Microsoft(
Windows( 95
Reviewer's Guide
˜
October 1994 - Beta-2
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
Welcome
Mission of Windows 95
Where We've Been
Where We Are Today
Where We're Headed
How We Get There
A Quick Preview of Top Features in Windows 95
Even Easier
Faster and More Powerful
Compatible
Summary
THE MICROSOFT WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM
PRODUCT LINE
COMPARING WINDOWS 95 AND WINDOWS NT WORKSTATION
Which Client Operating System Should You Choose?
Windows 95 Usage Scenarios
Windows NT Workstation Usage Scenarios
CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING WINDOWS 95
Suggested Evaluation Criteria for Desktop Operating Systems
Ease of Use
Performance
Compatibility: Device and Applications Support
Support for Network Services and Connectivity
Support for Manageability and Administration
Support for Communications and Messaging
Support for Mobile Services and Remote Access
WINDOWS 95 PRODUCT OVERVIEW
Windows 95 Product Areas Covered by Guide
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
Try It!
Summary of New Features in Beta-2
The Windows 95 User Interface
Designing the User Interface in Windows 95
Easy
Powerful
Transition/Migration to the Windows 95 User Interface
Base System Architecture
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
Fully-Integrated Operating System
32-Bit Versus 16-Bit Components
Layout of System Architecture for Windows 95
Support for Win16-based Applications
Support for MS-DOS-based Applications
Support for Win32-based Applications
32-Bit File System Architecture
DriveSpace Disk Compression
Improved System Capacity
Better Memory Management
The Registry-Centralized Configuration Store
Better Font Support
Robustness Improvements
System-wide Robustness Improvements
Robustness for MS-DOS-based Applications
Robustness for Win16-based Applications
Robustness for Win32-based Applications
Try It!
Improved Support for Running MS-DOS-based Applications
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
Zero Conventional Footprint Components
Improved Compatibility
Improved Support for Graphic-intensive MS-DOS-based Applications
Improved Memory Protection
Better Defaults for Running MS-DOS-based Applications
Consolidated Customization of MS-DOS-based Application Properties
Toolbar in MS-DOS Window
User-Scalable MS-DOS Window
Ending MS-DOS-based Applications Graceful
Local Virtual Machine Environment Settings
Support for UNC Pathnames to Access Network Resources
New MS-DOS Prompt Commands
Try It!
Plug and Play
The Problem With PCs Today
The Plug and Play Solution
Plug and Play Support in Windows 95
Benefits of Plug and Play with Windows 95
Hardware Design Guide for Microsoft Windows 95
Device Manager
Improved Device Support
Device Driver Philosophy in Windows 95
Better Disk Device Support
Better Display Adapter and Monitor Support
Better Mouse and Pointing Device Support
Try It!
Networking
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1 and
Windows for Workgroups 3.11:
Easier networking with Windows 95
Network Architecture in Windows 95
Network Provider Interface: Concurrent Support for Multiple
Network Servers
Installable File System: Support for Multiple Network Redirectors
NDIS 3.1: Multiple Protocol Support
Novell NetWare Integration
Microsoft Network Integration
Network Compatibility
Protocol Support
Network Interprocess Communications Interfaces
Long Filename Support
Network Printing
Network Security
Dial-Up Server/Remote Access Gateway
Systems Management
The Registry
User Management
System Management
Network Management
Printing Improvements
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
32-bit Print Subsystem
Improved Printing Support for MS-DOS-based Applications
Support for Deferred Printing
Image Color Matching Support
Installing and Configuring a Printer
Managing Print Jobs
Network Printing Improvements
Plug and Play Support
Try It!
Communications
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
Communications Architecture
Telephony API (TAPI)
Centralized Modem Setup and Configuration
Improved Device/Hardware Support
Plug and Play Support
New Communications Application: HyperTerminal
New Communications Application: Dialer
Try It!
Mobile Computing Services
Vision of Mobile Computing with Windows 95
Mobile Framework in Windows 95
Dial-Up Networking
Dynamic Networking
Password Management
Hot Docking Support
PCMCIA Support
Power Management
Flexible Video Resolution Support
Pointing Devices
File Synchronization: The Briefcase
Microsoft At Work Fax
"Local" Connections
Document Viewers
Deferred Printing
Remote Mail
Microsoft Exchange: E-Mail, Faxes and More
Microsoft Exchange Highlights:
Windows Messaging Subsystem - MAPI 1.0
Microsoft Exchange
Send and Receive Faxes from your Desktop
The Microsoft Network - OnLine Service
Easy To Get Started
Easy To Use and Understand
The Microsoft Network Highlights
How To Get Started
Multimedia Services
Microsoft Windows and Multimedia
Windows 95-A New High-Performance Multimedia Platform
Making Multimedia Easier
Making Multimedia More Engaging
Making Windows More Fun
Powerful Development Environment
Professional Quality
Opportunities for IHVs and OEMs: Multimedia PCs for 1995
Multimedia Architecture
Installation and Setup of Windows 95
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
Modular Setup Architecture
Improved Hardware Detection
Four Scenario Setup Options
Simplified Four-Phase Setup
Better Control Over Installed Components
Smart Recovery Mechanism for Setup
Built-in Verification of System Files
Network Setup Improvements
Network Installation Location Remembered
Batch Installation Support
Configuration Preserved When Upgrading from Windows or Windows for Workgroups
International Language Support
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
Localization of the Windows 95 Operating System
International Language Issues
International Language Support
International Language Solution: Multilingual Content Support
Win32 National Language Support APIs
Try It!
Accessibility
Summary of Improvements Over Windows 3.1
General Accessibility Enhancement Features
Features for Users with Low Vision
Features for Making Keyboard and Mouse Input Easier
Features for Users Who Are Hearing-Impaired
Support for Alternative Input Devices
Features for Software Developers
Try It!
Applications and Utilities
File Viewers
WordPad
Paint
Backup
HyperTerminal
New MS-DOS-based Edit.Com
WinPad Organizer
Disk Utilities
WHAT MAKES A GREAT APPLICATION FOR WINDOWS 95?
The Win32 Application Programming Interface
User Benefits of Using Win32-based Applications
OLE Functionality
The Solution for Application Integration
Features of OLE
Windows User Interface Style Guideline 4.0
Support for Plug and Play Events
Long Filename Support
Consistent Setup Guidelines
THE WINDOWS 95 LOGO PROGRAM
Availability of Windows 95-Based Products
Licensing Criteria for Windows 95 Logo
For More Information
WINDOWS 95 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
INDEX
Introduction
Welcome
As the successor to Microsoft( MS-DOS(, Windows( 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11, Windows 95 is the next major release of the standard operating system for the desktop and portable PC. There is something for everyone, whether it's a more intuitive way to work, new capabilities like "surfing the information highway," or better support for managing a 1,000 PC installation site.
This Reviewer's Guide describes and explains the features in Microsoft Windows 95. Since the size and scope of the Windows 95 project is quite large, the Introduction chapter contains a brief summary of the key features and customer benefits. This chapter also provides some context on the principles guiding the product development of Windows 95 and our vision of its role with customers and the industry.
Mission of Windows 95
Where We've Been
Over the past decade, the PC industry has delivered innovative, cost-effective products that have made the personal computer a widely-used tool both in the office and at home. These products were enabled by a number of key advances during the 1980s and early 1990s:
The adoption of MS-DOS as an operating system standard for PCs, providing a platform for application development
Rapid decreases in price-performance ratios due to innovations in PC components, especially with the introduction of Intel i386T and i486T microprocessors
The wide adoption of the Microsoft Windows operating system for PCs, which made PCs much easier to use because of its appealing graphical user interface, multitasking capabilities, and the new generation of graphical applications that Windows made possible
Where We Are Today
Although the PC has made dramatic gains over the past decade, a number of limitations keep current users taking full advantage of their PCs and discourage others from beginning to use them:
ú PCs are still not easy enough. Many people perceive PCs as hard to use. Tasks such as connecting to a printer or adding a CD-ROM drive are too complicated for the typical computer user. Just learning how to use the PC is difficult because the PC does not lend itself to learning through experimentation. The wrong configuration or set of keystrokes can, for example, inexplicably cause programs to disappear. Many users are frustrated learning even basic tasks like launching or switching between applications.
ú Users want software that takes full advantage of the power of their hardware. The performance delivered by hardware-the CPU, video system, CD-ROM drive, video subsystem, and so on-is constantly accelerating. And new hardware-such as wireless, PCMCIA, and MPEG-continuously arrives on the market. Users want their software to exploit all this power to its fullest.
ú Connecting to a network is hard. The two primary PC operating systems, MS-DOS and Windows, were not designed with the explicit goal of easy connectivity to a network. Consequently, notwithstanding the prevalence of networks in organizations of all sizes, the basic task of connecting a PC to a server and to other PCs is still a challenge today.
ú PCs are expensive to support. The cost of PC hardware is small relative to the costs of installing, configuring, and maintaining the PC and of training and supporting the PC user. These costs must be reduced to make PCs a more cost-effective tool for business.
Where We're Headed
Windows 3.1 moved the PC platform forward by making PCs easier to use. Yet today's customer problems highlight the need to significantly further the ease, power, and overall usefulness of the PC. Windows 95 goes beyond simple ease of use. It not only enables a new range of people to become PC users by making the PC dramatically easier to use, but also enables a wide new range of uses for the PC for existing users as follows:
Windows 95 makes PCs even easier to use. Windows 3.1 put a friendly interface on top of MS-DOS to make common PC tasks easier. In Windows 95, the goal is to make those tasks more intuitive, or where possible, automatic. The addition and configuration of new hardware devices on the PC is one example. Windows 95 automatically loads the appropriate drivers, sets IRQs, and notifies applications of the new capabilities of the hardware device without any action by the user. A redesigned user interface, highlighted by the Windows Taskbar, makes computing more automatic for novices-usability tests of Windows 95 show a ten-fold improvement over Windows 3.1 in time to complete certain common tasks such as starting an application-and makes the power of the PC more discoverable for intermediate and advanced users.
Windows 95 is a faster and more powerful operating system. Ease on the surface requires power and speed at the core, and the modern, 32-bit architecture of Windows 95 meets these requirements. Freed from the limitations of MS-DOS, Windows 95 preemptively multitasks for better PC responsiveness-so users will no longer have to wait while the system copies files, for example-and also delivers increased robustness and protection for applications. Windows 95 also provides the foundation for a new generation of easier, more powerful multi-threaded 32-bit applications. And most importantly, Windows 95 delivers this power and robustness on today's average PC platform while scaling well to take advantage of additional memory and CPU cycles.
Windows 95 integrates network connectivity and manageability. Windows 3.1 gave end-users the power to better use their PCs, but it did not make the same strides for MIS organizations. Windows 95 addresses this deficiency by providing a system architecture that makes basic network connectivity easy by integrating high performance, 32-bit client support into the operating system-including a 32-bit client for Novell( NetWare(-and goes beyond simple connectivity by enabling the central management and control of the PC. User profiles, policies, and ability to leverage server-based security makes it much easier for MIS organizations to administer and support large numbers of PCs within the corporation using Windows 95.
Windows 95 is more than the next generation of Windows-it is a catalyst that will move the PC industry to a higher level of usefulness for end-users. We expect the release of Windows 95 to spawn not only a new generation of PCs and peripherals that support Plug and Play, but a new generation of powerful, 32-bit Windows-based applications as well.
How We Get There
In many ways, the development of Windows 95 has been guided by the primary principle of making all of the great technological improvements translate to practical benefits for users, and making these benefits easily and inexpensively available to everyone. This means several things:
Compatibility with existing MS-DOS-based and Windows-based applications. Windows 95 is designed to add significant value to any PC without requiring additional software or hardware, and compatibility with existing applications is a must. Windows 95 not only supports the enormous range of existing MS-DOS and Windows applications, but goes a step beyond by fixing key compatibility deficiencies of Windows 3.1. It provides, for example, much better support for demanding MS-DOS-based applications. With Windows 95, you can run your cool games right from Windows.
Compatibility with existing hardware. The wide range of available hardware for Windows 3.1-from scanners to plotters to fax modems to video capture boards-is enormously valuable to users. While providing support for new, easier-to-use peripherals through Plug and Play, Windows 95 also preserves the huge investment both users and manufacturers have by maintaining compatibility with existing peripherals and their associated device drivers.
Equal or better performance than Windows 3.1. Keeping with the goal of adding value to existing PCs without needing extra hardware and software, Windows 95 matches or exceeds the performance of Windows 3.1 on today's average PC (386DX with 4MB of RAM). And as more memory is added to the PC, performance scales faster than Windows 3.1. For customers this means access to all of the new features in Windows 95 should not cost them any performance penalty.
Safe, hassle-free upgrade and migration. Windows 95 makes the upgrade process as easy as possible with a Setup program that upgrades cleanly over Windows 3.x. Windows 95 also includes the Windows 3.1 File Manager and Program Manager so that end-users can migrate to the new user interface at their own pace.
A Quick Preview of Top Features in Windows 95
This section briefly outlines some of the key new features in Windows 95 and the problems they solve for customers. Since the scope of new features is broad and their appeal wide, we've organized them into features for end-users and MIS organizations in terms of how they provide the following benefits relative to Windows 3.1:
Even easier
Faster and more powerful
Compatible
Even Easier
For End-Users
For end-users and MIS organizations alike, improving ease of use goes beyond fixing problems with Windows itself; the improvements in Windows 95 also encompass the hardware, connectivity, and applications as well. Less-experienced users find the plethora of overlapping Windows, minimizing and maximizing too complex to easily master. More experienced users crave greater efficiency. Windows 95 offers these solutions:
New user interface. A blizzard of improvements greatly enhance learnability, usability, and efficiency for users of all levels of expertise. New users can get started more quickly, and experienced users can fully unlock the power of their PCs.
Plug and Play. The goal of Plug and Play is simple: When a user installs a new hardware device, it just works.
Long Filenames. The end of cryptic 8.3 filenames, long filenames are an important example of many usability improvements in Windows 95.
For MIS Users
MIS organizations increasingly find their job more difficult as the number of PCs in a given corporation increases more rapidly than their support staff. In addition, the introduction of Windows 3.1 led to a series of security, reliability, and management issues because of its lack of integrated connectivity and lack of infrastructure for being managed. Some features that attack these problems are:
Built-in networking. Whether you're running NetWare or Microsoft Networks; IPX/SPX, TCP/IP or NetBEUI; NDIS or ODI, Windows 95 has native, integrated support for your network. And additional LANs are easily supported.
The Registry. By holding all pertinent information about the system-installed hardware, installed software, user preferences and rights-and by exposing its contents remotely through a wide variety of industry standard interfaces-SNMP, DMI, Win32( plus RPC-the Registry provides the foundation for a highly-manageable PC.
User policies and profiles. Windows 95 has the ability to allow administrators to expose or hide different operating system and UI functionality depending on who has logged into the PC. A network administrator could, for example, prevent Joe from deleting program items no matter what PC he logs in on, or enforce a policy that everyone in a particular group have passwords of at least six characters.
Pass-through user- level security. A PC running Windows 95 can be configured to require that a remote user and their password be passed-through to and validated by a NetWare server or Windows NT( Advanced Server before allowing the user to do something-for example, change the PC's Registry or access its files and printers over the network or remotely. This allows the existing network-based namespace to be leveraged.
Network backup agents. Windows 95 includes agents that support industry-leading server backup products. This makes it easier to back up information stored on PCs throughout the network.
Faster and More Powerful
For End Users
Another major area of concern for end-users is improving the efficiency and power with which they use Windows. Users care about getting their work done faster. They'd like to run more than one application or computer process at a time so they spend less time waiting on their PC. They'd like to be more effective without sacrificing system stability or performance. And perhaps most important of all, they'd like to escape the feeling that they take advantage of only a small fraction of what their PC can do.
Windows 95 is designed to anticipate and exploit key emerging trends and technologies. The need for seamless mobile computing, for example, is more important than ever as more hardware power is packed into smaller and lighter designs, and more users work at home or on the road. The explosion of the home market means that users demand more powerful multimedia applications for their computers, and this means better multimedia support from the operating system.
Key features that bring more power and speed to users include:
True preemptive multitasking. Windows 95 can preemptively multitask 32-bit applications smoothly and efficiently.
Scaleable performance. Windows 95 performance increases more rapidly than Windows 3.1 as the amount of RAM increases because of its high-performance, 32-bit architecture.
Support for 32-bit applications. Support for the Win32 API in Windows 95 means that users can look forward to a new generation easier, more powerful multi-threaded 32-bit applications.
Increased robustness. New features mean greater robustness and protection for existing MS-DOS and Windows applications, and the highest level of protection for new 32-bit Windows applications.
Mobile computing anywhere. Windows 95 provides both a remote networking client that allows dial-in access to any network, including the Internet, running IPX/SPX, TCP/IP or NetBEUI over PPP, as well as a dial-in server that lets any PC running Windows 95 act as a secure, single-line dial-in gateway to a network.
Faster printing. The new 32-bit printing subsystem in Windows 95 means a lot less time waiting for print jobs to spool and to finish.
High-performance multimedia components. Both the video playback engine (Video for Windows) and CD-ROM file system (CDFS) are new 32-bit components that deliver smoother video and sound reproduction.
More memory for MS-DOS-based applications. The use of protected-mode device drivers and file systems in Windows 95 means users will routinely get 600K+ free conventional memory in each MS-DOS session even while connected to the network, and using a CD-ROM drive, a mouse, and so on.
For MIS Users
MS-DOS and Windows were not architected to work in a networked environment. The result is a string of well-known problems to MIS professionals, including not having enough real-mode memory to run the MS-DOS-based mission critical application for the business, instability under Windows 3.1 (for example, turning off a Novell NetWare server completely hangs all connected machines running Windows.)
Just some of the Windows 95 product features that solve these problems for MIS organizations are:
32-bit NetWare connectivity. Windows 95 includes a 32-bit network client NetWare that is fast, reliable and requires zero-footprint in conventional memory. Windows 95 also includes a similar client for Microsoft Networks.
Multiple network support. A PC running Windows 95 can have multiple network clients (to connect concurrently to a Novell NetWare server, Windows NT Server, and so on) and multiple transports (including IPX/SPX, TCP/IP, and NetBEUI) loaded and running simultaneously providing connectivity in a heterogeneous environment.
Universal information client. Microsoft Exchange, the universal information client provided with Windows 95, is integrated seamlessly into the user interface, and allows a wide range of services-whether email, online services, group applications, and others-to plug in. This gives the user a single interface onto a world of information, and the MIS administrator a single client that supports multiple email and other systems. Windows 95 includes support for services such as: Microsoft Mail, faxing (Microsoft At Work( fax software), and Internet mail.
Compatible
For End Users
If an operating system upgrade requires new software, more memory, or new hardware, then the upgrade's cost is far higher than just its purchase price. Unfortunately, users usually need to wait a substantial amount of time-usually until their next PC purchase-before benefiting from the latest technology.
One of biggest goals of Windows 95 was to allow everyone to benefit from the latest version of Windows and thus the following features:
Compatibility with existing MS-DOS and Windows-based applications. Windows 95 works with and improves the software users have today.
Same or better performance. As long as a user has at least a 386DX with 4MB RAM, they are assured that Windows 95 will run their system at least as fast as Windows 3.1, and in many cases, faster. Windows 95 requires no additional RAM to maintain performance.
Backwards compatibility with existing hardware devices. Windows 95 supports existing hardware and device drivers while also enabling next generation, easier-to-use hardware through Plug and Play.
For MIS users
MIS organizations have had similar problems as those of end-users in terms of the cost to upgrade to a new operating system. Compatibility with today's hardware and software is even more important, not only because of the larger scale of the upgrade, but because of compatibility problems with having differing operating system platforms within the organization. Having to support more than one platform only multiplies the problems MIS organizations face. MIS professionals worry about re-training users and about the need to migrate users to a new platform quickly, easily, and in an orderly way.
Windows 95 addresses these needs through:
Network compatibility. In addition to its 32-bit client for Novell NetWare, Windows 95 is compatible with existing real-mode network clients and existing logon procedures like login scripts used by NetWare.
Self-paced guided tour and Windows 3.1 help. Windows 95 will feature a guided tour to help novice users and users new to Windows 95 find their way around. In addition, help designed for transitioning Windows 3.1 users to the new interface elements of Windows 95 is always a mouse-click away.
Inclusion of the Windows 3.1 Program and File Managers. An explicit Windows 95 goal is to allow users and their MIS departments to change to the new user interface at their own pace.
Summary
The mission for Windows 95 is to go beyond making PCs easier to make them truly usable. This means a more intuitive and automatic PC that also integrates the latest technologies and offers superior responsiveness and stability. For end-users, this means an even easier, faster, and more powerful PC that is compatible with today's existing software and hardware. And Windows 95 aims to make the upgrade and transition easy, without pain and without loss of performance or capability.
The size and scope of the Windows 95 product is awesome and you'll find the features in the product are worthy of the mission. The rest of this guide goes into more detail on the specific benefits of the many Windows 95 feature improvements and innovations. Enjoy.
The Microsoft Windows Operating System Product Line
Microsoft's operating system product line provides customers and developers with a rich set of services which take full advantage of the broad range of hardware platforms available today, from small form-factor portable systems to multiprocessor servers.
The scalable architecture of the Windows family of operating systems supports the same user interface, applications, and development tools across an expanding range of hardware. The Windows operating systems meet the spectrum of customer requirements, from productivity applications to powerful, secure, mission-critical applications. Windows 95 is the best choice for mainstream desktop and laptop users of Intel-based PCs. Windows NTT Workstation and Windows NTT Server are advanced operating systems for workstations and network servers, respectively, and support both Intelr and reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessors, as well as symmetric multiprocessing.
Figure 1. Consistent Platform for Development, Deployment, and Training
Comparing Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation
It is important to understand that there are two distinct design points for Microsoft's family of operating systems -- one centered on the mainstream system, and another centered on the leading-edge system. It is not currently possible to have one operating system implementation that fully exploits the broad range of hardware available at any point in time. For mainstream systems (currently represented by products such as sub-notebook and entry-level desktop machines), the Windows 95 design goal is to deliver responsive performance for a broad range of applications while conserving the amount of system resources used. Designed for use on Intel-based PCs, Windows 95 supports the Intel 80386DX, 80486, and Pentium processors used in mainstream desktop and portable PCs. On Intel-based and workstation PCs (e.g., MIPS R4400 or Digital Alpha AXP-based systems, a dual-processor workstation or multi-processor RISC server), Windows NT was designed to fully exploit the capabilities of the hardware and provide the most advanced services for the most demanding applications.
As a result of the requirements placed on the new enterprise solutions, all major operating system developers have recognized the necessity of moving to a micro-kernel architecture for their leading-edge operating systems. This includes Microsoft, IBM, Sun (and most UNIX vendors), and Novell. Only Microsoft made this commitment over 5 years ago and began shipping Windows NT to developers in July 1992 with general availability in July, 1993. This architecture allows vendors to enhance systems to respond to the rapidly changing requirements of the business solutions being developed, while maintaining flexibility to exploit new hardware and peripherals.
Both Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation provide a common base of functionality that is required by all customers, including ease of use, power, connectivity and manageability. Microsoft is committed to and will deliver parity in basic functionality (such as the user interface) to each platform as quickly as possible. The further differences between the two platforms are a result of their different design goals. Windows 95 is focused on making computing easier for anyone using a wide range of personal and business applications on desktop and portable computers. To protect their current investment, these users require the highest level of compatibility with today's applications and device drivers.
Windows NT Workstation is focused on providing the most powerful desktop operating system for solving complex business needs. For developers; technical, engineering, and financial users; and business operations application users, it delivers the highest level of performance to support the most demanding business applications. It also provides the highest levels of reliability, protection, and security for those applications that you can't afford to have fail while exploiting the latest hardware innovations such as RISC processors and multi-processor configurations. This focus on solving business needs is also reflected in the emphasis on maintenance and regular system updates.
Over time, as mainstream machines become more powerful, technologies implemented first on the leading-edge Windows operating system product will migrate to the mainstream product. Sometimes technical innovations will appear first on the mainstream product, due to timing of releases or because some features are focused on ease of use for general end-users. The guiding principle for product planning is for the leading-edge product to provide a superset of the functionality in the mainstream product.
For application developers Microsoft has just one Windows programming platform, defined by Win32-the 32-bit Windows application programming interface and OLE. By following a few simple guidelines, developers can write a single application that runs across the Windows operating system product family. If they wish, developers can target specific operating system products because the functionality they provide is important to their particular application, but that is not a requirement.
Which Client Operating System Should You Choose?
The decision about which platform to deploy should be based on what tasks people are trying to accomplish. The two platforms provide a very complementary set of capabilities that can accommodate a broad range of use scenarios. Consider the following examples:
Windows 95 Usage Scenarios
Most office environments require people to perform a variety of general tasks such as word processing, database queries, or spreadsheet analysis, using productivity applications like the Microsoft Office suite. They may also be using applications that are specific to their particular business. Most companies have an installed base of personal computers, peripheral devices and applications and want to maximize their investment in that computing infrastructure. For them, Windows 95 is the best choice.
Many companies have employees who spend a high fraction of their working hours away from their office, whether they're at a customer site, in a hotel, or out in the field, and rely on personal computers to help them perform their jobs. These mobile computer users have similar requirements for application and device compatibility, but also need an operating system which places lower demands on the hardware, including amount of memory, battery power, and use of disk space. For these customers, Windows 95 is also the best choice.
Most users of computers in the home find them both challenging and unfriendly. In addition, they want to be able to take advantage of new capabilities such as multimedia and easily access on-line information services. Home users will find Windows 95 to be easy to use for all members of the family, yet powerful for them to do the things they want to do. They'll find Windows 95 engaging due to the rich multimedia capabilities built into the operating system; highest levels of compatibility for running MS-DOS-based applications such as games; and the built-in connectivity to information services such as the Internet or other on-line services. In addition, technology such as Plug and Play will make their PC experience more enjoyable as they add new components to their system such as printers, modems, and other peripherals. For home PC users, Windows 95 is the best choice.
Windows NT Workstation Usage Scenarios
Engineers, scientific researchers, statisticians, and other technical users often need the capability to use processing-intensive applications for data analysis and large design activities. Windows NT Workstation, with its support for symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) and its portability to different high-performance platforms like those based on Pentium, Alpha, or MIPS CPUs, can provide the performance of a leading-edge workstation or minicomputer at a fraction of the cost. Moreover, Windows NT Workstation still runs personal productivity applications on the same machine.
In industries that need to protect sensitive data or application files, such as banking and defense, Windows NT Workstation is the right choice for the secure desktop. The NTFS file system, combined with appropriate security procedures, helps prevent unauthorized access to systems and data. Moreover, the security model in Windows NT Workstation is designed to be compliant with C2-level certification. With these features, a Windows NT system can even be shared by multiple users and still maintain security for all files on the system.
Many users require very high levels of availability and performance, and cannot afford downtime, regardless of the application that they are running. Very often, these types of systems are being "right-sized" from mini and mainframe systems. For example, many manufacturing systems today use 16-bit applications to manage their company's production line. Windows NT Workstation supports running these Win16-based applications in separate address spaces (often referred to as separate virtual machines). For users, this means that even if one of these applications fails, all of the other applications continue to run. Windows NT Workstation also provides complete protection for 32-bit applications and the ability to automatically recover (reboot if necessary) if the system goes down.
Criteria for Evaluating Windows 95
With the Beta-2 release of Windows 95, users and members of the press can continue reviewing and evaluating the features and functionality that Windows 95 brings to the desktop and to the industry. To effectively evaluate Windows 95, it is necessary to not only know the feature set of the product, but also to understand the goals of the development team and the needs of the marketplace that have evolved into the development of the next generation of the Windows operating system.
To review or evaluate Windows 95, you should approach the process in the following way:
Read this section of the Windows 95 Reviewer's Guide to understand Windows 95 from the point of view of providing a leadership operating system for the desktop and mobile computer user.
Read the rest of the Windows 95 Reviewer's Guide to understand the goals behind the Windows 95 project, as well as to understand the feature set and improvements that Windows 95 represents over Windows 3.1. Windows 95 is a large project, offering many features and benefits to end-users as well as corporate MIS organizations-this guide discusses these features and benefits.
If you are already familiar with the Beta-1 release of Windows 95, refer to the Product Overview section of this guide for a quick overview of new features and functionality provided in the Beta-2 release.
Read the Beta-2 Release Notes for the latest information about the Beta-2 release. Windows 95 Beta-2 represents work in progress and the release notes will identify known bugs or incomplete feature sets to help testers avoid known problems that may impair your use of the Beta-2 release.
Try it! Once you've had an opportunity to explore how Windows 95 makes the PC even easier to use, you'll see why the Windows 95 development team is so excited about this product.
Suggested Evaluation Criteria for Desktop Operating Systems
As you compare Windows 95 with other operating system products on the market, including Windows 3.1, there are several areas that you should examine. Consider these areas to help identify the operating system that best meets your needs and the needs of users:
Ease of use
Performance
Compatibility of device and application support
Support for new applications
Support for networking and connectivity
Support for manageability and administration
Support for communications and messaging
Support for mobile services and remote access
The following sections discuss each of these areas in relationship to how Windows 95 provides the best desktop operating system for mainstream platforms.
Ease of Use
When looking at the ease-of-use aspects of an operating system, it is important to look at it from the perspective of both a novice and an experienced user. Novices include those who have never used a PC, and those who use it infrequently, often because they find PCs intimidating. Typical problems for novices include finding it hard to navigate through the user interface and needing more information or coaching (for example, from online Help). Experienced users interact with more areas of the operating system than a novice user. These users demand flexibility, speed, and power.
As you evaluate how easy the operating system is to use, it's helpful to answer these questions:
Is the operating system easy to learn and use, and efficient for the widest range of users?
Is the operating system discoverable and reveal new efficiencies for the user as he/she becomes more experienced?
Is the operating system easy for a novice user to complete common tasks such as starting new applications, switching between two or more active application, or manipulating files?
Is the operating system flexible for experienced users to customize and tailor to the way they interact with the computer?
Performance
System performance refers to how the operating system performs overall while running a set of broad tasks (for example, a group of applications and programs you would normally run simultaneously). Performance also refers to the ability of individual system components or subsystems to perform a more narrow set of operations (for example, file I/O).
Several suites of benchmarks are available that test the ability of operating systems to complete a set of tasks that are designed to mimic real world use of the PC and operating system combination. These benchmark tests produce numbers that represent the responsiveness of the operating system for a given set of commercially-available applications. It's possible to run the same suite of applications in your environment and use this information as a baseline to identify the relative performance between the operating systems you compare. However, benchmark suites don't tell the whole story and should be used in conjunction with traditional component-level benchmark tests and actual application tests.
In addition to running application suite benchmarks, it's best to isolate and separately test various components and subsystems of the operating system. This way you can obtain low-level results indicating how well the operating system can support services that are used by applications. Areas of performance that are commonly isolated and benchmarked on standalone PCs include the performance of the local file system for disk and file I/O, the performance of the graphics subsystem and video display drivers for graphics and text I/O, and the performance of the printing subsystem for printing I/O. In addition, desktop operating systems should be tested in networked environments for their ability to support network I/O throughput for the supported network clients, as well as the responsiveness for server functionality if supported by the operating system.
Of course, any operating system will perform best when your PC has the maximum amount of RAM. This configuration, however, is unrealistic since most end-users' PCs have less than the maximum amount of RAM. Performance test suites should be run against different hardware platforms including memory ranges from 4MB to 16MB, on platforms that include PCs containing Intel 80386DX, 80486, and even Intel Pentium-based CPUs. In addition, different hardware resources will deliver different performance testing results, so it's important to test on not only more than one type of configured PC, but also test on hardware that is currently mainstream in the industry.
When you evaluate performance, it's helpful to answer these questions:
Does the operating system perform well on a wide variety of hardware and software?
How well does the operating system complete a benchmark test exercising a suite of applications on a given hardware platform?
How well does the operating system complete benchmark tests exercising individual components and device drivers provided as part of the system?
How well does the operating system perform for network connectivity for supported network clients or provided network server functionality?
Compatibility: Device and Applications Support
When it's time to replace an old operating system, a key question to consider is "Can my company still use our existing applications and hardware with the new operating system?" If you are thinking about replacing an existing operating system, your company probably has invested a large amount of money in applications, printers, modems, and other PC-related peripheral devices. Now it's important to find out if the replacement operating system can run with your existing hardware and software.
It's also important to consider how broad a range of devices is supported by the operating system you choose. No doubt, as your company grows, your hardware needs will grow too. Your choice of an operating system should not unreasonably restrict the peripheral devices your company can buy later. The operating system you choose should include ample device drivers, not only to support the devices you currently own, but for those you will buy in the future.
When examining device support of an operating system, consider the number of devices supported, the industry standards that the operating system supports, and the compatibility for using existing device drivers shipped with earlier operating systems or with devices themselves.
As you evaluate the device and application support in an operating system, it's helpful to answer these questions:
Does the operating system provide broad device support for existing hardware and associated MS-DOS and Windows-based device drivers used by people today?
Are devices easily recognized, installed, and configured by the operating system?
Does the operating system support running your existing MS-DOS or Windows-based applications as well as MS-DOS 6.x or Windows 3.1?
Does the operating system allow easy exchange information between applications or support advanced inter-application communication mechanisms?
Does the operating system provide services for new types of applications (for example, multimedia, remote access, and communications-related applications) ?
Support for Network Services and Connectivity
In a corporate environment, it's extremely important for an operating system to be able to provide network support for a broad base of clients. An operating system that can support connectivity in a heterogeneous environment distinguishes that operating system from the others. Likewise, it's important to compare how well network functionality and other areas of the system (such as the user interface) are integrated in each operating system.
In general, it's more than just incorporating proprietary network functionality in an operating system product that customers are looking for. Customers also want support for industry-wide standards to prevent reliance on a single vendor to support a multi-vendor environment.
As you evaluate the networking support for an operating system, it's helpful to answer these questions:
Is the operating system an open, layered networking architecture that lets you mix and match in best of breed components at every layer?
Does the operating system have built-in, native support for popular networks?
Does the operating system natively support a wide range of network transports (such as TCP/IP and IPX/SPX), industry-wide communication protocols (such as RPC, NetBIOS, DCE, named pipes), and existing network device standards (such as NDIS and ODI)?
Does the operating system provide a simple, consistent user interface for accessing the network and using network resources?
Does the operating system support an open architecture to allow third-parties and network operating system vendors to easily integrate or add network connectivity enhancements or application support?
Support for Manageability and Administration
PCs are now one of the largest expenses of an MIS organization. Medium and large businesses invest tens of thousands of dollars each year, not only on the hardware and software for new and existing computer systems, but also for setup and administration of these systems. Thus far, there is little consistency and almost no integration among available tools for managing and administering PCs in a networked environment.
The good news is that standards organizations are now working to simplify the management scenario by developing standard ways for managing PCs. These standards will mean better and more integrated management tools for the network administrator. For an administrator to reap any benefits, however, it's important to choose an operating system that supports management mechanisms adhering to existing standards or one whose infrastructure is designed for adaptability to a new standard.
As you examine the support for manageability or administration of a desktop operating system, it's helpful to answer the following questions:
Does the operating system provide the tools and platform infrastructure for supporting existing industry standard management mechanisms such as SNMP, and provide the flexibility for supporting future standards such as DMI?
Does the operating system provide tools and mechanisms for MIS organizations and administrators to customize and control the functionality and capabilities on the desktop?
Does the operating system provide support for administering or managing the desktop PC remotely over a network?
Support for Communications and Messaging
The explosive growth of services such as CompuServe, America Online, and the Internet show the dramatic increase in demand for an operating system that enables connectivity beyond the desktop to provide access to online and mail services. The support and services that an operating system provides can open the door for users to discover the communications and messaging possibilities in the Information Age.
As you evaluate communications and messaging support in an operating system, it's helpful to answer these questions:
Does the operating system support high-speed communications and background multitasking capabilities?
Does the operating system provide support for my communication hardware, and provide services for supporting new communication functionality such as sharing communication ports, unified device configuration, or support emerging communications technology?
Does the operating system provide support for industry-standard messaging services?
Does the operating system provide broad communication and messaging capabilities and consolidated information access (for example, faxing, dial-in access to resources, and access to online information services) ?
Support for Mobile Services and Remote Access
To realize seamless mobility, users must be able to easily communicate and remain productive, whether they are in the office, at a customer site, or at home. Users must be able to communicate with coworkers and clients regardless of their location. Additionally, transitions home computer to portable computer to office computer must not cause interruption in a user's workflow. Support for mobility services as part of the operating system ensures tight integration and connectivity between portable computer and desktop PCs, allowing minimal interruption from real work as a user switches from one location and/or computer to another.
As you evaluate the support of an operating system for mobile services, it's helpful to answer these questions:
Does the operating system support remote access to the key services or information you need on your corporate network?
Does the operating system have robust support for the dynamic nature of mobile hardware, such as PCMCIA, power management, and docking stations?
