by the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) in Itanium-based computers. GPT offers more advantages than master boot record (MBR) partitioning because it allows up to 128 partitions per disk, provides support for volumes up to 18 exabytes in size, allows primary and backup partition tables for redundancy, and supports unique disk and partition IDs (GUIDs).

A thin layer of software provided by the hardware manufacturer that hides, or abstracts, hardware differences from higher layers of the operating system. By means of the filter provided by the HAL, different types of hardware look alike to the rest of the operating system. This enables the operating system to be portable from one hardware platform to another. The HAL also provides routines that enable a single device driver to support the same device on all platforms.

The hardware archive root key in the registry that is a superset of the memory-resident hardware tree. Although the hardware tree contains information only about those devices currently detected and running in the system, the registry contains a complete list of all hardware ever installed on the particular computer. The hardware root key is \\HKEY-LOCAL-MACHINE\Hardware.

A hardware list that Microsoft compiled for specific products, including Windows 2000 and earlier versions of Windows. The list for a specific product, such as Windows 2000, includes the hardware devices and computer systems that are compatible with that version of the product. For products in the Windows Server 2003 family, you can find the equivalent information on the Windows Catalog Web site.

A vendor-defined string used by the Plug and Play Manager to find the correct .inf file to install a particular device.

A record in RAM of the current system configuration based on the information for all devices in the hardware branch of the registry. The hardware tree is created each time the system is started or whenever a dynamic change occurs to the system configuration.

A classification for similar devices. For example, Imaging Device is a hardware type for digital cameras and scanners.

A fixed-size result that is obtained by applying a one-way mathematical function (sometimes called a hash algorithm) to an arbitrary amount of data. If there is a change in the input data, the hash changes. The hash can be used in many operations, including authentication and digital signing. Also called a message digest.

An algorithm that produces a hash value of some piece of data, such as a message or session key. With a good hash algorithm, changes in the input data can change every bit in the resulting hash value; for this reason, hashes are useful in detecting any modification in a data object, such as a message. Furthermore, a good hash algorithm makes it computationally infeasible to construct two independent inputs that have the same hash. Typical hash algorithms include MD2, MD4, MD5, and SHA-1. Also called a hash function.

Hardware Compatibility Tests. A suite of tests from WHQL to verify hardware and device driver operations under a specific operating environment. These tests exercise the combination of a device, a software driver, and an operating system under controlled conditions to verify that all components operate properly.

A unified place where a user can access all Help and Support content and services from both Microsoft and the OEM.

A partition that is not visibly exposed to the user. To create a hidden partition, set the partition type to one not recognized by Windows.

A file in which the system stores a portion of the registry (named for their resemblance to the cellular structure of a beehive). A hive is backed by a single file and a .log file, which are in either the systemroot\System32\Config folder or the systemroot\Profiles\username folder.

By default, most hive files (Default, SAM, Security, and System) are stored in the systemroot\System32\Config folder. The systemroot\Profiles folder contains the user profile for each user of the computer. Because a hive is a file, it can be moved from one system to another. However, you must use the Registry Editor, Regedit.exe, to edit the file.

An update to address an issue identified after a software product has been distributed. Hotfix distribution is limited by its licensing terms.

A common connection point for devices in a network. Typically used to connect segments of a local area network (LAN), a hub contains multiple ports. When data arrives at one port, it is copied to the other ports so that all segments of the LAN can see the data.

A simple markup language used to create hypertext documents that are portable from one platform to another. HTML files are simple ASCII text files with codes embedded (indicated by markup tags) to denote formatting and hypertext links.

Data structures that drivers use to communicate with each other.

Intel Architecture Personal Computer. A general descriptive term for computers built with processors conforming to the architecture defined by the Intel processor family based on the 486 instruction set and having an industry-standard computer architecture.

The animated icon from the Help and Support Center that guides users through their first-run experience or Windows Welcome.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, founded in 1963. IEEE is an organization composed of engineers, scientists, and students, best known for developing standards for the computer and electronics industry.

A standard for high-speed serial devices such as digital video and digital audio editing equipment.

A collection of files and folders (sometimes compressed into one file) that duplicates the original file and folder structure of an operating system. It often contains other files added by the OEM or corporation.

The fineness or coarseness of an image as it is digitized, measured in dots per inch (DPI), typically ranging from 200 to 400 DPI.

A driver contained in the Driver.cab file, located in the i386 folder on the Windows product CD. The Plug and Play hardware IDs for in-box drivers are specified in Machine.inf, Scsi.inf, Pnpscsi.inf, and Mshdc.inf.

A company that manufactures hardware devices and the associated device drivers.

A third-party software developer; an individual or an organization that independently creates computer software.

A Regional and Language Options setting that specifies the combination of the language entered and the keyboard layout, Input Method Editor (IME), speech-to-text converter, or other device used to enter it. Formerly known as input locale.

A program used to enter the thousands of different characters in written Asian languages with a standard 101-key keyboard. An IME consists of both an engine that converts keystrokes into phonetic and ideographic characters and a dictionary of commonly used ideographic words. As the user enters keystrokes, the IME engine attempts to identify which character or characters that the keystrokes should be converted into.

A channel through which data is transferred between a device and the microprocessor. The port appears to the microprocessor as one or more memory addresses that it can use to send or receive data.

When referring to software, to add program files and folders to your hard disk and related data to your registry so that the software runs properly. Installing contrasts with upgrading, where existing program files, folders, and registry entries are updated to a more recent version.

When referring to hardware, to physically connect the device to your computer, to load device drivers onto your computer, and to configure device properties and settings.

A type of disk-drive interface in which the controller electronics reside on the drive itself, eliminating the need for a separate adapter card. IDE offers advantages such as look-ahead caching to increase overall performance.

internet. Two or more network segments connected by routers. Another term for internetwork.

Internet. A worldwide network of computers. If you have access to the Internet, you can retrieve information from millions of sources, including schools, governments, businesses, and individuals.

An address for a resource on the Internet that is used by Web browsers to locate Internet resources. An Internet address typically starts with a protocol name, followed by the name of the organization that maintains the site; the suffix identifies the kind of organization it is. For example, the address http://www.yale.edu provides the following information:

• http: This Web server uses the Hypertext Transfer Protocol.
• www: This site is on the World Wide Web.
• edu: This is an educational institution.

