Term
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Definition
| In Windows 2000/XP/Vista, an account that grants to the administrator(s) rights and permissions to all hardware and software resources, such as the right to add, delete, and change accounts and to change hardware configurations. |
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Definition
| The Vista 3D user interface. |
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Term
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Definition
| A technology, software, or device that works with older or legacy technologies, software, or devices. |
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Term
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Definition
| A system folder in Windows 9x/Me that is used to synchronize files between two computers. |
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Term
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Definition
| A directory or folder contained in another directory or folder. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Windows utility that is used to enter multiple commands to perform a variety of tasks. |
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Definition
| A folder with a .zip extension |
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Term
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Definition
| The initial screen that is displayed when an OS has a GUI interface loaded. |
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Term
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Definition
| A program stored on the hard drive that tells the computer how to communicate with a hardware device such as a printer or modem. |
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Term
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Definition
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Term
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Definition
| The ability to boot using either of two different OSs, such as Windows XP and Windows Vista. |
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Term
| elevated command prompt window |
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Definition
| A Vista command prompt window that allows commands that require administrative privileges |
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Term
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Definition
| In Windows 2000/XP/Vista, a group of components running in kernel mode that interfaces between the subsystems in user mode and the HAL. |
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Term
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Definition
| The properties assigned to a file. |
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Term
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Definition
| A portion of the name of a file that is used to identify the file type. |
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Term
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Definition
| The first part of the name assigned to a file. |
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Term
| graphical user interface (GUI) |
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Definition
| An interface that uses graphics as compared to a command-driven interface. |
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Term
| HAL (hardware abstraction layer) |
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Definition
| The low-level part of Windows 2000/XP/Vista, written specifically for each CPU technology. |
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Term
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Definition
| data in text files, which often have an .ini or .inf file extension |
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Term
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Definition
| The portion of an OS that is responsible for interacting with the hardware. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Windows 2000/XP/Vista “privileged” processing mode that has access to hardware components. |
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Term
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Definition
| A low-end, inexpensive laptop with a small 9 or 10 inch screen and no optical drive that is generally used for Web browsing, email, and word processing by users on the go. |
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Term
| system tray (notification area or systray) |
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Definition
| An area to the right of the taskbar that holds the icons for running services; these services include the volume control and network connectivity |
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Term
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Definition
| Software that controls a computer, controls how system resources are used and provides a user interface, a way of managing hardware and software, and ways to work with files. |
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Term
| original equipment manufacturer (OEM) license |
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Definition
| A software license that only manufacturers or builders of personal computers can purchase to be installed only on a computer intended for sale. |
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Term
| patch (update or service pack) |
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Definition
| An update to software that corrects an error, adds a feature, or addresses security issues. |
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Term
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Definition
| A drive and list of directories pointing to a file |
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Term
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Definition
| A database that Windows uses to store hardware and software configuration information, user preferences, and setup information. |
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Term
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Definition
| The main directory created when a hard drive or disk is first formatted. |
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Term
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Definition
| A program that runs in the background to support or serve Windows or an application. |
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Term
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Definition
| The portion of an OS that relates to the user and to applications. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Vista user account type that can use software and hardware and make some system changes, but cannot make changes that affect the security of the system or other users |
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Term
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Definition
| A bar normally located at the bottom of the Windows desktop, displaying information about open programs and providing quick access to others. |
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Term
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Definition
| Each process that the CPU is aware of; a single task that is part of a longer task or program. |
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Term
| User Account Control (UAC) |
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Definition
| A Vista security feature that displays a dialog box each time a user attempts to perform an action that can be done only with administrative privileges. |
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Term
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Definition
| In Windows 2000/XP/Vista, a mode that provides an interface between an application and the OS, and only has access to hardware resources through the code running in kernel mode. |
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Term
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Definition
| One or more logical machines created within one physical machine. |
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Term
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Definition
| A primary partition that has been assigned a drive letter and can be formatted with a file system such as NTFS. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Windows server directory database and service that is used in managing a domain to allow for a single point of administration for all shared resources on a network, including files, peripheral devices, databases, Web sites, users, and services. |
