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2000 and XP clients

How Windows 2000 and XP differ from previous versions

1. A bit of history. The two strands or "families". What Windows ME was. The internal code names.
2. Differences from the standpoint of the ordinary end-user.
   1. Emphasis on the Start button. Which is now larger, and "adaptive".
   2. Several styling and graphical behavior options or enhancements. (More XP than 2K.)
3. Management of those GUI factors.
   1. If the users want My Computer and My Documents and My Network Places on the desktop, you can restore them.
   2. If you are looking for right-click functionality, that may not require those icons. It works much the same through the Start button items.
   3. If there is a reason, the styling options can be turned off. Can save efficiency. (That may explain the unusual place these choices are found -- the Performance tab!)
4. Differences and management from the standpoint of a network admin.
   1. There are now TWO very special items in the My Computer context menu (right-click menu): Properties and Manage.
   2. Properties from My Computer, just as before, opens the System control panel. But this has several new tabs and buttons, some of which you might have expected elsewhere. (Network ID and workgroup/domain menmbership, to name one.)
   3. Manage from MyComputer opens the "management console", something quite new as of 2000.
   4. Properties from the context menu (right-click menu) of My Network Places, as before (though it was called Network Neighborhood) opens the Network control panel.
   5. Look at differences in Network control panel. Separate icons for each adapter or connection, instead of complex notation of the matchings.
   6. Open (or double-click) on My Network Places is much like Network Neighborhood was, with capability to browse the network. Some added options.
   7. Some important utility programs differ. Run: "command" in 98, "cmd" in 2K and XP. Run "winipcfg" in 98, in 2K and XP, open a cmd window then run "ipconfig" . Run "msconfig" is either 98 or XP, but missing in 2K! (However, you can copy the XP version to 2K computers.)
   8. XP and W2K have a few more control panels than 98, notably have a category structure to them. Can optionally switch to flat view.
5. Admin in a domain context.
   1. Joining domain. Through Network ID on system panel.
   2. Local users and domain users are different entities. Each with own profile, documents, etc.
   3. Local users in Management console. Why and how you might want to add local users.
   4. Domain users have what rights to local computer? Whatever the domain gives them! But in Users control panel you can change that.

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This page is: http://tech.cuip.net/topics/xp2k/index.html
Author: Mitch Marks
Last updated at 09:11 2005n June 17, 2005.
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