Windows 95 Product Overview
Windows 95 is an extremely feature-rich product. Virtually every aspect of Windows 95 reflects improvements over Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups. This guide is organized by technology area present in Windows 95, and provides an overview of the features, functionality, and components that make up Windows 95.
While reading about Windows 95, it is important to put the functionality offered into perspective of the needs of the marketplace with how Windows 95 its target design goals.
Note The discussion of Windows 3.1 as it compares or contrasts to Windows 95 is also appropriate for Windows for Workgroups (even though Windows for Workgroups may not be explicitly identified).
Windows 95 Product Areas Covered by Guide
This guide presents an overview of Windows 95 by discussing the areas of technology that make up Windows 95. To facilitate a discussion of the product, the following areas of Windows 95 that are examined in this guide include:
ú The Windows 95 User Interface
ú Base System Architecture
ú Robustness Improvements
ú Improved Support for Running MS-DOS-based Applications
ú Plug and Play
Improved Device Support
Networking
Systems Management
ú Printing
Communications
ú Mobile Computing Services
Microsoft Exchange: Email, Fax, and more
The Microsoft Network - Online Service
ú Multimedia Services
ú Installation and Setup of Windows 95
ú International Language Support
ú Accessibility
Applications and Utilities
What Makes a Great Application for Windows 95?
ú The Windows 95 Logo Program
Windows 95 Questions and Answers
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
A summary of improvements available in Windows 95 over Windows 3.1 is provided in many of the sections of this guide covering key features and functionality available in Windows 95. This section provides a quick overview of area where Windows 95 address Windows 3.1 issues, or improves upon the based functionality.
Try It!
Where appropriate, each section of this guide includes a Try It! Section that gives you the opportunity to try and examine the areas of improvement in Windows 95. You are encouraged to see for yourself that Windows 95 is a flexible, powerful, and robust operating system. Try It!
Summary of New Features in Beta-2
The Beta-2 release of Windows 95 represents fixes and enhancements as well as further refinement of the feature set and functionality to be offered in the final retail product.
The information in this section is designed to give a quick overview of the changes made between Beta-1 and the delivery of Beta-2. Besides the items listed in this section, a significant amount of work is devoted to general cleanup, performance improvements, polish, and increased system robustness. For additional information on the feature enhancements listed in this section, refer to the related section elsewhere in this guide (identified as a page number reference).
Note This is not an exhaustive list of the new features or changes present in the Beta-2 release, but is intended to provide a quick overview of some of the key enhancements since Beta-1.
Windows 95 User Interface
Recycle Bin to recover deleted files (See Page 41)
Multilevel undo for file operations like delete, move, copy, or rename (See Page 42)
Undo for window management operations performed on the Taskbar (See Page 51)
New visual design for the start button, it's bigger with a nice bitmap as the menu background (users can toggle between the larger menu view and a smaller icon view)
Guided tour to help both new users and Windows 3.1 users learn the Windows 95 user interface (See Page 57)
Integrated "Windows 3.1 help" system to aid Windows 3.1 users in operating in Windows 95 (See Page 57)
Quick viewer enhancements to improve speed and support additional formats (See Page 56, Page 299)
Version and type information will be shown as a property sheet for each file shipped as part of Windows 95, making it easy for users to see the version of system files they have and confirm they have the latest revision
Document file summary properties shown via a standard system property page, allowing users to see the same summary properties they see in Microsoft Word for Windows, for example, without having to open the application.
Fonts folder is integrated into the shell as a folder, and is accessible from My Computer (See Page 56)
Application install wizard to guide users through the process of installing both Windows and MS-DOS based applications.
Windows 95 System Setup
Revamped user interface to be a standard Windows 95 wizard. It nicely guides the user through all questions, allowing him/her to go back and change any response. User interface improvements spread to network setup as well. Includes Setup options to perform a typical, portable, compact, or custom install. (See Page 273)
Maintenance mode to add/remove components.
Support for network server-based install and installation script usage for hands-free installs. Allows files to be placed on a server, and installs performed against user directories on the server or on local PCs. (See Page 277)
Improved support for installing over third party networks
Improved detection for support of additional devices as well as safer detection when querying legacy PC configurations
MS-DOS based Application Support
Ability to have custom config.sys and autoexec.bat files per session with quick reboot for single MS-DOS application mode. This is a very nice solution to running those cranky MS-DOS games that insist on having their own configuration files. (See Page 105)
MS-DOS application information associated with links so you can have multiple links to a single MS-DOS executable, each with it's own specific settings for that program. For example, a link to command.com to run it in a window, and a second one to have it run full screen.
Simplified property sheet UI for configuring options for running MS-DOS-based applications. (See Page 108)
File system compatibility mode, which can be set in setup. Disables long file names and other new file system features, plus uses old boot file names to support old disk utilities. Designed for 100% file system compatibility.
Windows Core
Vastly improved Device Contexts (DCs) resource limit, raising it from the current limit of around 150 to around 4000. This will allow users to run many more large resource hungry applications under Windows 95 than on Windows 3.1. (See Page 84 )
Image Color Matching work integrated. Profiles for the most popular color printers provided. (See Page 189)
File System
Complete protect mode DriveSpace/DoubleSpace integration. VXD and real mode compression drivers support both DoubleSpace and DriveSpace. GUI-based DriveSpace utility to make settings, compress in place, etc. (See Page 83)
Device configurability in the System Control Panel UI; cache write behind control, fixed/removable media settings, use real mode drivers or not, polling versus interrupt driven, reserve letter for removable drives, etc.
Support for a swapfile on compressed volume. User won't have to worry about changing various host volume sizes to accommodate the swapfile. The swapfile just sits on the compressed volume and grows and shrinks as needed. (See Page 87)
Printing
Bi-directional print monitors for HP LaserJet 4 models and Adobe Postscript printers. (See Page 192)
Browse for printers on the network when doing printer setup
Print troubleshooter (in Help) to help user diagnose printing problems
Plug and Play
"Silent" install scheme where new plug and play devices just start working without prompting the user.
New Device Wizard in Control Panel enhanced. This wizard helps guide users through the steps to install legacy and Plug and Play hardware in their system.
Support for printing various reports on system settings in Device Manager section of System Control Panel application.
Device Manager UI improved to show hierarchy of devices in the system. (e.g., CD drive hanging off a SCSI port).
Support for docking and using a different display adapter in the docking station.
Mobile support
Clean up in the UI for dock/undock sequence and naming profiles. Networking components and the display system have been revved to include Plug and Play support (e.g., dynamic load/unload of drivers and automatic switching of display drivers and resolution). This means that docking or undocking is much more pleasant than Beta-1.
Parallel port network card driver to enable connecting two machines running Windows 95 together for fast data transfer without a network.
Networking
Custom network neighborhood by allowing shortcut/links in the Network Neighborhood. Provides control for users and administrators over what does and doesn't show up in the network neighborhood.
Plug and Play awareness in all protect mode components. Allows dynamic loading/unloading to support docking, PCMCIA card insertion, etc.
Support for NetWare login scripts, "who am I" NetWare support so you can tell what name you logged in under. (See Page 151)
System policies implemented in components of Windows 95, and configurable with the System Policy Editor. (See Page 173)
RIPL support and tools for setting up and booting diskless workstations from servers running NetWare services.
Remote network access (RNA): PPP stack improved for better interoperability with Windows NT and Internet servers; compression and encryption over PPP; UI greatly improved for things like modem install and dialing from applications thanks to a new dialer app from the TAPI group, the shell is also now slow link aware. You will also see cool stuff like modem lights blinking on the system Taskbar.
Multimedia
Support for AutoPlay included. If a CD-ROM is autoplay-enabled, just put it in your CD-ROM drive and it will run automatically. If the desktop is showing, AutoPlay will open a window to show the contents of your CD automatically when you stick in a CD. (See Page 257)
Volume control. A new volume control appears on the Taskbar, making it easy to turn the sound up or down.
Long filename support. All the multimedia applications now support long filenames.
More boards, drives, and devices supported. Devices supported in Beta-2 now include Media Vision audio cards.
New, simpler, UI for Multimedia control panel.
CD Player application included. The new CD Player makes it easy and enjoyable to play audio CDs in your CD ROM drive. You can even create and save custom play lists, so you can skip over songs you don't like. (See Page 258)
Improved joystick driver. The new joystick driver requires less attention from the CPU (leaving more cycles for your game!) and provides more accurate and responsive user control -- so you'll hit what you aim at more often.
CDFS Performance enhancements: Since Beta-1, improvements in the CD File System have boosted streaming efficiency while decreasing the CPU overhead for reading from the CD-ROM drive. This means that you can use the CPU to decompress bigger, faster digital video than before.
32-bit codecs: Indeo( and Cinepak have both provided 32-bit versions of their codecs, which ship in Beta-2.
32-bit digital video capture subsystems. The digital video capture subsystems are now fully 32-bit in Beta-2. When used in combination with a 32-bit codec, this offers dramatically improved digital video capture performance. We are seeing throughput increases of 30% or greater. This means you can capture bigger, faster, better looking digital video without upgrading anything but the software.
Full-screen digital video. When you play a 640x480 digital video file, Windows 95 now automatically removes the window border in order to play it full-screen.
TrueSpeech voice compression. Beta-2 includes this new codec for very efficient compression of voice data.
Support for the new Sony/Phillips "CD+" format (using stamped multisession technology) built into Windows 95. (See Page 259)
Applications and Utilities
New 32-bit OLE-enabled versions of WordPad and Paint. Both use new common dialogs in Windows 95 and support the use of long filenames. (See Page 301)
Update to WinPad application. Includes driver for transferring data to the Timex Data Link Watch. (See Page 306)
Backup application included. Supports floppy backup, tapes connected to the standard floppy controller interface, and parallel port tape backup interface. (See Page 302)
Long filename support in all the MS-DOS utilities, such as XCOPY.
GUI Disk defragmenter (optimizer) and ScanDisk (disk checking and repair tool) are included. (See Page 307)
Microsoft Exchange
Workgroup Post Office setup/administration now in Control Panel (See Page 238)
Microsoft At Work fax software integrated (See Page 241)
Internet Mail Service drivers included (See Page 239)
Microsoft Exchange Setup Wizard simplifies creation of messaging profiles
OLE 2 drag/drop, Visual Editing now functional
Drag mail messages to the file system in Windows Explorer (See Page 236)
New mail notification on the Taskbar (See Page 233)
Custom Views fully functional, including categorized views (See Page 236)
Next/Previous mail message fully functional
The Microsoft Network - Online Service
Initial online service client for The Microsoft Network is provided in the Beta-2 release of Windows 95 (See Page 249)
The Windows 95 User Interface
When you first boot Windows 95 it is immediately apparent that the old world of Windows running on top of MS-DOS is no more. Gone are the character-mode boot messages that held meaning only for a very small minority of computer users. Instead, you are graphically carried to the desktop of the new user interface (UI) in Windows 95.
More than any other part of the operating system, the UI defines a user's overall experience. The easier, more powerful, and more compelling the UI, the better the user feels about computing which, in turn, makes the user more productive. Great UI helps grow the industry by making computing easier and more natural for all people, from the new user to the power user. This is the mission of the UI in Windows 95.
This section introduces you to the UI in Windows 95 and its conception. It is divided into the following topics:
Objectives. Lays out the top-line goals of the UI in Windows 95.
Methodology. Overviews the design-test-redesign loop that has been critical to the UI development process.
Easy. Outlines features that make Windows 95 easy to learn and use, especially for those new to Windows.
Powerful. Outlines features that make Windows 95 more powerful, efficient, and customizable for the experienced Windows user.
Compatible. Outlines features that make Windows 95 easy to learn and use for those familiar with Windows 3.1.
Designing the User Interface in Windows 95
Objectives
The overarching goal of the UI in Windows 95 is to make PCs even easier to use for all people.
Fulfilling this goal is a challenge because people work in very different ways. For the beginner, performing a task must be easy to learn even at the expense of efficiency. However, the experienced user is interested in doing more with the PC and in efficiency and flexibility. In addition, the user who upgrades from Windows 3.1 must not be made to throw out everything he or she has learned.
Windows 95 has fulfilled these disparate needs by making the most common and essential features of Windows 95 (such as, launching an application, task switching, finding a file) easily discoverable by the beginner via the Taskbar, with its "Start" Button and push button task switching. At the same time, the product is deep in power user capabilities that promote efficiency, customizability, and control such as the "Windows Explorer", rich secondary mouse-button clicking capabilities, properties sheets, and "Shortcuts".
The UI in Windows 95 is designed to be scaleable-that is, to fit the proficiency and preferences of the individual user.
Methodology
The UI in Windows 95 was not a grand plan designed to a master specification. It started out with clear objectives, guiding design principles, and a skilled team. The design process has been full of discarded designs, new ideas, and a great deal of learning.
The process started with answering the basic question: How can Windows 3.1 be improved? From there the UI team began to work through a design, to usability test, to redesign loop that continues to iterate today.
Figure 2. Feedback design loop of Windows 95
Improving Windows 3.1
There was no shortage of information sources in determining how the Windows 3.1 UI might be improved. The following table summarizes key findings.
How can the Windows 3.1 UI be improved?
Make it easier to learn for novices. Problem areas:
Window management (overlapping and minimized windows) is confusing
Hierarchical views (like the file manager) are confusing
Double-clicking to launch applications is not discoverable
Task switching is undiscoverable, which means too few users are taking advantage of running multiple applications
Make it more efficient and customizable for experienced users. Problem areas:
Too much "middle management". Confusing and overlapping functionality: Program Manager, File Manager, Print Manager, Windows Setup, Control Panel
8.3 file naming
Not customizable
Poor network and connectivity integration
Figure 3. Goals for improving the UI over Windows 3.1
We used the following mechanisms to compile feedback data:
Usability Tests. The Microsoft Usability Lab, detailed below, is primarily used for testing usability of new designs. However, in order to better understand how people are using Windows 3.1 today and to establish a baseline, several phases of testing were dedicated to Windows 3.1.
Focus Groups. Several focus groups were conducted with different levels of user to determine the problems people are having with Windows 3.1 today.
Educator Feedback Program. Last year a team of UI designers and testers visited 12 independent software education companies. More than any other people, software educators understand the everyday usage challenges faced by beginner and intermediate users. Questions like "What are the 5 hardest tasks for students to learn in Windows?" and "What 5 changes would you make to Windows to make it easier to learn?" were asked. These educators have also served as a great resource for testing prototypes of the UI in Windows 95.
Suggestion Database. Thousands of UI suggestions from Windows 3.1 end-users and corporate customers have been compiled and analyzed. Going forward beta tester UI feedback will be incorporated into the final release UI.
Putting New Designs to the Test
Conducting extensive live tests in a variety of settings with a variety of subjects has been key to the engineering of a state-of-the-art UI. A large portion of the total development budget of Windows 95 has been expended on this critical activity. Windows 95 is likely the most usability-tested product ever. Methods employed for testing the UI in Windows 95 follow.
Formative Testing in the Usability Lab. Conducted primarily in the groundbreaking Microsoft Usability Lab, formative testing tests real users on specific tasks (such as, launching a program, finding a file, and installing a printer). The Usability Lab has nine testing suites, each with a one-way mirror, cameras, and other equipment for observing and recording users as they work. Central to the Lab operations is online data collection software which helps specialists collect cognitive and quantitative process data as subjects work through sets of tasks.
Usability tests are observed first hand by the design team and are essential in future designs. To date, we have conducted more than 1,000 hours of usability testing over 48 phases of lab testing with more than 400 participants. Experience of testers range from novice users to intermediate/advanced, allowing results to be obtained focusing on new computer users as well as users familiar with Windows.
Summative Testing. Conducted at customer sites and in the Usability Lab, summative testing involves testing of the UI as a whole with real users over longer periods of time. Several phases of summative tests have been conducted to date at corporate sites. As the product approaches shipping, usability tests will focus on summative testing.
UI and Industry Expert Review. In the fall of 1993, panel of UI and industry experts was assembled to review and critique the UI in Windows 95. Also, four individual consultants spent 1.5 days each "alone with Windows 95" and gave extensive feedback.
Easy
"Easy" is a broad term so it requires some definition. This section will detail those features of the UI in Windows 95 that are focused on solving the first category of "How can the Windows 3.1 UI be improved" from above. Namely, learnability for those who are new to Windows.
The Desktop: Neat, Clean, and Logical
After you start your computer, you are presented with the new desktop in Windows 95 (see Figure 4). It's neat and clean with only a few graphical objects on the screen. It's like moving into a new office before you have the chance to really get it messy.
Figure 4. The Desktop in Windows 95
The simplicity of the desktop appeals to all users' sense of organization, but also serves to focus the novice user on the essentials:
Taskbar. Quickly start a program or open a document from the Start button. Easily switch between tasks.
My Computer: Makes browsing your PC logical and easy.
Network Neighborhood. In the world of mapped drives and complex interfaces, users are unable to browse the network. The Network Neighborhood makes browsing networks possible and easy, independent of the network provider (such as Windows NT Server, a NetWare server, or Windows 95 itself).
Recycle Bin. The recycle bin allows users to recover deleted files. Files that have been deleted can be easily returned to their original location on the user's local system.
The Taskbar: Home Base
More than any other feature, the Taskbar exemplifies the order of magnitude improvement in ease of use and learnability of the UI in Windows 95. It is the anchor of the UI. Its mission is to make 95% of what a typical user wants to do with the operating system easily accessible at all times. An indicator of a great design is that it turns out to be much more than it was originally intended. The Taskbar started out specifically as a novice user program launcher and task switcher. However, its simplicity and power have turned out to be favorites of experienced windows users, and it has many more capabilities.
Figure 5. The Taskbar
The two key features of the Taskbar are the Start button and push-button task switching.
The Start Button: Up and Running in Seconds
Usability tests on Windows 3.1 show that it takes a brand new Windows user an average of nine minutes to open "Write." With Windows 95, opening Wordpad takes a new user an average of three minutes. If only the users that launched Wordpad via the Start Button (rather than by other means) are counted the average time to launch drops below one minute! The main reason for this dramatic 3x-9x speed improvement is the Start Button. Without ever having to know about double clicking, complex hierarchies, or program manger groups, a beginning user of Windows 95 can quickly launch a program and get to work.
Figure 6. The Start Button
However, the Start button is much more than a super-efficient program launcher.
Programs. The Programs item on the Start bar provides quick access to launching programs. This menu item is the equivalent to Program Manager under Windows 3.1-when Windows 95 is used to upgrade a PC running Windows 3.1, the contents of the Program Manager program groups are transferred to the Programs item.
Documents. The Documents menu of the Start button contains a list of the last 15 documents the user opened. It provides very quick access to information the most recently worked with. This helps prevent time-consuming and frustrating browsing and helps people begin to think of their work in terms of documents ("document-centricity"), rather than applications.
Settings. Gives quick access to the changing or viewing settings and options of the PC, including the Control Panel (for computer settings), the Start Menu, and the Printers folder. It also allows the user to customize the Taskbar itself (such as, what programs to include in Start Programs menu) to suit personal working preferences.
Find. Find is a new feature of Windows 95 that goes far beyond File Manager's File Search feature in Windows 3.1. Searches do need not conform to the *.* searching syntax, and criteria such as last modification date, size of file, and actual text within a document can now be used to find information. More on Find in "Power" below.
Help. Help has been overhauled in Windows 95 and is easily accessible from the Start menu. See "Help" topic later in this section for details.
Run. Provides enhanced command-line type functionality from the Start Button.
Shutdown. Allows for easily accessible and safe shutdown, restart, and logoff.
Try This-Customizing the Start Button
Select Start, Settings, Taskbar.
From the Change Start Menu property sheet, choose which programs you'd like to appear either at the first level of the Start Button or inside the programs group.
Close and check your new configuration by pushing the Start Button.
Power user hint: You can also put a program on the Start button by dragging and dropping a Shortcut to the program right on the button.
Try This-Test a Novice
Get a stopwatch.
Find a friend or family member who is a computer novice. Sit this person down at your PC running Windows 95 with no programs loaded and a clean desktop.
Ask him or her to open an application called "X", where X is in the programs group. Note the time to completion.
Try the same task on Windows 3.1.
Compare the times to complete the task. The time using Windows 95 should be the same or faster than under Windows 3.1.
Try This ctrl+esc Brings Up the Start Button
Press ctrl+esc and the Start Menu will pop up.
Task Switching Made Simple From the Taskbar
Novices need powerful features presented to them in a very simple and compelling way, otherwise these features will not be used. Research on active Windows users shows that less than 50% of general Windows users frequently use more than one application at a time and only 20% frequently use ALT+TAB task switching. These powerful features of Windows 3.1 are simply not discoverable.
The objective of the Taskbar is to make switching among multiple applications as simple as changing channels on a television set. Every new window that is opened automatically gets a button on the Taskbar-this greatly improves the visualization to the user as to which windows or applications are presently open. To change tasks, all the user must do is go to the Taskbar and select the desired channel. No more minimized program icons, no more disappearing windows. No matter where the user is, he or she can see all of his or her active tasks simply by looking at the Taskbar, the Windows TV guide.
Task Buttons re-size automatically depending on the number of active tasks. Should the buttons get too small to be useful the user can custom configure the Taskbar. In fact, there are a host of Taskbar configuration options that allow the user to configure it to fit his or her needs including:
Reposition. The Windows Taskbar can be dragged to any perimeter position on the screen.
Re-size. The width of the Windows Taskbar can be widened by dragging the inside edge.
Auto Hide. The Windows Taskbar can be hidden from the screen and made appear only when the mouse hits the screen edge by selecting Settings, Taskbar from the Start Button.
Also, noteworthy is the animation when a task is minimized into the Taskbar or maximized from the Taskbar. It helps new users understand "where" a program goes when it is minimized.
(Despite the fact that task switching has been made dramatically easier and more accessible via the Taskbar, the familiar ALT+TAB "cool switch" has been updated. It now displays an iconic road map of all active tasks, to prevent getting lost in the infinite alt+tab loop that was common under Windows 3.1. Try it and see.)
An Easier Model for File Management and Browsing
File management and browsing in Windows 3.1 was not intuitive. Fewer than 55% of general Windows users regularly use the File Manager. The File Manager is especially confusing and intimidating for novice users.
Figure 7. Browsing My Computer
New Windows and Large Icons Work for those new to Windows
Designing a discoverable and comfortable model for browsing and file management for the novice user has been a priority for the UI design team because of the observed difficulties with Windows 3.1. Several significantly different designs have been tested and thrown out. In the course of this testing the design team made a few basic discoveries about file management and browsing:
Exposed hierarchies are intimidating and unintuitive.
Dual-pane views (hierarchy on the left, contents on the right) are also intimidating and unintuitive. Novices have difficulty understanding the connection between the logical tree hierarchy on the left and the contents pane on the right.
Object-Oriented UI is great for basic tasks, but not for complex ones. There exists a general belief that the more object oriented a UI is the easier it is for the user. This is an appealing theory, but in real life this is not the case. Direct manipulation of screen objects and logical resulting behaviors are important for basic functionality (such as, dragging a file from a folder to the desktop). However, advanced direct manipulation features such as dragging a file to a printer icon, are not intuitive. Intuitively, users understand selecting an object with the mouse then browsing menus or buttons for actions to perform on that object.
Large icon views are much more comfortable than list views.
A novice's ability to find what he is looking for and feeling comfortable and "grounded" along the way are the defining characteristics of a good browsing experience. Efficiency and speed are less important.
The "My Computer" default browsing model is the result of all of this design, testing, and learning. A folder or drive can be opened by double clicking or selecting it and choosing File Open. The default browsing model brings up a new window in large icon view. To many advanced users this behavior seems cumbersome. Why not open in list view? Why create a new window, it just clutters up my screen? Why not open to a dual pane view? It's much more efficient for me. Why not turn the Toolbar on by default? All of these models and more were tested thoroughly and discarded (as the default configuration) because they caused confusion and stress among novices. Novices respond best when presented only with essential information and when they can easily "get back" to where they just were. (Multiple configuration options are available to experienced users in View Options.)
Windows 95 has a very powerful dual-pane browsing application for Experienced users called the Windows Explorer, which is likely how you, as an experienced user, will prefer to browse. The Windows Explorer will be covered in "Power" below. Additionally, the File Manager from Windows 3.1 is still available and can be run for backwards compatibility.
New Capabilities in the Default Browsing Model
New capabilities of the default browsing model should not be overlooked in this discussion of simplicity. Folders can be created within folders. Files and folders respond very logically to being dragged and dropped. Files and folders can be cut, copied, and pasted just like text and objects within applications. Views can be customized by the user and each window "remembers" how the user last configured it, so that the next time it opens it is in the user's favorite view. The best way to discover the capabilities of the default browsing model is to play with it yourself, or better yet, find a novice user and watch him use it.
Try This-Browsing Folders With a Single Window
Double click My Computer.
Select View Options. From the Folder property sheet, choose "Browse folders with a single window that follows you as you open each folder."
Turn on the Toolbar by selecting Toolbar from the View menu.
Now double-click the icon for your hard drive no new window.
Name Files using Long Filenames
By far, the number one most requested file system feature since Microsoft first released MS-DOS is support for long filenames-however until Windows 95 this has not been possible. Windows 95 now allows file names to be as long as 255 characters. The usability win by eliminating the need to conform to the 8.3 naming convention is obvious and large. To ensure backwards compatibility with the universe of existing MS-DOS and Win16-based applications, extensions have not been eliminated, just hidden from view by default.
Figure 8. Sample long filename
Additionally, files can be renamed in place in Windows 95 by selecting the file, clicking on the filename, and typing a new name. The hidden file extension is not affected by renaming the file. In addition, files can also be renamed from within the new common dialogs (including File Open and Save) in Windows 95.
Try This-Show File Extensions
Users who want to view extensions can do so from any folder.
Choose View Options.
Select the View tab.
De-selecting the checkbox for the "Don't display MS-DOS file extensions for files that are properly registered."
Network Neighborhood and Accessing Networking Features
This section will discuss how the network client in Windows 95 makes browsing networks possible and easy, independent of the network provider (such as, Windows NT Server, Novell NetWare, or Windows 95 itself). For more details about the networking capabilities of Windows 95, see the section called "Networking in Windows 95."
The Network Neighborhood, shown in Figure 9, sits on the desktop and logically separates for the user the place to go to browse resources not on "My Computer". The user can easily browse the network via the Network Neighborhood just as if he or she were browsing his or her hard disk.
Figure 9. Network Neighborhood desktop icon in Windows 95
The Network Neighborhood is also configured by the administrator to display, at the top level only those PCs, servers, and printers that are in the user's immediate workgroup. This insulates the user from the vastness of large corporate networks. However, if the user wants to browse the larger network, this can be done by opening "Entire Network" from within the Network Neighborhood. This was not possible prior to Windows 95. When a user browses servers, network connections are being made without ever having "mapped" a drive.
Try This-Shortcut to a Network Folder on the Desktop
Browse the network neighborhood until you find an often-used network folder.
Hold down right mouse button and drag and drop that folder on the desktop.
Choose Create Shortcut Here.
Close the network window.
Double click the shortcut and your network folder opens into a new window. This will be available every time you boot into Windows 95. For more information on shortcuts see the "Powerful" section below.
System-wide support for UNC pathnames makes obsolete the unnecessary process of "mapping" drives (assigning new drive letters to a specific network resource). This technology allows the natural network browsing observed through the Network Neighborhood. UNC pathname support allows a whole host of usability improvements of which network browsing is just one.
Try This UNC "Run" to Your Favorite Network Folder
From the Start button choose Run.
Type the full UNC path to your favorite network folder (such as, "\\MKTG\PROGRAMS\SARAHB") and press ENTER.
The folder will open up in a new Window. No drive mapping.
The Network Control Panel tool consolidates all networking configuration in one location. Solves difficulty of configuring networking under Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.x.
Easy drive mapping is also available in Windows 95. There is a Map Network Drive button on the Windows Explorer and browsing window toolbars. Also available via right-click on "My Computer" for power users. Mapped drives appear as connections in "My Computer".
Networking and mobility are intrinsic to the UI in Windows 95. The UI in Windows 95 was designed from the ground up with networking and remote access in mind. For example, when a file copy detects that the copy is being performed over a slow-link (modem connection), the copy dialog itself includes an "estimated time to completion" status message.
Networking integration with new common dialogs (including File Open and File Save). The new common dialogs, standardized in applications that make use of them, provide a consistent way to open or save files on network resources as well as on local drives. In addition, the Network Neighborhood can be browsed directly from the new common dialogs. Also, the majority of basic file management tasks can be performed from within common dialogs.
Try This-Create a New Folder From Within Common Dialogs
Click the Start button, then choose Programs, Accessories, and start WordPad. WordPad is a new word processing application that replaces Write provided with Windows 3.1. WordPad uses the common dialogs.
Select File Open, and click the "Look in" drop down box access to the entire PC hierarchy, including the Network Neighborhood, is available.
Select File Save, and click the Create New Folder icon you can create new folders at the time you are saving a document (unlike in Windows 3.1 where you had to start File Manager or exit to the MS-DOS command prompt).
Recycle Bin - Easily Delete/Undelete Files
The Recycle Bin serves as an easily recognized metaphor for being able to easily "throw away" files and to recover them by simply removing them from the bin. Files deleted using the Windows 95 shell, or deleted from the common dialog boxes in applications that support them are relocated to the Recycle Bin. Users may easily remove items from the Recycle Bin and drag (or cut/copy them) them to another location, or can restore them to their original location by choosing the Undo Delete option from the Edit menu.
The Recycle Bin graphically shows whether it is empty, or whether items are present. In addition, the details view of the Recycle Bin contents show additional information about the "deleted file."
Figure 10. Recycle Bin with deleted items; Recycle Bin details view showing additional information
More "Document-centric"
OLE introduced document-centricity with in-place editing of objects. The application window changes and the document stays the same. This makes the software begin to work the way people work, rather than vice-versa.
Figure 11. New Word document template
The UI in Windows 95 picks up on the concept of document-centricity in several subtle, but powerful ways including:
A window is just an open view of an object. When the user opens a folder from anywhere in the UI, a new window opens up. The title of the new window is the same as the name under the folder before the user opened it. This is logical. In the next generation of applications written for Windows 95, ISVs will follow this same model. A Microsoft Word document called "My document" is double-clicked from the anywhere in the UI, and a new window (Word itself) is opened entitled "My Document-Microsoft Word".
"New" document templates from within folders and in the Windows Explorer. From within any folder in Windows 95 or from the desktop, new files can be created in place by selecting File New and then choosing a file type. This is very convenient for managing files based on projects rather than the whim of an application.
Try This-Create a new Wordpad document from within a folder
Browse to a project folder where you'd like to save a new Wordpad document.
From the File menu choose New then Wordpad Document.
Type a name and press the enter key.
Double click your new document to launch it.
Hint: This functionality can also be accessed by right-clicking from within any folder or the desktop.
Undoing File Operations
When working with files on your system, how many times have you said to yourself "I didn't mean to do that!" and accidentally deleted, renamed, moved, or copied a file that you didn't intend to? Well, Windows 95 has the simple answer for putting things back the way they were. The Windows 95 interface windows include an Undo command on the Edit menu, allowing users to undo the last operation-actually, Windows 95 features a multi-level undo allowing users to undo more than just the last immediate operation they performed.
Users can undo file deletions, renames, moves, or copies by simply choosing the Undo command from the Edit menu of the interface window. Figure 12 shows a sample undo operation being performed to undo the renaming of a file.
Figure 12. Undo operations on files can be performed by choosing the Undo command on the Edit menu
Try This-Undo a File Operation
Open a folder on your disk and select a file.
Rename the selected file.
Choose the Undo Rename item on the Edit menu to undo the rename operation.
Try This Multilevel Undo for File Operations
Open a folder on your disk and select a file.
Rename the selected file.
Drag the file from the folder to the desktop.
Delete the selected file.
Go back to the folder you first opened, and click the Edit menu.
Choose the Undo Delete item on the Edit menu to undo the delete operation.
Choose the Undo Move item on the Edit menu to undo the move operation.
Choose the Undo Rename item on the Edit menu to undo the rename operation.
New Help Engine: Accessible and Useful Online Information
Online help has been completely re-tooled in Windows 95. It underwent extensive usability testing in the labs and the result is a significantly easier to use and learn help system. Additionally, customizing and developing Windows help files by ISVs and corporate customers has been made dramatically easier. A brief description of the major features of the new Help system in Windows 95 follows.
Simplified interface. Help in Windows 3.1 was difficult to learn and use. It had three main functions: Contents, Search, and Glossary. The Contents view was not well organized and presented and there was some ambiguity about which of the functions to use when. Windows 95 behaves much more intuitively and more like a real reference book. It only has two Tabs: Contents and Index.
The "Contents" Tab is organized like a book's table of contents. Top level "chapters" (iconically represented by a book) are displayed and can be drilled down on for sub topics (iconically represented as a page). Many chapters also have "Tips and Tricks" subsections. These have proved popular in lab testing.
Help topic contents are short. They all fit in one small screen to keep users from having to scroll through large, complicated help information.
Figure 13. Help Shortcut button
Shortcut Buttons make using Help advice simple. New Shortcut buttons make using Help even easier in Windows 95. Some Help topics contain these shortcuts that take the user right to the area in Windows 95 that it is referencing. For example, a user who is searching for help on how to change the date on the PC can "jump" right to the Clock Control Panel tool, right from within Help as shown in Figure 13.
What's This? From within all Control Panel tools in Windows 95, a new "?" icon appears on the upper-right of the Title Bar. By selecting this the user's cursor changes to a "?" and can be dropped on any target in the dialog box. This brings up a short description of whatever was selected. "What's this?" can also be accessed by right-clicking within Control Panel tools.
Try This Use Help's Shortcut Buttons to Change Desktop Color
From the Start button choose Help.
Select the Index tab.
Type "display". Double-click the option called "background pictures or patterns, changing."
Click the shortcut jump button to Properties for Display.
Wizards: Your Guide to Powerful Capabilities
Originally developed in Microsoft's Applications Group and used in applications such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel, Wizards are a proven tool that make it easy for all classes of user to take advantage of powerful but complex functionality. The Wizards guide a user through a series of questions, which are posed to the user in a friendly and straight-forward way, and walk the user through a process.
Figure 14. Printer Installation Wizard Walks User Through Installing a Printer
Windows 95 uses Wizards throughout the system to make it easier for all types of users. For example, Wizards are used to perform operations that include (but are not limited to):
Displaying Setup options to the user during the installation process
Adding a new device to the system
Walking the user through the process of adding a new printer to their system
Walking the user through the process of adding a new modem to their system
Setting up Remote Access in the Network Neighborhood
Creating a new shortcut for an application
Installing a new application
Creating a Briefcase for synchronizing files between two PCs
Creating a workgroup post office for use with the Microsoft Exchange mail client
Powerful
Experienced users glean many of the same benefits from the Start Button and the Taskbar as do beginners-quickly launching a new program, quickly switching to another task, etc. However, experienced users need more. They need a powerful way to browse and manage file hierarchies be they local or somewhere else. They need to be able to customize the UI to suit their needs and tastes. They need to be able to take shortcuts to get tasks done more quickly and efficiently. They need to be able to do more. The new UI in Windows 95 enables the experienced user to do more, as you will see in the coming pages and during you're own explorations.
The Windows Explorer: File Management and Information Browsing
Figure 15. Windows Explorer
One Windows 95 development team member describes Windows Explorer as "File Manager on steroids." It is powerful, flexible, efficient and extensible. It also solves many fundamental problems with the Windows 3.1 File Manager, like having to have a new window for every drive. For many power users of Windows 95, the Windows Explorer will be the primary interface for navigating through information. The best way to understand the Windows Explorer is to experience it firsthand, however, here is an overview of its major features:
Single view on a world of information. The Windows Explorer is the eyes of the PC running Windows 95. With it, the user can view the whole of the single, unified namespace (all resources, local or connected) in Windows 95 from 10,000 feet or zoom down to 10 inches. "My Computer" and the "Network Neighborhood" can be browsed and managed, quickly and easily.
Flexible and Customizable. Via the Windows Explorer toolbar and View menu, the user can view folder contents in several ways including large icon, small icon, list and details views. Folder contents can easily be sorted by name, size, type, and modification date by selecting the column title. The user can also map network drives from the Windows Explorer toolbar.
Rich information about objects in Details View. Details view provides a wealth of context-sensitive information about folder contents. For example:
Files retain their identifying icons
Drive sizes and free space (even mapped network drives) are reported in My Computer
Descriptions of Control Panel Tools
Jobs in queue in the Printers folder
Comments on others computers in the Network Neighborhood
All of the powerful right-click and Properties features described in the following two topics are supported in the Windows Explorer.
Try This-Copy a File to a Different Drive Without Opening a new Window
Right-click My Computer and select Explore. Maximize the window.
Select a file that you would like to copy to a network or floppy drive.