Software services that support Web site creation, configuration, and management, along with other Internet functions. Internet Information Services include Network News Transfer Protocol (NNTP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

A routable protocol in the TCP/IP protocol suite that is responsible for IP addressing, routing, and the fragmentation and reassembly of IP packets.

A company that provides individuals or companies access to the Internet and the World Wide Web. An ISP provides a telephone number, a user name, a password, and other connection information so users can connect their computers to the ISP's computers. An ISP typically charges a monthly or hourly connection fee.

A network protocol native to NetWare that controls addressing and routing of packets within and between local area networks (LANs). IPX does not guarantee that a message will be complete (no lost packets).

Transport protocols used in Novell NetWare networks, which together correspond to the combination of TCP and IP in the TCP/IP protocol suite. Windows implements IPX through NWLink.

A signal sent by a device to get the attention of the processor when the device is ready to accept or send information. Each device sends its interrupt requests over a specific hardware line. Each device must be assigned a unique IRQ number.

Hardware lines over which devices can send signals to get the attention of the processor when the device is ready to accept or send information. Each device must have a unique IRQ line.

For Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4), a 32-bit address used to identify a node on an IPv4 internetwork. Each node on the IP internetwork must be assigned a unique IPv4 address, which is made up of the network ID, plus a unique host ID. This address is typically represented with the decimal value of each octet separated by a period (for example, 192.168.7.27). You can configure the IP address statically or dynamically by using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP).

For Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6), an identifier that is assigned at the IPv6 layer to an interface or set of interfaces and that can be used as the source or destination of IPv6 packets.

Time dependent. Refers to processes where data must be delivered within certain time constraints. Multimedia streams require an isochronous transport mechanism to ensure that data is delivered as fast as it is displayed, and to ensure that the audio is synchronized with the video.

The Plug and Play process by which cards on an ISA bus are distinguished from each other after system startup.

An HTTP server that automates the task of adding new customers to an ISP's customer database. The Internet sign-up server collects information from each customer, adds the information to the ISP's customer database, and then passes a configuration packet back to the customer's desktop computer. The configuration packet contains information that is used to configure the customer's Internet browser for subsequent connection to the ISP's services.

A set of HTML pages in Windows Welcome that enables end users to sign up for Internet access from a particular Internet service provider.

An Intel microprocessor that uses explicitly parallel instruction set computing and 64-bit memory addressing.

Itanium-based refers to systems or platforms that are based on the Itanium processor. Itanium 2-based refers to systems or platforms that are based on the Itanium 2 processor. Itanium architecture-based refers to systems or platforms that are based on the Itanium and Itanium 2 processors.

There are no glossary terms that begin with this letter.

The core of layered architecture that manages the most basic operations of the operating system and the computer's processor. The kernel schedules different blocks of executing code, called threads, for the processor to keep it as busy as possible and coordinates multiple processors to optimize performance. The kernel also synchronizes activities among Executive-level subcomponents, such as I/O Manager and Process Manager, and handles hardware exceptions and other hardware-dependent functions. The kernel works closely with the hardware abstraction layer.

A highly privileged mode of operation where program code has direct access to all memory, including the address spaces of all user-mode processes and applications, and to hardware. Also known as supervisor mode, protected mode, or Ring 0.

Driver for a logical, virtual, or physical device.

In Registry Editor, a folder that appears in the left pane of the Registry Editor window. A key can contain subkeys and entries. For example, Environment is a key of HKEY_CURRENT_USER.

In IP security (IPSec), a value used in combination with an algorithm to encrypt or decrypt data. Key settings for IPSec are configurable to provide greater security.

In DNS, each part of a DNS domain name that represents a node in the domain namespace tree. For example, the three labels example, microsoft, and com make up the DNS domain name example.microsoft.com. Each label used in a DNS name cannot exceed 63 octets, 255 bytes including the terminating dot, for the fully qualified domain name (FQDN).

A Regional and Language Options setting that specifies the default code pages and associated bitmap font files for a specific computer that affects all of that computer's users. The default code pages and fonts enable a non-Unicode application written for one operating system language version to run correctly on another operating system language version. Formerly known as system locale.

A term used to describe the supported script families in Microsoft Windows.

A 16-bit value which consists of a primary and a secondary language ID. Bits 0-9 make up the primary language ID and bits 10-15 comprise the sub-language ID.

An industry-standard Internet tunneling protocol that provides encapsulation for sending Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) frames across packet-oriented media. For IP networks, L2TP traffic is sent as User Datagram Protocol (UDP) messages. In Microsoft operating systems, L2TP is used in conjunction with Internet Protocol security (IPSec) as a virtual private network (VPN) technology to provide remote access or router-to-router VPN connections. L2TP is described in RFC 2661.

One of a collection of drivers that responds to the same IRPs. Layered driver describes the highest-level and lowest-level drivers in a chain of layered drivers that process the same IRPs, along with all intermediate drivers in the chain.

Logical block addressing. A method used with SCSI and IDE disk drives to translate the cylinder, head, and sector specifications of the drive into addresses that can be used by an enhanced BIOS. LBA is used with drives that are larger than 528MB.

The length of time for which a DHCP client can use a dynamically assigned IP address configuration. Before the lease time expires, the client must either renew or obtain a new lease with DHCP.

Any feature in the computer system based on older technology for which compatibility continues to be maintained in other system components.

The right of a person or company to use software in a particular way, as described in the terms of the license agreement. Copyright law also limits how a person may use the software. A person needs a license agreement for each software program they use.

The primary access protocol for Active Directory. LDAP is an industry-standard protocol, established by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), that allows users to query and update information in a directory service. Active Directory supports both LDAP version 2 and LDAP version 3.

A communications network connecting a group of computers, printers, and other devices located within a relatively limited area (for example, a building). A LAN enables any connected device to interact with any other on the network.

Usually refers to a system bus directly connected to the microprocessor on a system board. Local bus is used colloquially to refer to system board buses located closer to the microprocessor than ordinary expansion buses (thus requiring less buffering), which make them capable of greater throughput.

A group of user preference information, such as date and time formatting, represented as a list of values related to the user's language and sublanguage.

A 32-bit value which consists of the language ID in the low word (bits 0-15) and the sorting ID (bits 16-19) and a reserved value (bits 20-31) in the high word.

