TERM PAPER

OF OPERATING SYSTEM
TOPIC: COMPARE FEATURES OF WINDOWS 2000 WITH WINDOWS VISTA SUBMITTED TO: SUBMITTED BY: MISS DARVINDER KAUR SOOD L NO:B26 PANKAJ ROL

REG.11000907 SECTIO N:K1R11

CONTENTS
History and introduction of Windows 2000 Operating System Editions of Window 2000 and Window vista

Features in Windows Vista Features in Windows 2000

Windows 2000 vs Vista

Upgrading a user to Windows Vista from Windows 2000

Why Windows Vista failed Windows Vista More Vulnerable To Malware Than Windows 2000 REFERENCES

History and introduction of Windows 2000 Operating System:

Window2000, which is one of the most enticing and well endowed versions of Microsofts operating system, was introduced on 17th February 2000, with the main objective to run on business desktops, laptops, personal computers and servers. This incredible operating system is a successor to Windows NT4.0. Your system requires to have at least 64 MB of RAM to run this OS. Windows 2000 was introduced by the family of Microsoft OS as a replacement of Windows NT. This version was originally named as Windows NT 5.0 then Window NT2000 and on October 1988, it was changed to Windows 2000. Although, all Windows versions are released with code names like Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 (Asteroid) and Windows 2000 64-bit (Janus), Window2000 is the first version without a code name. In September 1997, first beta for Window 2000 was released. On April 29, 1999, beta 3 was out. Between July and November 1988, three candidates were issued by Microsoft and finally on December 12, 1999, the operating system (to partners) released. On 17 February 2000, the full version of Windows 2000 was available, so public could buy it. It was planned that both Window 98 and Window NT4.0 would be replaced by Windows 2000 after the latters introduction. However, with the introduction of updated version of Windows 98 i.e. Windows 98 Second

Edition (in 1999) and Windows Me (in late 2000) close to the release of Windows 2000 Service Pack 1, this replacement did not happen. On September 29, 2000, Windows 2000 Datacenter Server with support for 32 processors was released by Microsoft, which targeted at large-scale computing systems.

Introduction of Windows vista Operating System is an operating system released in several variations by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs. Prior to its announcement on July 22, 2005, Windows Vista was known by its codename "Longhorn". Development was completed on November 8, 2006, and over the following three months, it was released in stages to computer hardware and software manufacturers, business customers and retail channels. On January 30, 2007, it was released worldwide and was made available for purchase and download from Microsoft's website. The release of Windows Vista came more than five years after the introduction of its predecessor, Windows XP, the longest time span between successive releases of Microsoft Windows desktop operating systems. It was succeeded by Windows 7, which was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009 and released worldwide for retail on October 22, 2009.Windows Vista contained many changes and new features, including an updated graphical user interface and visual style dubbed Aero, a redesigned search function, multimedia tools including Windows DVD Maker, and redesigned networking, audio, print, and display subsystems. Vista aimed to increase the level of communication between machines on a home network, using peerto-peer technology to simplify sharing files and media between computers and devices. Windows Vista

included version 3.0 of the .NET Framework, allowing software developers to write applications without traditional Windows APIs

Editions of Window 2000 and Window vista: Window 2000 editions:

This OS is grouped into 4 divisions such as:

Professional: It is a replacement for Windows NT Workstation, which is used as client computer. It Server: It has wide usages for print, web, application and file servers and support RAM up to 4GB and Advanced Server: It is functional as an SQL server and with a support of up to 8GB of RAM and up to Datacenter Server: With RAM of up to 32GB and up to 32 processors, it is used in an enterprise network

supports RAM of up to 4GB and up to two Pentium 133 processors.

up to four processors.

eight processors used in an enterprise network framework.

to support real time processing and extremely large databases.

Window vista editions: Windows Vista Ultimate

Windows Vista Ultimate is the most comprehensive edition of Windows Vista. It is the first operating system that combines all of the advanced infrastructure features of a business-focused operating system, all of the management and efficiency features of a mobility-focused operating system, and all of the digital entertainment features of a consumer-focused operating system. Windows Vista Ultimate delivers all of the features available to both business users and home users. It is the ideal solution for a small-business owner who wants a single PC that he or she can use at the office, on the road, and at home. It is also the ideal solution for someone who wants a home PC that will be used primarily for entertainment purposes but that can also be used for business purposes such as connecting to a corporate network.