Mouse back to the left pane a the Windows Explorer and use the "+" icons just to the left of folder and drive icons to find the network folder you wish to copy the file to. Do not click on the destination folder.
Go back to the right pane where your original file is currently stored and drag & drop it to the destination folder. (You can also use the Cut/Copy/Paste operations form the Edit menu to quickly and easily move or copy files from one location to another.)
Operations like this could not be performed in the File Manager without opening up two or more File Manager windows.
Try This-Right-click To Create a New Folder
From the Windows Explorer, right-click on unused space inside a folder in which you want to create a new folder.
Choose New Folder from the context menu.
Shortcuts
Shortcuts are an abstract, but extremely powerful tool for increasing efficiency and are especially useful in a networked environment. A user can create a shortcut to any object (such as file, program, network folder, Control Panel tool, disk drive, and so on) in the UI in Windows 95 and place it anywhere else in the UI or in an application. When this shortcut is opened the object that the shortcut is "pointing" to is opened. For example, a shortcut to "My Network Folder" could be created and dropped on my desktop. When the shortcut is opened, it actually opens my network folder which is out on some network server somewhere. Shortcuts are represented just like regular icons, except that in the lower left corner there is a small "jump" arrow, as shown in Figure 16.
Figure 16. Shortcut Icon For a Folder and a Program
A shortcut can be deleted without affecting the object to which it points. A shortcut can be created by selecting an object and choosing Create Shortcut from the File menu or from the right mouse click context menu. If shortcuts are created on an object that was created since Windows 95 was installed, then Windows 95 keeps track of renames. This means you can create a shortcut to \\Server\Share\Public Folder and put it on your desktop. Then if you or anyone else renames the network folder, the shortcut will still work regardless of the fact that the name of the folder it points to has changed. You can also rename shortcuts themselves.
Uses for shortcuts are virtually limitless, but some common powerful uses for shortcuts include:
Shortcuts in the Programs Folder. Shortcuts are an extension of the concept behind the icons that appear as Program Items in the Windows 3.1 Program Manager. They simply pointed to an executable file somewhere in the file system. In Windows 95, the icons that appear in the Start Programs menu also appear as shortcuts in the Programs folder, which can be customized by selecting Settings.Start Menu from the Start Button. This way the user can keep shortcuts to all of his/her favorite programs in one central place, regardless of where the programs are actually installed. When a shortcut is added or deleted from the programs folder, likewise it is added or deleted from the Start Programs menu.
Shortcuts on the Desktop. Power users will create shortcuts to commonly accessed files, programs, drives, folders, and utilities right on their desktops. This is especially powerful with network resources, because no complicated browsing or drive letter mapping is required to access network folders.
Embedded Shortcuts in applications. For example, a user can drag a shortcut to a large file sitting on the network somewhere into a mail message. When the message recipient double clicks the shortcut the network file will be opened. This is much more efficient than embedding the actual file in a mail message because it is much smaller and it cuts down on version proliferation.
Try This Discover Where the "Programs" Menu on the Start Button is Stored
Select Settings Start Menu... from the Start button.
The Start Menu folder will open up (it is a sub-folder of the Windows folder). The Programs folder contains the items that appear under the Programs item on the Start button.
Note all of the shortcuts and folders are exactly what appears in the Programs menu off the Start button. You can add or delete shortcuts and folders. This will change the items that appear in the Programs menu.
Properties Everywhere
Property sheets are an all-pervasive feature in Windows 95. All objects in the UI carry context sensitive properties that can be accessed and customized by selecting File Properties or by right-clicking. Good, consistent, easily accessible properties sheets have been a favorite of power user testers to date. Properties will be illustrated through a series of "Try This" tips.
Try This Rename Your Hard Drive in Disk Properties
From the Windows Explorer or "My Computer" right-click to select your hard disk.
Choose Properties.
Type a new name in the "Label" box. Choose OK.
Choose View Refresh.
Figure 17. Properties for a disk drive
Try This Share a Folder
From the Windows Explorer right-click select a folder you wish to make available to others on your network. Choose Properties.
Select the Sharing tab.
Select Shared As, then complete the other fields in this dialog box.
Try This Customize a Shortcut Icon
Choose Start, Settings, Start Menu.
Open the Programs folder.
Right-click on any shortcut. Choose Properties.
Select the Shortcut tab.
Click the Change Icon button.
Select a new icon for the shortcut and choose OK.
Select Refresh from the View menu.
Right-Clicking Everywhere
Right-clicking, like properties, is another all pervasive, context-sensitive feature of Windows 95. (Right-clicking refers to clicking the secondary mouse button because most right-handed people set their mouse options to use the left button as primary and the right as secondary.) Usability tests have shown that in general, right-clicking is not a feature that novices discover or remember, therefore, the vast majority of functions performed on the right-click can also be performed by selecting the corresponding menu commands. However, right-clicking as a short cut for the most common actions to perform on an object has proven to be another very popular power user feature. The power of right-clicking is best illustrated through a series of "Try This" tips.
Try This Right-click the Desktop to Customize
Right-click blank space on the desktop.
Choose Properties.
Try This Minimize All and Tile
Right-click a blank place on the Windows Taskbar.
Choose Minimize All or Tile Horizontally.
To undo the last operation, right-click a blank place on the Windows Taskbar and choose either Undo Minimize All or Undo Tile as appropriate based on the action you previously performed.
Try This-A Shortcut to Creating a Shortcut
Right-click an object to which you would like to create a Shortcut.
Choose Create Shortcut.
Try This-Non-default Drag and Drop
Right-click and drag a file from the Windows Explorer onto the desktop.
Select the desired action to be performed on the selected file (i.e., move, copy, or create a shortcut).
Figure 18. Non-default (right mouse button) drag and drop
Try This-Right-click a Screensaver to Try It
Choose Find Files or Folders from the Start Button.
Type "bezier" and choose Find Now.
Right-click on Bezier.
Choose Test.
Try This Close a Task Right From The Taskbar
Right-click on a Taskbar button for an open window or program.
Choose Close.
Try This Access Properties On an Open Window
Right-click the mini-icon in the upper left hand corner of any open window.
Choose Properties.
Control Panel: The Consolidated Control Center
The objective of the Control Panel special folder in Windows 95 is to consolidate into one location, all command, control, and configuration functions. A problem with Windows 3.1 was that these functions were difficult to find, use, and remember (such as, Windows Setup to change video resolution, the Printers icon to install a printer). The UI team has strived to create distinct and memorable visuals for all important functions and offer previews where appropriate. Individual Control Panel tool functionality will be covered in the section to which it pertains (such as, the Network icon discussed in the Networking section of this guide).
Figure 19. Windows Explorer large icon view of the Control Panel
There is one Control Panel tool, however, that pertains to customization of the UI itself, "Display". Display gives the user total control over the configuration of the UI in Windows 95 allowing for personalization. It's four tabs are:
Background. Allows pattern and wallpaper configuration and preview.
Screen Saver. Allows screen saver configuration and preview.
Appearance. Allows configuration and preview of all of user interface metrics (fonts, sizes, colors, and so on).
Settings. Allows configuration of monitor resolution and color palette size.
Figure 20. Display Properties
Try This Dynamic Resolution Switch
Dynamic resolution switching allows the resolution of the display to be changed without having to restart Windows 95 or reboot your PC. This is a feature that depends on several factors including type of video card, and the selected color palette.
Choose Settings, Control Panel from the Start button.
Open the Display icon.
Choose the Settings tab.
Set the Color Palette to 256 colors. Click the Apply Now button. (This will require your PC to restart.)
After your PC restarts, open the Display icon again (by following the preceding steps).
Choose a different video resolution that is supported by your card by sliding the "Desktop Area" slider bar. For example, change the desktop area size from 640 x 480 to 1024 x 768.
Choose "Apply Now".
Now try it with an AVI clip playing.
Find Files or Folders: Easily Locate Information
Figure 21. Find Files or Folders
Figure 22. Search in Windows 3.1
A powerful new Find utility is built into Windows 95. It goes far beyond the minimal functionality of File Manager's Search utility in Windows 3.1. Features include:
Partial name searches. Type "rep" in the Find Files Named window and all files and folders with "rep" somewhere in the name will be found.
Search on "Last Modification Date". Files can be searched on last modification date. Therefore, the user can perform searches like: "Find all Word documents modified in the last 3 days".
Full text search. Documents can be searched for based on text contained within the document.
Search results save. Complex or useful searches can be saved.
File management from search results pane. Rename files or look at file properties all from within the results pane just as if the user was in Windows Explorer.
Try This-Save a complex Find right on the Desktop
From Start button select Find, then Files or Folders.
Type a partial string that you know will be present in many files (such as, "rep" or "doc").
Select the Date Modified tab.
Choose modified during the previous seven days.
Select the Advanced tab.
Choose a file type if you want to.
Push Find Now button.
When find is complete choose Save Search from the File menu (notice, that because Find is 32-bit preemptively multi-tasked, while the Find is running you have control and can go perform other tasks).
A Find Results icon is automatically created on the desktop. Double click it.
Printers Folder: Consolidated Printer Control
The Printers Folder offers one stop shopping for printer management and configuration. It replaces the troublesome Print Manger and Printers Control Panel Tool from Windows 3.1. (The Printers folder is discussed in more detail in the Printing Improvements section of this guide.)
Figure 23. Printers Folder
Figure 24. Printer Configuration from Windows 3.1
Font Settings: More Powerful Font Management and Preview
Figure 25. Fonts Folder - Large icon view
The Fonts folder represents a single namespace in which all fonts used in the system can be installed or manipulated. Operations can be performed on fonts as are performed on other file system objects. For example, fonts can be removed from the Fonts folder by dragging the desired font to another destination, fonts can be deleted from the system by deleting the font from the folder, or fonts can be added to the system by dragging the desired font from another location into the fonts folder. Different views of the Fonts folder presents additional information about the fonts installed in the system. In addition, Windows 95 will take fonts identified in WIN.INI and move them to the Fonts folder on startup, resulting in a single location where fonts reside in the system.
Try This Preview Your Fonts
Open My Computer and double-click the Fonts folder icon (or go to the Fonts icon in Control Panel).
Right-click on a desired font to preview.
Choose the Open item from the context menu. Samples of the selected font are displayed and may be printed.
Quick Viewing of Files
Quick Viewers allow the user to get a preview of a file right from the UI, without having to open the application. In addition, quick viewers allow users to see the contents of files without requiring them to have application that created the file on their system-this is great for sending documents around on a network or through electronic mail. For more information on file viewers in Windows 95, see the Applications and Utilities section of this guide.
Figure 26. Quick View of a Microsoft Excel Worksheet
Try This Quick-view a File
Right-click on an icon for which there is a registered application (e.g., a bitmap, text file, or a WordPad document).
Choose Quick View from the context menu.
Transition/Migration to the Windows 95 User Interface
Windows 95 will provide several aids for helping both users new to Windows and users of Windows 3.1 to quickly become productive under the new user interface under Windows 95. Usability tests are showing that with little or no additional training, users are able to complete common tasks under Windows 95 as quickly as they did under Windows 3.1, or quicker. Windows 95 will offer the following self-paced aids:
Quick tutorial of Windows 95
This tutorial will walk the user through the basics of Windows 95 and cover topics such as starting programs, task switching between several open windows, finding information on the local computer, and using the on-line help system. The tutorial is designed for both new users and experienced Windows 95 users to help show them how to complete common tasks.
Transition aids for Windows 3.1 users
The help system will provide additional help topics designed to help transition users familiar with Windows 3.1 to the new user interface in Windows 95. These help topics will answer commonly asked questions to help users familiar with the components of Windows 3.1 quickly and easily find the respective tool or command in Windows 95.
On-line Help System Makes Information Always Available
The help system in Windows 95 is designed to provide information to users to help them complete the desired task. Help is always available and can be easily started from the Help item on the Start menu. Topics such as How To, Tips and Tricks, and Troubleshooting, make information that you need available at your fingertips.
Compatibility
Compatibility is a requirement for Windows 95. To be successful it must be a no-excuses, no-brainer upgrade from Windows 3.1. In the Windows 95 project overall, compatibility is most important for software and hardware when considering third-party software and hardware. However, it also applies to the UI. The UI in Windows 95 must be compatible with the way current Windows and MS-DOS users work today. The UI in Windows 95 scales to the level and preferences of individual users.
Of primary importance, is that new UI features are easy for current Windows 3.1 users to learn at their own pace. In addition, users of Windows 3.1 will find that many user interface visual elements and operations in Windows 95 are consistent with what they are already familiar with under Windows 3.1. For example, users familiar with the system menu in the upper left-hand corner of a window, or familiar with typical keyboard commands such as Alt-F4, Alt-Tab, Ctrl-X, Ctrl-C, and Ctrl-V, will find that these are also present in Windows 95-requiring no retraining or relearning.
For Users of Windows 3.1
In addition to aids to migrate users of Windows 3.1 over to Windows 95, tools familiar to Windows users are still available.
With minimal changes in appearance, the Program Manager and the File Manager run on Windows 95 and are easily accessible via the Start button. Several designs for access and default configuration for these Managers are underway. For example, when an upgrade boots into Windows 95 for the first time, the program manger might be opened as a window. Or, perhaps there will be a "Windows 3.1 compatibility" menu item on the Start button that will launch the Program Manager and the File Manager. Independent of the final design decision, there will be many help and learning devices (like the Welcome screen or the "Click Here to Begin" arrow that zooms across the Taskbar when you first boot into Windows 95) that are specifically designed for the Upgrade.
For Users of MS-DOS
Users of the command line in MS-DOS don't give it up by moving to the graphical user interface of Windows 95. In fact, "command-line junkies" will find that the usability and power of the MS-DOS command prompt have been dramatically improved over MS-DOS. New command line functionality includes: launching Windows-based applications, starting documents from a command-line, scaling the size of the MS-DOS command prompt, integrating information from MS-DOS-based applications and Windows-based applications by using Cut-Copy-Paste operations, and UNC pathname support. (See the MS-DOS Application Support section of this guide for more information.)
Base System Architecture
Ease on the surface requires power and speed at the core, and the modern, 32-bit architecture of Windows 95 meets these requirements. Freed from the limitations of MS-DOS, Windows 95 preemptively multi-tasks for better PC responsiveness-so users will no longer have to wait while the system copies files, for example-and also delivers increased robustness and protection for applications. Windows 95 also provides the foundation for a new generation of easier, more powerful multi-threaded 32-bit applications. And most importantly, Windows 95 delivers this power and robustness on today's average PC platform while scaling well to take advantage of additional memory and CPU cycles.
The mission of Windows 95 is to deliver a complete, integrated, operating system, that offers modern 32-bit operating system technology, and includes built-in connectivity support. In addition to the high-level mission of Windows 95, market requirements must be met to deliver a high performance, robust, and completely backwards-compatible operating system.
This section discusses the base architecture used by Windows 95. The base architecture covers low-level system services for managing memory, accessing disk devices, and providing robust support for running applications. Windows 95 delivers a modern 32-bit operating system that is compatible with existing software and hardware, and delivers a platform for a new generation of applications.
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
Improvements made to the base architecture of Windows 95 result in many benefits to users. A summary of some of the key improvements include:
Fully integrated 32-bit protected-mode operating system, eliminating the need for a separate copy of MS-DOS
Preemptive multitasking, and multithreading support-improving system responsiveness and smooth background processing
32-bit installable file systems including VFAT, CDFS, and network redirectors providing better performance, use of long filenames, and an open architecture supporting future growth
32-bit device drivers available throughout the system, delivering improved performance and intelligent memory use
Complete 32-bit kernel, including memory management, scheduler, and process management
Improved system-wide robustness and cleanup after an application ends or crashes, delivering a more stable and reliable operating environment
More dynamic environment configuration reducing the need for users to tweak their system
Improved system capacity, including better system resource limits to address issues Windows 3.1 users encountered when running multiple applications
Fully-Integrated Operating System
The first thing that users of Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS will see when they turn their computer on (or perhaps won't see) is the lack of an MS-DOS command prompt from which they would need to invoke Windows. Windows 95 is a tightly integrated operating system that features a preemptive multitasking kernel that boots directly into the graphical user interface, yet provides full compatibility with the MS-DOS operating system.
Many of components in Windows 95 overcome limitations inherent in MS-DOS and Windows 3.1, moreover, the improvements do not come at the cost of compatibility with existing software, hardware, or computing environment.
A Preemptive Multitasking Operating System
The job of the operating system is to provide services to the applications that are running in the system and, in a multitasking environment, to provide support for allowing more than one application to run concurrently. Windows 3.1 allowed multiple applications to run concurrently in the system in a cooperative multitasking manner. The Windows 3.1 operating system required an application to check the message queue every once in a while in order to allow the operating system to relinquish control to other running applications. Applications that did not check the message queue on a frequent basis would effectively hog all of the CPU time and prevent the user from switching to another running task.
Windows 95 uses a preemptive multitasking mechanism for running Win32-based applications and the operating system will take control away from or give control to another running task depending on the needs of the system. This means that unlike Win16-based applications, Win32-based applications do not need to yield to other running tasks in order to multitask in a friendly manner (Win16-based applications are still cooperatively multitasked for compatibility reasons). Windows 95 provides a mechanism for Win32-based applications to take advantage of the preemptive multitasking nature of the operating system to facilitate concurrent application design, called multithreading. A Win32-based application running in the system is called a process in terms of the operating system. Each process consists of at least a single thread of execution that identifies the code path flow as it is run by the operating system. A thread is a unit of code that can get a time slice from the operating system to run concurrently with other units of code, and must be associated with a process. However, a Win32-based application can spawn (or initiate) multiple threads for a given process to enhance the application for the user by improving throughput, enhancing responsiveness, and aiding background processing. Due to the preemptive multitasking nature of Windows 95, threads of execution will allow background code processing in a smooth manner.
For example, a word processing application (process) may implement multiple threads to enhance operation and simplify interaction with the user. The application may have a separate thread of code that responds to keys typed on the keyboard by the user to place characters in a document, while another thread is performing background operations such as spell-checking or pagination, while yet another thread is spooling a document to the printer in the background. Some Windows 3.1 applications that are available today may provide functionality similar to that just described, however because Windows 3.1 does not provide a mechanism for supporting multithreaded applications, it is up to the application vendor to implement their own threading scheme. The use of threads in Windows 95 facilitates application vendors to add asynchronous processing of information to their applications. Applications that use multithreading techniques in their applications will also be able to take advantage of improved processing performance available from Windows NT when using a symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) system by allowing different portions of the application code to run on different processors simultaneously (Windows NT uses a thread as the unit of code to schedule symmetrically among multiple processors).
Information about how Windows 95 runs MS-DOS-based applications in a preemptive manner (as Windows 3.1 does today), Win16-based applications in a cooperative manner (as Windows 3.1 does today), and Win32-based applications in a preemptive manner (as Windows NT does today), is provided later in this section.
No Need for CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT
Windows 95 no longer needs a separate CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file as MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 require. Instead, Windows 95 is intelligent about the drivers and settings it needs to use and automatically will load the appropriate driver files or set the appropriate configuration settings during its boot process. If a CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file are present, the settings in these files will be used to set the global environment. For example, the default search path or the default appearance of the command prompt can be defined by using the appropriate entries in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. While Windows 95 itself does not need a CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file, compatibility is maintained with existing software or environments that may require one or both of these files.
MS-DOS Not Really There?
Unlike Windows 3.1, Windows 95 is not built on top of real-mode operating system components for its interaction with the file system. This being said, the Windows 95 boot sequence does begin by loading real-mode operating system components that are compatible with MS-DOS. During the boot sequence, support for loading real-mode drivers and TSRs that may be identified in CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT are processed. Since these drivers have been written to explicitly look for or use MS-DOS application support, the real-mode operating system components of Windows 95 help to maintain compatibility with software that users already have on their system. Once the real-mode drivers have been loaded, Windows 95 begins loading the protect-mode operating system components, and in some cases where a protect-mode Windows-based driver is provided, and will actually remove real-mode drivers from memory. More on this subject is discussed later in this guide.
32-Bit Versus 16-Bit Components
Windows 95 uses a combination of 32-bit and 16-bit code in order to provide a good balance between delivering compatibility with existing applications and drivers, decreasing the size of the operating system working set, and offering improved system performance over Windows 3.1. System reliability is also improved without the cost of compatibility or increased size.
Windows 95 is a 32-bit preemptive multitasking operating system that implements some 16-bit code to provide compatibility with existing applications. In general, 32-bit code is provided in Windows 95 to maximize the performance of the system, while 16-bit code balances the requirements for reducing the size of the system and maintaining compatibility with existing applications and drivers.
The design of Windows 95 deploys 32-bit code wherever it significantly improves performance without sacrificing application compatibility. Existing 16-bit code is retained where it is required to maintain compatibility, or where 32-bit code would increase memory requirements without significantly improving performance. All of the I/O subsystems and device drivers in Windows 95, such as networking and file systems, are fully 32-bit, as are all the memory management and scheduling components (the kernel and virtual memory manager). Figure 27 depicts the relative distribution of 32-bit versus 16-bit code present in Windows 95 for system-level services. As can be seen from the figure, the lowest-level services provided by the operating system kernel are provided as 32-bit code. Most of the remaining 16-bit code consists of hand-tuned assembly language, delivering performance that rivals some 32-bit code used by other operating systems available on the market today.
Figure 27. Relative Code Distribution in Windows 95
Many functions provided by the Graphics Device Interface (GDI) have been moved to 32-bit code, including the spooler and printing subsystem, the font rasterizer, and the drawing operations performed by the graphics "DIB engine." Much of the window management code (User) remains 16-bit to retain application compatibility.
In addition, Windows 95 improves upon the MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 environment by implementing many device drivers as 32-bit protected-mode code. Virtual device drivers in Windows 95 assume the functionality provided by many real-mode MS-DOS-based device drivers eliminating the need to load them in MS-DOS. This results in a minimal conventional memory footprint, improved performance, and improved reliability and stability of the system over MS-DOS-based device drivers.
Virtual Device Drivers-What is a VxD?
A virtual device driver (VxD) is a 32-bit, protected-mode driver that manages a system resource, such as a hardware device or installed software, so that more than one application can use the resource at the same time. To understand the improvements available in Windows 95 over the combination of MS-DOS and Windows 3.1, it is good to have a basic understanding of what a VxD is and the role virtual device drivers play in the Windows 95 environment.
The term VxD is used to refer to a general virtual device driver-the x represents the type of device driver. For example, a virtual device driver for a display device is known as a VDD, a virtual device driver for a timer device is a VTD, a virtual device driver for a printer device is a VPD, and so forth. Windows uses virtual devices to support multitasking for MS-DOS-based applications, virtualizing the different hardware components on the system to make it appear to each MS-DOS VM that it is executing on its own computer. Virtual devices work in conjunction with Windows to process interrupts and carry out I/O operations for a given application without disrupting how other applications run.
Virtual device drivers support all hardware devices for a typical computer, including the programmable interrupt controller (PIC), timer, direct-memory-access (DMA) device, disk controller, serial ports, parallel ports, keyboard device, math coprocessor, and display adapter. A virtual device driver can contain the device-specific code needed to carry out operations on the device. A virtual device driver is required for any hardware device that has settable operating modes or retains data over any period of time. In other words, if the state of the hardware device can be disrupted by switching between multiple applications, the device must have a corresponding virtual device. The virtual device keeps track of the state of the device for each application and ensures that the device is in the correct state whenever an application continues.
Although most virtual devices manage hardware, some manage only installed software, such as an MS-DOS device driver or a terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) program. Such virtual devices often contain code that either emulates the software or ensures that the software uses data that applies only to the currently running application. ROM BIOS, MS-DOS, MS-DOS device drivers, and TSRs provide device-specific routines and operating system functions that applications use to indirectly access the hardware devices. Virtual device drivers are sometimes used to improve the performance of installed software; the 80386 and compatible microprocessors can run the 32-bit protected-mode code of a virtual device more efficiently than the 16-bit real-mode code of an MS-DOS device driver or TSR. In addition, performance is also enhanced by eliminating ring transitions that result in executing 32-bit applications that access 16-bit real-mode services-with virtual device drivers, the system can stay in protected-mode.
Windows 95 benefits from providing more device driver support implemented as a series of VxDs in the Windows environment, over the use of device drivers previously available as real-mode MS-DOS device drivers. Functionality that was previously supported as MS-DOS device drivers, but are now supported as VxDs in Windows 95 includes components such as:
MS-DOS FAT file system
SmartDrive
CD-ROM file system
Network card drivers and network transport protocols
Network client redirector, and network peer server
Mouse driver
MS-DOS file sharing and locking support (SHARE.EXE TSR)
Disk device drivers including support for SCSI devices
DriveSpace (and DoubleSpace) disk compression
In Windows 95, VxDs provide improved performance due to a 32-bit code path and eliminating or reducing the need to mode switch between real and protected-mode, reduced conventional memory footprint by providing device driver and TSR functionality as protected-mode components that reside in extended memory, and improved system stability and reliability over using the MS-DOS device driver counterparts. Virtual device drivers can be identified by the use of a .VXD extension in Windows 95, or a .386 extension as a virtual device driver from Windows 3.1.
Layout of System Architecture for Windows 95
Figure 28 illustrates the layout of the base system architecture for Windows 95. Components of the system are divided between Ring 0 and Ring 3 code, offering different levels of system protection. The Ring 3 code is protected from other running processes by protection services provided by the Intel processor architecture. The Ring 0 code consists of the low-level operating system services such as the file system, and virtual machine manager.
This figure also depicts the way that MS-DOS-, Win16-, and Win32-based applications run in the system. The following areas of this section discuss the provisions that the system makes for running these applications.
Figure 28. The Integrated Architecture of Windows 95 supports Running MS DOS , Win16 , and Win32 based Applications
Support for Win16 based Applications
16-bit Windows-based applications (Win16) run together within a unified address space, and are run in a cooperatively multitasking fashion as they do under Windows 3.1. Win16-based applications benefit from the preemptive multitasking of other system components including the 32-bit print and communications subsystem, and the improvements made in system robustness and protection from the system kernel in Windows 95.
When Win16-based application support was examined by the development team of Windows 95, three goals drove the architectural design based on customer needs, resource needs, and market needs: compatibility, size, and performance. Functionality such as running Win16-based applications together in the Win16 subsystem preemptively or running Win16-based applications in separate VMs was examined, however each option examined failed to meet the design goals set forth. The following discussion will provide some insight as to the architecture design of Windows 95 for running Win16-based applications in a fast, stable, and reliable way.
Compatibility
First and foremost, Windows 95 needs to run existing Win16-based applications without modification. This is extremely important to existing customers that want to take advantage of new functionality offered in Windows 95 such as 32-bit networking, but don't want to have to wait until new Windows 95-enabled applications are available on the market.
Windows 95 builds upon the Windows 3.1 platform to provide support for running existing Win16-based applications and using existing Windows-based device drivers, while providing support for the next generation of 32-bit applications and components. Windows 95 extends the Windows 3.1 architecture in areas that have little or no impact on compatibility, as well as enhances the architecture to deliver a faster, more powerful 32-bit operating system.
Size
While many newer computer purchases are Intel 80486-based computers with 4MB or 8MB (or more) of memory, there are still a high percentage of 80386DX-based computers with 4MB of memory in use running Windows 3.1 today. To support the needs of the market, Windows 95 needs to run on a base platform of an Intel 80386DX-based computer with 4MB of RAM, to provide access to the new features and functionality provided, without requiring an upgrade of existing hardware or the addition of more RAM.
To meet its design goals, the Windows 95 development team designed Windows 95 to occupy no more working set than Windows 3.1 currently does, thereby insuring that any Win16-based application running at a perceived speed on a 4MB or 8MB computer (or greater) still runs at the same (or higher) speed under Windows 95 and does not suffer any performance degradation. To meet the required size goals of Windows 95, Win16-based applications run within a unified address space, resulting in little overhead beyond that required by Windows 3.1 to support running Windows-based applications. This allows Windows 95 to not only simply fit on a 4MB computer, but also to perform well. The architecture of Windows 95 includes innovative design features such as dynamically loadable VxDs to decrease the working set of components and memory requirements used by the operating system.
Meeting the size design goal (as well as to meet the compatibility goal), precluded the development team from adopting a strategy of running Win16-based applications in a separate VM by running a separate copy of Windows 3.1 on top of the operating system (thereby paying a several megabyte "memory tax" for each application) as OS/2 does, or emulating Windows 3.1 on top of the Win32 subsystem (thereby paying a "memory tax" for running Win16-based applications) as Windows NT does.
Running Win16-based applications in separate VMs is very expensive memory wise. This would require separate GDI, USER, and KERNEL code in each VM that is created, requiring the working set to increase by as much as 2MB for each Win16-based application that is running (as is required by OS/2 for Windows). If you have a computer with 16MB or more, this may not appear to be such a big deal. However, given the existing installed base of computers it would be impossible to run Win16-based applications in their own separate VMs in 4MB at all, and very difficult to run them in 8MB with the same level of performance as customers observe and expect under Windows 3.1 today.
Performance
Users expect their existing Win16 applications to run as fast or faster than they do under Windows 3.1. Win16-based applications will benefit from the 32-bit architecture of Windows 95 including the increased use of 32-bit device driver components and 32-bit subsystems, as will MS-DOS-based applications.
Win16-based applications run within a unified address space and interact with the system much as they do under Windows 3.1 today. Running Win16-based applications in separate VMs requires either a mapping of Win16 system components in each address space, as Windows NT does, or providing a separate copy of each system component in each address space, as OS/2 for Windows does. The additional memory overhead required for Win16 system components in each VM to run a Win16-based application has a negative impact on system performance.
Windows 95 balances the issue of system protection and robustness, with the desire for better system performance and improves on the system robustness over Windows 3.1. The improvements in this area are briefly discussed below, and are described in greater detail in a separate section of this guide.
Protection
The support for running Win16-based applications provides protection of the system from other running MS-DOS-based applications or Win32-based applications. Unlike Windows 3.1, an errant Win16-based application can not easily bring down the system or other running processes on the system. While Win32-based applications benefit the most from system memory protection, the robustness improvements present in Windows 95 result in a more stable and reliable operating environment than Windows 3.1.
Win16-based applications run within a unified address space, and cooperatively multitask as they do under Windows 3.1. The improvements made to overall system-wide robustness greatly enhance the system's ability to recover from an errant application, and lessens the likelihood of application errors due to improved clean up of the system. The occurrence of general protection faults (GPFs) under Windows 3.1 are most commonly caused by an application that writes over its own memory segments, rather than being caused by an application overwriting memory belonging to another application. Windows 3.1 did not recover gracefully when a Windows-based application crashed or hung. When an application was halted by the system due to a GPF, the system commonly left allocated resources in memory, causing the system to degenerate.
Due to improved protection in Windows 95, an errant Win16-based application can not easily bring down either the system as a whole, or other running MS-DOS or Win32-based applications, and can at most impact other running Win16-based applications.
Other protection improvements include the use of separate message queues for each running Win32-based application. The use of a separate message queue for the Win16 address space and for each running Win32-based application provides better recovery of the system and doesn't halt the system should a Win16-based application hang.
Robustness Improvements
System robustness is also greatly improved when running Win16-based applications over Windows 3.1. Windows 95 now tracks resources allocated by Win16-based applications and uses the information to clean up the system after an application exits or ends abnormally, thus freeing up unused resources for use by the rest of the system.
Robustness improvements is discussed later in a separate section of this guide.
Support for MS-DOS-based Applications
There are many improvements in Windows 95 for running MS-DOS-based applications over Windows 3.1. As with Windows 3.1, each MS-DOS-based application runs in its own "virtual machine" (VM). A VM takes advantage of the Intel 80386 (and higher) architecture allowing multiple 8086-compatible sessions to run on the CPU, allowing existing MS-DOS applications to run preemptively with the rest of the system. As with Windows 3.1, the use of virtual device drivers provide common regulated access to hardware resources, thereby making each application running in a virtual machine think it's running on its own individual computer, allowing applications not designed to multitask to run concurrently with other applications.
Windows 95 provides a flexible environment for running MS-DOS-based applications. Unlike Windows 3.1, where users sometimes needed to exit Windows in order to run MS-DOS-based applications that were either ill-behaved or required direct access to system resources. MS-DOS-based application compatibility is improved in Windows 95 so almost all MS-DOS-based applications should run under Windows 95.
Protection
VMs are fully protected from one another, as well as from other applications running on the system. This prevents errant MS-DOS-based applications from being able to overwrite memory occupied or used by system components or other applications. If an MS-DOS-based application attempts to access memory outside of its address space, the system will notify the user and the MS-DOS-based application will be ended.
Robustness Improvements
System robustness is also greatly improved when running MS-DOS-based applications over Windows 3.1. Robustness is discussed later in a separate section of this guide.
Improved Support for Running MS-DOS-based Applications
Windows 95 provides much better support for running MS-DOS-based applications within the Windows environment than Windows 3.1.
A detailed discussion of the improvements made to running MS-DOS-based applications is discussed in the section "Improved Support for Running MS-DOS-based Applications" later in this guide.
Support for Win32-based Applications
Win32-based applications can fully exploit and benefit more from the design of the Windows 95 architecture. In addition, each Win32-based application runs in its own fully-protected, private address space. This prevents other Win32-based applications from crashing each other, crashing other running MS-DOS-based applications, crashing running Win16-based applications, or crashing the Windows 95 system as a whole.
Win32-based applications feature the following benefits over Win16-based applications in Windows 95 or under Windows 3.1:
Preemptive multitasking
32-bit Win32 APIs
Long filename support
Separate message queues
Flat address space
Memory Protection
Preemptive Multitasking
Unlike the cooperative multitasking used by Win16-based applications under Windows 3.1, 32-bit Win32-based applications are preemptively multitasked in Windows 95. The operating system kernel is responsible for scheduling the time allotted for running applications in the system, and support for preemptive multitasking results in smoother concurrent processing and prevents any one application from utilizing all system resources without permitting other tasks to run.
Win32-based applications can optionally implement threads to improve the granularity at which they multitask within the system. The use of threads by an application improves the interaction with the user and result in smoother multitasking operation.
Separate Message Queues
Under Windows 3.1, the system uses the point when an application checks the system message queue as the mechanism to pass control to another task, allowing that task to run in a cooperative manner. If an application doesn't check the message queue on a regular basis, or the application hangs and thus prevents other applications from checking the message queue, the system will keep the other tasks in the system suspended until the errant application is ended.
Each Win32-based application has its own separate message queue and is thus not affected by the behavior of other running tasks on their own message queues. If a Win16-based application hangs, or if another running Win32-based application crashes, a Win32-based application will continue to run preemptively and will still be able to receive incoming messages or event notifications.
Message queues are discussed in more detail in the "Robustness Improvements" section of this guide.
Flat Address Space
Win32-based applications benefit from improved performance and simpler construct due to being able to access memory in a linear fashion, rather being limited to the segmented memory architecture used by MS-DOS and Windows 3.1. In order to provide a means of accessing high amounts of memory using a 16-bit addressing model, the Intel CPU architecture provides support for accessing 64K chunks of memory at a time, called segments. Applications and the operating system suffer a performance penalty under this architecture due to the necessary manipulations required by the processor for mapping memory references from the segment/offset combination to the physical memory structure.
The use of a flat address space by the 32-bit components in Windows 95 and for Win32-based applications will allow application and device driver developers to write software without the limitations or design issues inherent with the segmented memory architecture used by MS-DOS and Windows 3.1.
Compatibility with Windows NT
Win32-based applications that exploit Win32 APIs common between Windows 95 and Windows NT can run without modification on either platform on Intel-based computers. The commonality of the Win32 API provides a consistent programmatic interface allowing application vendors to use a single development effort to leverage delivery of software that runs on multiple platforms. This provides scalability of applications and broadens the base of platforms available for running ISV or custom applications with minimal additional effort.
Application vendors are encouraged to develop applications either under Windows 95 or Windows NT, and test compatibility on both platforms.
Long Filename Support
Win32-based applications that call the file I/O functions supported by the Win32 API will benefit from the ability to support and manipulate filenames up to 255 characters, with no additional development effort. The Win32 APIs and common dialog support handles the work for manipulating long filenames, and the file system provides compatibility with MS-DOS and other systems by also maintaining the traditional 8.3 filename automatically. This eases the burden from the application developer.
Memory Protection
Each Win32-based application runs in its own private address, and is protected by the system from other applications or processes that are running in the system. Unlike running Win16-based applications under Windows 3.1, errant Win32-based applications under Windows 95 will only end themselves, rather than bring down the entire system if they attempt to access memory belonging to another application.
The use of separate message queues for Win32-based applications also protects to ensure that the system will continue to run if an application hangs or stops responding to messages or events.
Robustness Improvements
Win32-based applications benefit from the highest level of system robustness supported under Windows 95. Resources allocated for each Win32-based application is tracked on a per-thread basis and are automatically freed when the application ends. If an application hangs, users are able to perform a local reboot operation to end the hung application without affecting other running tasks, and the system will clean up properly.