A volume that you create within an extended partition on a basic master boot record (MBR) disk. Logical drives are similar to primary partitions, except that you are limited to four primary partitions per disk, whereas you can create an unlimited number of logical drives per disk. A logical drive can be formatted and assigned a drive letter.

A folder or file name longer than the 8.3 file name standard (up to eight characters followed by a period and an extension of up to three characters). Most versions of Windows, including Windows XP, Windows 2000, Window NT, Windows 95, and Windows 98 support long file names up to 255 characters.

A device on which mass-storage devices rely for access to a computer subsystem. For example, a SCSI card or IDE functionality on the motherboard is a mass-storage controller; the physical hard drive is a mass-storage device.

A generic term for disk, optical disk, or other device that provides persistent storage for computer data.

The first sector on a hard disk, which begins the process of starting the computer. The MBR contains the partition table for the disk and a small amount of executable code called the master boot code.

A fully-assembled computer containing a master installation.

An NTFS system file on NTFS-formatted volumes that contains information about each file and folder on the volume. The MFT is the first file on an NTFS volume.

A customized installation of Windows that an OEM plans to duplicate onto one or more destination computers.

A portion of computer memory that can be allocated to a device or used by a program or the operating system. Devices are usually allocated a range of memory addresses.

A message queuing and routing system for Windows that enables distributed applications running at different times to communicate across heterogeneous networks and with computers that may be offline. Message Queuing provides guaranteed message delivery, efficient routing, security, and priority-based messaging. Formerly known as MSMQ.

Most Frequently Used list. A list of applications that the end user has recently used.

A framework for hosting administrative tools called snap-ins. A console might contain tools, folders or other containers, World Wide Web pages, and other administrative items. These items are displayed in the left pane of the console, called a console tree. A console has one or more windows that can provide views of the console tree. The main MMC window provides commands and tools for authoring consoles. The authoring features of MMC and the console tree itself might be hidden when a console is in User Mode.

The license agreement between a system builder and Microsoft Licensing, Inc., affixed to the side of every OEM Distribution Pack. By opening the package, you agree to all the terms of the Microsoft OEM System Builder Agreement. If you do not agree to all the terms of the agreement, contact the Microsoft OEM authorized distributor from which it was purchased and make arrangements to return the software.

A required partition on every GUID partition table (GPT) disk. System components can allocate portions of the MSR partition into new partitions for their own use. For example, when you convert a basic GPT disk to dynamic, the system allocates a portion of the MSR partition to be used as the Logical Disk Manager (LDM) metadata partition. The MSR partition varies in size based on the size of the GPT disk. For disks smaller than 16 GB, the MSR partition is 32 MB. For disks larger than 16 GB, the MSR partition is 128 MB. The MSR partition is not visible in Disk Management, and you cannot store data on the MSR partition or delete it.

Musical Instrument Digital Interface. An industry-standard connection for computer control of musical instruments and devices. A hardware and data standard for communication between hardware. Most references involve only the data standard, which is a byte stream used for controlling musical instruments and storing the output of such instruments.

A subset of GUI-mode Setup, Mini-Setup is the first-run experience on the Windows Server 2003 family. Mini-Setup prompts for user-specific information, detects new hardware, and regenerates system IDs.

Millions of instructions per second. A common measure of processor speed.

A fault-tolerant volume that duplicates data on two physical disks. A mirrored volume provides data redundancy by using two identical volumes, which are called mirrors, to duplicate the information contained on the volume. A mirror is always located on a different disk. If one of the physical disks fails, the data on the failed disk becomes unavailable, but the system continues to operate in the mirror on the remaining disk. You can create mirrored volumes only on dynamic disks on computers running the Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 families of operating systems. You cannot extend mirrored volumes.

A device that enables computer information to be transmitted and received over a telephone line. The transmitting modem translates digital computer data into analog signals that can be carried over a telephone line. The receiving modem translates the analog signals back to digital form.

A monitor that displays images in only one color, or displays only variable levels of a single color, such as a gray-scale monitor.

A driver that contains many different classes of functionality.

The main circuit board of a microcomputer. The motherboard contains the connectors for attaching additional boards.

Acronym for MPEG Audio Layer-3. A digital audio coding scheme used to distribute recorded music over the Internet. MP3 shrinks the size of an audio file by a factor of 10 to 12 without degrading the quality (CD-recording level) of the sound.

Microsoft Developer Network.

The message queuing and routing system for Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, and Windows 98. For Windows 2000, Windows XP, and the Windows Server 2003 family, this feature is called Message Queuing.

A mixed-width character set, in which some characters consist of more than 1 byte. A double byte character set (DBCS), which is a specific type of multibyte character set, includes some characters that consist of 1 byte and some characters that consist of 2 bytes.

A separate, stand-alone release of Windows that includes user interface resources for each supported language. MUI enables users to set the user-interface language according to their preferences, provided the required language files are present on the computer. It is designed to enable large corporations to deploy a single version of Windows worldwide, while enabling their local users or groups to select the user-interface language. The following items are not localized in MUI versions: all 16-bit code, bitmaps, registry keys and values, folders and file names, and .inf files.

Refers to the delivery of information that combines different content formats, such as video, audio, still images, graphics, animation, and text.

Two or more connected and roughly equal processors that can each carry out one or more processes (programs or sets of instructions) in tandem.

The process of having software translate between names that are easy for users to work with and numerical IP addresses, which are difficult for users but necessary for TCP/IP communications. Name resolution can be provided by software components such as DNS or WINS.

In Windows 2000 domains, the domain mode in which all domain controllers in a domain are running Windows 2000 and a domain administrator has switched the domain operation mode from mixed mode to native mode. Native mode supports universal groups and nesting of groups. In native mode, domain controllers running Windows NT 4.0 or earlier are not supported.

In Windows Server 2003 domains, native mode is referred to as Windows 2000 native, and it is one of three domain functional levels available.

A network protocol native to Microsoft Networking. It is usually used in small, department-size local area networks (LANs) of 1 to 200 clients. NetBEUI can use Token Ring source routing as its only method of routing. NetBEUI is the Microsoft implementation of the NetBIOS standard.

A device that connects your computer to a network. Sometimes called an adapter card or network interface card.

An application programming interface (API) that can be used by programs on a local area network (LAN). NetBIOS provides programs with a uniform set of commands for requesting the lower-level services required to manage names, conduct sessions, and send datagrams between nodes on a network.

A device driver that works directly with the network card, acting as an intermediary between the card and the protocol driver.