Windows Vista Enterprise

Windows Vista Enterprise is designed to meet the needs of large global organizations with highly complex IT infrastructures. Windows Vista Enterprise can help you lower your IT costs while providing additional layers of protection for your sensitive data. To better address the needs of large, global organizations and those with highly complex IT infrastructures, Microsoft will introduce a new version of WindowsWindows Vista Enterprisedesigned to significantly lower IT costs and risk. In addition to all of the features available in Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise is designed to provide higher levels of data protection using hardware-based encryption technology. It also includes tools to improve application compatibility and enables organizations to standardize by using a single worldwide deployment image.

Features in Windows Vista:

Although Windows Vista is only scheduled for retail release on January 30th, 2007, there are already a lot of reviews for Windows Vista, or you can have a feel on Windows Vista by test driving Windows Vista Business for evaluation, where you can play around the Windows Vista desktop via a virtual console, just like you remote control a Vista machine. With sleek and stunning graphic user interface and lots of new features and improvements, Windows Vista has strives a more secure, more usable, more user friendly and more attractive operating system. Its no wonder the Windows Vista system requirements, especially premi dropped. If youre still unsure of whether to upgrade to Windows Vista, or still blur about whats so unique about features and functions in Windows Vista that not available somewhere else, an article on vista-hq.com lists out the top 10 new features in Windows Vista that you cannot find in other operating system such as Windows XP.

New User Experience, including Windows Aero

Windows Vista features four different levels of user experienceBasic, Windows Classic, Standard, and Windows Aero. All controls are totally redesigned in Windows Vista and look even better now. The Aero user interface is the top of the line and takes advantage of the latest advances in computer hardware. On computers equipped with graphics hardware that supports the new Windows Driver Display Model (WDDM), the Aero provides more stability and smoother window handling. The main element of this interface is the transparent glass design, with subtle effects such as dynamic reflections and smooth animations.

Windows Sidebar
The Windows Sidebar can be positioned on the right or on the left side of your screen and its associated with mini-applications called gadgets, that provide specific information. Like for example, the gadgets can give you info on the weather, show you the calendar, games, a calculator or all types of other tools. The Sidebar fits perfectly especially on widescreen monitors. It can be easily customized and you can add

different types of gadgets. Gadgets are a new concept introduced in Windows Vista. They can connect to web services to deliver business data, weather information, news updates, traffic maps, Internet radio streams, and even slide shows of online photo albums. By default, the OS comes with a set number of gadgets to get you started, but you can always download more from an online gadget gallery.

The Instant Desktop Search

The Instant Search is a new feature that will help you find whatever youre looking for. It is available almost everywhere in Windows Vista, in the Explorer Dialogs, in the Start Menu, pretty much in every system window. Using it, you can type a filename, a property, or even text contained within a file, and it returns pinpointed results. Besides that, the Instant Search also arranges the results depending on your current activity, whether its searching for music files in Media Player, or looking over all your files and applications on the Start Menu. On the Start Menu, the Instant Search box is located at the lower left corner, and instead of going through all the programs installed in order to find the one you are looking for, you can just type its name in the box and as you type, Windows Vista instantly searches file and application names, metadata, and the full text of all files, and it displays the search results. It searches through everything Applications; Favorites/Internet History; Files, including documents and media; and Communications, including email, events, tasks, and contacts.

