CHAPTER 2Introduction to Windows XP Professional

EXPLAINING WINDOWS XP

Developed by Microsoft for general purpose computing system.

The letter XP stands for eXPerience 2 different editions of XP;

Windows XP Home Edition Windows XP Professional

FEATURES OF WINDOWS XP

Improved device support System restore Support for latest hardware standard User interface Remote desktop Power management Kernel improvement

FEATURES OF WINDOWS XP

Improved device support improvised driver & user interfaces for devices

compared to previous versions. keeps a copy of the old driver when the new one is

installed & if the new driver is having problem, then they can always return to the older version

System restore Enables users & administrators to restore a

computer to its previous state without losing data while being in Safe Mode.

It automatically creates an identifiable restore points allowing user to restore to any chosen date or time.

FEATURES OF WINDOWS XP

Support for latest hardware standards It supports universal disk format (UDF) ; latest

standard for reading DVD disks. Supports formatting for DVD-RAM drives with FAT32

file system Supports infrared (IrDA), Universal Serial Bus(USB)

User interface Incorporates a lot of graphical user interface & more

user friendly. Improved interface, fast user switching, remote

assistance, CD burning.

FEATURES OF WINDOWS XP Remote desktop

Allows user to connect to a computer running XP from another computer on the network.

Useful when you are working in different location and need access to a computer in other location.

Power management Provides power management to reduce power

consumption. Hibernate mode – saves everything on memory on

disk, turns the screen, then the computer, & when restarted, everything is restored as the user left it

Standby mode – turns off the screen and the hard drive after the set time, but your data is not saved, in case there is power interruption, your data will be lost.

FEATURES OF WINDOWS XP

Kernel improvement Includes Simultaneous MultiThreading Support

which allows the processor to process more than 1 data thread at a single time.

Kernel is the central component for most OS & responsible to manage system resources (communication between hardware & software components.

WINDOWS XP PROFESSIONAL EDITION

WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION

WINDOWS XP HOME MEDIA EDITION

WINDOWS XP TABLET PC EDITION

WINDOWS XP 64-BIT EDITION

MICROSOFT XP SERVICE PACK

Microsoft occasionally releases services pack for its OS to fix and add new features.

Service pack is a collection of updates, fixes & enhancements to a software program delivered in a single installable program form.

Service packs are free & can be obtained thru: Use windows update to update single computer Download service pack from windows update to be

used on multiple computer (85MB) with all editions included.

Use Microsoft subscription service (Technet) Order the service pack CD for a nominal fee

SERVICE PACK 1 (SP1)

Offers USB 2.0 support, & a Set Program Access and Defaults utility

SERVICE PACK 2 (SP2) Comes with special emphasis on security. Enhanced firewall, improved Wi-Fi support with

wizard utility, pop up ad blocker for IE & bluetooth support.

EVALUATING MAJOR ENHANCEMENTS ON SP2 FEATURES

SP2 offers better protection against viruses, hackers & worms to increase security. Some of the enhancements are; Security center Automatic updates Windows firewall Internet explorer Wireless networking enhancement Email for outlook express.

SECURITY CENTER

Provides a central location for changing security settings, learning more about security & ensuring the users computer is up to date with the recommended security settings ‘up&running’.

AUTOMATIC UPDATES Provides high priority updates, which include

security & other critical updates that can protect computer against viruses & other security threats.

WINDOWS FIREWALL

Software based, stateful filtering firewall that provides protection for computer that are connected to a network by preventing unsolicited inbound connections through TCP/IP v 4 (IPv4).

In SP2 its always turned on by default.

INTERNET EXPLORER

New features in IE 6 are Information bar, pop up blocker, file download prompt, add-on management & unsafe attachment blocking. Information bar – notifications such as blocked

ActiveX installs, blocked pop up windows & downloads all appear here.

Pop-up blocker – blocks pop up windows, such as adds.

File download prompt – provides a dialog box when a user downloads a file displaying publisher information, & risk of downloading the file

Add-on management – IE prompts user when add-on software tries to install itself to IE. User can view & control or disable them

INTERNET EXPLORER

Unsafe attachment blocking – SP2 includes attachment blocking features used by Internet Explorer, Outlook Express & Windows Messenger

WIRELESS NETWORKING ENHANCEMENT

SP2 makes setting up new wireless network easier.

Many tweaks, fixes & updates is now available including the help of wizard to help user set up new connection.

EMAIL FOR OUTLOOK EXPRESS

Security features has been enhanced for outlook express emails in SP2.

File attachments to emails will be blocked by default to ensure protection to your computer.

Some of the images will be blocked as well but a message will be displayed notifying you that it has been blocked. If the user trust the source, then they can authorize the download & display of the content.

LICENSING ON WINDOWS XP

Licensing is a form of giving legal rights to run or access a software. 3 primary ways in getting a license; Full packaged product Original equipment manufacturer Volume licensing.

Windows Genuine Advantage will notify you if a copy is not genuine. Notification will only appear on computers without genuine copy!

LICENSE TYPES

Full packaged product

Original equipment manufacturer

Volume licensing