An expansion card or other device used to provide network access to a computer or other device, such as a printer. Network interface cards mediate between the computer and physical media, such as cabling, over which transmissions travel. Also called network adapter or network card.

A member of the TCP/IP suite of protocols used to distribute network news messages to NNTP servers and clients (newsreaders) on the Internet. NNTP is designed so that news articles are stored on a server in a central database, thus enabling a user to select specific items to read.

A tool that helps users sign up for Internet service and automatically handles the software configuration steps necessary for gaining access to the Internet.

For tree structures, a location on the tree that can have links to one or more items below it.

For local area networks (LANs), a device that is connected to the network and is capable of communicating with other network devices.

For server clusters, a computer system that is an active or inactive member of a cluster.

A character, such as diacritic, that has no meaning by itself, but overlaps a base character to modify it, sometimes referred to as a "combining character".

An advanced file system that provides performance, security, reliability, and advanced features that are not found in any version of file allocation table (FAT). For example, NTFS guarantees volume consistency by using standard transaction logging and recovery techniques. If a system fails, NTFS uses its log file and checkpoint information to restore the consistency of the file system. NTFS also provides advanced features, such as file and folder permissions, encryption, disk quotas, and compression.

The Microsoft implementation of the Internetwork Packet Exchange/Sequenced Packet Exchange (IPX/SPX) protocol used on NetWare networks. NWLink allows connectivity between Windows-based computers and NetWare networks running IPX/SPX. NWLink also provides network basic input/output system (NetBIOS) functionality and the Routing Information Protocol (RIP).

An entity, such as a file, folder, shared folder, printer, or Active Directory object, described by a distinct, named set of attributes. For example, the attributes of a File object include its name, location, and size; the attributes of an Active Directory User object might include the user's first name, last name, and e-mail address.

For OLE and ActiveX, an object can also be any piece of information that can be linked to, or embedded into, another object.

To incorporate a company name, logo, support information, and Help files into the Microsoft Windows installation.

A set of HTML pages created by either the OEM or a third-party company that lets end users sign up for Internet access from a particular Internet service provider (ISP). You can incorporate these pages into Windows Welcome, or include a shortcut to the first page of the OEM link on the Start menu.

A legal agreement between Microsoft Licensing, Inc., and OEMs, regarding the terms of preinstalling, customizing, and distributing Microsoft Windows XP. For system builders, the corresponding agreement is affixed to the side of every OEM Distribution Pack. By opening the package, you agree to all the terms of the Microsoft OEM System Builder Agreement. For royalty OEMs, the license agreement is a signed contract. The specific requirements and customization options that apply to either or both license agreements are documented in the OPK User's Guide.

A link on the Start menu where OEMs can place any desired links or shortcuts.

A set of tools, documentation, and samples that enable OEMs to preinstall Windows efficiently on new computers according to the terms of the OEM Licensing Agreement.

The HTML Help file that you customize to provide OEM-specific support information in Windows Help.

A file used to provide required OEM information, such as company name, computer model, company telephone number, and customer support information.

Outline fonts that are rendered from line and curve commands, and can be scaled and rotated. OpenType fonts are clear and readable in all sizes and on all output devices supported by Windows. OpenType is an extension of TrueType font technology.

A company that typically purchases computer components from other manufacturers, uses the components to build a personal computer, preinstalls Windows onto that computer, and then sells the computer to the public.

A hidden file or files on the hard disk that Windows uses to hold parts of programs and data files that do not fit in memory. The paging file and physical memory, or random access memory (RAM), comprise virtual memory. Windows moves data from the paging file to memory as needed and moves data from memory to the paging file to make room for new data. Also known as a swap file.

A device that uses a parallel connection.

An object in which another object resides. For example, a folder is a parent object in which a file, or child object, resides. An object can be both a parent and a child object. For example, a subfolder that contains files is both the child of the parent folder and the parent folder of the files.

A portion of a physical disk that functions as though it were a physically separate disk. After you create a partition, you must format it and assign it a drive letter before you can store data on it.

On basic disks, partitions are known as basic volumes, which include primary partitions and logical drives. On dynamic disks, partitions are known as dynamic volumes, which include simple, striped, spanned, mirrored, and RAID-5 volumes.

A portion of a hard disk partition that contains information about the disk's file system and a short machine language program that loads the Windows operating system.

A single sign-in service that lets you use a single name and password on multiple participating Web sites.

A security measure used to restrict logon names to user accounts and access to computer systems and resources. A password is a string of characters that must be provided before a logon name or an access is authorized. A password can be made up of letters, numbers, and symbols, and it is case sensitive.

A removable device, approximately the size of a credit card, that can be plugged into a Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) slot in a portable computer. PCMCIA devices can include modems, network cards, and hard disk drives.

A suite of technologies and features focused on providing end users with improved technical support by enabling web-based support solutions. PC Health also provides better operating system reliability, and an enhanced end-user experience, by providing easier access to help content and support services.

A removable device, approximately the size of a credit card, that can be plugged into a PCMCIA slot in a portable computer. PCMCIA devices can include modems, network adapters, and hard disk drives.

Some PCMCIA cards can be connected to and disconnected from your computer without restarting it. Before you remove the PCMCIA card, however, you should use the Add Hardware Wizard to notify Windows that you are doing so. Windows will then notify you when you can remove the device.

A rule associated with an object to regulate which users can gain access to the object and in what manner. Permissions are assigned or denied by the object's owner.

Programmable Interrupt Controller. This type of hardware cannot be used in computers with multiple processes, and the processing speed is slower than similar APIC hardware.

Unauthorized copying, distribution, and use of computer software, or software theft.

An abbreviation for picture elements. The minimum raster display element, represented as a point, with a specified color or intensity level. One way to measure picture resolution is by the number of pixels used to create images.

A set of specifications developed by Intel Corporation that enables a computer to detect and configure a device automatically and install the appropriate device drivers.

A BIOS with responsibility for configuring Plug and Play cards and system-board devices during system power up. Provides runtime configuration services for system board devices after startup.

An industry standard suite of protocols for the use of point-to-point links to transport multiprotocol datagrams. PPP is documented in RFC 1661.