Detailed information about robustness enhancements is discussed later in a separate section of this guide.
32-Bit File System Architecture
The file system in Windows 95 has been re-architected from Windows 3.1 to support the characteristics and needs of the multitasking nature of the kernel in Windows 95. The changes present in Windows 95 provide many benefits to the user and results in:
ú Improved ease of use
Ease of use is improved by support long filenames so users no longer need to reference files by the MS-DOS 8.3 filename structure-users can use up to 255 characters to identify their documents. Ease of use is also improved by hiding the filename extensions from users.
ú Improved performance
As in Windows for Workgroups 3.11, file I/O performance is improved dramatically over Windows 3.1 by featuring 32-bit protected-mode code for reading information from and writing information to the file system, reading and writing information from/to the disk device, and intelligent 32-bit caching mechanisms-a full 32-bit code path is available from the file system to the disk device.
ú Improved system stability and reliability
File system components implemented as 32-bit protected mode device drivers offer improved system stability and reliability over MS-DOS device driver counterparts due to being able to remain in protected-mode for code execution and leveraging existing driver technology first implemented in Windows NT and also available in Windows for Workgroups 3.11.
Architecture Overview
Windows 95 features a layered file system architecture that supports multiple file systems, and provides a protected-mode path from the application to the media device, resulting in improved file and disk I/O performance over Windows 3.1. Features of the new file system architecture include:
ú Win32 API support
ú Long filename support
ú 32-bit FAT file system
ú 32-bit CD-ROM file System
ú Dynamic system cache for file and network I/O
ú Open architecture for future system support
ú Disk device driver compatibility with Windows NT
Figure 29 depicts the file system architecture used by Windows 95.
Figure 29. File System Architecture in Windows 95
The file system architecture in Windows 95 is made up of the following components:
ú Installable File System (IFS) Manager
The IFS Manager is responsible for arbitrating access to different file system components.
ú File system drivers
The file system drivers layer includes access to file allocation table (FAT)-based disk devices, CD-ROM file systems, and redirected network device support.
ú Block I/O subsystem
The block I/O subsystem is responsible for interacting with the physical disk device.
We'll examine components of each of these layers in this section.
Installable File System Manager
Under MS-DOS and Windows 3.1, the MS-DOS Int 21h interrupt is responsible for providing access to the file system to manipulate file information on a disk device. In order to support redirected disk devices (for example, a network drive, or a CD-ROM drive), other system components such as the network redirector would hook the Int 21h function so that it could examine the file system request to determine whether it should handle the file I/O request, or let the base file system handle it. While this mechanism provided the ability to add on additional device drivers, some add-on components would be ill-behaved and would interfere with other installed drivers.
Another problem that was encountered with the MS-DOS-based file system was the difficulty in supporting the loading of multiple network redirectors to provide concurrent access to different network types. Windows for Workgroups provided support for running the Microsoft Windows Network redirector at the same time as an additional network redirector including Novell NetWare, Banyan VINES, and SUN PC-NFS, however support for running more than two network redirectors at the same time was not supported.
The key to friendly access to disk and redirected devices in Windows 95 is the Installable File System (IFS) Manager. The IFS manager is responsible for arbitrating access to file system devices, as well as other file system device components.
Windows 95 includes support for the following file systems:
32-bit FAT driver (VFAT)
32-bit CD-ROM file system driver (CDFS), and
32-bit network redirector for connectivity to Microsoft Network servers (e.g., Windows NT Server), along with a 32-bit network redirector to connect to Novell NetWare servers
Third-parties will use the IFS Manager APIs to provide a clean way of concurrently supporting multiple device types, adding additional disk device support and network redirector support.
32-bit File Access-Protected-mode FAT (VFAT) File System
The 32-bit VFAT driver provides a 32-bit protected-mode code path for manipulating the file system stored on a disk. It is also re-entrant and multi-threaded, providing smoother multi-tasking performance. The 32-bit file access driver is improved over that provided originally with Windows for Workgroups 3.11, and is compatible with more MS-DOS-device drivers and hard disk controllers.
Benefits of the 32-bit file access driver over MS-DOS-based driver solutions include:
ú Dramatically improved performance and real-mode disk caching software
ú No conventional memory used-replacement for real-mode SmartDrive
Better multitasking when accessing information on disk-no blocking
ú Dynamic cache support
Under MS-DOS and Windows 3.1, manipulation of the file allocation table (FAT) and writing or reading information to/from the disk is handled by the Int 21h MS-DOS function and is 16-bit real-mode code. Being able to manipulate the disk file system from protected-mode removes or reduces the need to transition to real-mode in order to write information to the disk through MS-DOS, which will result in a performance gain for file I/O access.
The 32-bit VFAT driver interacts with the block I/O subsystem to provide 32-bit disk access to more device types than is supported by Windows 3.1. Support is also provided for mapping to existing real-mode disk drivers that may be in use on a user's system. The combination of the 32-bit file access and 32-bit disk access drivers result in significantly improved disk and file I/O performance.
32-Bit Cache-VCACHE
The 32-bit VFAT works in conjunction with a 32-bit protected-mode cache driver (VCACHE), and replaces and improves on the 16-bit real-mode SmartDrive disk cache software provided with MS-DOS and Windows 3.1. The VCACHE driver features more intelligent caching algorithm than SmartDrive to cache information read from or written to a disk drive, and results in improved performance for reading information from cache. Also, the VCACHE driver is responsible for managing the cache pool for the CD-ROM File System (CDFS), and the provided 32-bit network redirectors.
Another big improvement in VCACHE over SmartDrive is that the memory pool used for the cache is dynamic and is based on the amount of available free system memory. Users no longer need to statically allocate a block of memory to set aside as a disk cache, the system automatically allocates or de-allocates memory used for the cache based on system use. The performance of the system will also scale better than Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11, due to the intelligent cache use.
32-Bit CDFS-Protected-mode CD-ROM File System
The 32-bit protected-mode CD-ROM file system (CDFS) implemented in Windows 95 provides improved CD-ROM access performance over the real-mode MSCDEX driver in Windows 3.1 and is a full 32-bit ISO 9660 CD file system. The CDFS driver replaces the 16-bit real-mode MSCDEX driver, and features 32-bit protected-mode caching of CD-ROM data. The CDFS driver cache is dynamic and shares the cache memory pool with the 32-bit VFAT driver, requiring no configuration or static allocation on the part of the user.
Benefits of the new 32-bit CDFS driver include:
ú No conventional memory used-replacement for real-mode MSCDEX
ú Improved performance over MS-DOS-based MSCDEX and real-mode cache
Better multitasking when accessing CD-ROM information-no blocking
ú Dynamic cache support to provide a better balance between providing memory to run applications versus memory to serve as a disk cache
If MSCDEX is specified in the user's AUTOEXEC.BAT, the 32-bit CDFS driver will take over role played by the MSCDEX driver and communicate with the CD-ROM device. The use of MSCDEX is no longer necessary under Windows 95.
Users of CD-ROM multimedia applications will benefit greatly from the new 32-bit CDFS. Their multimedia applications will run smoother and information will be read from the CD-ROM quicker providing improved performance.
Disk Device Architecture-Block I/O Subsystem
The Block I/O Subsystem in Windows 95 improves upon the 32-bit disk access "FastDisk" device architecture used in Windows 3.1 to improved performance for the entire file system and a broader array of device support.
Figure 30. Architecture of Block I/O Subsystem in Windows 95
Components of the block I/O subsystem include the high-level I/O Supervisor (IOS) layer, which provides the interface to the block I/O subsystem to the higher layer components; the port driver, which represents a monolithic disk device driver; the SCSI layer, which provides a standard interface and driver layer to provide device-independent control code for SCSI devices; and the SCSI mini-port driver, which contains the device-dependent control code responsible for interacting with individual SCSI controllers.
The block I/O subsystem provides the following support in Windows 95:
Fully Plug and Play-enabled architecture
Support for mini-port drivers that are binary compatible with Windows NT
Support for Windows 3.1 fast disk drivers for backwards compatibility
Protected-mode drivers that take over real-mode MS-DOS device drivers if it is thought to be safe to do so
The ability to support existing MS-DOS real-mode disk device drivers for compatibility
Let's examine the different areas that make up the block I/O subsystem. Keep in mind that the configuration of the disk device driver layers is isolated from the user, so the explanation here is provided to facilitate an understanding of the components.
I/O Supervisor
The I/O Supervisor (IOS) provides services to file systems and drivers. The IOS is responsible for the queuing of file service requests and for routing the requests to the appropriate file system driver. The IOS also provides asynchronous notification of file system events to drivers that are installed.
Port Driver
The port driver is a monolithic 32-bit protected-mode driver that communicates with a specific disk device such as a hard disk controller. This driver is specifically for use with Windows 95 and resembles the 32-bit disk access (fast disk) driver used in Windows 3.1 (for example, WDCTRL for Western Digital compatible hard disk controllers). In Windows 95, the driver to communicate with IDE/ESDI hard disk controllers and floppy disk controllers is implemented as a port driver. A port driver provides the same functionality as the combination of the SCSI manager and the mini-port driver.
SCSI Layer
The SCSI layer applies a 32-bit protected-mode universal driver model architecture to communicating with SCSI devices. The SCSI layer provides all the high level functionality that is common to SCSI-like devices, and then uses a mini-port driver to handle device-specific I/O calls. The SCSI Manager is also part of this system and provides the compatibility support for using Windows NT mini-port drivers.
Mini-Port Driver
The mini-port driver model in Windows 95 simplifies the task for a hardware disk device vendor to write a device driver. Because the SCSI Stub provides the high level functionality for communicating with SCSI devices, the hardware disk device vendor only needs to create a mini-port driver that is tailored to his own disk device. The mini-port driver for Windows 95 is 32-bit protected-mode code, and is binary compatible with Windows NT mini-port drivers, minimizing the task required by a hardware vendor to write device drivers. Binary compatibility with NT also results in a more stable and reliable device driver as the hardware vendor needs to only maintain one code base for device support, and users of Windows 95 benefit from the preexistence of many mini-port drivers already available for Windows NT.
Support for IDE, SCSI, ESDI controllers
Through the use of either a port driver, or a mini-port driver, support for a broad array of disk devices will be available when Windows 95 ships including popular IDE, ESDI, and SCSI disk controllers. Keep in mind that users don't have to decide whether to use a port driver or a mini-port driver, the driver is provided by the hardware vendor and configuration of the driver is handled by the Windows 95 system.
Real-Mode Mapper (RMM)
To provide compatibility with real-mode MS-DOS device drivers for which a protected-mode counterpart does not exist, the block I/O subsystem provides a mapping layer to allow the protected-mode file system to communicate with a real-mode driver as if it was a protected-mode component. The layers above and including the real-mode mapper are protected-mode code, and the real-mode mapper translates file I/O requests from protected-mode to real-mode such that the MS-DOS device driver can perform the desired operation to write or read information to or from the disk device. An example scenario where the real-mode mapper would come into play is when real-mode disk compression software is running and a protected-mode disk compression driver is not available. The net effect of this component is to ensure binary compatibility with existing MS-DOS-based disk device drivers in Windows 95.
Long Filename Support
The use of long filenames in Windows 95 overcomes the sometimes cryptic 8.3 MS-DOS filename conventions, to allow more user friendly filenames. MS-DOS 8.3 filenames are still maintained and tracked by the system to support compatibility with existing Win16 and MS-DOS-based applications that only manipulate 8.3 filenames, but as users migrate to Win32-based applications the use of 8.3 filename conventions is hidden from the user. Long filenames can be up to 255 characters in length.
Long filenames are supported by extending the MS-DOS FAT file system and using bits and fields that were previously reserved by the operating system to add special directory entries that maintain long filename information. Extending the MS-DOS FAT layout, rather than creating a new format, allows users to install and use Windows 95 on existing disk formats without having to change their disk structure, or reformat their drives. This implementation provides future growth and ease of use, while still maintaining backward compatibility with existing applications.
Because Windows 95 simply extend the FAT structure, support for long filenames is support on diskettes as well as hard disk drives. If a long filename is used for a file on a diskette and is viewed by a user on a computer not running Windows 95, the user would only see the 8.3 filename representations.
Figure 31 shows a disk directory on a computer running Windows 95, showing long filenames and the corresponding 8.3 filename mappings.
Volume in drive C is MY HARDDISK
Volume Serial Number is 1B47-7161
Directory of C:\LONGFILE
.
05-11-94 10:34a .
.. 05-11-94 10:34a ..
4THQUART XLS 147 05-11-94 12:25a 4th Quarter Analysis.xls
TEXTFILE TXT 147 05-11-94 12:25a TEXTFILE.TXT
THISISMY DOC 147 05-11-94 12:25a this is my long filename.doc
1994FINA DOC 147 05-11-94 10:35a 1994 Financial Projections.doc
4 file(s) 588 bytes
2 dir(s) 48,009,216 bytes free
Figure 31. Directory with Long Filenames Visible from Command Prompt
Support for Existing Disk Management Utilities
In order for existing disk management utilities to recognize and preserve long filenames, utility vendors will need to revise their software offerings. Microsoft is working closely with utilities vendors and is documenting long filename support and its implementation as an extension to the FAT format as part of the Windows 95 Software Development Kit (SDK).
Existing MS-DOS-based disk management utilities that manipulate the FAT, including disk defragmenters, disk bit editors, and some tape backup software, may not recognize long filenames as used by Windows 95 and may destroy the long filename entries in the FAT. However, the corresponding system-defined 8.3 filename will be preserved so there is no loss of data if the long filename entry is destroyed.
File Extensions Hidden From User
File extensions are used by Windows 95 to associate a given file type with an application as is handled under Windows 3.1. However, file extensions are hidden from users in the Shell and Windows Explorer to make it easier to manipulate files, and icons are used in the UI in Windows 95 to differentiate documents associate with applications. For compatibility reasons, it is still necessary for Windows 95 to track filename extensions for use with existing MS-DOS and Win16-based applications. Information on the file type associations is stored in the Registry, and the associations are used to map a given file with the appropriate icon representing the document type.
In addition to hiding filename extensions in the Windows 95 shell and Windows Explorer, mechanisms are available for application developers to hide filenames from users in their applications, and this is documented in the Windows 95 SDK. A good Windows 95 application will make use of these mechanisms for handling files to be consistent with the rest of the Windows 95 environment.
Additional File Date/Time Attributes
To further enhance the file system, Windows 95 maintains additional date/time attributes for files that MS-DOS does not track. Windows 95 will now maintain the date/time when a new file is created, the date/time when a file has been modified or changed, and the date when a file was last opened. These file attributes will be displayed when a user requests to display file properties as shown in Figure 32.
Figure 32. Properties for a File, Showing New File Attributes
Utilities can take advantage of this additional time/date information to provide enhanced backup utilities, for example, to use a better mechanism when determining whether a given file has been changed or modified by the system.
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) Format
MS-DOS has traditionally used the local time of the computer as the time stamp for the directory entry of a file. Windows 95 will continue to do this for files stored on the local system, however support for using the UTC time format for accessing or creating information on network file servers. This will provide better, more universal tracking of time information as required by networks that operate across time zones.
Exclusive Volume Access For File Recover Tools
Today, disk management utilities such as disk defragmenters, sector editors, and disk compression utilities, don't get along well with Windows 3.1. File system programs, such as CHKDSK and DEFRAG, require special (exclusive) access to the file system to minimize the disk access complexities that are present in a multi-tasking environment where disk I/O occurs. For example, if a user requests to do a disk operation that moves files or information around on the disk, if another task was accessing the information or writing information to disk at the same time, without exclusive access to the disk it would be possible that data corruption could occur. Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS do not provide a means of controlling access to the disk when other tasks may need to write information out at the same time, and it is for this reason that it is necessary today for users to exit Windows and enter MS-DOS to run disk management utilities.
The file system in Windows 95 has been enhanced to permit exclusive access to a disk device to support the use of Windows-based disk management utilities. This is not an end-user feature, but rather is an end-user benefit. Exclusive disk access is handled through a new API mechanism as part of the file system and can be used by utilities' vendors to write Windows-based disk management utilities. Microsoft is evangelizing this API mechanism to third-party utility vendors to facilitate moving existing MS-DOS-based utilities to Windows, as well as is using it to deliver disk management utilities as part of Windows 95.
For example, this mechanism is being used by the Disk Defragmenter (Optimizer) utility delivered as part of Windows 95. Unlike the combination of MS-DOS and Windows 3.1, the disk defragment utility in Windows 95 can be run from the Windows 95 shell, and can even be run in the background while you continue to work on your system.
DriveSpace Disk Compression
Windows 95 provides built-in support for DriveSpace disk compression. Compatible with DoubleSpace and DriveSpace disk compression provided with MS-DOS, Windows 95 provides base compression in the form of a 32-bit virtual device driver that delivers improved performance over previously available real-mode compression drivers, and frees conventional memory for use by MS-DOS-based applications. Existing users of DoubleSpace and DriveSpace will not need to change the compressed volume file (CVF) that they are presently using, and thus will not need to take any special actions when they install Windows 95.
The DriveSpace disk compression tool provided with Windows 95 is GUI-based and provides the ability to compress a physical hard drive or a removable floppy drive.
Figure 33. DriveSpace Disk Compression Tool
The Compress a Drive dialog box (see Figure 34) graphically shows the result of the amount of free space available as the drive is now (before compression), and the estimated size and space available after compressing the drive.
Figure 34. Compress a Drive Graphical Free Space Display
Improved System Capacity
Windows 95 provides better system capacity for running MS-DOS-based and Win16-based applications than Windows 3.1. A number of internal enhancements have been made to the base system, allowing for internal system resources to not be exhausted as quickly as was possible under Windows 3.1 when running multiple Windows-based applications.
Many of the artificial limitations present in Windows 3.1 due to its architecture or internal data structures and largely due to the fact that Windows 3.1 had to run on an Intel 80286-based computer, have been greatly improved and overcome in Windows 95. This will please end-users, as well as ISVs and other developers.
System Resource Limitation Improved
Many users have probably seen "Out of Memory" error messages when running multiple Windows-based applications under Windows 3.1, even though the system still reports several megabytes of available free memory. What users typically encountered was a condition where the system was not able to allocate an internal memory resource in a Windows API function call due to not enough space available in a region of memory called a heap.
Windows 3.1 maintains heaps for system components called GDI and USER. Each of the heaps is 64K in size and is used for storing GDI or memory object information allocated when an application calls a Windows API function. The amount of space available in the combination of these two heaps is identified as a percentage of system resources that are free and is shown in the Help About box in Program Manager and other Windows applications as shown in Figure 35.
Figure 35. About Box in Program Manager In Windows 3.1 Showing Free System Resources
The percentage of free system resources displayed in the About box is calculated using an internal algorithm to represent the aggregate percentage of free memory in the GDI and USER heaps. When the free system resources percentage drops to a low number, it is quite common that the user will see an "out of memory" error message, even though the amount of free memory shown in the About box is still quite high. This error can be due to low memory in either the GDI or the USER heap (or both).
To help reduce the system resource limitation, a number of the data structures stored in the 16-bit GDI and USER heaps in Windows 3.1 have been moved out of these heaps and stored in 32-bit heaps, providing more room for the remaining data elements to be created. Users will see improvements by not encountering a decrease in system resources as rapidly as they may have seen with Windows 3.1.
All objects were not simply removed from the 16-bit GDI or USER heaps, and placed in 32-bit heaps for compatibility reasons. For example, there are some Windows-based applications that manipulate the contents of the GDI heap directly, bypassing the published API mechanisms for doing so. These application vendors to do this for perceived performance reasons. However, because they bypass the Windows API mechanisms, moving the data from the existing heap structures and placing them in 32-bit heaps would cause the existing applications to fail due to memory access violations.
Both Win16 and Win32-based applications use the same GDI and USER heaps. The impact of removing selected items from the heaps was closely examined and objects were selected based on the biggest improvement that could be achieved, while affecting the fewest number of applications. For example, the GDI heap can quickly become full due to the creation of memory-intensive region objects that are used by applications for creating complex images and by the printing subsystem for generating complex output. Regions have been removed from the 64K 16-bit GDI heap and placed into a 32-bit heap, benefiting graphic-intensive applications and providing for the creation of more smaller objects by the system. Windows 95 improves the system capacity for the USER heap, by moving menu and window handles to the 32-bit USER heap, raising the total limit of these data structures from 200 in Windows 3.1, to a total limit now of 32,767 menu handles and an additional 32,767 window handles per process rather than system wide.
In addition to examining information present in the GDI and USER heaps, the robustness improvements present in Windows 95 that facilitate cleaning up the system of unfreed resources will also help the system resource limitation problem. Windows 95 will clean up and de-allocate left over data structures once Windows 95 determines that the owner and other ended processes no longer need the resources in memory. The robustness improvements available in Windows 95 are discussed in the next section.
Better Memory Management
Windows 95 improves addressibility for accessing physical memory in the computer, as well as improves upon the swapfile implementation provided in Windows 3.1 to support virtual memory to supplement physical system memory.
Linear Memory Addressing for Win32-based Applications
To support a 16-bit operating environment, the Intel processor architecture uses a mechanism called segments to reference memory by using a 16-bit segment address, and a 16-bit offset address within the segment. A segment is 64K in size, and applications and the operating system endure a performance penalty for accessing information across segments. Windows 95 addresses this issue by using the 32-bit capabilities of the Intel 80386 (and above) processor architecture to support a flat, linear memory model for 32-bit operating system functionality and Win32-based applications. A linear addressing model simplifies the development process for application vendors, removes the performance penalties imposed by the segmented memory architecture, and provides access to a virtual address space that enables addressing up to 4 gigabytes (GB) of memory. Windows 95 uses the flat memory model internally for 32-bit components and virtual device drivers.
Compatible with the Memory Model used by Windows NT
Windows 95 uses the same memory model architecture used by Windows NT, providing high-end operating system functionality on the mainstream desktop. Windows 95 will allow full use of the 4 gigabytes (4 billion bytes of memory) of addressable memory space to support even the largest desktop application. The operating system provides a 2 gigabyte memory range for applications, and reserves a 2 gigabyte range for itself.
Improved Virtual Memory Support-Swapfile Improvements
Windows 95 improves on the virtual memory swapfile implementation provided in Windows 3.1 to address the problems and limitations imposed in Windows 3.1.
Under Windows 3.1, users were faced with a myriad of choices and configuration options when it came to setting up a swapfile to support virtual memory. They had to decide whether to use a temporary swapfile or a permanent swapfile, how much memory to allocate to the swapfile, and whether to use 32-bit disk access to access the swapfile or not. Users benefited from a temporary swapfile in that the swapfile did not need to be contiguous, and Windows would allocate space on the hard disk when Windows was started and free up the space when the user exited Windows. A permanent swapfile provided the best performance, however it required a contiguous block of space, had to be set up on a physical hard disk, and was statically specified by the user and not freed up when the user exited Windows.
The swapfile implementation in Windows 95 simplifies the configuration task for the user and combines the best of a temporary swapfile and a permanent swapfile due to improved virtual memory algorithms and access methods. The swapfile in Windows 95 is now dynamic, and can shrink or grow based on the operations that are performed on the system. The swapfile can also occupy a fragmented region of the hard disk, as well as can be located on a compressed disk volume.
Windows 95 uses intelligent system defaults for the configuration of virtual memory, thus preventing the user from needing to change virtual memory settings. Figure 36 shows the new simplified virtual memory configuration settings.
Figure 36. Virtual Memory Settings in Windows 95 are Simplified Over Windows 3.1
The Registry-Centralized Configuration Store
Windows 95 uses a mechanism called the Registry that serves as the central configuration store for user, application, and computer-specific information. The Registry solves problems associated with .INI files as used in Windows 3.1, and is a hierarchical database that stores system-wide information in a single location, making it easy to manage and support.
Problems with Windows 3.1 .INI Files
Windows 3.1 uses initialization (.INI) files to store system-specific or application-specific information on the state or configuration of the system. For example, the WIN.INI file is used to store state information about the appearance or customization of the Windows environment, the SYSTEM.INI file is used to store system-specific information on the hardware and device driver configuration of the system, and various .INI files are used to store application-specific information about the default state of an application (for example, WINFILE.INI, MSMAIL.INI, CLOCK.INI, CONTROL.INI, PROGMAN.INI, and so on).
Problems with .INI files under Windows 3.1 for configuration management include:
Information is stored in several different locations including CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT, WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, PROTOCOL.INI, private .INI files, and private .GRP files
.INI files are text-based, are limited to 64K in total size, and APIs only allow for get/write operations
information stored in .INI files is non-hierarchical and supports only two-levels of information (i.e., key names broken up by section heading)
Many .INI files contain a myriad of switches and entries that are complicated to configure or are used only by operating system components
.INI files provide no mechanism for storing user-specific information, thus making it difficult for multiple users to share a single computer
Configuration information in .INI files is local to each system, and no API mechanisms are available for remotely managing configuration, thus making it difficult to manage multiple systems
Solution to Windows 3.1 .INI File Problems
To solve problems associated with .INI files under Windows 3.1, the Registry was designed with the following goals in mind:
Simplify the support burden
Centralize configuration information
Provide a means to store user, application, and computer-specific information
Provide local and remote access to configuration information
The Registry is structured as a hierarchical database of keys, where each key can contain a value, or can even contain other keys (subkeys). While similar in some ways to the Registration Database used in Windows 3.1, which served as a central repository for file associations and OLE registration information, the Registry in Windows 95 extends the previous structure to support keys that can have more than one value and can also support data of different types. The Registry uses a hierarchical structure to store text or binary value information to maintain all of the configuration parameters normally stored in the Windows system .INI files such as WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI, and PROTOCOL.INI.
Figure 37. Hierarchy of Registry as Displayed by the Registry Editor
The Registry is made up of several .DAT files that contain system-specific information (SYSTEM.DAT) or user-specific information (USER.DAT). System-specific information such as the static reference to loading virtual device drivers will be moved as appropriate from the SYSTEM.INI file to the Registry.
System Switch Simplification
Another improvement made over Windows 3.1 and its use of ..INI files is related to system switch simplification. Windows 3.1 supports over several hundred different configuration switches that can be specified in system .INI files including the WIN.INI or SYSTEM.INI files. With intelligent enhancements made to the system, and better dynamic configuration properties, Windows 95 has reduced the number of entries that are normally associated with .INI files. These reductions didn't come just by moving .INI entries to the Registry, but by examining and justifying the presence of each and every one.
.INI Files Still Exist for Compatibility Reasons
For compatibility reasons, WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI and application-specific .INI files (as well as CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT) do not go away. The Win16 APIs for manipulating .INI files will still manipulate .INI files, however Win32-based applications will be encouraged to use the Registry APIs to consolidate application-specific information.
Many existing Win16-based applications expect to find and manipulate the WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI files to add entries or load unique device drivers, therefore SYSTEM.INI, for example, will still be examined during the boot process of Windows 95 to check for virtual device drivers in the [386Enh] section.
Role in Plug and Play
One of the primary roles of the Registry in Windows 95 is to serve as a central repository for hardware-specific information for use by the Plug and Play system components. Windows 95 maintains information about hardware components and devices that have been identified through an enumeration process in the hierarchical structure of the Registry. When new devices are installed, the system checks the existing configuration in the Registry to determine the hardware resources (for example, IRQs, I/O addresses, DMA channels, and so on) that are not being used, so the new device can be properly configured without conflicting with a device already installed in the system.
Remote Access to Registry Information
Another advantage of the Registry for Win32-based applications is that many of the Win32 Registry APIs are remoted using the remote procedure call (RPC) mechanism in Windows 95 to provide access to Registry information across a network. This allows desktop management applications to be written to aid in the management and support of Windows-based computers, and allows the contents of the Registry on a given PC to be queried and over a network. With this mechanism, industry management mechanisms such as SNMP or DMI can easily be integrated into Windows 95, simplifying the management and support burden of an MIS organization. See the Networking section later in this guide for more information on manageability and remote administration.
Better Font Support
Font support in Windows 95 has been enhanced to provide better integration with the user interface shell, optimized for the 32-bit environment, and provides capabilities such as font smoothing for fonts that has not been offered previously as part of a mainstream desktop operating system.
32-bit TrueType Rasterizer
The rasterizer component for rendering and generating TrueType fonts is enhanced in Windows 95. The rasterizer is written as a 32-bit component, and delivers better fidelity from the mathematical representation to the generated bitmap, as well as better performance for rendering TrueType fonts.
In addition to performance enhancements, the new 32-bit rasterizer also provides support for generating complicated glyphs (for example, Han), and results in a faster initial boot time when lots of fonts are installed in the system than Windows 3.1.
Robustness Improvements
Windows 95 improves on the robustness of Windows 3.1 to provide great support for running MS-DOS-, Win16-, and Win32-based applications, and provides a high level of system protection from errant applications.
Windows 3.1 provided a number of mechanisms to support a more robust and stable environment over Windows 3.0. These improvements included:
ú Better resource cleanup. When a Windows or MS-DOS-based application crashed, users were able to continue running such that they could save their work.
ú Local reboot. This allowed users to shut down an application that hung.
ú Parameter validation for API calls. This allowed the system to catch many common application errors and fail the API call, rather than allowing bad data to be passed to an API.
While the work done in Windows 3.1 provided a more robust and stable environment than Windows 3.0, we made it even better in Windows 95.
System-wide Robustness Improvements
System-wide improvements resulting in a more robust operating system environment than Windows 3.1 include:
Better local reboot
Virtual device driver (VxD) thread cleanup when a process ends
Per-thread state tracking
Virtual device driver parameter validation
Better Local Reboot
The ability for a user to end an application or a virtual machine (VM) that hangs is called a local reboot. With Windows 3.1, users were able to perform a local reboot for an application or VM that the system thought was hung by pressing the three-key Ctrl-Alt-Del combination. Users could pretty easily end errant VMs with the local reboot request, however requesting a local reboot for a Windows-based application often resulted in bringing the entire system down or not allowing the user to end the errant Windows-based process.
Windows 95 greatly improves upon the local reboot support by providing a means to end an MS-DOS-based application running in a VM, end a Win16-based application, or end a Win32-based application, in a manner without bringing down the entire system. The process of cleaning up the system after a local reboot is now more complete than for Windows 3.1. This process is described more fully later in this chapter.
When a user requests a local reboot, the Windows 95 system displays the Close Program dialog box identifying the different tasks that are running and the state that the system perceives each to be in. This level of detail affords the user much more flexibility and control over local reboot than with Windows 3.1.
Figure 38. Close Program Dialog Box in Windows 95
Applications are identified as "not responding" when they haven't checked the message queue for a period of time. Although an application may be performing a computationally-intensive operation, a well-behaved application will check the message queue on a more frequent basis. Just as with Windows 3.1, it is necessary for a Win16-based application to check the message queue in order to relinquish control to other tasks running.
Virtual Device Driver Thread Clean-up When a Process Ends
Local reboot support is also aided by improved VxD thread clean-up when a given process ends. With Windows 3.1, it was quite common for the system to be unable to recover if the system was running real-mode code such as BIOS routines when an application ended abnormally, or if the user requested a local reboot to end a seemingly-hung application. For example, suppose the user requested a local reboot or suppose an operation (such as a network operation in real-mode, a disk I/O, or an asynchronous application request) ended abnormally because of another application-based error. In these cases, Windows 3.1 couldn't necessarily clean up properly to free allocated resources, and possibly couldn't even return control to the user.
Windows 95 improves system clean-up by providing each system VxD the ability to track the resources it allocates on a per-thread basis. Since most computer system functionality and support is handled by VxDs in Windows 95 rather than by real-mode code or BIOS routines, Windows 95 can recover from errors or situations that, under Windows 3.1, would required the computer to be rebooted.
When Windows 95 ends a given thread, each VxD receives notification that the thread is ended (because the user exited the application, a local reboot was requested, or the application ended abnormally). This notification allows the VxD to safely cancel any operations it is waiting to finish. This also frees any resources that the VxD previously allocated for the thread or application. Since the system tracks an entire VM, a Win16 application, and a Win32 thread, each as a per-thread instance, the system can clean up properly at each of these levels, without affecting the integrity of the system.
Per-Thread State Tracking
Resource tracking in Windows 95 is much better than that provided in Windows 3.1 to aid system clean-up. In addition to tracking resources on a per-thread basis by system VxDs, resources such as memory blocks, memory handles, graphics objects, and other system items are allocated and also tracked by system components on a per-thread basis. Tracking these resources on a per-thread basis allows the system to clean up safely when a given thread ends, either normally at the user's request, or abnormally. Resources are identified and tracked by both a thread ID, and by the major version number of Windows that is stored in the .EXE header of the application.
For a discussion of how the thread ID and the version number of Windows are used to facilitate cleanup of the system and recovery of allocated resources for Win16 and Win32-based applications, see the Win16 and Win32-based application robustness sections in this guide.
Virtual Device Driver Parameter Validation
Virtual device drivers are an integral part of the Windows 95 operating system and have a more important role than in Windows 3.1, as many operating system components are implemented as VxDs. To help provide for a more stable and reliable operating system, Windows 95 provides support for parameter validation of virtual device drivers, something that was not available for Windows 3.1. The debug version of system files for Windows 95 provided as part of the SDK for Windows 95 and DDK for Windows 95 will aid VxD developers to debug their VxDs during the course of development to ensure their VxDs are stable and robust.
In addition to providing improved system-wide robustness, Windows 95 delivers improved robustness for running MS-DOS-based, Win16-based, and Win32-based applications, providing for a more stable and reliable environment than Windows 3.1.
Robustness for MS-DOS-based Applications
Windows 95 provides improved support for running MS-DOS-based applications under Windows 95 that were not possible with Windows 3.1. Several improvements present in Windows 95 provide great robustness for running MS-DOS-based applications. These improvements are described in the next two sections.
Improved Protection for Virtual Machines
Each MS-DOS-based application runs in a separate VM, and are configured by default to execute preemptively and run in the background when another application is active. Each VM is protected from other tasks running in the system, and an errant Win16- or Win32-based application can't crash a running MS-DOS-based application, and vice versa.
Under Windows 3.1, each VM inherits the attributes and environment configuration from the global System VM. While each VM is protected from another VM preventing errant MS-DOS-based applications from accessing memory or overwriting system code thus possibly bringing the system down, the VM does not provide complete protection preventing an MS-DOS-based application from overwriting MS-DOS system code. MS-DOS-based applications have full access to all memory locations in the first megabyte of addressable memory space (i.e., the real-mode memory range).
Windows 95 supports a higher level of memory protection for running MS-DOS-based applications, preventing the applications from overwriting the MS-DOS system area in real-mode. Users can configure their MS-DOS-based applications to run with "general memory protection" enabled if they want the highest level of system protection. This mode is not enabled by default due to overhead required to validate memory access requests. Furthermore, parameter validation of Int 21h operations on pointers will be performed. This will increase the robustness of the system.
Better Cleanup When a Virtual Machine Ends
When a VM ends in Windows 95-either normally because the exited the application or VM or requested a local reboot, or abnormally because the application ends abnormally-the system frees all resources allocated for the VM. In addition to the resources allocated and maintained by the system VxDs as previously discussed, the system tracks resources allocated for the VM by the Virtual Machine Manager, including DPMI and XMS memory that the VM requested.
In Windows 3.1, resources such as DPMI memory are not released properly when the VM is ended. Windows 95 frees the DPMI memory used by the VM and other resources allocated by the operating system components.
Robustness for Win16-based Applications
Windows 95 provides improved support for running Win16-based applications. It also provides great robust Win16 application support plus compatibility with existing Windows-based applications, while keeping the memory requirements low. The next two sections describe improvements for Win16-based applications running under Windows 95.
Per-Thread State Tracking
Under Windows 3.1, when a Windows-based application ended, the resources used by the application were not released by the system. Some Windows-based applications took this into account and didn't free certain resources as the allocated resources could then be accessed by other in-memory Windows-based applications or system components (such as DLLs). Changing the way the system behaves when a Win16 application ended-for example, by freeing up all resources allocated to the Win16 application immediately-might break an existing application.
Under Windows 95, each Win16-based application runs as a separate thread in the Win16 address space to facilitate resource tracking. When a Win16 application ends, resources allocated to the Win16 application aren't immediately released by the system but are held by the system until the system can safely free them. When the last Windows 3.x application is ended, Windows 95 determines that it is safe to free all resources allocated for Win16-based applications and begins cleaning the system of resources associated with Windows 3.x applications. Windows 95 determines that no more Win16-based applications are running by associating the Windows version number of the application with the thread ID for the running process. When no more Windows 3.x applications are running in the system, Windows 95 frees any remaining resources allocated by the Win16-based applications.
Parameter Validation for Win16 APIs
Windows 95 provides support for checking the validity of parameters passed to Windows APIs by Win16-based applications. Some users perceived Windows 3.0 to be unstable because the "Unrecoverable Application Errors" (UAE) were common when working with Windows-based applications. Most of this instability was in fact caused by Windows-based applications that passed invalid parameters to Windows API functions. The APIs in turn attempted to process this bad data and usually attempted to access an invalid area of memory. For example, when an application that inadvertently passed a NULL pointer to a Windows API function which tried to access memory at the address referenced, it would generate a UAE or "general protection fault."