Windows Defender

:
performance, and security

Windows Defender is a features that protects your computer from pop-ups, slow

threats caused by spyware. It works by monitoring key system locations for changes that signal the presence of spyware. The autoupdate option will make sure that the Defender has all the latest spyware definitions from Microsoft. The interface is simple and easy to use, making daily tasks like as scanning, blocking, and removing unwanted software easier than ever. It has a built in Software Explorer that determines which software and services are running on your computer and stops or disables rogue software. It works in co-operation with Internet Explorer with the Scan on execute feature. provides an added layer of protection, by scanning all downloaded files thus reducing the chance that spyware might be installed by accident. This feature before they are saved and executed,

Performance Center

The Performance Center is a brand new tool that gives information on the PCs performance characteristics and can manage and troubleshoot performance issues. The very interesting thing here is the WinSPR, or Windows System Performance Rating. This rating is from 1 to 5, and depending on your rating, you can determine if a given application can run on your machine. For example, if you have some of the latest hardware, your rating can reach 4.2 and it that case, any software with 4.2 or lower WinSPR will run smoothly on your computer..

Backup and Restore

This new functionality makes it possible for you to keep your information safe from user error, hardware failure, and other issues that can result in data loss. There are several layers of protection to ensure maximum effectiveness. From the Backup and Restore control panel, you can enable the auto feature which automatically caches previous versions of your files to an image-based backup of your entire computer. Later, you can browse and search for files to restore from a backup. Another great new feature allows you to access previous versions of files without even having a backup. This is possible through the Volume Shadow Copy technology. If you want to do that manually, then you will have to use the File Back Wizard in which you select the types of files you want to backup, specify a storage folder and start the process at any point you want. There is also an automatic scheduling function.

Network Map
The Network Map is a new feature inside the Network Center that displays graphically your connectivity to the network and to the Internet. If a computer on the network loses Internet connectivity, you can graphically see which connection is down and then use Network Diagnostics to help determine the cause of the problem and find possible solutions. This is especially useful if you have a network of wired and wireless PCs and devices. With the Network Map you can increase the performance of the network and easily spot problems

Windows ReadyBoost
ReadyBoost is a brand new technology that comes with Windows Vista. Its a whole new concept that will change they way people add memory to a system. With ReadyBoost, you can use USD flash as RAM to extend system memory and improve performance. So instead of buying RAM and opening your computer, you can just plug the Flash. Plus, most motherboards have just two RAM slots, which will be taken anyway. Utilizing this technology is simple. Just plug the Flash in the USB slot and Windows Vista will check to determine if its performance is fast enough to work with Windows ReadyBoost. If thats the case, then youll be

asked if you want to use this device to speed up system performance. ReadyBoost is reliable as well as secure. You wont loose any data, and the system will restore to its original level of performance when the Flash is removed. There is no wearing on the USB drive, because of the specifically optimized Windows ReadyDrive Windows ReadyDrive takes advantage of the latest hybrid hard drives to provide faster boot-up, hibernate, and resume. It works by writing data to the flash memory on the hybrid hard disk, which lessens the amount of spinning for the mechanical hard drive, thus saving battery power. And also increases the life of your hard drive. With a hybrid drive, Windows Vista can resume more quickly from Sleep because data can be restored from flash memory faster than from the spinning mechanical hard drive.

Windows Media Center

For a large number of users, the PC has become mostly a source of entertainment, that you can enjoy by sitting back with a remote control in hand. Thats not something strange considering the enormous amount of media files that you can download online. The Windows Media Center enables you to enjoy live and recorded TV, music, photos, videos, and online entertainment on a single device. It can also be connected to Xbox 360 allowing you to transfer this experience in other rooms of your home.

Features in Windows 2000:

1. Support for your devices - Windows 2000 supports over 4000 printers, 700 network devices, 4200 modems, 55 scanners, 50 cameras, and a vast array of other hardware device. 2. IntelliMirror -- A loosely-defined group of technologies that supports mobile users, auto rebuild of machines, and other features. 3. Smart cards - Makes network logons more secure with minimal cost. 4. Internet Connection Sharing - NAT, addressing, name resolution, and Virtual Private Networking (VPN). 5. Plug & Play - Hot dock laptops, on-the-fly networking and other features are implemented without requiring rebooting or manual configuration. 6. Effortless device installation - New technology such as USB and IEEE 1394 "Firewire" makes Windows 2000 more expandable with fewer Problems. 7. Move files without wires - Infrared monitor service supports IRDA for file transfer between Windows 2000 machines and digital cameras, digital video cameras, and other devices. 8. Accessibility - Accessibility Wizard, new or improved accessibility features such as narrator, on-screen keyboard, magnifier, and the familiar tools from Windows 98. 9. Multi-monitor support - Up to 10 video cards/monitors, each with different resolutions and color depths if desired. DVD support - Auto-play, DVD movies on laptops