Networking technology that supports multiprotocol virtual private networks (VPNs), enabling remote users to access corporate networks securely across the Internet or other networks by dialing into an Internet service provider (ISP) or by connecting directly to the Internet. PPTP tunnels, or encapsulates, Internet Protocol (IP), Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX), or NetBIOS Extended User Interface (NetBEUI) traffic inside IP packets. This means that users can remotely run applications that depend on particular network protocols.

To import prepared data using a software procedure rather than the end user entering the information.

A connection point on your computer where you can connect devices that pass data into and out of a computer. For example, a printer is typically connected to a parallel port (also called an LPT port), and a modem is typically connected to a serial port (also called a COM port).

Mechanisms in software and hardware to minimize system power consumption, manage system thermal limits, and maximize system battery life. Power management involves trade-offs among system speed, noise, battery life, processing speed, and power consumption.

A set of routines stored in read-only memory (ROM) that tests various system components such as RAM, the disk drives, and the keyboard, to see if they are properly connected and operating. If problems are found, these routines alert the user with a series of beeps or a message, often accompanied by a diagnostic numeric value. If the POST is successful, it passes control to the bootstrap loader.

DHCP-based remote boot technology used to boot or install an operating system on a client computer from a remote server. A RIS Server is an example of a PXE Server.

A single character that represents a sequence of characters, usually a combination of a base character and one or more diacritics.

Configuring the operating system during the manufacturing process to use a specific account for access to the Internet.

A key that represents one of the main divisions of the registry. Each predefined key is displayed in a separate Registry Editor window, with the key's name appearing in the window's title bar. For example, HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT is a predefined key.

To install and configure Windows XP on new computers that are then distributed to end users.

The act of installing and configuring Windows XP on new computers that are then distributed to end users.

The hard disk drive that contains the system and boot partitions used to start Windows.

A type of partition that you can create on basic disks. A primary partition is a portion of a physical disk that functions as though it were a physically separate disk. On basic master boot record (MBR) disks, you can create up to four primary partitions on a basic disk, or three primary partitions and an extended partition with multiple logical drives. On basic GUID partition table (GPT) disks, you can create up to 128 primary partitions. Also known as a volume.

The secret half of a cryptographic key pair that is used with a public key algorithm. Private keys are typically used to decrypt a symmetric session key, digitally sign data, or decrypt data that has been encrypted with the corresponding public key.

A 25-character, alpha-numeric string. Customers must enter this string to activate their installation of Windows. The product key is located on the certificate of authenticity, which is attached to the computer chassis.

A method defined to set and get properties on a driver. Each property set has a unique identifier, which represents types of related information and is used to access the property set.

The first sector of a GUID partition table (GPT) disk that is structured like the first sector of a master boot record (MBR) disk to prevent x86-based disk utilities from destroying GPT partitions. The Protective MBR contains one partition that reserves the entire space used on the disk by GPT partitions.

A set of rules and conventions for sending information over a network. These rules govern the content, format, timing, sequencing, and error control of messages exchanged among network devices.

A firewall and content cache server that provides Internet security and improves network performance.

The nonsecret half of a cryptographic key pair that is used with a public key algorithm. Public keys are typically used when encrypting a session key, verifying a digital signature, or encrypting data that can be decrypted with the corresponding private key.

A method of encryption that uses two encryption keys that are mathematically related. One key is called the private key and is kept confidential. The other is called the public key and is freely given out to all potential correspondents. In a typical scenario, a sender uses the receiver's public key to encrypt a message. Only the receiver has the related private key to decrypt the message. The complexity of the relationship between the public key and the private key means that, provided the keys are long enough, it is computationally infeasible to determine one from the other. Also called asymmetric encryption.

The laws, policies, standards, and software that regulate or manipulate certificates and public and private keys. In practice, it is a system of digital certificates, certification authorities, and other registration authorities that verify and authenticate the validity of each party involved in an electronic transaction. Standards for PKI are still evolving, even though they are being widely implemented as a necessary element of electronic commerce.

An extension to the DHCP protocol that enables information to be sent to network-bootable systems and enables these systems to find RIS servers.

Quick-Fix Engineering. This is usually referred to as a hotfix.

The animated Microsoft agent character in Windows Welcome.

Running a command-line application so that it does not display confirmation messages or any other user interface items that normally appear on screen. The switch for quiet mode is typically /q.

A fault-tolerant volume with data and parity striped intermittently across three or more physical disks. Parity is a calculated value that is used to reconstruct data after a failure. If a portion of a physical disk fails, Windows recreates the data that was on the failed portion from the remaining data and parity. You can create RAID-5 volumes only on dynamic disks on computers running the Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 families of operating systems. You cannot mirror or extend RAID-5 volumes. In Windows NT 4.0, a RAID-5 volume was known as a striped set with parity.

Memory that can be read from or written to by a computer or other devices. Information stored in RAM is lost when the computer is turned off.

Windows XP ranks drivers to determine which is the best for a device. The lower the rank, the better the match of the driver to the device.

A semiconductor circuit that contains information that cannot be modified.

A state used by DHCP clients to extend and renew their address lease when the current lease is close to expiring. In this state, the client broadcasts to the network to locate any DHCP server that can either renew or replace its currently leased configuration. The rebinding state begins when 87.5 percent of the client's lease time has elapsed.

To restart a computer by reloading the operating system. This can be done by performing either a cold boot, such as turning the computer off and then back on, or a warm boot, such as turning the computer off by typically pressing CTRL + ALT + DEL, clicking Shut Down, and then clicking Restart.

A command-line interface that provides a limited set of administrative commands that are useful for repairing a computer.

Media provided by the OEM to the customer that enables the customer to repair or reinstall their installation of Windows.

A type of microprocessor design that focuses on rapid and efficient processing of a relatively small set of instructions. RISC architecture limits the number of instructions that are built into the microprocessor, but optimizes each so it can be carried out very rapidly{bmct emdash.bmp}usually within a single clock cycle.

A method used to standardize and categorize fault-tolerant disk systems. RAID levels provide various mixes of performance, reliability, and cost. Some servers provide three of the RAID levels: Level 0 (striping), Level 1 (mirroring), and Level 5 (RAID-5).

Providing the user's name, address, and other demographic information to Microsoft or to both Microsoft and the OEM. Registration information is commonly used for marketing purposes. Registration is different from activation; a user may activate their installation of Windows without providing any identification or demographic information.