Windows 95 provides parameter validations for all Win16-based APIs and checks incoming data to API functions to ensure the data is valid. For example, functions that reference memory are checked for NULL pointers, and functions that operate on data within a range of values are checked to ensure the data is within the proper range. If invalid data is found, an appropriate error number will be returned to the application. It is then up to the application to catch the error condition and handle it accordingly.
The SDK for Windows 95 provides debug system components to aid software developers to debug their applications. The debug components for Windows 95 provide extensive error reporting for parameter validation to aid the developer in tracking common problems related to invalid parameters during the course of development.
Robustness for Win32-based Applications
While the robustness improvements for running MS-DOS-based and Win16-based applications in Windows 95 is better than that provided by Windows 3.1, the greatest support for robustness in Windows 95 is available when running Win32-based applications. Win32-based applications also benefit from preemptive multitasking, linear address space (rather than segmented), and support for a feature-rich API set.
Robustness support for Win32-based applications includes:
A private address space for each Win32-based application to run, segregating and protecting one application from others that are running concurrently
Win32 APIs that support parameter validation to provide for a stable and reliable environment
Resources are tracked by threads and freed up immediately when the thread ends
Separate message queues are used to ensure that a hung Win32-based application will not suspend the entire system
Each Win32-based Application Runs in its own Private Address Space
Each Win32-based application runs in its own private address space. This provides protection of its resources at the system level from other applications running in the system. It also prevents other applications inadvertently overwriting the memory area of a given Win32-based application, and prevents the Win32-based application from inadvertently overwriting the memory area of another application or the system as a whole.
Parameter Validation for Win32 APIs
As with parameter validation for Win16-based applications, Windows 95 provides parameter validation for Win32 APIs used by Win32-based applications. The SDK for Windows 95 helps software developers debug errors resulting from attempts to pass invalid parameters to Windows APIs. For additional information about parameter validation for Win16 APIs, see the discussion of robustness for Win16-based applications presented earlier in this guide.
Per-Thread Resource Tracking
Resources allocated by threads in Win32-based applications are tracked by the system. Unlike thread tracking for Win16-based applications, any allocated Win32 resources are automatically deallocated when the thread ends processing. This helps to ensure that allocation system resources are freed immediately and are available for use by other running tasks.
Resources are cleaned up properly when threads either end execution on their own (for example, perhaps the developer inadvertently did not free allocated resources), or when the user requests a local reboot that ends a given Win32 application thread or process. Unlike Win16-based applications designed to run under Windows 3.1, Win32-based applications free up allocated resources immediately when the application or a separate thread ends.
Separate Message Queues for Win32-based Applications
The Windows environment performs tasks based on the receipt of messages sent by system components. Each message is generated based on an action or event that occurs on the system. For example, when a user presses a key on the keyboard and releases it, or moves the mouse, a message is generated by the system and passed to the active application informing it of the event that occurred. Windows-based applications call specific Windows API functions to extract event messages from message queues and perform operations on the messages (for example, accept an incoming character typed on the keyboard, or move the mouse cursor to another place on the screen).
Under Windows 3.1, a single message queue was used by the entire system. Win16-based applications cooperatively examined the queue and extracted messages destined to them. This single-queue scheme posed some problems. For example, if a Win16-based application hung and prevented other applications from checking the message queue, the message queue became full and accepted no new messages. Then other Win16-based applications were suspended until control was relinquished to them and they were able to check for event messages.
Windows 95 solves the problems inherent with a single message queue in Windows 3.1, by providing for separate message queues for each running Win32-based application (see Figure 39). The system takes messages from the input message queue and passes them to the message to the appropriate Win32-based application or to the Win16 Subsystem, if the message is destined for a Win16-based application. If a Win32-based application hangs and no longer accepts and processes incoming messages destined for it, the Win32-based application does not affect other Win16- and Win32-based applications currently running.
Figure 39. Win32 based Applications Use Separate Message Queues for Increased Robustness
If a Win32-based application ends or the user requests a local reboot operation on a Win32-based application, having separate message queues improves the robustness of the operating system by making it easier to clean up and to free system resources used by the application. It also provides greater reliability and recoverability if an application hangs.
Improved Local Reboot Effectiveness
Due to the robustness improvements supported in the system for Win32-based applications (including the use of a private address space, separate message queues, and resource tracking by thread), users should be able to end ill-behaved Win32-based applications in almost all cases, without affecting the integrity of the Windows system or other running applications.
When a Win32-based application is ended, resources are deallocated and cleaned up by the system as soon as the application ends. Because Win32-based applications run in their individually-allocated environment, this method is even more robust than the way Windows 95 is able to reallocate Win16 application resources. (See the section called "Robustness for Win16-based Applications" for more details.)
Structured Exception Handling
An exception is an event that occurs during the execution of a program, and that requires the execution of software outside the normal flow of control. Hardware exceptions can result from the execution if certain instruction sequences, such as division by zero or an attempt to access an invalid memory address. A software routine can also initiate an exception explicitly.
The Microsoft Win32 application programming interface (API) supports structured exception handling, a mechanism for handling hardware- and software-generated exceptions. Structured exception handling gives programmers complete control over the handling of exceptions. The Win32 API also supports termination handling, which enables programmers to ensure that whenever a guarded body of code is executed, a specific block of termination code is also executed. The termination code is execute regardless of how the flow of control leaves the guarded body. For example, a termination handler can guarantee that clean-up tasks are performed even if an exception or some other error occurs while the guarded body of code is being executed. Structured exception and termination handling is an integral part of the Win32 system and it enables a very robust implementation of system software.
Windows 95 provides structured exception and termination handling for Win32-based applications that make use of this functionality-resulting in applications that can identify and rectify error conditions that may occur outside their realm of control, providing a more robust computing environment.
Try It!
To see how the robustness improvements made in Windows 95 results in a more stable, and reliable environment than Windows 3.1, you've got to try it!
Local Reboot
To see how local reboot works in Windows 95 and Windows 3.1, you've got to try the three-finger salute. With a couple of applications running in the system, press CTRL-ALT-DEL simultaneously.
Under Windows 3.1, the system may identify the currently active application as the application that has the focus of the local reboot request, or may report back that there is no application in a hung or inactive state.
Under Windows 95, the user will be presented with a list of active applications, and is given the option of terminating any currently running tasks. Applications that are no longer responding to the system are identified as being "not responding" in the local reboot dialog box.
Improved Support for Running MS-DOS-based Applications
Support for MS-DOS-based applications, device drivers, and terminate-and-stay-resident programs (TSRs) does not go away in Windows 95. In fact, Windows 95 offers better compatibility for running MS-DOS-based applications than Windows 3.1 does, including applications that are hardware-intensive, such as games.
As with Windows 3.1, Windows 95 provides the ability for a user to launch an MS-DOS command prompt as an MS-DOS virtual machine (VM). The functionality supported in an MS-DOS VM, is the same functionality that is available under the latest version of MS-DOS, allowing users to run the same intrinsic commands and utilities.
Windows 95 delivers great support for running MS-DOS-based applications, allowing even applications that would not run under Windows 3.1 to run properly. This allows MS-DOS-based applications to coexist peacefully with the rest of the Windows 95 environment.
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
Improvements made in the system provide the following benefits for running MS-DOS-based applications in the Windows 95 environment:
Zero conventional memory footprint for protected-mode components
Improved compatibility for running MS-DOS-based applications
Improved robustness for MS-DOS-based applications
Better support for running MS-DOS-based games, including in a window
Support for running existing MS-DOS-based applications without exiting Windows 95 or running MS-DOS externally
Consolidated attributes for customizing properties of MS-DOS-based applications
Toolbar availability when running an MS-DOS-based application in a window providing quick access to features and functionality to manipulate the window environment
User-scaleable MS-DOS window through the use of TrueType fonts
Ability to gracefully end MS-DOS-based application without exiting the application
Ability to specify local VM environment settings on a per-application basis through the use of a separate batch file
Support for new MS-DOS commands providing tighter integration between the MS-DOS command line and the Windows environment
Zero Conventional Footprint Components
Windows 95 helps to provide the maximum amount of conventional memory available for running existing MS-DOS-based applications. Some MS-DOS-based applications do not run under Windows 3.1 because by the time MS-DOS-based device drivers, MS-DOS-based TSRs, MS-DOS-based networking components, and Windows 3.1 were loaded, there was not enough conventional memory available. Windows 95 provides 32-bit protected-mode components that replace many of the 16-bit real-mode counterparts, providing the same functionality while improving overall system performance and using no conventional memory.
32-Bit virtual device drivers are provided to replace the 16-bit real-mode counterparts for such functions as:
Description
File(s)
Conventional Memory Saved
Microsoft Networks client software
NET.EXE (full)
PROTMAN
NETBEUI
EXP16.DOS (MAC)
95K
3K
35K
8K
Novell NetWare client software
LSL
EXP16ODI (MLID)
IPXODI.COM
NETBIOS.EXE
NETX.EXE
VLM.EXE
5K
9K
16K
30K
48K
47K
MS-DOS extended file sharing and locking support
SHARE.EXE
17K
Adaptec SCSI driver
ASPI4DOS.SYS
5K
Adaptec CD-ROM driver
ASPICD.SYS
11K
Microsoft CD-ROM Extensions
MSCDEX.EXE
39K
SmartDrive disk caching software
SMARTDRV.EXE
28K
Microsoft Mouse driver
MOUSE.COM
17K
Microsoft DriveSpace disk compression driver
MOUSE.COM
37K
The resulting memory savings for using 32-bit protected-mode components can be quite dramatic. For example, suppose a PC was configured with the NetWare NetX client software, using a SCSI CD-ROM drive, and with the MS-DOS support files SMARTDrive, Mouse driver, and DriveSpace disk compression. The resulting conventional memory savings that Windows 95 would offer this configuration would be over 262 KB!
Improved Compatibility
There are a number of reasons why some MS-DOS-based applications do not run properly under Windows 3.1. For example, some MS-DOS applications required lots of available free conventional memory, and thus wouldn't run in a DOS VM due to large real-mode components, such as network drivers or device drivers. Other MS-DOS-based applications would not run under Windows 3.1 because they required direct access to the computer hardware and conflicted with Windows internals or other device drivers.
The goal of Windows 95 to support running MS-DOS-based applications is to be able to run existing "clean" MS-DOS-based applications that ran under Windows 3.1, as well as to support running the "bad" MS-DOS-based applications that tried to take over the hardware or required machine resources unavailable under Windows 3.1.
Many MS-DOS-based games take advantage of the assumption that they are the only application running in the system, and access and manipulate the underlying hardware directly, thus preventing them from being run in a MS-DOS VM under Windows 3.1. Games are the most notorious class of MS-DOS-based applications that don't get along well with Windows 3.1. Some of these applications write to video memory directly, manipulate the hardware support resources such as clock timers, and take over hardware resources such as sound cards.
A number of things have been done to provide better support for running MS-DOS-based applications that interact with the hardware, including better virtualization of computer resources such as timers and sound device support. In addition, the use of 32-bit protected-mode device drivers benefits MS-DOS-based applications by providing them with more free conventional memory than was available under Windows 3.1, allowing a class of memory-intensive applications to run properly.
Different MS-DOS-based applications require varying levels of support from both the computer hardware and from the operating system. For example, there are some MS-DOS-based games that require close to 100% use of the CPU to perform properly, and there are other MS-DOS-based applications that modify interrupt addresses and other low-level hardware settings. Windows 95 provides several different levels of support for running MS-DOS-based applications. These levels of support take into account that different applications interact with the hardware in different ways-some behave well, whereas others expect exclusive access to the PC system and hardware. By default, MS-DOS-based applications are preemptively multitasked with other tasks running on the system and can run either full-screen or in a window. (CPU-intensive MS-DOS-based applications may not run well in a window for performance reasons, but can be run in full-screen mode to get the best response level.)
Single MS-DOS Application Mode
To provide support for the most intrusive set of MS-DOS-based applications that only work under MS-DOS and require 100% access to the system components and system resources, Windows 95 provides a mechanism that is the equivalent of running an MS-DOS-based application from real-mode MS-DOS-this mechanism is called Single MS-DOS application mode. While fewer MS-DOS-based applications will need to run in this mode due to improved compatibility support provided by Windows 95, this mode provides an "escape hatch" mechanism for running applications that only run under MS-DOS. Users can also specify the name of a CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file to run for the specified application to create a unique environment custom tailored for that application's needs and system requirements.
To run an MS-DOS-based application in this mode, users set the Single MS-DOS Application Mode property from the Program tab on the MS-DOS property sheet for the application. In this mode, Windows 95 removes itself from memory (except for a small stub), and provides the MS-DOS-based application with full access to all the resources in the computer. Before a user runs an MS-DOS-based application in this mode, Windows 95 prompts the user as to whether running tasks can be ended. Upon user's approval, Windows 95 ends all running tasks, loads a real-mode copy of MS-DOS, and launch the specified application. This process is like exiting Windows 3.1, then running the specified MS-DOS-based application under MS-DOS. Once the user exits the MS-DOS-based application, Windows 95 restarts and returns the user to the Windows 95 shell.
This solution is much more elegant than requiring the user to dual-boot between different operating systems in order to run their desired applications. Windows 95 makes it easy for users to run their existing applications from within the Windows 95 environment.
Improved Support for Graphic-intensive MS-DOS-based Applications
Windows 95 improves the support for running MS-DOS-based applications in the Windows environment by providing better support for running graphic-based applications in a window, rather than requiring the application to be run in full-screen mode as with Windows 3.1. MS-DOS-based applications that use VGA graphic video modes can now be run in an MS-DOS window, whereas under Windows 3.1 the user was prevented from doing this. While Windows 95 is improved over Windows 3.1, the user may choose to run graphic-intensive MS-DOS-based applications in full-screen mode for the best level of performance.
Improved Memory Protection
To support a higher level of memory protection for running MS-DOS-based applications, Windows 95 includes a "global memory protection" attribute on the Program property sheet tab that allows the MS-DOS system area to be protected from errant MS-DOS-based applications. When the global memory protection attribute is set, the MS-DOS system area sections are read-protected so that applications can't write into this memory area and corrupt MS-DOS support and MS-DOS-based device drivers. In addition to the system area protection, enhanced parameter validation is performed for file I/O requests issued through the MS-DOS INT 21h function, providing a higher degree of safety.
This option is not enabled by default for all MS-DOS-based applications due to the additional overhead associated with providing improved parameter and memory address checking. Users would set this flag if they are constantly encountering difficulty running a specific MS-DOS-based application.
Better Defaults for Running MS-DOS-based Applications
By default, Windows 3.1 runs MS-DOS-based applications full-screen and disabled the ability for the MS-DOS-based application to run in the background. To change this default behavior, it was necessary for users to use the PIFEDIT application and modify or create a program information file (.PIF) for the given MS-DOS-based application.
Windows 95 defaults to running MS-DOS-based applications in a window, and enables the background execution setting, allowing the application to continue to run when it is not the active application. The change in this default behavior provides better integration between running MS-DOS-based applications and Windows-based applications without requiring the user to change or customize the state of the system.
Consolidated Customization of MS-DOS-based Application Properties
Each MS-DOS-based application has different characteristics and mechanisms for using machine resources such as memory, video, and keyboard access. Windows 95 (and Windows 3.1) understand how to run Windows-based applications as requests for system services is handled through the use of the Windows API. However, MS-DOS-based applications only included minimal information about their requirements in the format of the .EXE header associated with each application. To provide additional information to the Windows environment about the requirements for running MS-DOS-based applications, a program information file (.PIF) is used to specify the configuration settings used to run MS-DOS-based applications in the Windows environment.
Under Windows 3.1, the PIF Editor application was used to create or change properties associated with running MS-DOS-based applications. Problems associated with the PIF Editor or PIF creation process included difficulty in accessing the PIF editor or PIF settings, the disassociation of PIF properties from the MS-DOS-based application for new users, the lack of a single location for storing PIF files beyond placing them all in the WINDOWS directory, and less-than-intelligent defaults for running MS-DOS-based applications.
Figure 40. PIF Editor in Windows 3.1
Windows 95 enhances the ability to define properties for running MS-DOS based applications by consolidating PIF files into a single location (the PIF directory where Windows 95 is installed), providing easy access to property information for an application (using the secondary mouse button to simply click the icon or application window), and simplifying the user interface to provide better organization of property settings (through the use of a tabbed property sheet dialog box). Through the use of property sheets, Windows 95 provides greater flexibility and control for running MS-DOS-based applications.
Figure 41. Property Sheet for Configuring an MS-DOS Based Application
Toolbar in MS-DOS Window
In addition to providing compatibility enhancements in Windows 95 to support running MS-DOS-based applications better than under Windows 3.1, Windows 95 makes it even easier to use MS-DOS-based applications in the Windows environment than Windows 3.1. Many Windows-based applications implement a toolbar to provide quick access to common features and functionality of a product, Windows 95 extends this simplicity and power feature to making it easy to access functionality associated with an MS-DOS-based application.
Figure 42. Toolbar in Windowed MS-DOS Box
Optionally, a user can enable the display of a toolbar in the window of a running MS-DOS based application to provide the user with quick access to the following functionality:
Simpler access to cut, copy, and paste operations for integrating text-based or graphics-based MS-DOS based applications with Windows based applications
Easy access to switching from windowed to full-screen mode
Quick access to property sheet information associated with the MS-DOS-based application
Access to MS-DOS VM tasking properties such as exclusive or foreground processing attributes
Easier access to font options for use in displaying text in a windowed MS-DOS VM
User-Scalable MS-DOS Window
Windows 95 supports the use of a TrueType font in a windowed MS-DOS VM, supporting the ability for a user to scale the MS-DOS window to any size. When the font size is set to "Auto," the MS-DOS window is sized automatically to display the entire window within the user-specified area. Figure 43 shows the MS-DOS command prompt window being changed to a smaller size.
Figure 43. With TrueType Font Support, Users Can Scale an MS-DOS Window
Ending MS-DOS based Applications Graceful
Windows 95 provides support for gracefully closing an MS-DOS VM through a property sheet setting available on an application-by-application basis. When enabled, the user can close an MS-DOS-based application just as a Windows-based application is closed-by clicking the close window button.
In addition to simply ending an MS-DOS-based application, robustness improvements made to the Windows 95 system ensure that system clean up is completed properly and all allocated resources are freed. This results in memory used by the MS-DOS-based applications is deallocated properly and available for use by other applications. (Windows 3.1 didn't properly free DPMI memory, for example.)
Local Virtual Machine Environment Settings
When Windows 3.1 starts up, it uses the MS-DOS environment as specified before Windows is started as the default state for each MS-DOS VM that is created. Any TSRs or other memory resident software that is loaded before starting Windows is replicated across all MS-DOS VMs, whether the VM needs it or not. Windows 3.1 did not provide a mechanism to allow a user to run a batch file that set the VM environment, before starting a given MS-DOS-based application. Actually, a batch file could be run by the user under Windows 3.1, but once the batch file finished processing the command statements, the MS-DOS VM was closed.
Under Windows 95, a batch file can be optionally specified for a given MS-DOS-based application, allowing customization of the VM on a local basis before running the MS-DOS-based application. This allows MS-DOS environment variables to be set or customized for individual MS-DOS-based applications, and for TSRs to be loaded in the local VM only. This is like having a separate AUTOEXEC.BAT for different MS-DOS-based applications. The batch file is specified on the Program tab of the property sheet for the MS-DOS-based application.
Figure 44. Property Sheet Tab for Specifying Program Attributes
Support for UNC Pathnames to Access Network Resources
Windows 95 makes it even easier to access network resources from the MS-DOS command prompt by supporting the use of universal naming conventions (UNC). UNC names provide a standard naming scheme to reference network servers, and shared directories and use the following syntax: \\servername\sharename[\pathname]
The Windows 95 shell allows users to browse and connect to network servers without mapping a drive letter to the network resource. Windows 95 supports the same functionality at an MS-DOS command prompt and allows the user to:
View the contents of shared directories on network servers from both Microsoft Network servers and Novell NetWare servers: dir \\servername\sharename[\pathname]
Copy files from the contents of shared directories on network servers from both Microsoft Network servers and Novell NetWare servers: copy \\servername\sharename\pathname\file destination
Run applications from shared directories on network servers for both Microsoft Network servers and Novell NetWare servers: \\servername\sharename\pathname\filename
New MS-DOS Prompt Commands
The MS-DOS command processor and utilities have been enhanced to provide better integration between MS-DOS functionality and the Windows environment. Commands that manipulate files have been extended to support long file names, and some new commands have been added to Windows 95, providing access to new capabilities supported by the system.
Starting MS-DOS and Windows-based Applications
For example, the start command allows a user to start a Windows-based or MS-DOS-based application from the command prompt in one of the following ways:
start |
Start an application by specifying the name of a document to open, and Windows 95 will launch the application associated with the given file type. For example, a user can type "start myfile.xls" and the application associated with the file specification will start, if there is a valid association.
Start an MS-DOS-based application in a different MS-DOS VM instead of the current one.
Start a Windows-based application from an MS-DOS command prompt. When the user just types the name of a Windows-based application it is essentially the same as typing "start ".
Support for Long File Names
Many MS-DOS intrinsic commands and utilities have been extended to support the use of long file names. Basic examples of support for long file names includes the following commands. Many other commands have also been extended.
The dir command has been extended to show long file names in the directory structure, along with the corresponding 8.3 filename. Also, the dir command now supports a "verbose" mode to display additional file details by typing "dir /v".
The copy command has been extended to allow copying or long file names to/from short or long file names. For example, typing:
"copy myfile.txt "this is my file"" will create a new file with a long file name.
Try It!
To see how Windows 95 improves support for running MS-DOS based applications over Windows 3.1, you've got to try it!
Improved Support for Running MS-DOS based Applications
Try an MS-DOS based application that is known to not run under Windows 3.1 and run it under Windows 95. Does it work? (If not, report it as a bug)
Take an MS-DOS based application that is known to run under Windows 3.1, but doesn't run in a window, and run it under Windows 95 in a window. Does it work? (If not, report it as a bug)
More Free Conventional Memory
Install Windows 95 on a PC with a configuration similar to one now running Windows 3.1 with MS-DOS-based device drivers and TSRs loaded. For example, use PCs with SCSI drivers, network drivers, or system support files such as SMARTDRV, MSCDEX, or SHARE.
Type the "mem /c" command under Windows 3.1 and under Windows 95. Is there a memory savings under Windows 95 for the same configuration?
MS-DOS-based Application Property Sheets
To see a property sheet for an MS-DOS-based application, try the following:
Use the secondary mouse button to simply click the icon for an MS-DOS-based application, and select the Properties... item.
Use the secondary mouse button to simply click the title bar of an active
MS-DOS-based application, and select the Properties... item.
Scalable MS-DOS Window
To demonstrate the ability to scale an MS-DOS window, open an MS-DOS VM window and be sure the font size is set to "Auto" from the Font tab on the property sheet.
Click the mouse in the scale region of the lower-right corner of the window and change the size-this functionality is more noticeable when performed at higher resolutions.
Launching Applications from the MS-DOS Command Prompt
To demonstrate the ability for launching applications under Windows 95 from the MS-DOS command prompt, try the start command in a variety of scenarios. From an MS-DOS command prompt, try these operations:
Type "start /?" to see the options available.
Type "start edit" to start the MS-DOS Edit application in another VM.
Type "start /m clock" to start the Clock Windows-based application in minimized form.
Plug and Play
Configuring PC hardware and operating systems has become a significant problem in the PC industry, resulting in customer dissatisfaction and increased support costs-all of which impacts the industry affecting PC market growth. A broad-based group of PC industry members is tackling this industry-wide problem with the development of an open and extensible framework architecture called Plug and Play. Microsoft, Compaq Computer Corporation, and Intel Corporation, cooperatively launched the effort to create the Plug and Play architecture, and have been key contributors and leaders in developing and implementing the Plug and Play specifications. The Plug and Play specifications describe hardware and software changes to the PC and its peripherals that free the PC user from manually configuring hardware resources. Furthermore, Plug and Play is an industry-wide effort, with the specifications governed by the Plug and Play Association, an independent organization of leading PC and peripheral manufacturers.
Windows 95 is the operating system that ties Plug and Play components together. Operating system services are implemented in Windows 95 to make PCs even easier to use by providing:
Help in device detection for installing and configuring devices
Event notification for informing other system components and applications of dynamic changes to the system state
Tight integration among device drivers, system components, and the user interface to make the operating system easier to use, configure, and manage.
Plug and Play in Windows 95 not only offers functionality to make it even easier to use a Plug and Play PC, but provides benefits to configuring and managing legacy PC hardware.
The Problem With PCs Today
For a user who is not a trained technician, installing or configuring a device on a PC can be a daunting task. Most users have neither the time nor the inclination to learn about such arcane subjects as interrupt request (IRQ) lines, direct memory access (DMA) channels, small computer system interface (SCSI) termination, or monitor timings. However, if users want to add devices to their PCs or take advantage of the features of a new device, they often must address these subjects, because most existing PC systems offer no alternative. Potential PC users hear about problems that current users encounter in these areas, which reinforce their viewpoint that PCs are complex, intimidating, and difficult to use.
Although the availability of add-on devices is an advantage of the PC, the fact that the typical PC contains devices made by numerous vendors tends to compound the hardware and software configuration problem. The hardware, operating system, and applications don't know about other PC components, and the hardware can't tell when conflicts exist between different devices trying to share the same system resource.
The main problems associated with today's PC hardware and operating systems can be summarized by the following three points:
Adding devices to a PC can be a painful process.
A lack of coordination between hardware and software components leads to device conflicts when vying for valuable system resources such as IRQs, DMA addresses, and I/O addresses.
There is also no easy access to information about the configuration of a PC, leading to confusion and an increased burden on the end-user and technical support resources to solve conflicts and other device errors.
Software has no idea what's in the system.
Today's operating systems only support rudimentary mechanisms for allowing applications to query the configuration of a PC. This information usually covers just basic properties of the PC including the type of CPU it has, the amount of memory configured, and possibly information about base devices such as communication ports. However, beyond basic properties, there are no consistent mechanisms to query detailed information about connected peripherals, or support for receiving system notification that may be associated with dynamic configuration of system resources (such as the addition or removal of a device on-the-fly).
Evolution of the PC platform is stalled due to compatibility problems.
Many different bus standards exist that are used in PCs today. These include ISA, EISA, Micro Channel, PCMCIA, serial ports, parallel ports, and ECP. Creating a new bus standard or device architecture, while maintaining compatibility with the existing architectures is a difficult task. Plug and Play provides a framework on which to design and implement new PC architectures, providing a common and consistent way for devices to interact and coexist, using a bus-independent design.
Mobile Computers Demand Much Higher Flexibility
The bigger problem that the current PC architecture encounters is trying to support the higher flexibility requirements for mobile computers. Mobile computers are used in a number of environments by on-the-road users, and the technology aimed at mobile computing professionals is growing by leaps and bounds. The configuration scenario shared by mobile computer users is different from that of desktop computer users. The mobile environment is much more dynamic and demands higher flexibility from the computing platform:
Mobile users need flexible configuration support whether in the office and on the road.
Users plug their mobile PCs into a docking station while used within the office, and run them in an undocked state while on the road. While connected to a docking station, a mobile PC may have network connectivity for accessing shared corporate resources, however once it is undocked, it's necessary to reconfigure the PC, perhaps support network connectivity through a dial-up process rather than a local, physical connection.
Support for hot-docking or hot-plugging of devices needs special operating system support and applications aware of changing environment.
The advent and popularity of PCMCIA also poses some dilemmas for the operating system and application programs. A main issue is how best to provide support for dynamic configuration when a device is added or removed from the system. For example, what should the operating system or application do in response to the addition of a PCMCIA card that provides access to SCSI devices, provides additional hard disk storage, or adds modem connectivity to the PC? Any of these hardware changes may affect the way software behaves on the system. Therefore, it is necessary for the operating system to support a mechanism for notification to inform the applications that their system configuration state may change and that they will need to take appropriate action. For example, suppose someone uses a word processing application to open a document on a PCMCIA hard disk drive, then decides he or she want to remove that hard disk. To gracefully handle this situation, the word processing application (which, of course, is Plug-and-Play aware) saves and closes the document before the hard disk is removed.
The Plug and Play Solution
Through automatic installation of drivers and seamless configuration, the Plug and Play architecture will turn the PC into more of an "appliance" rather than a complex, difficult to configure piece of hardware as it is today. A key benefit of Plug and Play is that it will help to create and support a platform that recognizes and enables the transformation of the PC platform to a more mobile and dynamic environment.
The Plug and Play architecture is an open, flexible, and cost-effective framework for designing Plug and Play products. Plug and Play was jointly developed by a group of leading vendors who obtained reviews for their design proposals from hundreds of companies in the industry. Plug and Play provides a framework that works on many types of bus architectures - ISA, EISA, PCMCIA, VESA local bus (VL-bus), Peripheral Component Interconnect local bus (PCI), and so on - and I/O port connections, and can be extended to future designs.
Here are three major benefits of the Plug and Play architecture:
Support costs are reduced for end-users, MIS support organizations, and industry hardware and software vendors.
Reducing the complexities of installing and configuring devices and peripherals will have a material benefit for both users, and MIS organizations.
As many as half of all support calls currently received by operating system and device manufacturers are related to installation and configuration of devices. For businesses, reducing the high cost of supporting PCs increases the use of PCs in the workplace and focuses information systems personnel on using computer technology to solve business problems. Both Plug and Play PCs and legacy PCs store hardware and software configuration in the Registry for centralized access, so support benefits can be achieved on existing hardware.
Plug and Play makes it easy to install and configure add-on devices with little or no user intervention.
Windows 95 stores all information about the hardware and resource configuration of peripheral devices (such as IRQs, I/O addresses, DMA channels, and memory addresses) in the Registry. On Plug and Play PCs, resource allocation is automatically arbitrated by the system and free resources are used to configure the hardware device. On legacy PCs, the information stored in the centralized Registry is used to notify the user of a potential resource conflict when configuring the peripheral. It is used also to perform device detection using the known resource information.
With a Plug and Play PC, a user can easily install or connect Plug and Play devices to the system, letting the system automatically allocate hardware resources with no user intervention. For example, by simply plugging in a CD-ROM and sound card, a desktop PC can be easily turned into a multimedia playback system. The user simply plugs in the components, turns on the PC, and "plays" a video clip.
Suppose the user wanted to install a new device on a legacy PC system. Further, suppose the new device requires an IRQ setting, and a legacy network card is already installed on the PC. Since the network card already uses IRQ 5, for example, the system tells the user that a device is already using IRQ 5 and that a different IRQ setting should be chosen. Device conflicts are a thing of the past.
PC systems can be designed with new features.
With warm-docking capabilities, for example, a businessperson could remove a portable PC from the docking station while the PC was still running, and go to a meeting. The portable PC would automatically reconfigure to accommodate the absence of the network card and large disk drive. Another example of this is an infrared (IR)-enabled subnotebook that would automatically recognize, install, and configure an IR-enabled printer when the user walked into the printer room.
Plug and Play Support in Windows 95
As set forth by the industry initiative, the Plug and Play specifications are designed to be implementation-independent, and are not tied to a specific operating system. It is up to the operating system vendor to define the level of support the system will provide for making the PC easier to use.
Windows 95 was designed and built from the ground up with Plug and Play support in mind, and therefore provides a very rich implementation of Plug and Play functionality throughout every component of its design. With Windows 95, configuration of hardware resources is greatly simplified over legacy configuration techniques-it just works.
Plug and Play in Windows 95 makes PCs even easier to use and supports both existing market requirements and future PC growth to deliver the following:
Compatibility with legacy hardware
With over 140 million MS-DOS or Windows-based PCs used throughout the world, providing compatibility with existing (or "legacy") hardware was a given requirement. The benefit of compatibility with existing hardware ensures support for Windows 95 and support for new Plug and Play peripherals does not require the purchase of completely new hardware.
Automatic installation and configuration of Plug and Play devices
This means that initial PC configuration is automatic. With Plug and Play, users no longer need to configure their system and make system-resource assignments. These assignments (including those for IRQs, I/O ports, and DMA addresses, and memory assignments) are handled by the BIOS and operating system, thus avoiding configuration conflicts. Installation and configuration of add-on devices and peripherals is also automatic.
Dynamic operating environment to support mobile computing environments
This functionality brings out the real power of the Plug and Play architecture, and sets Windows 95 apart from other operating system implementations of Plug and Play functionality. Dynamic Plug and Play properties in Windows 95 include support for:
Hot docking and undocking of mobile computers to change the state of the system dynamically
Hot plugging and unplugging of Plug and Play devices on the fly
"Dynaload drivers" where the operating system loads drivers for devices that are present and removes drivers from memory when the device is no longer available
Unified messaging for mechanism for notifying other operating system components and applications about changes to the state of the system dynamically
Users of Windows 95 will be able to reconfigure their computer on the fly and have the changes take affect immediately, without rebooting the PC.
Simplified device driver development by using a universal driver model
To simplify device driver development support for an IHV's hardware device, Windows 95 incorporates the use of a universal driver model throughout various components in the system. Windows 3.1 supported a universal driver model for printer drivers, but Windows 95 provides this support for more areas including communications drivers, display adapter drivers, mouse drivers, and disk device drivers. The universal driver model ensures that it's easy for IHVs to write peripheral drivers, thus providing for more Plug and Play devices available on the market.
An open and extensible architecture to support new technologies
The Plug and Play implementation in Windows 95 must be flexible and extensible enough to support future technologies as they emerge on the market The Plug and Play Initiative will spur the creation of new and innovative technologies, and Windows 95 will deliver this support.
Availability of configuration information for simplified systems management
This level of information sharing helps not only the solving of configuration problems for an end-user, but also the supportability and manageability of PCs within a corporate environment which may have hundreds or thousands of PCs. Through the use of the Registry, configuration information is easily available to the system and applications, and access to the information is made available to both locally and remotely.
Additional information about the Plug and Play capabilities in Windows 95 is discussed in the following sections.
Benefits of Plug and Play with Windows 95
Plug and Play will be of enormous benefit to the user. No longer will the user be required to manually set jumpers and switches to redirect IRQs, DMA channels, or I/O port addresses. This will save the user's time and will also save OEMs and IHVs the expense of supporting large numbers of user service calls related to these configurations.
Plug and Play is designed so that adding a device, either permanently or dynamically, requires nothing more than taking it out of the box and plugging it in. The PC seamlessly adjusts to the new configuration.
Users need not concern themselves with the inner workings of Plug and Play-it just works.
The Plug and Play specifications define how the various hardware devices, software drivers, and operating system components interact. At the level where the user interacts with the PC, the PC simply works. Plug and Play reduces the time users spend on technical problems and increases their productivity and satisfaction with PCs.
Plug and Play also benefits users who install Plug and Play devices into older, legacy PC systems.
Components using the Plug and Play architecture are able to accommodate the lack of device-reporting mechanisms in non - Plug and Play devices. Information about these devices is stored centrally in the Registry, and devices that cannot be reconfigured by the software receive first priority when resources are allocated.
Plug and Play makes it easier to manage and support PC configurations.
This is because many procedures that were once done manually-such as setting IRQ lines, figuring out what the right jumper settings are, and installing the correct device drivers-are now performed by the Plug and Play PC system. Problems that users used to encounter with non - Plug and Play PC systems generated a tremendous support burden. Customer frustration with the configuration process reduced demand for add-on and upgrade products. For businesses, the high cost of supporting PCs inhibited increased use of PCs in the workplace and diverted information systems personnel from focusing on using computer technology to solve business problems.
Hardware Design Guide for Microsoft Windows 95
Intended for PC manufacturers, peripheral vendors, and readers interested in learning the technical details of Plug and Play, the Hardware Design Guide for Microsoft Windows 95 from Microsoft Press contains the official Microsoft guidelines and recommendations for developing-and developing for-a PC 95 computer. This comprehensive discussion of the Plug and Play specification explores the PC 95 concept in detail; examines the rationale for improving on the present standards; and outlines the design criteria for Plug and Play systems, devices, buses, and peripherals. It is also covers the full technical details of the PC 95, including including internal and external peripherals, the BIOS used in the PC 95, and the new services performed by the BIOS as the go-between for the Plug and Play operating system and the system hardware.
You can find or order the Hardware Design Guide for Microsoft Windows 95 wherever better computer books are sold or you may order it direcly from Microsoft Press at 1-800-MSPRESS (in Canada call 1-800-667-1115). Outside of the U.S. and Canada, contact your local computer book retailer or the Microsoft subsidiary in your area.