Windows 2000 vs Vista

A side by side comparison of what's happened in the last 7 years. Windows 2000: Will run on a 133 Mhz Pentium. Windows Vista: Will just barely load on a 1 Ghz Pentium 3. Windows 2000: Boots up and uses 57 megabytes of RAM for itself. Windows Vista: On a machine with a gig of RAM, you're lucky if you have 57 megabytes left. Windows 2000: Will work with any video card, from the latest Nvidia 8800, all the way down to motherboard video with 2 MB of RAM. Windows Vista: Practically requires that you have a Geforce 6 or faster with no less than 128 megs on the card. Windows 2000: Asks me for my serial number then leaves me the hell alone. Windows Vista: Asks for my serial number, forces me to "activate" it with Microsoft, uploads my personal information to them, then keeps checking up with Microsoft, if activation screws up, I'm just locked out of my computer. Windows 2000: Will install in a little over a gig and a half. Windows Vista: The C:/Windows folder alone is over 4 gigs. Windows 2000: Smoking fast. Windows Vista: Runs your processor like Fat B*stard on a treadmill Firstly i can explain why many of your points made is wrong. I firstly respect you opion why 2000 is better and yes your general point is correct, windows 2000 will run on much lower hardware. But this is where you are

getting confused - windows vista is NOT designed to run on old hardware as it is designed to run on newer hardware. Many of the things you have said about hardware requirements are wrong.

I have had Vista going smoothly, with aero running on a PC with an AMD Xp2400+ , 512mb of ram, nvidia fx5200 and a 80gb h/d with 8mb cache. Now this technology is about 4-5 years old and it would run vista even better if i chucked another 512 stick in it, which i can pick up for around 18. A PC like that i specified is what most people will have and vista is designed for that, not things with early p3's, 128mb of ram .If MS did then they would have to built an OS which doesn't fit the needs of most people. Vista has featues which Vista will take 35-45% of my ram idle. The reason its high like this as it indexes and record the application i most commonly use and at boot it loads parts of it into the ram so quickening the loading time of my application. The reason it does this, is beacause for the every day user who is going to use thier PC for word processing, watching DVD's, listening to Music and browsing the internet - most of their ram will go to waste, it wont be used. So vista uses it - it doesn't fill the ram up, it takes into account what you are using and makes it quicker. Firefox for me boots up on click, no waiting - in linux or XP i would wait for 3-5 second for firefox to show. This is an example of Vista learning and using the ram in an efficent way in order to benifit me

Upgrading a user to Windows Vista from Windows 2000

Basically, here are the installation options for a Vista upgrade from Window 2000:

1. Install the upgrade from your current Windows 2000 installation using the product
key: If you choose this option, you cannot format the hard drive, your current program and data files will not
be transferred (but rather will have to be reinstalled), and Vista will create a folder called Windows.old for all your old files, although Windows 2000 cannot be run from that location. (If you choose this option, Id still backup those data files.) With this option, you can activate windows as soon as you establish an Internet connection. (Since this isnt a true upgrade, all your configuration settings will be lost.)

2. Install on a new or freshly formatted hard drive (my preferred method):Boot from the
Vista DVD, and do not enter the product key when prompted to do so; and say no, you really dont want to enter it, when asked to confirm. You can both partition the drive (delete and/or add), and/or you can format the drive. The installation will go fine, but when you try to activate the software by entering your product key after the installation, youll be denied. For this option, when you try to activate the software, youll be told, The Software Licensing Service determined that this specific product key can only be used for upgrading, not for a clean install. At this point, all youll have to do is install Vista again, but this time youll be upgrading to Vista

from Vista. That sounds strange, I know, but its true. When you install Vista a second time, youll want to do it from the new installation of Vista, not by booting from the DVD. You do want to enter the product key the second time around, and you do want to choose the upgrade option.