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Term
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Definition
| In Windows 2000/XP/Vista, an account that grants to the administrator(s) rights and permissions to all hardware and software resources, such as the right to add, delete, and change accounts and to change hardware configurations. |
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Term
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Definition
| A text file that contains information that Windows requires in order to do an unattended installation |
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Term
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Definition
| A startup menu that gives the user the choice of which operating system to load such as Windows XP or Windows Vista which are both installed on the same system, creating a dual boot. |
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Term
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Definition
| The hard drive partition where the Windows 2000/XP/Vista OS is stored. |
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Term
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Definition
| A computer concept whereby one computer (the client) requests information from another computer (the server). |
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Term
drive imaging
Also called disk cloning or disk imaging. |
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Definition
| Making an exact image of a hard drive, including partition information, boot sectors, operating system installation, and application software to replicate the hard drive on another system or recover from a hard drive crash. |
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Term
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Definition
| The ability to boot using either of two different OSs, such as Windows XP and Windows Vista. |
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Term
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Definition
| Sometimes called a domain user account, the account is used at the domain level, created by an administrator, and stored in the SAM (security accounts manager) database on a Windows domain controller. |
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Term
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Definition
| A command used by the User State Migration Tool (USMT) to copy user settings and data temporarily stored on a server or removable media to a new computer. |
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Term
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Definition
| A user account that applies only to the local computer and cannot be used to access resources from other computers on the network. |
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Term
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Definition
| As applied to networking, a network of computers that are all equals, or peers. Each computer has the same amount of authority, and each can act as a server to the other computers. |
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Term
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Definition
| The process that Microsoft uses to prevent software piracy. For example, once Windows Vista is activated for a particular computer, it cannot be legally installed on another computer. |
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Term
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Definition
| A command used by the User State Migration Tool (USMT) to copy user settings and data from an old computer to a server or removable media. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Windows utility that is used to remove configuration settings, such as the computer name, that uniquely identifies the PC from the Windows installation. The installation can then be used to create a drive image for cloning to multiple computers. |
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Term
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Definition
| The active partition of the hard drive containing the boot record and the specific files required to load Windows 2000/XP/Vista. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Windows installation that is done by storing the answers to installation questions in a text file or script that Windows calls an answer file so that the answers do not have to be typed in during the installation. |
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Term
| User State Migration Tool (USMT) |
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Definition
| A Windows XP/Vista utility that helps you migrate user files and preferences from one computer to another in order to help a user make a smooth transition from one computer to another. |
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Term
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Definition
| Upgrading to a better edition of Vista without having to redo the installation. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Windows tool used to transfer Windows XP/Vista user data and preferences to the Windows XP/Vista installation on another computer. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Vista edition designed for business users and includes support for a domain, Group Policy, and Encrypted File System, and does not include consumer features such as Movie Maker. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Vista edition that expands on Windows Vista Business, adding security features such as BitLocker Encryption. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Vista edition that is designed for low-cost home systems that don’t require full security and networking features. It does not include the Aero glass interface. |
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Term
| Windows Vista Home Premium |
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Definition
| The Vista edition that includes more features than Windows Vista Home Basic, including the Aero user interface, DVD Maker, Media Center, SideShow, and backups. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Vista edition with the most limited features and intended to be used in developing nations. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Vista edition that includes every Windows Vista feature. Multiple licensing is not available. |
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Term
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Definition
| The XP edition that does not include Remote Desktop, multilingual capabilities, roaming profiles, and support for high-end processors. |
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Term
| Windows XP Media Center Edition |
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Definition
| The XP edition is an enhanced version of XP Professional that includes support for digital entertainment hardware. |
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Term
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Definition
| The XP edition that includes Remote Desktop, roaming profiles, multilingual capabilities and enhanced security features. |
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Term
| Windows XP Tablet PC Edition |
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Definition
| The XP edition designed for notebooks and tablet PCs |
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Term
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Definition
| In Windows, a logical group of computers and users in which administration, resources, and security are distributed throughout the network, without centralized management or security. |
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Term
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Definition
| A file server holding Windows setup files used to install Windows on computers networked to the server. |
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Term
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Definition
| In Windows, a logical group of networked computers, such as those on a college campus, that share a centralized directory database of user account information and security for the entire domain. |
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Term
| Automated System Recovery (ASR) |
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Definition
| The Windows XP process that allows you to restore an entire hard drive volume or logical drive to its state at the time the backup of the volume was made. |