Device Manager
In order to properly manage resources on the PC (e.g., IRQs, I/O addresses, DMA addresses, etc.), Windows 95 tracks devices and resources allocated to devices in the registry. This information is maintained for both Plug and Play devices and legacy devices. The Device Manager, accessible from the System icon in Control Panel, provides a graphical representation of devices configured in Windows 95, and allows properties used by these devices to be viewed and, as appropriate, changed. While users would normally have no need to modify entries from within Device Manager, the information is useful for identifying devices that Windows 95 knows about for a particular PC configuration. Figure 45 shows a sample Device Manager property sheet identifying different devices configured in Windows 95. The "View devices by connection" option in the Device Manager property sheet allows the devices configured in the system to be listed in a hierarchy with the associated adapter or controller card. For example, the CD-ROM device would be listed under the SCSI controller adapter heading, identifying the connection and associated device.
Figure 45. Device Manager Property Sheet
In addition to showing devices configured in Windows 95, Device Manager also shows resource allocated for the configured devices. Resources such as memory ranges, I/O addresses. DMA addresses. and IRQs required by used by devices can be viewed from the "Properties" dialog for the computer configuration. Figure 46 shows sample properties for a given computer configuration.
Figure 46. Properties for Computer Dialog Box in Device Manager
The power of Plug and Play comes from Windows 95 being aware of the resources available on the computer, resources allocated by the computer, and required resources being reported by a Plug and Play device. Through the resource configuration information maintained in the registry, Windows 95 is able to automatically identify and resolve device resource conflicts for Plug and Play devices. For legacy devices, the tracking of resources in Windows 95 will help users and support organizations quickly and easily identify conflicting resources and devices that are configured in the system-these items are then highlighted in the Device Manager.
Improved Device Support
Windows 95 features improved support for hardware devices and peripherals including disk devices, video display adapters, mice, modems, and printers. In Windows 3.1 device drivers were, for the most part, monolithic and are complex for device manufacturers to develop. Windows 3.1 simplified printer driver development by using a mini-driver architecture, which provides printer device-independent code in a universal driver written by Microsoft, and device-dependent code that communicates directly with the printer written by the Independent Hardware Vendor (IHV). The mini-driver architecture increased the stability of the driver support for the printer and decreased the amount of time needed for a printer manufacturer to develop driver support for a new printer. While it is still possible to write monolithic drivers in Windows 95, we recommend that IHVs use the mini-driver model because of the advantages it provides.
Device Driver Philosophy in Windows 95
Windows 95 extends the mini-driver architecture for printer drivers used in Windows 3.1 to the architecture for drivers of other system components. The driver philosophy that Windows 95 uses is based upon a mini-driver/mini-port layered model that provides the following benefits:
Leverages IHVs hardware knowledge
IHVs know their hardware. They understand the various I/O mechanisms that the hardware supports, and they know the commands that the hardware device will respond to. The mini-driver model allows the IHV to implement the device-dependent portion of the code used to interact with the hardware device.
Leverages Microsoft Windows knowledge
Microsoft developed the universal driver code, which is the layer of code that sits between the API layer of device interaction (as used by other Windows-components) and the device-dependent code that controls the device. The development team that wrote the Windows components above the API layer understands the mechanisms available from the operating system for interacting with the code. This leverages Microsoft's knowledge of the operating system, with the IHVs knowledge of their hardware.
Increases system stability and reliability
Since the universal driver is the mechanism through which the Windows components communicate with the device, this components receives a high level of scrutiny and debugging. Through extensive use and testing, the universal driver code is made stable and reliable. Because the IHV no longer has to write the code that would be considered device-independent (as when they wrote monolithic drivers), the code required for driver-dependent functions for interacting with the hardware device is minimized. This reduces the complexity of the code that it necessary, and simplifies the driver development process. A simplified, less-complex driver will promise to be more stable and reliable than a traditional monolithic driver.
Increases forward compatibility
Forward compatibility is ensured by allowing the device-independent code to continue to evolve, and encapsulating the device-dependent code in a mini-driver. The mini-driver model would also simplify the extensibility of the driver an IHV would provide if new functionality was developed in the hardware device. The IHV would not need to completely rewrite the entire device driver, they would just add new functionality to the mini-driver (if even necessary).
Supports OEM/IHV innovation
The mini-driver model provides mechanisms for IHVs to add special device functionality support beyond what would be considered as a base set of required functionality. The mini-driver model doesn't require an IHV to sacrifice any flexibility to simplify the driver development process.
Windows 95 uses the mini-driver/mini-port layered model for components throughout the operating system, including printers, display devices, modems, communication devices, and mice.
Better Disk Device Support
In addition to providing compatibility with existing MS-DOS and Windows-based disk device drivers, Windows 95 provides better disk device support than is available under Windows 3.1. Windows 95 features a new block I/O subsystem that provides broader 32-bit disk device support as well as improved disk I/O performance. In addition, disk mini-port device drivers written for use with Windows 95 are compatible with Windows NT, and vice versa.
Windows 95 also enhances the disk device support provided in MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 to provide improved support in the following areas:
Support for large media using logical block addressing, including hard drives with greater than 1024 cylinders
Extensions to the Int 13h disk controller support are provided in the protected-mode disk handler drivers to support disks with cylinder numbers greater than 1024. (Windows 3.1 did not provide support for this in the 32-bit disk access drivers.)
Better support for removable media including electronic lock, unlock, and eject commands
Windows 95 better supports removable media devices and allows the system to lock or unlock the device to prevent the media from being removed prematurely. Windows 95 also supports an eject mechanism for devices that support it, so that users can use software control to eject media from a device (for example, new floppy drives that support software-based media ejection).
Support for IDE Drives and Controllers
Windows 95 provides improved support for IDE drive configurations. The enhanced support includes:
Support for large IDE disk drives
IDE drives are also emerging onto the market that support a logical block addressing (LBA) scheme that allows them to exceed the 1/2 gigabyte (528MB) size limitation. Support for large IDE disk drives as large as 137G will be provided by the Windows 95 operating system. While this support may be provided in real-mode today, Windows 95 provides this support in a protected-mode disk driver.
Support for Alternate IDE Controller
Windows 95 also allows the use of two IDE controllers in a PC, or the combination of an IDE controller in a laptop and an alternate controller in a laptop docking station (available, for example, in some Compaq laptop/docking station combination products). While this support may be provided in real-mode today, Windows 95 provides this supports in a protected-mode disk driver.
Support for IDE-based CD-ROM Drives
The majority of disk devices in personal computers today use an IDE-based hard disk controller. Adding a CD-ROM drive typically requires adding an additional controller card to provide either SCSI or a proprietary interface for connecting to the CD-ROM drive. A new crop of inexpensive CD-ROM drives that connect to IDE-compatible disk controllers are emerging onto the market, and Windows 95 recognizes and supports these devices.
Support for SCSI Devices and Controllers
Windows 95 provides great support for SCSI disk devices-something not available in Windows 3.1. The support in Windows 95 for SCSI devices includes:
Broad support for popular SCSI controllers
Windows 95 includes 32-bit disk device drivers for popular SCSI controllers from manufacturers such as Adaptec(, Future Domain, Trantor, and UltraStor, providing great support right out of the box.
Compatibile with Windows NT mini-port drivers
Windows 95 supports the use of Windows NT mini-port SCSI drivers under Windows 95 without modification or recompiling. Compatibility with Windows NT-based mini-port drivers ensures broad device support for disk devices under Windows 95, while simplifying the driver development efforts for hardware manufacturers.
ASPI/CAM compatibility for MS-DOS-based applications and drivers
Support for the Advanced SCSI Programming Interface (ASPI) and Common Access Method (CAM) allowing application and driver developers to submit I/O requests to SCSI devices is provided in Windows 95. This will allow existing MS-DOS-based applications and drivers that use the ASPI or CAM specification to work properly under the Windows 95 operating system.
16-Bit and 32-Bit ASPI for Windows-based clients and applications
In addition to MS-DOS-based compatibility with ASPI, Windows 95 also includes 16-bit and 32-bit drivers to support Windows-based ASPI clients and applications.
Support for ESDI Controllers
Windows 95 provides 32-bit disk driver support for ESDI controllers in addition to supporting IDE and SCSI disk devices.
High-Speed Floppy Disk Driver
As with its hard disk controller support, Windows 95 also provide protected-mode support for communicating with floppy disk controllers. Windows 95 provides Int 13h hard disk controller support as 32-bit device drivers resulting in improved performance, stability, and robustness of the system. Windows 95 provides floppy disk controller support as a 32-bit device driver, and offers improved performance for file I/O to floppy disk drives, plus improved reliability of the system.
Users can now effectively format a diskette or copy files to/from a diskette while performing other tasks.
Better Display Adapter and Monitor Support
Video display adapter and monitor support in Windows 95 is another area that has received a lot of attention during the design phases of Windows 95.
Summary of Improvements Over Windows 3.1
Windows 95 addresses many of the problems inherent in Windows 3.1 display drivers and provides enhanced functionality and easier setup and configuration. Benefits of the new display driver support in Windows 95 includes:
More stable and reliable video display adapter drivers
Many more video cards supported by drivers in the box
A mini-driver architecture that makes it easier for IHVs to write video display drivers
Support for new features including the ability to change video resolution on-the-fly without needing to restart Windows 95 (important for hot/warm docking support)
Video driver support for mobile computing docking/undocking providing functionality to autoswitch between video card in laptop and video card in a base unit
Consistent and unified installation and configuration of display drivers and display properties such as colors, wallpaper patterns, and screen saver
Image Color Matching support for device-independent color usage, which Microsoft worked in conjunction with Kodak to offer
Support for new generation of hardware and device functionality such as Energy Star Monitors conforming to the VESA Display Power Management Signaling (DPMS) specification, and detection of monitor properties such as maximum resolution supported when used in conjunction with monitors that support the VESA Display Data Channel (DDC) specification
Improved Driver Stability and Reliability
By using a mini-driver architecture for video display adapter drivers, Windows 95 better supports the range of products offered by IHVs and provides more stable and reliable drivers. Windows 95 provides a universal driver to support device-independent code and functionality normally handled by a monolithic video display driver, and supports device-dependent code in a display mini-driver. The mini-driver uses the Windows 95 graphics device independent bitmap (DIB) engine, providing a better mechanism for manipulating memory bitmaps (including improved performance).
Because the mini-drivers are simpler than a monolithic display driver, they are easier to write and to debug. Extensive testing on a less-complex driver results in better stability and reliability in the overall operating system.
Furthermore, to ensure broad display adapter device support in Windows 95, Microsoft is developing many of the display drivers in-house with cooperation of all major display controller IHVs. The development teams at Microsoft are also working closely with IHVs to write additional display drivers, and assisting IHVs with optimizing their display drivers and doing performance tuning to enhance the speed at which information is displayed by the driver. The development effort will result in improved graphic performance over Windows 3.1 and native Windows 3.1 display drivers.
The use of the mini-driver architecture for display drivers in Windows 95 leverages the development experience that Microsoft has for writing fast, reliable graphics code, with the engineering experience of IHVs, allowing them to concentrate on delivering high-performance hardware accelerated display adapters.
Improved Video Display Performance
In addition to more stable and reliable video display adapters in Windows 95, display drivers also should benefit from improved performance. The mini-driver architecture for display drivers in Windows 95 is centered around a new 32-bit DIB engine that features 386/486 optimized code for fast, robust drawing for high resolution and frame buffer-based display adapters. The use of a universal driver to provide the device-independent display adapter support, instead of requiring each IHV to redesign this code, results in allowing base functionality to be optimized and thus benefits all mini-driver display drivers.
For example, graphics performance at 256 colors is dramatically improved on unaccelerated Super VGA graphics controllers such as the Tseng Labs ET4000, which has received benchmark results of over 90% faster than Windows 3.1! Windows 95 includes drivers for nearly all popular graphics accelerators, and has been shown to benchmark faster than Windows 3.1 on the following models/chipsets:
ATI Ultra (mach8), Ultra Pro (mach32), Ultra Pro Turbo (mach64)
Cirrus Logic 5426/28/29/34
Compaq QVision
S3 911/924/801/805/928
Tseng Labs ET4000 W32i
Western Digital 90C31/33
IBM XGA, XGA/2
Support for More Video Display Adapters Than Windows 3.1
Setup in Windows 95 includes support for automatically detecting the video display adapter installed in the PC and installing the appropriate Windows 95 display driver. While Windows 95 supports the use of display device drivers written for use with Windows 3.1, Microsoft is working closely with IHVs to provide Windows 95-specific display drivers that take advantage of new features and functionality available in Windows 95. For example, efforts are on going to assist third-parties in implementing extensions to support plug and play detection, on-the-fly resolution changes, and re-architecting display drivers to leverage the mini-driver model.
Robustness Improvements
The video drivers provided with Windows 95 are stringently tested to ensure greater reliability and stability than drivers for Windows 3.1.
In addition to a better quality of video drivers, Windows 95 includes mechanisms to ensure that bad or incompatible video drivers cannot prevent user from accessing the system. If a video driver fails to load or initialize when Windows 95 is started, Windows 95 defaults to the generic VGA video driver. This ensures that a user can get into Windows 95 to fix the system, given that driver configuration is handled through a graphical interface. Under Windows 3.1, a bad video driver would commonly result in returning the user back to an MS-DOS command prompt with no explanation about the failure.
New Control Panel Enhancements and Customization Properties
Windows 95 consolidates display properties into a common Display area in Control Panel, allowing easy customization the colors, wallpaper, screen saver, and display adapter settings from a single user interface. Access to display properties is as easy as selecting Control Panel from the Settings option from the Start button (or by using the secondary mouse button to click the desktop), to quickly present the display property sheet to the user.
Figure 47. Properties for Display Dialog Box
Through the new consolidated display properties, users now have the ability to:
See the appearance of display changes modeled on-screen before the changes are applied. This capability has been referred to as What You See Before You Get It (WYSBYGI).
Change background settings to select patterns or wallpaper for the desktop.
Select a screensaver to be activated after the computer is idle for a specified amount of time.
Change window appearance properties for displaying text in title bars or menus such as font face to use, styles of fonts to use including bold or italic, and sizes of fonts to use, providing more flexibility and levels of customization than Windows 3.1.
Change the display settings such as number of colors to use with the display driver, or change the size of the desktop area on-the-fly when using display drivers and display adapters that support this functionality.
The work done for consolidated display properties is a further example of how Windows 95 is making it easier for users to use and customize their environment.
Image Color Matching Support
Windows 95 provides image color matching (ICM) support for mapping colors displayed on-screen and colors generated on output devices to provide consistent output. See the discussion of ICM support in the Printing section of this guide.
Energy Star Monitor Support
Energy Star is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-inspired effort to develop computer hardware and peripherals that conserve power while in idle states. This ides is similar to the standby-mode commonly implemented in laptop computers to save power.
In a PC system, the video display monitor is typically one of the power-hungry components. Manufacturers of newer display monitors have incorporated energy-saving features into their monitors based on the VESA Display Power Management Signaling (DPMS) specification. Through signals from a video display adapter, it is possible under software control to be able to place the monitor in a standby mode, or even turn it off completely, thus reducing the power it uses when inactive.
User today typically use a screen savers to prevent burn-in of a monitor image. Windows 95 extends this mechanism to provide a time delay setting allowing the user to put the display monitor in a low-power standby mode, as well as a delay setting to turn the monitor off completely. Figure 48 shows the delay settings that a user may specify to enable this capability.
Figure 48. Screen Saver Settings for Energy Saving Monitor Features
For example, a user may want to set options to display a specific screen saver after 5 minutes of inactivity, to set the PC to standby after the screen saver has displayed for 10 minutes, and turn off the monitor after 15 minutes of standby.
To take advantage of the Energy Star power-consumption mechanisms, it is necessary to have both a monitor that meets the DPMS/Energy Star specifications, and a video card that meets the VESA DPMS specifications. It is also necessary for the video display driver to support the extensions necessary to control the monitor device. Several manufacturers are presently shipping monitors that are designed to support the Energy Star goals.
Better Mouse and Pointing Device Support
As with other device drivers, the mini-driver architecture of Windows 95 simplifies mouse driver development and improves virtualization in a protected-mode mouse driver to better support MS-DOS-based applications in the Windows environment.
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
Mouse support in Windows 95 results in the following improvements over Windows 3.1:
Provides smooth, reliable input support through the use of protected-mode drivers
Supports more devices by making it easier for IHVs to write drivers, and supports a mini-driver architecture model
Makes mouse and pointing devices easy to install and use by supporting Plug and Play
Implements mouse driver functionality in a single driver, and eliminates the need to use MS-DOS-based mouse drivers (increasing robustness and saving conventional memory)
Support for connecting a mouse after Windows 95 has started. This is useful for mobile computer users that may forget to connect a mouse before turning on the computer-gives them a second chance to connect a mouse without restarting the computer.
Improved Windows Mouse Driver
Windows 3.1 provided support for using the system mouse in an MS-DOS-based application if the application was run within a window. However, support for using a mouse in full-screen mode required an MS-DOS-based mouse driver TSR to be loaded prior to starting Windows.
Windows 95 provides mouse support as a protected-mode VxD and eliminates the need to load an MS-DOS-based mouse driver. Better virtualization of mouse interrupt services, which allow protected-mode Windows-based mouse driver to provide mouse support for Windows-based applications, MS-DOS-based applications running in a window, and MS-DOS-based applications running in full-screen mode. The improvements in this area result in a zero conventional memory footprint for mouse support in the Windows 95 environment.
In addition to better mouse services, Windows 95 improves the device support to allow the use of serial ports COM1 through COM4 on which to connect a mouse or other pointing device.
Mouse Control Panel Enhancements
Windows 95 consolidates mouse configuration and customization support into a single Control Panel icon. Windows 3.1 provided rudimentary support for configuring a mouse as part of the Mouse option in Control Panel, and provided more flexible mouse settings in a separate driver-specific applet.
Control over mouse customization options is supported in Control Panel, and uses a tabbed dialog for providing easy access to the different possible settings. Mouse settings accessible through the new interface includes setting the behavior of the mouse buttons, and the behavior of the mouse pointer.
Figure 49. Properties for Mouse Dialog Box
Try It!
To see how the improved device support present in Windows 95 will result in broader support for a broader base of hardware and peripherals, you've got to try it!
Floppy Disk and Multitasking Performance
To see the improvements made in the floppy disk driver, try to perform some common tasks under Windows 95 while you are formatting a floppy disk or copying files to a diskette. For example, try navigating through the shell or launching another application. Perform the same tasks under Windows 3.1 to compare the different multitasking behavior.
New Display Settings
To see the improvements made in the display properties supported by Windows 95, try some of the new options supported by the Display icon in Control Panel. Try changing the desktop background, selecting a screen saver, changing the display appearance, and switching video resolutions on-the-fly (if supported by your video display adapter and monitor).
Single Mouse Driver
To see the improvements made in mouse driver support to reduce the conventional memory used as facilitated by a single system mouse driver, remove the real-mode mouse driver from your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT and (after restarting your PC), run an MS-DOS-based application that supports the use of a mouse. Use an application such as Edit and try the MS-DOS-based application both in a window and full-screen. Note that the mouse is available in both modes, and use the mem /c command at the MS-DOS prompt to verify that the mouse driver is not loaded into real mode.
Networking
Windows desktops are being connected to corporate networks at a steadily increasing rate, along with it are growing demands for better network integration, improved network and system management capabilities, and better network performance and reliability as more business critical functions rely on the PC network. As a consequence of these demands, companies are faced with increased costs to run PC networks and are investing in tools and staff to meet the challenge of day to day management of their growing corporate PC networks. Windows 95 is the version of Windows constructed to address the needs of the corporate network administrators with a well-integrated, high-performance, manageable 32-bit network architecture.
Windows 95 is also designed to address the needs of the Windows user, making access to and control of the network consistent, and easier to use through many enhancements in the Windows user interface making network browsing and printing much easier to use. In addition, Windows 95 is designed to address users mobility needs both roving on the corporate network, as well as enabling dial-up access to the network from portable PCs.
Given the size of customer's current investments in both Windows and their PC network infrastructure, one overriding goal for networking in Windows 95 is compatibility. Compatibility starts by ensuring continued support for existing real-mode networking support, as well as making the new 32-bit protected-mode components in Windows 95 very compatible with the 16-bit MS-DOS applications and device drivers and the 16-bit Windows applications and DLLs that customers use today.
This section will introduce you to the 32-bit, protected-mode networking architecture built into Windows 95 and will show you how it provides well integrated network support, manageability, improved performance, user-level network security and dial-up access to the network. The discussion of networking in Windows 95 is structured as follows:
Easier Networking with Windows 95. Summarizes the key features and concepts in Windows 95 that make networking much easier to implement and use.
Network Architecture of Windows 95. Details of the internals of the 32-bit protected-mode networking infrastructure of Windows 95.
Managing Windows 95 Systems. Outlines the support built into Windows 95 to enable both System Management and Network Management.
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11:
The primary improvements in networking for Windows 95 are:
A robust, open, high-performance 32-bit network architecture-32-bit network client software, 32-bit file and printer sharing software, 32-bit network protocols, and 32-bit network card drivers
Support for using multiple redirectors, multiple protocols and network card device drivers simultaneously to facilitate integrating the desktop into a heterogeneous network environment
Support for industry standard connectivity and systems management solutions including TCP/IP, IPX, SNMP, and DMI
Great integration with Novell NetWare including high-performance, 32-bit protect-mode NetWare-compatible client software for connecting to NetWare 3.x and 4.x servers, and peer sharing for NetWare environments
Great integration with Windows NT Server to support a powerful client/server solution
Built-in support for systems management, including the ability to remotely administer, monitor, and view the configuration of PCs over the network
Improved dial-up network access support providing remote access to Microsoft Networking servers, Novell NetWare servers, and UNIX servers. Support for remote protocols such as PPP and SLIP is provided.
Improved network printing, making it easier for users to connect and configure printers in network environments.
Easier networking with Windows 95
This section summarizes the key features and concepts in Windows 95 that make networking much easier to implement and use.
Windows 95 Provides great Novell NetWare Integration
Windows 95 has built-in support for two networks-Microsoft and Novell NetWare networks. (Built-in support for Novell NetWare is new for Windows 95.) Installation of support for one or both networks is as simple as clicking the Setup program for Windows 95, or the Network icon in Control Panel. Both the Microsoft client for Microsoft Networks and the Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks are implemented as high-performance, high-reliability 32-bit protected-mode components.
Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks
The Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks in Windows 95 provides interoperability for NetWare 3.x and 4.x servers. Systems running Windows 95 can use all NetWare server services, browsing NetWare servers, connecting to servers, queue print jobs either using the user interface in Windows 95, or using Novell's NetWare command line utilities. In fact the Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks in Windows 95 will even run "TSR clean" NetWare login scripts. In addition, Windows 95 provides continued support for Novell NetWare real-mode components. This means the NetWare 3.x NetX shell and the NetWare 4.x VLM shell are both supported by Windows 95.
Microsoft File and Printer sharing for NetWare
Windows 95 also provides NetWare compatible peer services for File and Printer sharing that feature user-level security by implementing a "pass through" security link to an existing Novell NetWare server to leverage the existing user database. Windows 95 doesn't introduce a new security scheme; rather, it fully leverages the existing user-level security built into NetWare's bindery
The Microsoft network support provides full interoperability with other Windows 95 PCs, and PCs running Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT, Windows NT Server, LAN Manager, and any other Microsoft-compatible servers. Windows 95 includes support for both client access, and peer services capabilities on a Microsoft Network.
Additionally, other network servers and services will be provided by third parties, for example Artisoft(, Banyan(, DEC(, Novell ,and SunSelect will provide Windows 95 support for their respective network servers.
Windows 95 is the "Well-Connected Client" Operating System
Today's networks are heterogeneous, and becoming even more connected. Companies are linking their Windows PCs to multiple PC network servers, mainframe and mini-computer host systems, UNIX machines, and even a variety of services like the Internet. The desktop operating system must meet this challenge and provide support for often very disparate connectivity needs on the network. Today's desktop operating systems do not provide the necessary support for running multiple network clients simultaneously. Windows 95 has been explicitly designed with multiple network support as a key design goal.
Integrated networking support is a key focus of the design of Windows 95, and it's now much easier to install and manage support for a single network or even multiple networks simultaneously using Windows 95. Building upon the support in Windows for Workgroups 3.11, which was capable of supporting up to two networks, Windows 95 has the capability to simultaneously support up to ten 32-bit, protect mode network clients using the Network Provider Interface of Windows 95. This interface defines a set of APIs used by Windows 95 to access the network for things like logging on to the server, browsing servers, connecting to servers, printing, and so on.
Installing network provider support is simple-it's done via the Network Setup icon in the Control Panel, or when first installing Windows 95 from the Network Setup dialog box. This means that a Windows 95 desktop can run client support for NetWare, Windows NT Server, Banyan, DEC PathWorks and Sun NFS simultaneously. For users with a mixed environment with Apple Macintosh computers, Windows 95 can be used to exchange documents and share information with Macintosh users when Macintosh-compatible file services are used with Windows NT Server or Novell NetWare and connecting to the common file server-long filename support in Windows 95 further simplifies the integration of the two systems.
Windows 95 Puts Information on the Internet Just a Mouse-Click Away
With Windows 95, you have easy access to the Internet, whether you dial into a commercial Internet provider or you have access to the Internet via your corporate network over TCP/IP. Windows 95 provides all the plumbing you need to access information on the world-wide Internet network. Built-in support for TCP/IP, Windows Socket services, and dial-up protocols such as Point to Point Protocol (PPP) and SLIP, make connecting to the Internet and the information highway just a mouse-click away with Windows 95. TCP/IP, the protocol used on the Internet, is implemented in Windows 95 as a fast, robust, 32-bit Windows-based TCP/IP stack-this Windows-based TCP/IP implementation also does not have the conventional memory footprint commonly found in MS-DOS-based drivers or TSRs. Dial-up protocol support such as PPP and SLIP in Windows 95 give users flexibility in choosing the Internet access provider they want to use to dial into using a standard asynchronous modem or ISDN connection.
Support for Windows Socket services in Windows 95 allows users to use any of the large collection of third-party and public domain Internet utilities such as Mosaic, WinWAIS, and WinGopher, to easily connect to the Internet and access the thousands of world-wide information servers. Additionally, Windows 95 includes telnet and FTP to help you take advantage of the Internet. Windows 95 also supports sending and receiving electronic mail messages over the Internet through the use of a provided mail driver that integrates with the universal inbox in Windows 95, the Microsoft Exchange client. For more information on Internet mail support in Windows 95, see the Microsoft Exchange section of this guide.
Windows 95 Makes Using the Network as Easy as "Point and Click"
For users, running one network client can be confusing and multiple network support is nearly unmanageable. Each server has its own set of unique client-side utilities and commands that are often difficult to remember and use. When the desktop PC has multiple network support loaded, the user is now faced with minimally twice the number of commands and utilities to remember and may now have to remember multiple passwords to access network resources. The easy to use Network Neighborhood user interface in Windows 95 makes it easier for users to perform common network operations on disparate servers. First, it's now possible for network manager to establish one password to log the user into the Windows 95 PC and any network resources or services that they are entitled access to. These services could include email, group scheduling applications, dial in support or database access.
Additionally, common network actions like browsing servers, managing connections and printing are all done identically through the user interface in Windows 95 regardless of the type of server Windows 95 is connected to. This means a user can easily locate, connect, and start a print job on a NetWare print server as easily as they can for a printer attached to a Windows NT Server. All the common network actions can be accomplished visually, using the mouse to navigate through the network resources, manage connections, and so on. The user isn't required to memorize any new network commands. For both Microsoft Networks and Novell NetWare Networks, the user can run the corresponding command line utilities as well. This ongoing backward compatibility may be necessary to support batch files currently in use, or to help manage the transition period moving to the Windows 95 environment.
Lastly, the Network Neighborhood helps to manage the complexity of the network by showing it from the user's perspective. That is, it will show only what the user is interested in seeing. When the user initially opens the Network Neighborhood the window will only contain the servers that the user has logged into, or servers that the user most frequently connects to, or has explicitly customized the network view by dragging and dropping the server into the Network Neighborhood. This context-sensitive view of the network thus reduces the number of network resources that the user initially encounters to a more manageable number of objects. For Windows NT domains and NetWare 3.x/4.x, the network context presented is the "login server" and any other connected servers.
For more in depth discussion of the Network Neighborhood and the user interface in Windows 95, see to the "The Windows 95 User Interface" section in this Guide.
Windows 95 Makes Mobile Network Support Easier
Two features in Windows 95 make connecting to a network easier for mobile PC users-Plug and Play and Dial-up Access.
Plug and Play. Plug and Play in Windows 95 solves several problems that face mobile PC users. are faced with a variety of challenges to keep their PCs running smoothly today. Mobile users no longer have to maintain multiple configurations (such as desktop and portable configurations)- Windows 95 recognizes when they add or remove peripherals, such as when they remove a network card and add a modem for dial-in network access. By supporting hot and warm docking, users no longer have to reboot their systems each time they make a change to the configuration. In addition, Windows 95 has built-in Card and Socket Services which allow for hot removal and insertion of PCMCIA cards, including network cards.
Finally, network Plug and Play support in Windows 95 includes application-level support. An application that is network-aware understands whether the network is available or not. If network adapter is removed, the application automatically put itself into "offline" mode to allow the user to continue to work, or it shuts down gracefully.
Dial-Up Networking. Maintaining data access to their corporate network while working in a remote location is another challenge for mobile users. Currently, several solutions for dialing-in to the corporate network exist. However, most of these solutions are not well integrated with Windows, requiring a different set of tools. The Dial-Up Networking client in Windows 95 provides modular support for multiple dial-in providers, including Windows NT RAS servers and NetWare. It also supports several protocols, including NetBEUI, IPX/SPX and TCP/IP via PPP and SLIP. Support for dial-in can also be offered by third parties, for example Shiva has implemented their Windows 95 support using the modular architecture of Dial-Up Networking client in Windows 95.
Windows 95 Client: Designed for Manageability
Many corporations have rapidly growing networks, networks that in some cases run worldwide. Keeping the networks and ever increasing number of systems connected to the networks running at peak performance is a challenge for both end users and network managers. These corporations are beginning to deploy network and desktop management tools to help them meet this challenge. Windows 95 has built-in network and system management instrumentation to enable current and future management tools to remotely monitor, query and configure PCs running Windows 95. Using these tools, network managers will be able to quickly inventory software and hardware used on their network. Working from a PC running Windows 95, network managers can remotely diagnose and reconfigure Windows 95 systems as well as remotely monitor system and network performance on a PC running Windows 95. The following key components make Windows 95 very manageable:
SNMP Agent. Windows 95 incorporates an agent that implements the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). This agent complies to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) SNMP specification, responding to queries and sending notifications of events that take place on the PC to an SNMP console. The SNMP console allows a network manager to remotely monitor and manage the PC running Windows 95. Events can be managed from a central SNMP management console.
SNMP MIB, MIB 2. The SNMP MIB describes what information about the system is available to the SNMP console. Windows 95 includes the MIB-II which describes the Microsoft TCP/IP protocol, and allows information about the protocol stack to be communicated back to the management console. For example, the management console can query the MIB-II for the IP address, the name of the user at this IP address or IP routing information.
DMI Agent. Windows 95 offers a DMI agent soon after final Windows 95 release. DMI applications offer cross-platform desktop management capabilities. Support of the DMI agent is built on top of the Registry in Windows 95. The DMI specification version One became final this spring,, Microsoft as a founding member of the DMTF will follow its ongoing evolution.
Registry-based System Management. Central to the operation of Windows 95 is the Registry. Similar in design to the Registry found in Windows NT, it replaces the many .INI files previously used by Windows and Windows applications. The Registry contains information used by Windows 95 that describes the hardware configuration of the PC, preferences defined by the user and application specific information. The Registry is a database containing keys, and values. For example, HKEY_USER_NAME defines the key for the user's name. The name "Fred Smith" is the values associated with this key. There also exist a special category of keys called Dynamic Keys. These keys are memory resident, and can contain frequently changing data updated by system components, device drivers or applications. For example, the number of packets sent per second could be registered by the network adapter device driver.
The Registry consists of three components-SYSTEM.DAT which describes the PC configuration and computer-specific application information, USER.DAT that defines user preferences and user specific application information, and POLICY.POL which defines the "system policies" relating to either previous component. Each component is a file that resides on the PC or on a network server. The Registry is remotely accessible via an RPC based interface. The APIs used to access the Registry both locally and remotely are the Win32 Registry APIs.
Management Tools for Windows 95
There are several tools for Windows 95 that make managing the system or the network much easier for a PC or network manager. These tools include:
Registry Editor. It allows local or remote editing of the Registry in Windows 95.
System Policy Editor. This is used by network managers to set "policy" over-rides on Registry entries per user or per group and creates the POLICY.POL component of the Registry. Even though it bears the same EXE file name, this tool contains a superset of the Windows for Workgroups' "admincfg" tools settings.
Performance Monitor. It allows you to locally or remotely view the performance of the various i/o components of the local system or remote PC. For example, you can monitor the file system, the network components, or data from the network card. The data is updated dynamically using the Registry "dynamic keys."
NetWatcher. This allows you to locally or remotely view and manage the network connections of peer services in Windows 95.
Easier to Setup and Install
PC and network managers faced several challenges when installing Windows in the past. Some network managers installed Windows on the network for later installation onto users' PCs, or to run Windows from a network server. In the first case, the network manager had to decide on an approach for a number of variables-making the process appear transparent to the user, rolling out Windows using a "push" or "hands free" installation, using specific settings for different categories of users, and updating these configurations when either Windows, Windows applications or device driver updates are available.
Running Windows from a network server, network managers had to manage variables such as having local swapping files and some local .INIs and applications, allowing user-level configurations, how to support disparate hardware configurations, and handling the roving user on the network.
Windows 95 addresses several elements of these problems with an improved Setup utility and the previously discussed Registry. The new Setup streamlines the installation of Windows on a network server for either installation from the server, or running Windows 95 from a server. In fact, Windows 95's Setup utility has a scripting feature, making it possible to implement "hands-free" installation of Windows 95 from a network server to the client PCs.
Running Windows 95 from a server becomes much simpler largely due to the new Registry in Windows 95. The Registry is a centralized database of all hardware, software and user information, hence, is easy to maintain remote on the server. Contrast this to the state of configuration today with CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT and the myriad of Windows and Windows applications .INI files. In addition, the separation of hardware configuration from the user profiles means that users can rove on the network, their preferences will follow them from PC to PC regardless of the hardware configuration they're currently running on.
Network Architecture in Windows 95
The Network Architecture in Windows 95 radically updates the level of network support and integration that existed in Windows 3.1. The key design points of the networking architecture in Windows 95 are:
Fast, 32-bit VXDs. The networking components in Windows 95 are built as Virtual Device Drivers (VxDs). VxDs are 32-bit, and have no conventional memory footprint, and loaded dynamically when needed by the system. In addition, since the operating system and the device drivers are all running in protected-mode, network I/O performance is 50 to 200% faster than Windows 3.1 because there's no more overhead for mode switching and virtualization between protected and real-mode operation.
Reliable. Since the networking components in Windows 95 run in protected-mode and are designed to a well-defined set of interfaces, they are more reliable than real-mode network components. Today's real-mode network components may conflict in memory or attempt to exclusively chain the same set of interrupts, this commonly leads to system hangs or error conditions. Windows 95 arbitrates the hardware resource allocation, hence these errors don't occur with protected-mode network components.
Modular, Open Design. The network architecture in Windows 95 is highly modular, which includes a new Network Provider interface, an Installable File System (IFS) interface, and an enhanced version of Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) version 3.1 which has been enhanced for Plug and Play support. The specifications are available for all three aforementioned interfaces for third party network vendors.
Multiple Network Support. Windows 95 is designed to accept multiple Network Providers, multiple network redirectors written to the IFS interface and multiple NDIS drivers as needed. This means it is possible to run Microsoft Network and Novell NetWare client support simultaneously. Windows 95 is capable of supporting up to 10 32 bit, protected mode network clients, and one real mode network client concurrently.
Multiple Protocol Support. The Protocol Manager in Windows 95 supports loading multiple transport protocols. Protocol Manager is one of the NDIS components, and makes it enables Microsoft and third parties to independently author protocol stacks for Windows 95 that coexist well. Windows 95 includes built-in support for IPX/SPX, TCP/IP and NetBEUI. Protocol support is extensible, Windows 95 can support up to N protocols.
Plug and Play Enabled The whole of the networking components in Windows 95 are designed for dynamic Plug and Play operation. For example, when a PCMCIA network adapter is inserted, the NDIS 3.1 network card driver is automatically loaded, and the network is available. Alternately, if the PCMCIA network card is removed, or the network cable is removed, Windows 95 will not hang as many real-mode networks do, but will notify any applications using the network that it's no longer available and will continue to run.
Figure 50 shows an overview the network architecture built into Windows 95. The following sections describe key aspects of this architecture, including the Network Provider Interface, the Installable File System, and NDIS 3.1.