A database repository for information about a computer's configuration. The registry contains information that Windows continually references during operation, such as:

• Profiles for each user
• The programs installed on the computer and the types of documents that each can create
• Property settings for folders and program icons
• What hardware exists on the system
• Which ports are being used

The registry is organized hierarchically as a tree, and it is made up of keys and their subkeys, hives, and entries.

An identifier for a record or group of records in the registry.

Part of the integrated Routing and Remote Access service that provides remote networking for telecommuters, mobile workers, and system administrators who monitor and manage servers at multiple branch offices. Users can use Network Connections to dial in to remotely access their networks for services such as file and printer sharing, electronic mail, scheduling, and SQL database access.

A Windows-based computer running the Routing and Remote Access service and configured to provide remote access.

An optional component that remotely installs Windows XP Professional. RIS installs the operating system on remote boot-enabled client computers by connecting the computer to the network, starting the client computer, logging on with a valid user account, and copying an operating system image to the client computer.

A server that you can administer by using a different computer. You typically access this type of server by using a network connection. A remotely administered server can have a local keyboard, mouse, or video card and monitor. If it does not have these peripherals attached, it is also known as a headless server. Such servers are often housed in a physically secure location.

In Active Directory replication, one instance of a logical Active Directory partition that is synchronized by means of replication between domain controllers that hold copies of the same directory partition. Replica can also refer to an instance of an object or attribute in a distributed directory.

In the File Replication service (FRS), a computer that has been included in the configuration of a specific replica set.

To prepare the operating system for delivery to the customer by clearing the event log, resetting the time clock for Windows Product Activation, and configuring the first-run experience to run the next time Windows starts. Run Sysprep -reseal as the final step in your manufacturing process.

Generally, any part of a computer system or network, such as a disk drive, printer, or memory, that can be allotted to a running program or a process.

For Device Manager, any of four system components that control how the devices on a computer work. These four system resources are interrupt request (IRQ) lines, direct memory access (DMA) channels, input/output (I/O) ports, and memory addresses.

For server clusters, a physical or logical entity that is capable of being managed by a cluster, brought online and taken offline, and moved between nodes. A resource can be owned only by a single node at any point in time.

The highest or uppermost level in a hierarchically organized set of information. The root is the point from which further subsets are branched in a logical sequence that moves from a broad or general focus to narrower perspectives.

A self-signed certification authority certificate. It is called a root certificate because it is the certificate for the root authority. The root authority must sign its own certificate because by definition there is no higher certifying authority in the certification hierarchy.

The most trusted certification authority (CA), which is at the top of a certification hierarchy. The root CA has a self-signed certificate. Also called the root authority.

The process of forwarding a packet through an internetwork from a source host to a destination host.

A computer original equipment manufacturer who has signed a license agreement directly with Microsoft Licensing, Inc. Royalty OEMs receive a "golden master" copy of Windows from Microsoft. The royalty OEM may customize Windows as described in the OPK, their license agreement, or a signed addendum.

An application that is configured to run the next time the computer is restarted. The application does not run after any subsequent reboots of the system.

A type of program consisting of a set of instructions to an application or tool program. A script usually expresses instructions by using the application's or tool's rules and syntax, combined with simple control structures such as loops and if/then expressions. "Batch program" is often used interchangeably with "script" in the Windows environment.

A data structure of variable length that identifies user, group, and computer accounts. Every account on a network is issued a unique SID when the account is first created. Internal processes in Windows refer to an account's SID rather than the account's user or group name.

A string of up to 256 characters with five mandatory fields and ten optional fields, as defined in Section 3 of the Plug and Play External COM Device Specification, v. 1.0.

In general, a computer that provides shared resources to network users.

A group of computers, known as nodes, working together as a single system to ensure that mission-critical applications and resources remain available to clients. A server cluster presents the appearance of a single server to a client.

A program, routine, or process that performs a specific system function to support other programs, particularly at a low (close to the hardware) level. When services are provided over a network, they can be published in Active Directory, facilitating service-centric administration and usage. Some examples of services are the Security Accounts Manager service, File Replication service, and Routing and Remote Access service.

A mark used in the sale or advertising of services to identify and distinguish them from services provided by another company.

A software upgrade to an existing software distribution that contains updated files consisting of patches and hot fixes.

A utility for creating and modifying answer files and configuration sets.

A log file provides valuable information for troubleshooting and debugging Setup, device installation, and related issues. The information stored in the log file includes errors, warnings, and related information from Windows Setup, including time information.

An executable program invoked by Sysprep.exe that recognizes security IDs (SIDs). It must reside in the same folder as Sysprep.exe.

A driver that meets the criteria of the Windows Logo Program. For performance and stability, Microsoft strongly recommends that you use only signed drivers for new or updated drivers.

A member of the TCP/IP suite of protocols that governs the exchange of electronic mail between message transfer agents.

Four TCP/IP services: Character Generator, Daytime Discard, Echo, and Quote of the Day.

A dynamic volume made up of disk space from a single dynamic disk. A simple volume can consist of a single region on a disk or multiple regions of the same disk that are linked together. If the simple volume is not a system volume or boot volume, you can extend it within the same disk or onto additional disks. If you extend a simple volume across multiple disks, it becomes a spanned volume. You can create simple volumes only on dynamic disks. Simple volumes are not fault tolerant, but you can mirror them to create mirrored volumes on computers running the Windows 2000 Server or Windows Server 2003 families of operating systems.

A process that enables a user with a domain account to log on to a network once, using a password or smart card, and to gain access to any computer in the domain.

A character encoding in which each character is represented by 1 byte. Single byte character sets are mathematically limited to 256 characters.

A customized user interface that overlays an existing user interface.

Shelf keeping unit. A particular product; in this case, a particular edition of Windows XP.

A standard high-speed parallel interface defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). A SCSI interface is used for connecting microcomputers to peripheral devices, such as hard disks and printers, and to other computers and local area networks (LANs).

A credit card–sized device that is used with an access code to enable certificate-based authentication and single sign-on to the enterprise. Smart cards securely store certificates, public and private keys, passwords, and other types of personal information. A smart card reader attached to the computer reads the smart card.

A device that is installed in computers to enable the use of smart cards for enhanced security features.

A type of tool that you can add to a console supported by Microsoft Management Console (MMC). A stand-alone snap-in can be added by itself; an extension snap-in can be added only to extend the function of another snap-in.

A character with a non-zero width.