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Term
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Definition
| A text file containing a series of OS commands. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Windows utility that searches for bad sectors on a volume and recovers data from them if possible. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Vista utility that can make a backup of the entire volume on which Vista is installed and can also back up other volumes. |
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Term
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Definition
| Windows program and command to defragment a volume. |
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Term
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Definition
| A way to partition one or more hard drives, in which information about the drive is stored in a database at the end of the drive. |
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Term
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Definition
| A volume type used with dynamic disks by which you can create a single volume that uses space on multiple hard drives. |
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Term
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Definition
| A file that has been written to different portions of the disk so that it is not in contiguous clusters. |
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Term
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Definition
| A folder that is used as a shortcut to space on another volume which effectively increases the size of the folder to the size of the other volume. |
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Term
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Definition
| A volume that can be accessed by way of a folder on another volume so that the folder has more available space. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Windows 2000/XP/Vista swap file. |
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Term
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Definition
| A snapshot of the Windows XP/Vista system, usually made before installation of new hardware or applications. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Windows XP/Vista utility used to restore the system to a restore point. |
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Term
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Definition
| In Windows 2000/XP, files that are necessary for a successful load of the operating system. |
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Term
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Definition
| The group of folders and subfolders in the C:\Users folder that belong to a specific user account. |
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Term
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Definition
| A method whereby the OS uses the hard drive as though it were RAM. |
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Term
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Definition
| A*or ? character used in a command line that represents a character or group of characters in a filename or extension. |
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Term
| Computer Management (Compmgmt.msc) |
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Definition
| A window that consolidates several Windows utilities called snap-ins. |
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Term
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Definition
| A window in which one or more Windows utility programs have been installed. |
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Term
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Definition
| A utility within the Reliability and Performance Monitor that is used to collect your own data about a system. |
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Term
| Event Viewer (Eventvwr.msc) |
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Definition
| A Windows tool useful for troubleshooting problems with Windows, applications, and hardware. It displays logs of significant events such as a hardware or network failure, OS failure, OS error messages, a device or service that has failed to start, or General Protection Faults. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Windows registry key that stores information to determine which application is opened when the user double-clicks a file. |
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Term
| HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG (HKCC) |
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Definition
| A Windows registry key that contains Plug and Play information about the hardware configuration that is used by the computer at startup. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Windows registry key that contains data about the current user. The key is built when a user logs on using data kept in the HKEY_USERS key and data kept in the Ntuser.dat file of the current user. |
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Term
| HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM) |
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Definition
| An important Windows registry key that contains hardware, software, and security data. The key is built using data taken from the SAM hive, the Security hive, the Software hive, and the System hive and from data collected at startup about the hardware. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Windows registry key that contains data about all users and is taken from the Default hive. |
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Term
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Definition
| The program file for the Windows Reliability and Performance Monitor console. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Vista utility that uses a flash drive or secure digital (SD) memory card to boost hard drive performance. |
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Term
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Definition
| A database that Windows uses to store hardware and software configuration information, user preferences, and setup information. |
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Term
| Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) |
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Definition
| The Windows utility used to edit the Windows registry. |
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Term
| Reliability and Performance Monitor |
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Definition
| A MMC snap-in (Perfmon.msc) that collects, records, and displays events, called Data Collector Sets, that can help track the performance and reliability of Windows Vista. |
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Term
| Performance Monitor or the System Monitor |
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Definition
| A MMC snap-in (Perfmon.msc) that collects, records, and displays events, called Data Collector Sets, that can help track the performance and reliability of Windows XP. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Windows utility that can be installed in a console window by Microsoft Management Console. |
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Term
| System Configuration Utility (Msconfig.exe) |
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Definition
| A Windows utility that can identify what processes are launched at startup and can temporarily disable a process from loading. |
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Term
| Task Manager (Taskmgr.exe) |
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Definition
| A Windows utility that lets you view the applications and processes running on your computer as well as information about process and memory performance, network activity, and user activity. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Windows tool that can set a task or program to launch at a future time, including at startup. |
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Term
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Definition
| An Internet tool that can be run on a PC to determine if an XP system qualifies for Vista. |
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Term
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Definition
| A Vista feature that gives a summary index designed to measure the overall performance of a system. |
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