3. Upgrade to Windows XP first: You could, I suppose, upgrade Windows 2000 to Windows XP, and
then upgrade your XP to Vista. But if most current W2K people are like me, they simply skipped XP all together, which is why they decided to upgrade to Vista in the first place. Besides, it would be much cleaner installing Vista over Vista than over XP, or at least it seems so.Now that you have your Vista Upgrade installed and activated (or in my case, close to twenty of them), and you begin to weed through all the glitches and idiosyncrasies, youll still long for those good ol days, but the ones when you were running Windows 2000 Professional without a hitch and loving every minute of it.

Why Windows Vista failed: 1.It broke too much stuff

One of the big reasons that Windows XP caught on was because it had the hardware, software, and driver compatibility of the Windows 9x line plus the stability and industrial strength of the Windows NT line. The compatibility issue was huge. Having a single, highly-compatible Windows platform simplified the computing experience for users, IT departments, and software and hardware vendors. Microsoft either forgot or disregarded that fact when it released Windows Vista, because, despite a long beta period, a lot of existing software and hardware were not compatible with Vista when it was released in January 2007. Since many important programs and peripherals were unusable in Vista, that made it impossible for a lot of IT departments to adopt it. Many of the incompatibilities were the result of tighter security. After Windows was targeted by a nasty string of viruses, worms, and malware in the early 2000s, Microsoft embarked on the Trustworthy Computing initiative to make its products more secure. One of the results was Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), which won over IT and paved the way for XP to become the world's mostly widely deployed OS. The other big piece of Trustworthy Computing was the even-further-locked-down version of Windows that Microsoft released in Vista. This was definitely the most secure OS that Microsoft had ever released but the price was user-hostile features such as UAC, a far more complicated set of security prompts that accompanied many basic tasks, and a host of software incompatibility issues.

In other words, Vista broke a lot of the things that users were used to doing in XP. There wasn't

supposed to be a Vista:It's easy to forget that when Microsoft launched Windows XP it

was actually trying to change its OS business model to move away from shrink-wrapped software and convert customers to software subscribers. That's why it abandoned the naming convention of Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows 2000, and instead chose Windows XP. The XP stood for "experience" and was part of Microsoft's .NET Web services strategy at the time. The master plan was to get users and businesses to pay a yearly subscription fee for the Windows experience -- XP would essentially be the on-going product name but would include all software upgrades and updates, as long as you paid for your subscription. Of course, it would disable Windows on your PC if you didn't pay. That's why product activation was coupled with Windows XP. Microsoft released Windows XP and Office XP simultaneously in 2001 and both included product activation and the plan to eventually migrate to subscription products. However, by the end of 2001 Microsoft had already abandoned the subscription concept with Office, and quickly returned to the shrink-wrapped business model and the old product development model with both products. The idea of doing incremental releases and upgrades of its software -- rather than a major shrinkwrapped release every 3-5 years -- was a good concept. Microsoft just couldn't figure out how to make the business model work, but instead of figuring out how to get it right, it took the easy route and went back to an old model that was simply not very well suited to the economic and technical realities of today's IT world.

3.Vista is too slow

For years Microsoft has been criticized by developers and IT professionals for "software bloat" -adding so many changes and features to its programs that the code gets huge and unwieldy. However, this never seemed to have enough of an effect to impact software sales. With Windows Vista, software bloat appears to have finally caught up with Microsoft. Vista has over 50 million lines of code. XP had 35 million when it was released, and since then it has grown to about 40 million. This software bloat has had the effect of slowing down Windows Vista, especially when it's running on anything but the latest and fastest hardware. Even then, the latest

version of Windows XP soundly outperforms the latest version of Microsoft Vista. No one wants to use a new computer that is slower than their old one. In 2001, when Windows XP was released, there were about 600 million computers in use worldwide. Over 80% of them were running Windows but it was split between two code bases: Windows 95/98 (65%) and Windows NT/2000 (26%), according to IDC. One of the big goals of Windows XP was to unite the Windows 9x and Windows NT code bases, and it eventually accomplished that. In 2008, there are now over 1.1 billion PCs in use worldwide and over 70% of them are running Windows XP. That means almost 800 million computers are running XP, which makes it the most widely installed operating system of all time. That's a lot of inertia to overcome, especially for IT departments that have consolidated their deployments and applications around Windows