A dynamic volume consisting of disk space on more than one physical disk. You can increase the size of a spanned volume by extending it onto additional dynamic disks. You can create spanned volumes only on dynamic disks. Spanned volumes are not fault tolerant and cannot be mirrored.

Copy the directories and files to be installed to a destination computer, but do not configure any registry settings.

A computer that runs Windows 2000 Server but does not participate in a domain. A standalone server has only its own database of end users, and it processes logon requests by itself. It does not share account information with any other computer and cannot provide access to domain accounts.

A Regional and Language Options setting that determines the formats used to display dates, times, currency, numbers, and the sorting order of text. Formerly known as user locale.

Interactive training published by Microsoft Press that is integrated into Windows XP Help and Support Center.

A dynamic volume that stores data in stripes on two or more physical disks. Data in a striped volume is allocated alternately and evenly (in stripes) across the disks. Striped volumes offer the best performance of all the volumes that are available in Windows, but they do not provide fault tolerance. If a disk in a striped volume fails, the data in the entire volume is lost. You can create striped volumes only on dynamic disks. Striped volumes cannot be mirrored or extended.

An element of the registry that contains entries or other subkeys. A tier of the registry that is immediately below a key or a subtree (if the subtree has no keys).

Any node within a tree, along with any selection of connected descendant nodes.

The highest level of the registry (for example, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE).

Super VGA. A video standard established by BESA to provide high-resolution color display on IBM-compatible computers.The most commonly implemented SVGA standard is 1024 x 768 pixels color resolution.

Each application or command runs in the order listed, and each item must finish before the next command is run.

A process that executes through an optional parameter of Winnt32.exe. Used for clean installations to computers that have dissimilar hardware. This automated installation method reduces deployment time by eliminating the file-copy phase of Setup.

A tool that prepares the hard disk on a source computer for duplication to destination computers and then runs a non-Microsoft disk-imaging process. This automated installation method is used when the hard disk on the master computer is identical to those of the target computers.

The System Preparation utility that uses the Sysprep.inf answer file to prepare a system disk image for duplication.

An optional answer file used by Sysprep that automates Mini-Setup and further customizes the installed operating system.

Also called a motherboard or planar. The primary circuit board in a computer that contains most of the basic components of the system.

Anyone who purchases an OEM Distribution Pack of Windows (available from distributors) and preinstalls Windows onto new computers. System builders are subject to the terms of the Microsoft OEM System Builder Agreement attached to the outside of the OEM Distribution Pack.

The state of Windows after it first starts when some system services are loaded but no user is logged in and per-user settings are not available.

Devices on a system board, such as interrupt controllers, keyboard controller, real-time clock, DMA page registers, DMA controllers, memory controllers, FDC, IDE ports, serial and parallel ports, PCI bridges, and so on. In today's PCs, these devices are typically integrated in the supporting chip set.

The drive letter of the mass-storage device (usually a hard disk) where Windows is installed.

A Microsoft employee who assists one or more specific royalty OEMs as they prepare to manufacture computers that will use the version of Microsoft Windows that is currently under development.

The partition that contains the hardware-specific files needed to load Windows (for example, Ntldr, Osloader, Boot.ini, Ntdetect.com). The system partition can be, but does not have to be, the same as the boot partition.

A tool that tracks changes to your computer and creates a restore point when it detects the beginning of a change. You can use the System Restore Wizard to select a restore point to restore your computer to an earlier state when your computer was functioning the way you like.

Technology related to Windows Product Activation (WPA) that helps restrict legitimately licensed operating system software to use with the computer system upon which it was originally distributed by a royalty OEM, all in accordance with the license rights granted in the applicable End-User License Agreement. Details regarding system-locked preinstallation are available to royalty OEMs in a separate white paper.

The path and folder name where the Windows system files are located. Typically, this is C:\Windows, although you can designate a different drive or folder when you install Windows. You can use the value %systemroot% to replace the actual location of the folder that contains the Windows system files. To identify your systemroot folder, click Start, click Run, type %systemroot%, and then click OK.

In the Windows XP Help and Support Center, the classification system that organizes Help topics into specific categories.

A Microsoft employee who provides technical assistance to one or more specific royalty OEMs as they manufacture computers installed with a released version of Microsoft Windows.

The computer that you install Setup Manager on. Normally, the configuration sets and the distribution share are also located on this computer.

Telephone technology; voice, fax, or modem transmissions based on either the conversion of sound into electrical signals or wireless communication by means of radio waves.

An application programming interface (API) used by communications programs to work with telephony and network services. Communications programs like HyperTerminal and Phone Dialer use TAPI to dial, answer, and route telephone calls on conventional telephony devices, including PBXs, modems, and fax machines. TAPI 3.0 also provides Internet Protocol (IP) telephony support, which Phone Dialer and other programs use to transmit, route, and control real-time audio and video signals over IP-based networks such as the Internet.

The second of the three stages of Setup, where the basic hardware of the computer (CPU, motherboard, hard disk controllers, file systems, and memory) is determined, the base operating system necessary to continue is installed, and specified folders are created.

Device drivers that are not included in Driver.cab.

A certification specifying that a particular message existed at a specific time and date. In a digital context, trusted third parties generate a trusted time stamp for a particular message by having a time stamping service append a time value to a message and then digitally signing the result.

The physical layout of computers, cables, switches, routers, and other components of a network. Topology also refers to the underlying network architecture, such as Ethernet or Token Ring.

In Active Directory replication, the set of connections that domain controllers use to replicate information among themselves.

The byte value that is the second half of a double-byte character.

A set of networking protocols widely used on the Internet that provides communications across interconnected networks of computers with diverse hardware architectures and various operating systems. TCP/IP includes standards for how computers communicate and conventions for connecting networks and routing traffic.

A text file identifying supported hardware components, the files to copy from the distribution disk for the hardware component, and listing the registry keys and values to create for the hardware component. This is used only during text-mode Setup.

A character set for protocols evolving beyond the use of ASCII. The UTF-8 protocol provides for support of extended ASCII characters and translation of UCS-2, an international 16-bit Unicode character set. UTF-8 enables a far greater range of names than can be achieved using ASCII or extended ASCII encoding for character data.

Available disk space that is not allocated to any volume. The type of volume that you can create on unallocated space depends on the disk type. On basic disks, you can use unallocated space to create primary or extended partitions. On dynamic disks, you can use unallocated space to create dynamic volumes.