Figure 50. Diagram of the Layered Network Architecture of Windows 95
Network Provider Interface: Concurrent Support for Multiple Network Servers
Windows 95 has an open, modular Network Provider Interface (NPI) to allow multiple network support to be installed in Windows 95 simultaneously. NPI enables Microsoft, or any third party network provider to integrate varied network services seamlessly into Windows 95. Key benefits of the NPI are:
An open interface that allows any network vendor to supply tightly integrated support for their network servers for Windows 95
All supported networks are identically accessed and managed through the Windows 95 Network Neighborhood user interface
The NPI abstracts the network services for the Windows 95 user interface components, as well as the various Windows 95 network and desktop management components. The Network Provider Interface consists of two parts-the network provider API and the network providers. The network provider API is a single, well defined set of API used by Windows 95 to request network services such as browse servers, connect and disconnect to servers, queue a print job, and so on. These requests are then passed to the network providers. The network provider layer sits below the API layer, and provides the needed network services to honor the request for network specific services of components in Windows 95. Conceptually, this model is similar to the design of the various device driver interfaces of Windows 95, a well defined set of interfaces used by the operating system, and the services provided by a device driver often written by a third party that honors the request.
The most apparent abstraction of the various network services provided by the Network Provider Interface is the Windows 95 system login. Each Network Provider can provide a unique login dialog box to suit the needs of the network servers security model. For example, the login dialog box shown in Figure 51 is for logging in to a Windows NT Server domain:
Figure 51. Network Logon Dialog Box for Windows NT Server Domain
Note that the dialog box shown in Figure 52 for logging in to a Novell NetWare 3.x server offers additional information to allow users to logon as GUEST. This dialog box is invoked when a user first accesses a NetWare server.
Figure 52. Network Logon Dialog Box for Novell NetWare
To complete this example, once the login is validated against the requested server, the password is passed back to Windows 95. Windows 95 can then use this password as the "Password Control" and unlock system or network resources that are linked to the Password Control password validation. In this fashion, it's possible for Windows 95 to accommodate various ways that network servers provide their services, yet still offer the user a very consistent user interface.
Another example of user visible support from the Network Provider occurs when specifying server name strings. For example, Microsoft compatible networks use the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) which appears in this form:
\\server-name\share-name
However, NetWare servers are specified in this form:
server-name/volume-name:directory-name
The respective Network Providers will correctly parse the syntax of their server name strings. This means that users who are accustomed to using the NetWare server syntax can type the NetWare server syntax string wherever required by the user interface in Windows 95 to access NetWare server resources.
Figure 53. Network Control Panel showing both the Client for Microsoft Networks and the Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks running simultaneously
Installable File System: Support for Multiple Network Redirectors
The Installable File System (IFS) interface built into Windows 95 is a well-defined set of APIs that are used to implement all file systems in the operating system including the following; VFAT (32-bit FAT) and CD-ROM file systems. The IFS implementation in Windows 95 is functionally similar to the IFS implementations on Windows for Workgroups and Windows NT. For networking, the IFS is used to implement network redirectors. The IFS interfaces are documented, and are meant to be used by vendors of network servers to implement their redirector for Windows 95. The IFS offers a number of key benefits for network redirectors for Windows 95:
Designed for multiple redirector support
Increased reliability, the IFS model arbitrates resource requests, removing the source of many real-mode redirector conflicts
Improved performance, network redirectors will benefit from the unified IFS cache making available client side network redirector caching
The IFS consists of a set of file system APIs and loadable File System Drivers (FSDs), multiple FSDs can be resident in the system simultaneously. The FSDs provide the logic necessary for the file system to provide a consistent logical view of devices, and arbitrates access, update and control of devices consisting of very different physical media types. For network redirectors, the FSD provides mechanisms to locate, open, read, write and delete files, as well as services like named pipes and mailslots.
To illustrate the flow of control, take as an example opening a file that is actually a link to a file on a server from your Windows 95 desktop. The user double-clicks the icon, then the Windows 95 shell parses the link and determines that the file is a network object. The shell passes the filename to the NPI, which may re-establish the network connection to the server on which the object resides, if required. The NPI then in turn calls the network redirector to open the file on the file server. The network redirector translates the file request into a request formatted for the specified network file server, transmits the request to the server via its link through the NDIS layer, and returns a handle to the open file back up to the NPI and the shell.
Both Microsoft supplied redirectors for the Microsoft Networks Client and the Novell Compatible Client are implemented as IFS FSDs.
NDIS 3.1: Multiple Protocol Support
The Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) version 3.1 is a superset of the NDIS 3.0 functionality that exists for Windows NT and Windows for Workgroups 3.11. NDIS 3.1 has enhancements for Windows 95 in two key areas:
Plug and Play enhancements to the Protocol Manager and Media Access Control (MAC) layer that enables network drivers to be dynamically loaded and unloaded
A new NDIS mini-driver model, the mini-drivers for use with Windows 95 are binary compatible with the mini-driver implementation used in Windows NT 3.5.
Upgrading an NDIS 3.0 driver to NDIS 3.1 is very straight-forward. (For example, in some cases the changes have taken one hour for Microsoft engineers to update an NDIS driver source code.) Instead of making this type of upgrade, vendors may instead choose to provide a mini-driver. As noted previously, the primary changes to the NDIS model were extensions for Plug and Play support.
The mini-driver model dramatically decreases the amount of code that a network adapter vendor must write. Conceptually, this model is similar to the driver models implemented for printers, disk drivers, and display drivers. Essentially the mini-driver divides the existing NDIS Media Access Control (MAC) layer into two halves. The mini-driver half implements only the code that is specific to the network adapter card. These include specific implementation details like establishing communications with the card, turning on and off electrical isolation (if implemented) for Plug and Play, doing media detection and enabling any value added features the card may contain. The mini-driver is wed to the NDIS wrapper, which implements the other half of the MAC functionality. This contains the code that remains "common" to all NDIS drivers. In prior releases of NDIS, each MAC carried all this redundant code, hence, the mini-drivers are much smaller than existing NDIS 3.0 MACs, roughly 40% smaller in size. NDIS mini-drivers developed for either Windows 95 or Windows NT are binary compatible.
An NDIS 3.1 stack is composed of three component parts-the protocol, the MAC or mini-port, and the mini-port wrapper. NDIS contains the protocol manager which loads and unloads the protocol. This manager can manage multiple protocols loaded simultaneously. Just below is either the MAC or mini-driver wrapper, if using mini-drivers. Multiple MACs or mini-drivers can be loaded in systems that have multiple network adapter cards loaded. Finally, the mini-port wrapper layer below the mini-port does a mapping of Windows NT Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) layer APIs for I/O. This mini-port wrapper layer is very thin, since Windows 95 can always assume that it's being run on an Intel architecture.
Novell NetWare Integration
Windows 95 provides a complete, Microsoft supplied Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks for Windows. This client can be installed as the default network support for Windows 95, or it can coexist with the Microsoft Networks client. The Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks for Windows provides interoperability with NetWare 3.x and 4.x servers.
Windows 95 can also run on top of the existing Novell NetWare 3.x or 4.x clients, the NETX or VLM shells. This support is intended to help customers make the transition from their real-mode network to the fully 32-bit protected-mode network implementation in Windows 95 using smaller steps if necessary.
32-bit Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks
The Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks has the following key features:
High Performance-up to 200% faster for some network operations compared to Windows 3.1 with the NetWare VLM shell installed
Robust and reliable client support
No conventional memory footprint
Auto-reconnect feature
Packet burst protocol support
Client side caching
Plug and Play aware
Fully integrated into the user interface shell in Windows 95
Fully interoperable with Novell NetWare 3.x and 4.x clients and servers
Runs NetWare command line utilities
Graphical logon to NetWare 3.x, or 4.x via the NetWare Bindery
User-level security implemented using "pass-through" to the Bindery
NetWare compatible login command processor
Point and Print support
The client is fully implemented as 32-bit virtual device driver components. The client runs in protected-mode and designed for operation in a multitasking environment, hence will be much more robust than real-mode networking components. By running in protected-mode, the drivers take no MS-DOS conventional memory space.
The Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks has great performance characteristics. On large block transfers over the network it is up to 200% faster than Windows 3.1 and the VLM shell, in fact it's up to 200% faster than Windows 95 using the VLM shell. For most network operations that are a mix of reading and writing, the Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks is between 50% up to 200% faster depending upon the mix of network I/O.
The Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks is enabled for Plug and Play, meaning that it's possible on a portable systems that support it, to hot-dock or undock a notebook computer and have the networking support properly load and unload, without hanging the system. This will also function in the same fashion for the emerging market of PCMCIA network cards. One easy way to understand how this work is to disconnect the network cable from your Windows 95 PC, and the system continues to function. In real-mode networks, this causes the system to hang.
Logon to Windows 95 is linked to a NetWare Bindery. This logs the user onto the Windows 95 system and to their preferred NetWare server via a single graphical login process.
The Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks has the ability to process NetWare login scripts. This means that if drive mappings and search drives are specified in the login script then under Windows 95 the same user configuration will be implemented, with no changes necessary. The Windows 95 login processor will parse conditional statements in the NetWare login scripts. However, if the login script is used to implement loading of TSRs, then the login file needs to be updated to remove these TSRs from being loaded. One key difference in login processing is the Windows 95 login processor operates in protected-mode, hence, loading TSRs is not possible. Rather, these TSRs should be loaded in our 16-bit driver load prior to the protected-mode operation. In some cases the TSRs loaded are backup agents, and so on. that have protected-mode equivalents built into Windows 95, hence, loading these TSRs may not be necessary.
Figure 54. Property Sheet for the Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks showing a preferred server has been specified, and login scripts have been enabled.
The Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks in Windows 95 can load and run NetWare command line utilities. It also supports the MS-DOS level NetWare APIs, and the 16-bit Windows DLLs that NetWare supplies can be run on the Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks in Windows 95.
Microsoft File and Printer Sharing for NetWare
Windows 95 provides Peer Services for NetWare clients. The NetWare compatible Peer Services provide sharing for local files and printers on the Windows 95 system. During the installation of Windows 95 and via the Network icon in Control Panel, the option is provided to install either the NetWare Compatible Peer Services or Microsoft Network Peer Services. The Peer Services in Windows 95 are meant to work in concert with an existing Novell NetWare server and add complementary sharing services.
For the NetWare Compatible Peer Services to be activated there must be a Novell NetWare server on the network. Without this server, Microsoft File and Printer sharing cannot be enabled because of the "pass-through security" model. Unlike Microsoft File and Printer sharing for Microsoft networks, share level security is not supported.
User-level security is implemented using the NetWare servers security authority namely the Bindery, hence "passing through" the validation of users to the NetWare server. Before sharing is enabled, a NetWare server must be specified via the Security Control Panel tool. To specify which server or Domain Controller is the designated security authority for this PC, the following dialog box is used in the network Control Panel tool:
Figure 55. Specifying User Level a.k.a. "Pass-through" security From a Windows NT Domain Named SYS-WIN4
From the properties dialog of the PC's hard drive, Windows 95 gives the option to add uses to share the hard disk. If the user selects the option to add another user to this share, the following dialog box appears:
Figure 56. Configuring Access Privileges for a User Through User-Level Security
Notice that the list of users offered to add to access this directory are those from the SYS-WIN4 server's bindery.
This means two things. First, user management is all done in the namespace of the existing NetWare server. The NetWare server is administered using all the same tools that are currently in use, Windows 95 hasn't added another namespace to administer. For example, tools that the NetWare network manager currently uses, such as SYSCON is used for user account management for Windows 95 user level security. Secondly, only valid user accounts and groups can be specified for sharing on NetWare Compatible Peer Services.
If the user now attempts to access a shared device on the Windows 95 system, the Windows 95 PC upon receipt of the connection request validates the user name or group membership with the NetWare server. If the name or group membership is validated, the peer services in Windows 95 then checks if this validated name or group has been granted access rights to the shared resource and grants or denies the connection request.
Peer services in Windows 95 are remotely administerable, via the NetWatcher tool a network manager can monitor connections to any resource on any Windows 95 peer services PC on the network. The network manager can then disconnect any users, and remotely change access rights for this user on the specified Windows 95 peer services PC. By default, remote administration is limited to user accounts with "administrator" privilege.
Microsoft Print Server for NetWare
The Microsoft File and Printer sharing for NetWare in Windows 95 includes a Win32-based "PSERVER" capability which can despools print jobs from NetWare queues to printers on Windows 95 PCs. This means that a NetWare server queue can be serviced by a printer attached to a system running the Microsoft File and Printer sharing for NetWare services. There are certain benefits, the print queues can all be managed centrally from the NetWare server hence users print to one queue. If several systems running Windows 95 with Peer Services enabled are on the network, each can despool from one queue increasing overall network based printer capacity. Alternatively, queues can be designated specifically for printers attached to a system running the Microsoft File and Printer sharing for NetWare.
NetWare 4.x support
The Windows 95 client for NetWare will support NetWare 4.x servers if they are running "Bindery emulation". The NetWare 4.x server is then browsable like any other NetWare server from the Network Neighborhood.
Microsoft is working to provide an updated Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks with support for NDS login and browsing. Microsoft plans to make this client support available for little or no cost once it's completed. Currently, this support is planned to be available shortly after Windows 95 is released.
The Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks includes support for both the MS-DOS-based APIs and Windows-based APIs defined by Novell. Both of the 16-bit Novell DLLs for Windows-NWNET.DLL and NWCALLS.DLL DLLs-can be run with the Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks. This ensures compatibility of any MS-DOS or Windows applications and utilities that are NetWare-aware will run compatibly with the Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks.
Other NetWare Interoperability
Windows 95 also offers these interoperability features:
Novell command-line utilities (client and admin) are fully supported for NetWare 3.x before final product shipment.
Support for booting diskless workstations from NetWare servers
Floppy boot capability
Dial-up Connectivity to Novell's NetWare Connect server.
Microsoft Network Integration
Windows 95 includes a network client that implements support for Microsoft Network functionality. This allows Windows 95 to connect to Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT Server, LAN Manager and interoperate with IBM( LAN Server, DEC Pathworks(, AT&T( Starlan, and LAN Manager for Unix, as well as other SMB-compatible networks.
32-bit Microsoft Client
Key Microsoft Networks client features include:
Robust
No conventional memory footprint
Auto-reconnect feature
Client side caching
Plug and Play aware
Fully integrated into the user interface shell in Windows 95
Protocol independent
Point-and-print for one-click printer setup
The Microsoft Networks client is implemented as a collection of 32-bit, protected-mode components. The Network Provider, Redirector, and NDIS 3.1 drivers are implemented as VXDs, and hence provide great performance since the components execute in protected-mode without the overhead of switching to real-mode. The Network Provider includes the implementation of client-side caching for additional performance boost. The client has higher reliability than real-mode components, it is designed for operation in a multi-tasking environment and the components run in kernel Ring 0 context, hence they can't be touched by errant Windows applications like real-mode networks. And finally, since they run in protected-mode, they have no conventional memory footprint.
The client is enabled for key features in Windows 95 such as long filenames, links, auto-reconnect to servers, "point and print", Plug and Play, and integrated tightly into the Windows 95 shell via the NPI discussed previously. The client is protocol-independent, it can use IPX/SPX (the default installed protocol), TCP/IP, or NetBEUI.
The client provides full interoperability with Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT Server, LAN Manager, and LAN Manager for UNIX. It also provides compatibility with AT&T StarLAN, IBM LAN Server, 3Com( 3+Open( and 3+Share( and DEC Pathworks.
For compatibility and to help customers implement floppy boot, or better manage transition to Windows 95, a real-mode client for Microsoft Networks is also included. The Microsoft real-mode components can be "unloaded" by the operating system once the protected-mode networking software is loaded.
32-bit Microsoft Network Peer Services
Windows 95 includes enhanced peer network services for Microsoft Networks. The peer server in Windows 95 supports the user-level security model when used in conjunction with Windows NT Server. The peer services for Microsoft Networks in Windows 95 can be linked directly to Domain based user accounts. This means that for network administrators, control over access to peer services is centrally controlled at the Domain controller. This Domain controller can be either a Windows NT Server or a LAN Manager domain controller.
User-level security begins with sharing a device on a Windows 95 system. The list of users that appears in the sharing dialog box are provided by the Domain controller, hence it's only possible to share the device to validated Domain users. The share is established and user logons are now specified for access rights. When a user requests access to a shared Windows 95 resource, the Windows 95 peer services PC checks for the users logon name against the domain controller. If this is a valid user logon, the peer services in Windows 95 then checks if this user has access privileges for this resource. If the user logon has access privileges, then the user connection is established.
Like Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95 includes share-level peer services. This level of security associates a password with a share of a disk directory or printer. Share-level security can be implemented in a network consisting of only PCs running Windows 95, or on a network with other Microsoft Networks compatible servers.
Peer services in Windows 95 are remotely administerable, via the NetWatcher tool a network manager can monitor connections to any resource on any Windows 95 peer services PC on the network. The network manager can then disconnect any users, and remotely change access rights for this user on the specified Windows 95 peer services PC. By default, remote administration is limited to user accounts with "administrator" privilege.
Network Compatibility
Windows 95 includes built-in support for Microsoft Networking and Novell NetWare. In addition, Setup in Windows 95 can correctly install and configure itself for a variety of existing real-mode networks, including, but not limited to the following:
3Com: 3+Open, 3+Share
Artisoft LANtastic(
Banyan VINES(
Beame and Whiteside: B&W-NFS
DEC PATHWORKS
IBM: LAN Server and LAN Program and PC LAN Program
Microsoft LAN Manager, MS Net
Novell NetWare
SunSelect PC-NFS
TCS 10net
Protocol Support
Protocols for networking components in Windows 95 are implemented as 32-bit protected-mode components. Windows 95 can support multiple protocols simultaneously. Protocol stacks can be shared among the networks that are installed. As an example, a single TCP/IP protocol stack can service both the needs of the Microsoft Client for Microsoft Networks and the Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks.
All three protocols included with Windows 95 (IPX/SPX, TCP/IP, and NetBEUI) are Plug and Play enabled. This means that if the network is unavailable either due to undocking a notebook PC, or removal of a PCMCIA network card, the Windows 95 system continues to run. The protocol stacks will unload themselves after having notified any dependent applications that they will be unloaded from the system. Additionally, this also means protocols can automatically be loaded. For example, if a mobile PC user goes from network attached to an infrared (IR) line of sight network, the TCP/IP protocol can be unloaded and the appropriate IR protocol loaded, automatically.
IPX/SPX
The IPX/SPX stack is the new default protocol for Windows 95 and is compatible with the Novell NetWare IPX/SPX implementation. This protocol stack can be used to communicate to either a NetWare server, or a Windows NT Server 3.5. This protocol is routable, and will run compatibly on most network infrastructure (such as bridges, routers, and so on.) that are designed for IPX/SPX routing. The IPX/SPX protocol in Windows 95 includes support for "packet burst" which can offer improved network performance.
One enhancement made to the Microsoft IPX/SPX implementation is Windows Sockets programming interface support. The Windows Sockets interface is supported using IPX/SPX as the protocol. Hence, any WinSock applications can run on top of IPX/SPX with Windows 95. Support is provided for only Win32 WinSock applications.
The IPX/SPX implementation in Windows 95 also has support for the NetBIOS programming interface.
TCP/IP
For connectivity to the Internet, or for many corporations implementation of an industry standard network protocol, TCP/IP is becoming widely accepted. The implementation of TCP/IP in Windows 95 is a 32-bit VxD, is high performance and consumes no conventional memory.
Windows 95 includes a full TCP/IP implementation that includes several of the more commonly used command line utilities, which include telnet, ftp, arp, ping, route, netstat, nbstat, ipconfig, tftp, rexec, rcp, rsh, and traceroute.
The TCP/IP protocol support in Windows 95 includes the Windows Sockets programming interface, and includes a WinSock DLL. Support is provided for both 16-bit WinSock for compatibility with existing WinSock applications, and 32-bit WinSock for Win32 WinSock applications.
A NetBIOS programming interface support is also supplied with the TCP/IP support.
DHCP Support
In an effort to make implementation of the TCP/IP protocol more manageable, Microsoft, working with other industry leaders have created a bootp backward-compatible mechanism for automatic allocation of IP addresses. The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) runs from a Windows NT DHCP server, and it allows a network manager to centrally establish a range of IP addresses per subnet automatically to any Windows 95 TCP/IP client requesting and address. It also allows the network manager to centrally establish a "lease time" or how long the allocated IP address is to remain valid. Unlike bootp, the address allocation is dynamic, not pre-configured. In this fashion it's possible to move from subnet to subnet and always have a valid IP address mask. Windows 95 includes a ipconfig utility that allows a user or administrator to quickly examine the IP address allocated, lease time and other useful data about the DHCP allocation, as shown below.
Windows IP Configuration Version 0.1
Host Name . . . . . . . :
DNS Servers . . . . . . :
DNS Lookup Order. . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . : Mixed
NetBIOS Scope ID. . . . :
IP Routing Enabled. . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . : No
WINS Resolution For Windows Sockets Applications Enabled : No
DNS Resolution For Windows Networking Applications Enabled : No
Adapter Address 00-AA-00-18-B0-C4:
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . : 11.105.43.177
Subnet Mask . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . : 11.105.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . : 11.105.43.157
Primary WINS Server . . : 11.101.13.53
Secondary WINS Server . : 11.101.12.198
Lease Obtained. . . . . : Tue 10th. May 1994 6:44:40 am
Lease Expires . . . . . : Wed 11th. May 1994 6:44:40 am
DHCP support can be specified at install time, or enabled via the Network Control Panel tool. If the user prefers, a "hand-entered" IP address can be used and DHCP support can be disabled.
Figure 57. Properties for Microsoft TCP/IP Showing DHCP Configuration
WINS Support
The TCP/IP protocol stack in Windows 95 lets the user choose to install support for either the Windows NT Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS) or the OSF DCE Domain Naming Service (DNS). The naming services provides name resolution by binding the node name and the currently allocated IP address. This provides for correct addressing of any requests for resources from a node anywhere on the network, thus minimizing the amount of network traffic to locate the node on the network. Windows 95 supports a single DNS server and up to two WINS servers.
NetBEUI
Windows 95 provides a NetBEUI protocol stack that's compatible with existing networks that use NetBEUI. This provides compatibility with Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT Server, LAN Manager, and other networks. A NetBIOS programming interface is also supported.
Network Interprocess Communications Interfaces
Windows 95 includes support for a variety of distributed computing programming interfaces, these include:
Client-side named pipes
Mail slots
OSF DCE compliant Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
Network DDE
Windows Sockets Interface
Long Filename Support
The network clients in Windows 95 support the use of long filenames. If the network server that the Windows 95 system is connected to supports long filenames, then filenames on the server will include identical support to the local long filename support in Windows 95. On some servers the length of filenames and restricted characters may differ from that of Windows 95. This means that it's possible to have long filename support on both the Windows NT Server and NetWare servers if the servers are properly configured.
Network Printing
Windows 95 includes a number of enhancements designed to make printing easier over the network including:
Point and Print. Automatic installation of a printer driver when connecting to a printer attached to a Novell NetWare, Windows NT Server, or Windows 95 print server. Windows 95 printer drivers can be located on Novell NetWare servers and Windows NT Server servers and automatically installed by the Windows 95 clients.
Microsoft Print Server for Netware Networks. Windows 95 peer services can "despool" print jobs from Novell NetWare print queues. This is compatible with NetWare's Pserver functionality.
Deferred Printing. When the Windows 95 PC is disconnected from the network, print jobs are deferred until a later date when the PC is once again attached to the network. Print jobs that have been deferred will automatically be started when the PC is reconnected to the network.
Remote Printing Management. Print jobs can be held, canceled, or restarted remotely. In addition, on systems that have ECP ports, more information about the print job status can be returned concerning paper tray status, paper jams, or other error conditions.
Network Security
Windows 95 implements a full user logon. The first thing most users will encounter after booting their Windows 95 system is a logon dialog box. This dialog box varies depending on the type of network that they are logging into. For example, the Windows NT Server logon dialog may prompt the user for a username, password, and domain name. The Novell NetWare 4.x logon may prompt the user for a username, password, and preferred server name.. Once the username and password pair have been validated against the network server's user authentication, the user is allowed in to the user interface in Windows 95.
If the user fails to logon, the network manager can configure the Windows 95 system to allow entry into the user interface in Windows 95, albeit with no network access. This is the default configuration. Additionally, administrators can specify guest accounts that have more limited network access as an alternative solution to this problem.
However, because Windows 95 has a user logon, it's not to be construed as a mechanism to fully secure the PC. The PC is still vulnerable to a boot floppy and thus all data stored on the hard disk is available. The underlying file system in Windows 95 is the MS-DOS FAT file system, hence has no encryption or other security mechanisms built-in.
Instead, the focus of Windows 95 is to provide that network resources are secured using the same security mechanisms in place today via the network server on the corporate network. The username and password in Windows 95 can be configured to be the same as those used by the network server, and can thus control network access, user-level security for access to shared resources on this PC, control of the various agents in Windows 95, as well as limiting who has remote administration authority on this Windows 95 system.
In this fashion, Windows 95 leverages the existing investment in network servers, management tools, utilities and infrastructure. Network managers can manage user accounts centrally on the server, just as they do today. They can also use the same tools that they do today for managing the user accounts.
Password Control: Unified Logon
The Password Control in Windows 95 can provide a unified logon for all system components requiring password authentication services, as well as any applications that choose to use the Password Control services. For example, protected spreadsheets, or database access may use the Password Control services.
Password Control associates the username and password supplied at Windows 95 logon to other authentication conscious programs or system components. However, it's also possible to maintain separate password, in essence for higher security a network manager may choose to associate other passwords with vital corporate data access or other sensitive network services.
Figure 58 shows the Password Control dialog box from the Control Panel:
Figure 58. Properties for Security, Showing Password Control Password Settings
Note the Password Control provides a mechanism to individually manage components that choose to use the unified password cache. On a service by service, or application by application basis, Windows 95 can be configured to use the Windows 95 logon for authentication. This makes it possible for a user to achieve a "single logon" for access to all resources on the Windows 95 system, as well as the network using the Password Control in Windows 95. One example of how the Password Control service is used within Windows 95 is providing a single logon to both the network and the Microsoft Exchange client, the mail client provided with Windows 95. Once a user has logged onto their the mail client provided PC, the password they entered to logon to Windows 95 will also automatically log them onto email. This finally provides a solution for the password proliferation problem that confounds many users today.
User-level Security
Windows 95 uses the logon process for user-level security to implement control for a variety of services beyond network resource access, including many services running on a Windows 95 system that are remotely accessible, namely:
File and printer sharing
Dial-up network access gateway control
Backup agent
Network and system management
Pass-through Security
Pass-through security is implemented in Windows 95 as the mechanism to enable user-level security. Pass-through quite literally means that Windows 95 passes authentication requests through to a Windows NT or NetWare server. Windows 95 does not implement its own unique user-level security mechanism, rather it uses the services of an existing server on the network.
File and Printer sharing
For File and Printer sharing using Windows 95 peer services, enabling pass-through security is a two step process. First, using the Control Panel user-level security must be enabled. The second step is to share a device, and specify users with access privileges. By clicking the secondary mouse button on the drive C icon in "My Computer," a properties sheet is revealed that allows sharing on the second tab. This property sheet shows what shares exist, and which users have access.
The user names returned in this property sheet are returned from either the Windows NT Server domain or NetWare bindery or NDS.
Remote Administration
Remote administration of the Windows 95 PC specifies users or groups that have authority to manage the Windows 95 system. This includes:
Remote network access gateway control
Backup agent
Remote access to the Registry
Remote NetWatcher access
Remote system performance monitoring
Remote administration is controlled via the Network Security tool in Control Panel. Figure 59 shows remote administration enabled.
Figure 59. Properties for Passwords, Showing Remote Administration Settings
In this case, remote administration is limited to the network manager group of "Domain Admins." Any user that is a member of this supervisor group can remotely administer this Windows 95 system. It is also possible to specify user names in addition to groups for remote administration capabilities. For example, sophisticated users may be given remote admin access to their systems.
Dial-Up Server/Remote Access Gateway
Windows 95 includes a single line, dial in gateway that allows a Windows 95 PC with Peer Services enabled to serve as a gateway to the network. The Remote Acces Gateway supports the same protocols as the dial-up networking client, namely:
TCP/IP using the Point to Point Protocol (PPP)
IPX/SPX via PPP
NetBEUI
The RNA Gateway also implements pass through security, so only authenticated users are allowed to logon to the Gateway services. Once connected to the Gateway, RNA clients can access any network resource that they have privileges to use. This includes network server resources, or peer services.
Figure 60. Dial-Up Server property sheet shows enabling dial in access to this Windows 95 PC
Systems Management
Windows 95 is the first version of Windows expressly designed for manageability. The design ensures that management of the Windows 95 PC is accessible both locally, and remotely via a privileged network manager. Network security is used to determine administrator privileged accounts using pass through security. Windows 95 also provides for a logical separation of the user of the PC, from the underlying configuration of the PC. This means that the PC and the user configurations and privileges can be managed independently. It also means that if a network manager chooses, a user can be enabled to "rove" on the network, that is logon from virtually any PC on the network and operate in their desktop with the correct settings and network privileges. Additionally it means that a single PC can be shared by multiple users, each with a different desktop configuration and differing network privileges.
Given the proliferation of PCs connected to the corporate network, it's key that the Windows 95 PC also participates in any network wide management schemes. Windows 95 is designed to meet these various network management criteria by providing built-in support for several of the key network management standards. With this infrastructure built into Windows 95, network management applications are enabled that will provide tools for the network manager to keep the PCs and networks running more efficiently and cost effectively.
Key to the management implementation in Windows 95 is that the management interfaces are open. Where a standard exists, Windows 95 implements an enabling technology to embrace the standard. For example, supplying an SNMP agent to enable remote management of Windows 95 PCs via any number of third party SNMP consoles. Where no standard exists, the management interfaces are documented in the Win32 API set. It is Microsoft's expectation that management software will be available for Windows 95 from a wide range of vendors.
The list below outlines the key components of the management infrastructure in Windows 95:
The Registry
Registry Editor
User Profiles-user component of the Registry
Hardware Profile- system component of the Registry
System Policies- network and system policy component of the Registry
System Policy Editor
Remote Administration Security-remote admin authentication scheme
Remote Procedure Call-mechanism used to remotely administer Windows 95
NetWatcher
System Monitor-performance monitor
SNMP Agent
DMI Agent
Tape Backup Agents-ARCServe, Arcada "MTF"
The discussion of the management infrastructure in Windows 95 is organized as follows:
The Registry
User Management
System Management
Network Management
The Registry
The Registry is the central repository in which Windows 95 stores the whole of its configuration data. The Windows 95 system configuration, the PC hardware configuration, Win32 applications, and user preferences are all stored in the Registry. For example, any Windows 95 PC hardware configuration change that's made via a Plug and Play device is immediately reflected in a configuration change in the Registry. Because of these characteristics, the Registry serves as the foundation for user, system and network management in Windows 95.
The Registry essentially replaces the various MS-DOS and Windows 3.11 configuration files, including AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI and the other applications .INI files. However, for compatibility purposes, instances of CONFIG.SYS, WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI files may exist on a Windows 95 PC for backward compatibility with either 16-bit device drivers, or 16-bit applications that must run on Windows 95. For example, we expect that 16-bit applications will continue to create and write to their own various .INI files.
The Registry concept is built upon the Registry concept first implemented in Windows NT. The Registry is the single configuration datastore that's built directly into the operating system. The Registry is logically one datastore, but physically it consists of three different files to allow maximum network configuration flexibility. Windows 95 uses the Registry to store information in three major categories:
User specific information, these are user profiles contained in the file USER.DAT.
Hardware or computer-specific settings are contained in the file SYSTEM.DAT.
System policies are designed to provide an override to any settings contained in the above two components of the Registry. System Policies may contain additional data specific to the network or corporate environment as established by the network manager. This is contained in the file POLICY.POL. Unlike SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT, POLICY.POL is not a "mandatory" component of a Windows 95 installation.
Together these three components comprise the Registry. By breaking the Registry into these three logical components, Windows 95 gains a number of interesting benefits:
The Registry components can be located in physically different locations. For example, the SYSTEM.DAT component and other system files in Windows 95 may be located on the PC's hard disk. The USER.DAT portion of the Registry may be located in the user's login directory on a network server. In this configuration, user's are able to logon to various PCs on the network and still have their unique network privileges and desktop configuration, thus allowing the "roving user" network configuration for Windows 95.
All of the Registry files and the rest of the system files in Windows 95 can be installed on a network server. This configuration enables Windows 95 to be run on diskless or sometimes what is referred to as a remote initial program load (RIPL) workstation, or from a floppy disk boot configuration. In this scenario, it's also possible to configure Windows 95 to page to a local hard disk if desired, but still load all it's system files from a server.
On a single Windows 95 PC, multiple users can share the system. Each will have a separate user logon name, and separate user profiles. Hence each use will have their own privileges set, and own desktop configurations. In this case, the Registry and all of the system files are installed on the local hard disk.
Network managers can administer an entire networks users privileges via a single file. By having a global POLICY.POL file, effectively all Windows 95 PCs can have policies set by this one file. Or, these policies can be established on a server basis, or if needed, on a per-user basis. In this fashion a network manager can enforce a "common desktop configuration" for each end user type and have this managed centrally. For example, a data entry desktop can be configured to allow only two applications available to run, the data entry application and email as an example. Additionally this desktop can be configured to not allow any other programs to be run. Finally, the network manager can enforce that the desktop configuration cannot be modified by the end-user. However, this same Windows 95 PC can fully participate in the network and be fully configurable if a different user with more network privileges logs onto the same PC.
Separate privileges can be assigned to users and to a PC. For example, it's possible to have set no sharing (no peer services) on a Windows 95 PC, and have a user logged on the system that has sharing privilege. In this instance, the sharing is disabled, since the resources on the PC have been set as unshareable. This feature is useful if certain PCs contain sensitive data that should not be "shareable" to the corporate network.
The Registry contains ordered pairs of "keys" and their associated "values." Both keys and values are manipulated via the Win32 Registry APIs. An example, a key in the Registry could be "Wallpaper". The associated value in this example could be "Work.bmp". In this example, this means that the current desktop background is configured as using the "Work" bitmap.
Additionally, there exist a special category of keys known as dynamic keys. Dynamic keys are either pointers to a memory location, or a call back function. These addresses are registered by a device driver or a Windows 95 subsystem that would like to register a dynamic data type in the Registry. Typically this data includes counters, or in the case of network cards the dynamic keys represent things like data transfer rates, number of framing errors, packets dropped, and so on. In general, the characteristic of dynamic keys is that its data is being updated frequently, and because of this, is not well suited for storage in the disk based Registry. The dynamic keys exist in memory, and can thus be quickly updated, and quickly accessed. This data can then be accessed by the system performance tools in Windows 95, which call the Registry for the data that they are monitoring. Dynamic keys are a Registry enhancement new for Windows 95.
Arbitrary keys and values can be created programatically, or using the Registry Editor (regedit) tool. The API for managing the Registry are the Win32 Registry API. These APIs can be remotely invoked via the Microsoft RPC (DCE-compliant) support built into Windows 95. Windows 95 includes both the client and server portions of our RPC, making the Registry remotely manageable from another Windows 95 PC. In this scenario, the network manager's system is the RPC client, it accesses the Registry APIs on the target Windows 95 PC via the RPC server running on the target machine. This RPC access to the Registry is secure, network managers can limit access to either named privileged user accounts, or a group of network managers.
The Registry is also editable using the Registry Editor utility, as shown in Figure 61.
Figure 61. Network Settings are Stored in the Registry, and Can Be Accessed Remotely
Note in the figure that the Registry consists of various parallel "trees." The RegEdit utility is built upon the RPC support, and can edit the local Windows 95 Registry, as well as editing the Registry on a remote Windows 95 PC. The RegEdit tool while very powerful, if fairly rudimentary in it's design. The utility is designed to be used by knowledgeable PC and network support staff, or power users. For most end users, Registry entries are modified through either the Control Panel, application settings, or via Plug and Play. That is, typically an end user should not be confronted with a scenario where they must use the Registry Editor tool.
Figure 62 illustrates how the Registry is the central data store that all system management services build upon. Note that all key subsystems are united by the Registry, and "agents" for standard management protocols like SNMP are implemented on Windows 95 using the Registry and Registry services.
Figure 62. Windows 95 management architecture, showing the central role of the Registry
User Management
Windows 95 is the first version of Windows to implement functionality for management of user specific configurations and user specific privileges. User management under Windows 95 is most evident with the introduction of a user logon dialog that minimally prompts the user for their logon name and password each time they reboot the Windows 95 PC. This logon dialog captures the username and password that can trigger Windows 95 to dramatically reconfigure the desktop configuration and as needed, limit access to either network resources or sharing capabilities from this Windows 95 PC. Windows 95 can also pass the user logon and password to registered applications and network services that use the logon in Windows 95 as the "Master Key" to enable the user access to these applications and services.