Windows XP is too entrenched

In 2001, when Windows XP was released, there were about 600 million computers in use worldwide. Over 80% of them were running Windows but it was split between two code bases: Windows 95/98 (65%) and Windows NT/2000 (26%), according to IDC. One of the big goals of Windows XP was to unite the Windows 9x and Windows NT code bases, and it eventually accomplished that. In 2008, there are now over 1.1 billion PCs in use worldwide and over 70% of them arerunning Windows XP. That means almost 800 million computers are running XP, which makes it the most widely installed operating system of all time. That's a lot of inertia to overcome, especially for IT departments that have consolidated their deployments and applications around Windows XP. And, believe it or not, Windows XP could actually increase its market share over the next couple years. How? Low-cost netbooks and nettops are going to be flooding the market. While these inexpensive machines are powerful enough to provide a solid Internet experience for most users, they don't have enough resources to run Windows Vista, so they all run either Windows XP or Linux. Intel expects this market to explode in the years ahead.

4.Apple successfully demonized Vista:Apple's clever I'm a Mac ads have successfully
driven home the perception that Windows Vista is buggy, boring, and difficult to use. After taking two years of merciless pummeling from Apple, Microsoft recently responded with it's I'm a PC

campaign in order to defend the honor of Windows. This will likely restore some mojo to the PC and Windows brands overall, but it's too late to save Vista's perception as a dud.

Windows Vista More Vulnerable To

Malware Than Windows 2000:

Microsoft's Vista operating system is more susceptible to malware than Windows 2000, and though it's 37% more secure than Windows XP, it's still too vulnerable. That's the contention of security vendor PC Tools Software, which has a financial interest in the vulnerability of Microsoft's software. "Ironically, the new operating system has been hailed by Microsoft as the most secure version of Windows to date," said Simon Clausen, CEO of PC Tools, in a statement. "However, recent research conducted with statistics from over 1.4 million computers within the ThreatFire community has shown that Windows Vista is more susceptible to malware than the eight year old Windows 2000 operating system, and only 37% more secure than Windows XP." According to statistics gathered from users of PC Tools' ThreatFire security service, Vista let 639 threats per thousand computers through, compared with 586 for Windows 2000, 478 for Windows 2003, and 1,021 for Windows XP. ThreatFire is an anti-malware system that tries to block malicious software based on its behavior rather than by signature matching. Given an infection rate of 639 per 1,000 PCs, almost 64% of Vista users should have compromised machines. Michael Greene, VP of product strategy for PC Tools, said that the malware identified had "gotten to the desktop and to the point of doing something bad." He said that he didn't have the ThreatFire data immediately accessible but said that presumably some of the monitored machines also had third-party antivirus software that missed the malware. That tendency, the inability of signature-based antivirus systems to keep up with auto-generated malware variants, is the reason PC Tools developed ThreatFire, Greene explained. A Microsoft spokesperson questioned whether PC Tools' methodology conforms with Microsoft's methodology.

"We appreciate independent studies and encourage researchers to help us make our products more secure; however, this is a study by a vendor of anti-malware products," a Microsoft spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement. "ThreatFire vulnerability comparison numbers certainly dont reflect our vulnerability findings from the malicious software removal tool (MSRT), which ran on over 400 million machines in December 2007. From June 2007 through December 2007, the MSRT found malware on 2.8% of the Windows Vista machines it ran on, vs. 7.2% of Windows XP SP2 machines. It found malware on 5% of Windows 2000 SP4 machines and 12.2% of Windows 2000 SP3 machines. Note that for Windows 2000 this spans both client and server machines."

REFERENCES:
http://www.completepcpedia.com/windows20 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vista

http://www.mydigitallife.info/top-ten-new-features-in-windowsvista http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=520282

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/helpdesk/upgrading-a-user-towindows- vista-from-windows-2000/88 http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/the-top-five-reasons-whywindows-vista-failed/10303