The generic name for the Windows Setup answer file. In the CD boot preinstallation method, Unattend.txt must be named Winnt.sif.

An automated, hands-free method of installing Windows. During installation, unattended Setup uses an answer file to supply data to Setup instead of requiring that an administrator or end user interactively provide the answers.

A computer with a single processor.

A character encoding standard developed by the Unicode Consortium that represents almost all of the written languages of the world. The Unicode character repertoire has multiple representation forms, including UTF-8, UTF-8, and UTF-32. Most Windows interfaces use the UTF-16 form.

A convention for naming files and other resources beginning with two backslashes (\), indicating that the resource exists on a network computer. UNC names conform to the \\servername\sharename syntax, where servername is the server's name and sharename is the name of the shared resource. The UNC name of a directory or file can also include the directory path after the share name, by using the following syntax: \\servername\sharename\directory\filename.

An external bus that supports Plug and Play installation. Using USB, you can connect and disconnect devices without shutting down or restarting your computer. You can use a single USB port to connect up to 127 peripheral devices, including speakers, telephones, CD-ROM drives, joysticks, tape drives, keyboards, scanners, and cameras. A USB port is usually located on the back of your computer near the serial port or parallel port.

In Active Directory, an object that consists of all the information that defines a domain user, which includes user name, password, and groups in which the user account has membership. User accounts can be stored in either Active Directory or on your local computer.

For computers running Windows XP Professional and member servers running Windows Server 2003, use Local Users and Groups to manage local user accounts. For domain controllers running Windows Server 2003, use Active Directory Users and Computers to manage domain user accounts.

The language in which the operating system displays its menus, help files, and dialog boxes.

The processing mode in which applications run.

A unique name identifying a user account to Windows. An account's user name must be unique among the other group names and user names within its own domain or workgroup.

The password stored in each user's account. Each user generally has a unique user password and must type that password when logging on or accessing a server.

A user account name (sometimes referred to as the user logon name) and a domain name identifying the domain in which the user account is located. This is the standard usage for logging on to a Windows domain. The format is as follows: someone@example.com (as for an e-mail address).

Tasks that a user is permitted to perform on a computer system or domain. There are two types of user rights: privileges and logon rights. An example of a privilege is the right to shut down the system. An example of a logon right is the right to log on to a computer locally. Both types are assigned by administrators to individual users or groups as part of the security settings for the computer.

A company that resells hardware and software packages to developers and/or end users.

Video graphics array. A video adapter that supports 640 x 480 pixels color resolution. VGA is the video display standard for boot devices under Windows operating systems and provides medium-resolution text and graphics.

A point of access to a volume that users and applications can use to unify disparate file systems into one logical system.

A volume that consists of disk space on one or more physical disks. A volume set is created by using basic disks and is supported only in Windows NT 4.0 or earlier. Volume sets were replaced by spanned volumes, which use dynamic disks.

A computer that is maintained by a system administrator or Internet service provider (ISP) and that responds to requests from a user's browser.

A communications network connecting geographically separated computers, printers, and other devices. A WAN enables any connected device to interact with any other on the network.

An .ini file that provides a bill-of-materials to incorporate into the Windows installation. Winbom.ini can control different points of the installation and configuration process: for example, it can control Sysprep during Factory mode, Windows preinstallation when starting from the Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE), or Windows XP configuration during Windows Welcome.

A distribution point on www.microsoft.com for third-party drivers that fulfill the Windows Logo requirements.

A feature that runs in the background and protects your system files from being overwritten. When a file in a protected folder is modified, WFP determines whether the new file is the correct Microsoft version or whether the file is digitally signed. If not, the modified file is replaced with a valid version.

Provides compatibility testing services to test hardware and drivers for Windows operating systems.

An operating system service that enables the operating system to manage the installation process. Windows Installer technologies are divided into two parts that work in combination: a clientside installer service (Msiexec.exe) and a package (.msi) file. Windows Installer uses the information contained within a package file to install the application.

A software service that dynamically maps IP addresses to computer names (network basic input/output system (NetBIOS) names). This enables users to access resources by name instead of requiring them to use IP addresses that are difficult to recognize and remember.

A certification program to help customers identify systems, hardware, and software that meet a baseline definition of platform features and quality goals and ensure a good user experience of Windows.

A management infrastructure in Windows that supports monitoring and controlling system resources through a common set of interfaces and provides a logically organized, consistent model of Windows operation, configuration, and status.

A minimal Win32 operating system with limited services, built on the Windows XP Professional kernel. Windows PE is used only in the preinstallation and deployment of Windows.

A technology that reduces software piracy by requiring that each installation of a Windows product be activated with Microsoft, either through the Internet or by telephone. A unique product key is required for each installation of Windows, but Microsoft does not request or collect any information other than the Product Key during the installation. The end user may reinstall Windows using the same Product Key on the same computer as many times as necessary, but it cannot be used to install Windows on another computer. The end user can make incremental hardware upgrades to the computer. However, if the hardware is significantly altered, the end user will be required to reactivate the installation of Windows.

The program that installs the Windows operating system.

The end user's first experience of Microsoft Windows in Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional. Through a series of full-screen, HTML-based pages, Windows Welcome quickly and easily takes end users through the final steps of setting up their personal computer. End users are then prompted for any additional information that is needed to personalize their settings, which can include regional settings, network configuration (where applicable), and Internet connection settings. Windows Welcome is formerly known as Out-Of-Box Experience (OOBE).

A command-line utility used to start an unattended Windows XP Setup from computers running MS-DOS, Windows 3.1, or Windows for Workgroups.

The answer file that contains information used by Setup when you install Windows using the CD boot method.

A command-line utility used to start an unattended Windows XP Setup from computers running Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows XP.

Windows Sockets. An application programming interface (API) standard for software that provides a TCP/IP interface under Windows.

A simple grouping of computers, intended only to help users find such things as printers and shared folders within that group. Workgroups in Windows do not offer the centralized user accounts and authentication offered by domains.

A system for exploring the Internet by using hyperlinks. When you use a Web browser, the Web appears as a collection of text, pictures, sounds, and digital movies.

Refers to the 64-bit computing architectures supported by Windows, for example, Itanium and AMD 64-bit computing architectures.

Refers to microprocessors that have or emulate the 32-bit Intel processor architecture.

There are no glossary terms that begin with this letter.

There are no glossary terms that begin with this letter.