The User Management capabilities in Windows 95 are built upon the following components:
User Profiles
System Policies
Server Based Security
User Profiles
In Windows 3.11 settings unique to a user were located in many disparate locations; AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, WIN.INI, SYSTEM.INI and numerous application specific INI files. For example, this data was often intertwined with Windows internal configuration data, thus providing good user management using Windows 3.11 was very difficult to achieve. For example, the simple task of allowing multiple users to use a single PC was not achievable with Windows 3.11 "out of the box." Managing multiple user configurations on a network was even more difficult. Many companies out of necessity wrote their own user management tools, or used third-party tools to help mange multiple users on the network. Very often this user namespace did not leverage the existing namespace on the corporate network resident on the network servers. In some cases, the user management software was implemented as a replacement Windows shell, with varying degrees of compatibility with the existing Windows applications and the underlying network client software. All these tools and products attempted to retroactively address Windows 3.11's lack of user management capabilities.
User management in Windows 95 is integral to the system, it is implemented in a feature known as User Profiles. User Profiles are part of the Registry, they contain system, application and network data that are unique to the individual user of a Windows 95 PC. These characteristics can be set by the user, by the network manager or by the PC helpdesk staff. In contrast to Windows 3.11, the User Profiles in Windows 95 are contained within a single file named USER.DAT. By keeping all user specific data in one file, Windows 95 can provide a means to manage the user of the PC separately from the configuration of the Windows 95 operating system and the PC hardware. This separation also allows the user information to be located in a physically different location than that of the system configuration. It also allows the User Profiles to be updated separately from the rest of the Registry. All settings contained within a User Profile are administerable locally or remotely from another Windows 95 PC, Windows 95 enables centralized user management. The network manager can user the Registry Editor provided with Windows 95, or a variety of third party tools that will be available to automate management of User Profiles in Windows 95.
In Windows 95, settings contained in User Profiles include:
Windows 95 Settings. Desktop layout, background, font selection, colors, shortcuts, display resolution, and so on.
Network Settings. Network connections, workgroup, preferred server, shared resources, and so on.
Application Settings. Menu and toolbar configurations, fonts, window configuration preferences, and so on.
Finally, User Profiles can effectively be disabled if there is a single user of the Windows 95 PC. In this case the user can disable "each user gets a new desktop" option in the Control Panel.
Figure 63. User Profiles enabled specifying unique desktops, taskbar options and program groups for each user
System Policies
In conjunction with User Profiles and the System Settings components of the Registry, System Policies are the final piece of the Registry. Like the other two Registry components, the System Policies consist of pairs of keys and values. Unlike the other two Registry components, System Policies are designed to override any settings that may exist in User Profiles or System Profiles. System Policies are not necessary to enable a Windows 95 system to boot. System Policies are loaded last, and are typically downloaded from a network server. Windows 95 provides a mechanism to allow the network manager to define a network location to find the System Policies file and download to this PC. System Policies are designed to give the network or PC manager the ability to customize control over Windows 95 for users of differing capabilities or network privilege level. These capabilities include controls of the user interface, network capabilities, desktop configuration, sharing capabilities, and so on.
Figure 64. Policy Properties for a Default Computer
System Policies may be used to define a "default" setting for either the User Profile or System Settings. Default settings for both a default user and a default computer may solve the problem of pre-configured PCs for network managers. New PC hardware comes pre-installed with Windows and in some cases network hardware and software necessary to connect to the corporate network out of the box. Many network managers today have network-wide standard Windows 3.11 that normally are pre-configured by hand on each PC before allowing it on the corporate network. However, if PCs are directly fulfilled to end-users, as is often the case, the network manager will not have the opportunity to install the network wide standard configuration on this PC. However, the default System Policies may solve this problem. For example, assuming that the standard Windows configuration consists of a number of corporate standard applications and a standard set of network privileges (for example, servers they are allowed to connect to) then the default settings will "enforce" these standards the first time the PC is connected to a network server. Assuming that the user logs on with a valid network user logon name, then the network privileges that they'll see are exactly those that they are entitled to today. In this case, the assumption is that the network manager had pre-configured a user based set of system policies.
The range of desktop control offered by System Policies is fairly comprehensive. The network manager can define a desktop for a user, then make the lock down this desktop configuration. This is accomplished by turning on the attribute that the desktop is unmodifiable by the user. Additionally, the network manager can further insure that the user only has access to the applications that they've installed by disallowing the user to run any additional programs. This means that the user cannot run programs from the command line or from the UI browsers, thus preventing them from installing additional software. Some other examples include disabling elements of the Control Panel for users that may have the habit of reconfiguring their PCs and thus are perennially "helpdesk intensive." As noted before, standard network connections, enabling and disabling of peer sharing capabilities and things like password aging, can all be implemented using the System Policies feature.
System Policies for Users in Windows 95
Windows 95 supports a set of system policies integrated with various system components for controlling the Windows 95 environment on a per-user basis. The areas and system policies that can be controlled for users in Windows 95 include:
Control Panel. Within this category of options, you can set policies to prevent the user from accessing Control Panel features.
Policies include: Restricting access to Display Control Panel settings, Network Control Panel settings, Printers Control Panel settings, System Control Panel settings, and Security Control Panel settings
Desktop. Policies can prevent users from modifying features for the desktop.
Policies include: Specifying a wallpaper, and color scheme to use
Network. The network policies provide restrictions to file and printer sharing.
Policies include: Disabling file sharing and printer sharing controls
Shell. You can use shell (that is, user interface) policies to customize folders on the desktop and to restrict changes to the user interface.
Policies include: Ability to customize the user's Programs folder, Desktop items, Startup folder, Network Neighborhood, and Start menu. Restrictions include the ability to remove the "Run" command from the Start menu, remove folders from "Settings" item on Start menu, remove "Taskbar" from Settings item on Start menu, remove "Find" command, hide drives in "My Computer", hide Network Neighborhood, remove "Entire Network" from Network Neighborhood, hide all items on the desktop, disable the Shut Down command, preventing changed settings from being saved at exit.
System. These system policies restrict the use of Registry editing tools, applications, and MS-DOS-based applications.
Policies include: Ability to restrict the use of registry editing tools, run only selected Windows-based applications, disable the ability to run an MS-DOS command prompt, disable single MS-DOS application mode.
System Policies for Computers in Windows 95
Windows 95 supports a set of system policies integrated with various system components for controlling the Windows 95 environment on a per-computer basis. The areas and system policies that can be controlled for computers in Windows 95 include:
System. The system policy settings related to the computer configuration.
Policies include: Identifying the network path for Windows Setup, enabling user profile support, and identifying items to run each time the computer starts up or to be run only once when the computer first starts
Network. The system policy settings related to the network configuration of the computer.
Policies include: Controlling logon settings, disabling file and/or printer sharing, activating user-level security, controlling password settings, disabling remote dial-in access, controlling remote access to the registry, defining properties for remote policy updates, defining settings for the Microsoft Client for Microsoft Networks and the Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks, and setting attributes for the SNMP service.
Registry Tools
The primary user management tools in Windows 95 are the Registry Editing and System Policies Editing tools. For most other user administration, network managers will use the user accounts tools on their PC servers that they already use today.
Registry Editing Tool
The Registry Editing Tool allows the network manager to directly read and write values that are contained in the User Profiles and System Settings portions of the Registry. Using this tool, it's possible to read current settings, modify them, create new keys and values or delete current keys and values in the Registry. The Registry Editing tool is able to edit remote Registry's, using the RPC-enabled Win32 Registry APIs built into Windows 95.
In the case of the User Profile residing on a network server, the network manager simply connects to the network server, and opens the file using normal file I/O. In this case, there is no RPC connection between the Windows 95 client and the network server.
System Policy Editor
The System Policy Tool generates the System Policies file, POLICY.POL. This tool allows the network manager to specify specific network policy or user configurations for Windows 95. The tool is extensible by third parties, the ADF format is a text file that can be extended by other network tool vendors, or network managers as needed. This tool works via local file I/O, and is not RPC enabled. Since the System Policies file is to located centrally on a network server, typically one copy is needed per server. Hence, all the network manager needs to do is connect to the network server, and edit the System Policies file.
Figure 65. The System Policy Editor in Windows 95 Enables Administrators to Define Policies on a Per-User Basis
Role of the Server in Systems Management
In user management, the server plays a central role. All user "namespace" management is done on the network server. This means for user logon authentication, and pass through security the native user-level security mechanism built into the network server is used by Windows 95. Windows 95 has no built-in user-level security mechanism of it's own. As a consequence, the network managers use the familiar server administration tools to manage user accounts for Windows 95.
The second role of the server in user management in Windows 95 is to contain copies of User Profiles and System Policies. Typically, User Profiles are contained in user directories, and should be read/write enabled for the user. As changes are made to the local Windows 95 copy of the User Profiles, they are updating the image that resides on the server, Windows 95 keeps the local and network image synchronized. System Policies should be located in a directory that is accessible to all user logons, and should be made read only for users. This ensures that only network managers will have the rights to modify the network wide policies that the System Policies file may define.
System Management
Windows 95 Systems have been designed to be managed well, both locally and remotely, using the Registry's remote capabilities. The Registry enables a network manager remote management of the system software settings of Windows 95, including settings used by device drivers. For example, it would be possible for a network manager to remotely change the network frame type in use on all the PCs under their oversight. Currently this is done in many cases by hand directly editing NET.CFG or PROTOCOL.INI files.
Plug and Play makes Windows 95 PCs much more manageable in hardware configuration. It also helps address one of the paramount problems facing helpdesk staff and users, that of proper hardware configuration. One of the more complex hardware/software configuration problems revolves around the use of notebook PC docking stations. Typically this means that the user has a "boot configuration" manager in use to help manage the different devices that need to be installed while docked, or while remote. Creating these configurations is very time consuming, and often must be done for each system setup due to conflicts in other device drivers that may be installed. Plug and Play automates this docking problem, as well as PCMCIA cards and helps with link management when moving from fast links, to slower asynchronous links. The Windows 95 system detects these events, docking/undocking, PCMCIA card insertion/removal or moving from a fast media to a slow media. It then appropriately loads/unloads device drivers and configures them automatically. Finally, Windows 95 notifies applications that the device is either available, or now unavailable.
Windows 95 Tools
Windows 95 includes a variety of tools that allow a user or network manager to configure the hardware and software on a Windows 95 PC. These include the following:
Control Panel. Traditionally, the only interface available to directly modify the configuration of hardware and software settings in Windows. The Control Panel in Windows 95 like its Windows predecessor is extensible, and provides the best local mechanism for managing all system settings. Most key system settings are accessible via the Control Panel. In Windows 95, all network settings have been consolidated into a single network Control Panel tool, rather than split between several discrete applications as in prior versions of Windows.
Context Menus and Property Sheets. Context menus and property sheets offer a number of actions that can be directly applied to system objects. They are invoked via a right mouse button click. For example, the properties menu item in the context menu for a directory with sharing enabled allows the user to invoke sharing of the directory. Another example, the properties item of a server tells what type of server this is, namely a NetWare server, a Windows NT Server, or a Windows 95 system.
Plug and Play. The current hardware configuration for the system is accessible via the Control Panel. Within the system tool, all hardware device nodes in the hardware tree are shown, with current configuration settings. These settings are updated dynamically whenever a device's configuration changes, or if the device is inserted or removed.
Registry Editor. For network managers or PC helpdesk, the Registry Editing tool allows remote viewing and editing of the full Registry. Data contained in the Registry is represented in its hierarchical tree structure as pairs of keys and values.
System Policies Editor. System capabilities can also be enabled or disable System Policies Editor. For example, sharing can be disabled on a machine basis, or local Control Panel usage can be disabled for non-privileged users.
DMI Agent. Remote desktop management will be possible via the DMI agent for Windows 95. This includes both hardware and software inventory, and the ability to make remote changes to the system.
Performance Monitoring
Windows 95 includes an enhanced performance monitoring utility. This gives network managers and PC helpdesk the ability to more quickly troubleshoot performance problems caused by invalid configuration or some other conflict. The System Monitor is the replacement for Windows for Workgroups' WinMeter. It provides more detailed information about the system's I/O performance, which includes file I/O performance and network I/O performance. Data is gathered on an FSD basis, which means it's possible to gather information from the FAT file system and any number of network redirectors that may be loaded. The interfaces to the System Monitor are open, and are extensible by third parties.
Figure 66. The System Monitor Tool in Windows 95 Allows Local and Remote Monitoring of System Performance
However, for network managers the key feature of System Monitor is its ability to monitor a remotes system. This capability is built upon remote Registry access, since performance data is registered with the system using "dynamic keys" contained within the Registry. For example, if a PC helpdesk person is attempting to troubleshoot a "slow PC," they can discover remotely that the NIC has an unusually high number of dropped frames. They can then move on to use the Registry Editing tool to see how the network card is configured.
Network Management
Windows 95 has included a number of features to facilitate the use of a variety of network management tools. Many of these tools by necessity require support in the client to enable their operation. In some cases a formal industry standard exists, and others, a de facto standard has emerged. In either case, Windows 95 enables some of the key network management tools by including the necessary "agent" software built-in to the client operating system.
Server-based Backup
Windows 95 includes agents for remote backup of the Windows 95 system by a server-based backup system. Agents included with Windows 95 are:
Cheyenne ARCServe agent for backup to NetWare and Windows NT Server servers
Arcada Backup agent for backup to Windows NT Server and NetWare servers.
By including these agents, it's now possible to include Windows 95 systems in an scheduled automatic remote backup scheme managed centrally via the server based backup system.
Both backup agents include a number of enhancements for Windows 95. For example, both agents will include the ability to backup and restore long filenames, even if the native tape format does not include a mechanism for storing long filenames. In this case, the agent includes special logic to facilitate saving and restoring the long filenames. Both agents also have been enhanced to backup and restore the Registry.
Another enhancement for Windows 95, is securing operation of the backup agent by the user-level security. By default, remote administration of the Windows 95 PC is enabled only for "supervisor" privileged accounts. This means that only network managers or PC helpdesk staff have the ability to remotely backup Windows 95 systems. For example, it's key that only authorized personnel backup the hard disk of the CEO's system, or of the corporate controller's PC.
Figure 67. Property Sheet for the Cheyenne ARCserver agent
Figure 68. Property Sheet for the Arcada Backup Exec Agent
Network Management Tools
There is an emerging category of tools in the market that all claim to be network management tools. Many of the tools were actually designed to solve a specific problem, and have been extended to become more general purpose network management tools.
SNMP Support
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) consoles are a good example of this trend, now being enhanced to monitor components of desktop systems, as well as server applications like database servers. Windows 95 includes an SNMP agent to support the use of an SNMP console to manage Windows 95 PCs. The SNMP support in Windows 95 includes:
SNMP Agent
Extensible MIB handler interface
MIB II support via TCP/IP
The SNMP agent provided with Windows 95 is extensible via it's MIB handler interface. This enables third parties to include instrumentation of their software or hardware components and allow remote management via the SNMP console.
Since many corporations are beginning a migration to TCP/IP as a standard protocol, the TCP/IP stack in Windows 95 has been instrumented for SNMP remote management. The MIB II supports the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comment (RFC) for the TCP/IP MIB definition. This can offer the network manager the capability to centrally monitor the performance of TCP/IP on the network from a central console.
DMI Support
Windows 95 will also include support for the Desktop Management Task Force (DMTF) by supplying a DMI Agent, this however may be included after the availability of Windows 95.
Windows 95 Tools
Windows 95 includes a number of built-in tools for network management, including NetWatcher (shown in Figure 69). NetWatcher allows local and remote management of users connections to Windows 95 peer services. The tool shows all current connections to the Windows 95 system, who is connected and which files or printer is in use. It allows disconnection of the user, and also maintains an event log of key system events, log on, log off, system boot and shutdown, failed attempts to connects, and so on.
Figure 69. NetWatcher Supports Local and Remote Monitoring of File and Printer Sharing in Windows 95
Administrate File System
Additionally, Windows 95 includes the capability to access a special "administration share" of any capable Windows 95 PC. This allows the network manager to reconfigure the hard disk of a remote PC from his or her desktop. This feature is accessible via the property sheet for the PC from the Network Neighborhood view. Once activated, a window is opened that appears to be a normal browsing window. This is actually the remote machine's "My Computer" view, and all files and other resources are accessible remotely.
Printing Improvements
Windows 95 offers several changes in how printing is handled by Windows. The goals are to address requests made from our customers and from independent software and hardware vendors. We aimed to make improvements in three major areas:
Improved performance.
Windows 95 has a new 32-bit printing architecture which supports preemptive multitasking and improves overall performance.
Making it even easier to use.
Printing is easier now because of improvements made to the user interface in Windows 95. Windows 95 also features Plug and Play support for installing new printers.
Improved integration of network printing.
Network printing integration is better because of Windows 95 has extended the local printing architecture to the network environment. In addition, Windows 95 ties together installation enhancements to shared network printers.
This section of the Guide describes the printing architecture used in Windows 95 and discusses the different areas where printing has been improved over Windows 3.1.
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
The primary improvements in printing for Windows 95 are:
New 32-bit Print subsystem modeled after Windows NT providing smooth background printing
Increased printing performance by decreasing time needed to return control to application through the use of enhanced metafile (EMF) spooling
Support for over 800 different printer models (versus over 300 for Windows 3.1) through the development of new printer mini-drivers
Support for PostScript Level II printers
Spooling of MS-DOS-based application print jobs along with Windows-based applications and solves conflicts when MS-DOS and Windows-based applications try to print at the same time
Image color matching support providing better WYSIWYG between color in images displayed on-screen and color generated on an output device
Deferred printing for mobile computer users, allowing users to print while undocked and not connected to a printer, then automatically starting print job once docked into a docking station
Simplified printer driver installation, configuration, ease of use, and ease of support, through new consolidated user interface
System support for new bi-directional printers and ports providing improved I/O performance with new fast parallel ports (ECP) and error status reporting
Better integration of network printing support including point-and-print support for automatic installation of printer drivers from Windows 95, Windows NT, or Novell NetWare servers
Plug and Play support for printers for simpler installation and configuration
32-bit Print Subsystem
Windows 95 features a 32-bit Print subsystem that includes a multi-threaded, preemptive spooler architecture providing improved printing performance, smoother background printing, and quicker "return to application" time once a print job is initiated by a user in an application. The architecture of the Print subsystem is compatible with the Windows NT 3.1 Print subsystem.
32-bit Preemptive Spooler
In Windows 3.1, print spooling functionality was handled by Print Manager and was supported by code in several different Windows components. In Windows 95, the print spooler is implemented as a series of 32-bit virtual device drivers and consolidates the spooler functionality into a single architecture.
The new spooler provides smooth background printing.
In Windows 3.1, Print Manager passed a fixed amount of information down to the printer, whether the print was ready to receive it or not. If the printer wasn't ready to receive more data, the system would be suspended until the printer was ready. Unlike Print Manager, the Windows 95 spooler passes data to the printer only when the printer is ready to receive more information. This helps to reduce what often seemed like "jerkiness" when printing documents with Windows 3.1 Print Manager.
The new spooler provides quick "return to application" time.
Due to the smooth background printing, made possible by the new 32-bit print subsystem, Windows 95 spools enhanced metafiles (EMF) when printing from Windows-based applications rather than raw printer data to result in quicker return to application time. Once spooled, the EMF information is interpreted in the background by the printer driver, and output is then sent to the printer. For more details, see the following "Enhanced Metafile Spooling" section.
The new spooler is much more powerful and flexible.
It allows the user to select printer attributes on a per printer basis instead of requiring global printing attributes as in Windows 3.1. For example, each printer can have a different separator page and the option of printing direct printing via a queue.
Enhanced Metafile Spooling
EMF spooling results in quicker "return to application" time for returning control to the user after initiating a print job in a Windows-based application (Win16 or Win32).
Before discussing how EMFs fit into the printing architecture used by Windows 95, it is worth reviewing how print jobs are handled by Windows 3.1. The improvements present in Windows 95 result in great printing performance over Windows 3.1.
Figure 70. Spooler Relationship to Printing in Windows 3.1
In Windows 3.1, all interpretation of print API calls were handled by the Windows printer driver before the information was spooled to Print Manager. The interpretation of print information for printers was the most time-consuming operation in the print process. Postscript printers were not impacted by this as the printer driver sends high-level Page Description Language (PDL)-based information to the printer rather than raw image data, where it was interpreted by the printer itself. Users of non-Postscript printers saw a delay in "return to application" time under Windows 3.1 once the print job was initiated while the GDI print API calls are processed by the printer driver. Once the output image file was created by the printer driver, the Print Manager spooler took over and control was returned to the user's application. Background printing under Windows 3.1 often seemed choppy.
Figure 71. Spooler Relationship to Printing in Windows 95
Windows 95 greatly improves the "return to application" time by spooling high-level command information generated by the GDI print API, collectively referred to as an enhanced metafile, rather than spooling raw printer data generated by the printer driver. For example, if a document contains a solid black rectangle, the EMF would contain a command to draw a rectangle with the given dimensions, that should be filled in solid, with the color black. Once the EMF is created, control is returned to the user, and the EMF file is interpreted in the background by the 32-bit print subsystem spooler and sent to the printer driver. This results in control being returned to the user in significantly less time than having to wait for the print calls to be fully interpreted by the printer driver directly.
Improved Printing Support for MS-DOS-based Applications
Windows 95 improves on support for printing from an MS-DOS-based application in the Windows environment over that provided by Windows 3.1 by allowing MS-DOS-based applications to spool print jobs to the 32-bit print subsystem spooler. With Windows 3.1, users printing from MS-DOS applications could not take advantage of the Windows-based spooling functionality offered by Print Manager, and encountered device contention issues when trying to print from MS-DOS-based applications at the same time as printing from Windows-based applications.
Windows 95 addresses the print issues in Windows 3.1 by incorporating the functionality for an MS-DOS-based application to spool directly to the 32-bit print spooler in Windows 95. This support is integrated into a print spooler virtual device, which takes the output destined for a printer port and first places it in the print spooler before sending the data to the printer. This functionality works with all existing MS-DOS-based applications, and results in quicker "return to application" through the use of the spooling mechanism. While MS-DOS-based applications do not benefit from EMF spooling, which is supported only for printing from Windows-based applications, users won't encounter device contention issues, but will benefit from smoother background printing and from improved printing performance in Windows 95. The print spooling functionality for use with MS-DOS-based applications is automatically installed and configured and handling is transparent to the user.
Support for Deferred Printing
To benefit mobile computer users, the print subsystem in Windows 95 features support for deferred printing. This capability allows users not connected to a printer to generate print jobs, which are stored on their local computers. This feature is handy for users working in a location away from the printer, and for users in the office who temporarily lose printer connections because of network or printer problems, for example. Mobile users can create print jobs from Windows-based applications (Win16 or Win32 applications) or MS-DOS-based applications while on the road, then print on a physical printer once reaching home or office. Items not immediately printed are held in the print queue until the user reconnects to a printer.
Image Color Matching Support
Windows 95 includes Image Color Matching (ICM) support, enabling applications to offer better consistency between the color of images displayed on the screen and the color of images generated by an output device.
Using technology licensed from Kodak, Windows 95 will include image color matching (ICM) support for display, printer, and scanner devices. ICM provides consistent (predictable) color rending from input, through monitor preview, to output. Applications that utilize ICM functionality enables portability of color information across applications that manipulate the graphic information, across users to provide consistent use of colors, and across platforms allowing color information to be easily moved to different systems where the ICM technology has been implemented.
Image color matching support in Windows 95 provides the following benefits to application vendors, which in turn result in benefits to users:
Easily enable color-aware applications
Allows for color What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG)
Provides for consistent color output across devices
Since Windows 3.1 did not provide ICM support as part of the operating system or in an external driver, image color matching support was implemented in a proprietary manner by an application vendor-the burden was on the application vendor to properly map colors generated on a display device to the colors generated by a printer device. Windows 95 simplifies this process by including ICM support as part of the operating system, allowing application vendors to integrate ICM functionality into their applications, and thus take advantage of this new system service. To provide support for device-independent color matching, colors used in applications are tied to international (CIE-based) colorimetric standards, rather than in device-dependent form to specific hardware devices. The operating system will then do the appropriate color transformations to map the device-independent color representations to the colors supported by the physical device.
The key to ICM support is the use of a profile, which represents the color properties of a monitor, printer, or scanner device. The profile format used by the ICM support in Windows 95, is the result of an industry consortium called InterColor 3.0 and is made up of many industry hardware vendors (including Kodak, Microsoft, Apple Computer Inc., Sun, and Silicon Graphics, among others) and industry standard-setting bodies. The InterColor 3.0 efforts provide for a consistent cross-platform color standardization process that will result in industry-wide standards for defining ICM properties of output and display devices.
Installing and Configuring a Printer
The first thing you will notice when looking at printer support in Windows 95 are some changes to the user interface. Print Manager and the Print icon in Control Panel are gone. Gone also is the confusion of which tool to use when you wanted to manage a print job, install a new printer, create a queue, or perform some other task related to printing. Windows 95 consolidates the printer and printing functions into a single location called the Printers Folder.
Figure 72. Printers Folder
The Printers Folder provides the user easy access to adding a new printer, configuring an existing printer, and managing print jobs.
Easy New Printer Setup
Windows 95 makes it easy to install new printers by supporting the following installation mechanisms:
Plug and Play Printer Detection
For Plug and Play printers, Windows 95 will automatically detect the printer at installation time, or during the boot process. The Plug and Play detection code will prompt the user for the appropriate driver files if they are not resident in the Windows directory.
New Device Installation Wizard
Windows 95 includes support for Wizards that walk the user through the printer installation process. Installing a printer is now even easier under Windows 95, whether that printer is connected to the local PC, or shared on another PC on the network. Figure 73 shows the process that the New Device Installation Wizard uses for installing a printer.
Figure 73. Printer Installation Wizard Walks User Through Installing a Printer
Connecting to a Network Printer "Point and Print" Printing
Windows 95 makes it easy for users to connect to and use a printer shared on another Windows 95 PC, a Novell NetWare server, or a Windows NT Server. If a user connects to a printer shared on another Windows 95 PC, Windows 95 will automatically copy and install the proper driver for the shared printer from the remote Windows 95 PC. Windows 95 also supports installing the appropriate printer drivers on a Novell NetWare server or Windows NT Server for automatic downloading and installation of the printer driver. This allows users to simply connect to the remote printer and once the drivers have been copied from the network and installed on the local Windows 95 PC, begin printing. Network point and print printing is discussed in the Networking section of this guide.
Configuring a Printer
Configuring a printer in Windows 95 is also greatly simplified over Windows 3.1. All printer configuration is consolidated into a single property sheet for the printer, and can be accessed from the Printers folder. The property sheet provides common access to printer parameters such as the printer port (or network path) the printer is connected to, the paper options for the printer, the fonts built into the printer, and device options specific to the printer model.
Figure 74. Sample Properties for the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet III Printer
To further simplify printer configuration, Windows 95 will support bi-directional communications between compatible printers (e.g., HP LaserJet 4 models, and printers using Postscript connected to the PC via a serial cable or using a bi-directional printer such as HP LaserJet 4 models) and printer ports, allowing Windows 95 to query the characteristics and configuration options directly from the printer. This allows the printer driver to be automatically configured to exactly match the configuration of the printer including the amount of memory installed, the paper options available, and fonts installed in the printer.
Managing Print Jobs
Managing print jobs is improved in Windows 95 over the capabilities offered by Print Manager in Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups. Improvements provided in Windows 95 include:
Direct Integration with the User Interface in Windows 95
The Printers folder serves as the centralized location for interacting or configuring with printer devices. Switching to Details view will show additional information about the number of jobs presently residing in the printer. Opening the given printer will show detailed information about the contents of active print jobs or jobs that are waiting in the queue including the name of the document, the status of the document, the owner of the document, when the document was submitted to the print queue, the number of pages in the document (when printing, the status of the print job down to the page that is being printed, is displayed), the size of the document, and the priority of the print job.
Figure 75. Detailed Remote Print Queue Status
Ability to Manage Print Jobs Locally and Remotely
Under Windows 95, a user has the ability to pause or cancel printing of print jobs residing in a remote print queue on a PC running Windows 95. Under Windows for Workgroups, for example, a user needed to physically walk over to the remote PC to cancel any printing operations. In addition, if you are given administrator access to the remote Windows 95 PC that is sharing a printer, you have the ability to remotely manage and administer the print queue with the same UI and functionality available for a locally connected printer. It is no longer necessary to walk over to the remote machine where the queue resides, in order to terminate print jobs or to resume the printer if an error occurs.
Network Printing Improvements
Windows 95 provides improved support over Windows 3.1 for printing in a networked environment. These enhancements include:
Network point-and-print functionality
Under Windows 95, users can print to a shared network printer connected to a computer running Windows 95, Windows NT Advanced Server, or Novell NetWare, and have the appropriate printer driver automatically copied down from the remote computer and configured on the local Windows 95 computer. This simplifies the printer installation process, and ensures that the proper printer driver is installed to match the remote printer.
Remote Administration of Print Jobs
Windows 95 provides full remote administration of print jobs for shared printers on another computer running Windows 95. With the appropriate access privileges, these operations include the ability to hold a print job, cancel a print job, or resume printing when the print queue is paused.
More information about network printing enhancements present in Windows 95 is provided in the Networking section of this guide.
Plug and Play Support
Installing and configuring printers in Windows 95 is greatly simplified over Windows 3.1. As with other components of the Windows 95 system, setting up a new printer in Windows 95 benefits from Plug and Play capabilities. Windows 95 detects Plug and Play compatible printers that return device ID values as described in the IEEE 1284 Specification through bi-directional parallel communications. Bi-directional parallel communications with the printer will also aid in the query of other physical attributes of the device.
Windows 95 detects a Plug and Play printer in one of several ways-when Windows 95 is first installed on a user's PC, during the boot cycle each time Windows 95 is started, or when a user explicitly requests a detection to be made.
Figure 76. New Device Found Dialog Box Showing Detection of Plug and Play Printer
Plug and Play for printers works this way:
When Windows 95 is first installed on a user's PC and when Windows 95 starts up, the Plug and Play detection code attempts to identify a printer connected to a bi-directional communications port. If the printer connected is not presently configured in the Windows 95 system, the user is asked as to whether the printer should be installed. If the user says yes and the appropriate printer driver is already present on the system, Windows 95 automatically installs and configures the driver for the new printer. If the printer driver is not already present, Windows 95 prompts the user for the appropriate Setup and Installation disk for Windows 95. If the printer is not recognized by the Windows 95 system, the user is prompted to insert a disk containing the printer driver provided by the printer manufacturer.
Examples of Plug and Play-Compatible Printers
While there will be much broader support and demand for Plug and Play printers at the time Windows 95 ships, several printers on the market today provide varying degrees of Plug and Play awareness. For example, the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4 models (4L, 4Plus, 4P, 4MP, 4MPlus, and 4ML, 4si), LexMark 4039 and 4039+, and ValueWriter 600, which are presently shipping are Plug and Play peripherals.
Try It!
To see how the improvements made to printing support in Windows 95 will help users that print from MS-DOS and Windows-based applications, you've got to try it!
Quick Return to Application Time
To demonstrate the improved quick return to application time for printing from MS-DOS or Windows-based applications, try the following:
Under Windows 3.1, start Print Manager. Turn off background printing if supported by your application (for example, Word for Windows version 6.0). Print from your application - how long did it take before control was returned? Perform the same task under Windows 95-how long did it take before control was returned?
Quick return to application time is also evident when printing from MS-DOS-based applications. Try printing from an MS-DOS-based application under both Windows 3.1 and Windows 95-how long did it take before control was returned?
Spooling from an MS-DOS-based Application
In addition to providing quick return to application time when printing from MS-DOS-based applications, print jobs generated by MS-DOS-based applications show up in the print queue on Windows 95 and can be manipulated like print jobs from Windows-based applications. To see this, try the following.
Pause the print queue in Windows 95 for your printer and then print from an MS-DOS-based application and note that it shows up in the print queue.
Plug and Play Support
To try Plug and Play support for printers with Windows 95, connect one of the supported Plug and Play printers to your computer before starting Windows 95. Supported printers include the Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4 models (4L, 4Plus, 4P, 4MP, 4MPlus, and 4ML, 4si), LexMark 4039 and 4039+, and ValueWriter 600. During the boot process for Windows 95, the Plug and Play printer will automatically be detected and will prompt you to install the appropriate printer driver.
Communications
Windows 95 features a new 32-bit communications subsystem that provides higher throughput, better reliability, and greater device independence for communications operations than Windows 3.1. The new communications subsystem serves as the underlying architecture on which Windows 95 provides communication services for supporting telecommuting and dial-up network access, Microsoft At Work fax services, access to on-line information services, computer-telephone integration, conferencing and remote access to mail.
The communications architecture addresses problems that users have encountered with communications support in Windows 3.1 to provide a powerful, robust, and flexible communications architecture.
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
Changes made in the kernel and communications architecture in Windows 95 provide improvements and benefits to the Windows 3.1 user including:
Robust and reliable high baud rate communications throughput
Better multitasking of communications applications
Simpler centralized setup and configuration
Broader device support, and
Better support for sharing communication devices on a PC (e.g., modems) among different communication applications
Telephone network independence
Communications Architecture
Around the time when Windows 3.0 was first developed, 2400 baud modems were the mainstream and 9600 baud modems were just becoming affordable. Windows was able to handle receiving data at these relatively slow rates without much difficulty. However, as mechanisms to transfer communications information at faster rates (e.g., higher baud rates or the through the use of data compression) are becoming more popular, the communications architecture of Windows needed to be examined closely.
Around the time when Windows 3.1 shipped, 9600 baud modems were extremely popular, and communications under Windows 3.1 had many barriers that limited the overall effectiveness of reliable high data throughput and support for multitasking when running communications applications. These barriers included high interrupt latency and overhead affecting high speed communications, and a monolithic driver architecture that made it necessary for some third-parties to replace the communications driver provided with Windows to allow their devices to run efficiently in the system.
Windows 95 greatly improves upon the Windows 3.1 architecture to support communications applications and supports high speed communications, as well as a modular communications architecture to allow third-parties and communications device manufacturers to easily plug in new communications device drivers. This section describes the communications architecture used in Windows 95.
Communication Goals of Windows 95
The goals of communications support in Windows 95 are focused around supporting an architecture that delivers better performance than Windows 3.1, and supports ease-of-use enhancements through Plug and Play communications. The communications architecture of Windows 95 delivers the following performance benefits over Windows 3.1:
High-speed reliability
Windows 95 supports reliable high-speed communications by keeping up with data coming in from the communications port, and thus resulting in no lost characters due to interrupt latency. In addition, the use of a 32-bit protected mode file system and network architecture results in less impact on the communications system by reducing required mode transitions and interrupt latency.
Higher data throughput
The 32-bit communications subsystem leverages the preemptive multitasking architecture of Windows 95 to provide better responsiveness to communications applications, and thus supporting higher data throughput. Communications transfers in 32-bit applications are not as affected by other tasks running in the system as Win16-based applications under Windows 3.1.
Provide support for time critical protocols
The communications architecture for Windows 95 provides support for time critical protocols and allows for real-time serial device control.
Independence of underlying telephone networks
Windows 95 allows applications developers to build telephony applications that can run on a wide variety of different types of telephone networks, including analog, proprietary digital PBXs, key systems, ISDN and cellular.
The Plug and Play initiative provides ease-of-use enhancements system-wide in Windows 95 and communications support is no different. Plug and Play support for communications delivers:
Broad device support
Windows 95 features a new communication driver architecture that makes it easier for third-parties to extend the communications support provided as part of the operating system, without sacrificing functionality or stability. In addition, the new communications architecture features APIs that are extended to support more robust communications devices beyond base RS-232 devices (e.g., ISDN).
Easy to install and use communication devices
Windows 95 features centralized modem installation and configuration support to simplify setup for end-users, and simplify communications development efforts for application developers. Windows 95 leverages the use of a single universal modem driver (UNIMODEM) to provide a consistent mechanism for communicating with modem devices. Windows 95 also provides detection support for Plug and Play modems. It also provides support for existing hardware by including mechanisms for detecting legacy modems.
Enables device sharing among communications applications
Through the use of the Telephony API (TAPI), Windows 95 provides consistent device-independent access to control communication devices for operations such as dialing and answering incoming calls. Arbitration for sharing of communication ports and devices is also handled through TAPI. For example, while dial-up networking in Windows 95 is waiting for an incoming call, a TAPI-aware fax communications application can send an outgoing fax without having to first terminate the already running communications application.
To further understand the improvements related to the new 32-bit communications subsystem in Windows 95, we'll examine the components that make up the communications support.
Kernel Improvements in Windows 95 Makes Communicating More Responsive
When data is coming into the system from a serial communications port, an interrupt occurs telling the system that a piece of data has just been received. Under Windows 3.1, if information is being received at a high rate it was possible that the system could not keep up with the incoming data, thus resulting in errors or lost information at the port.
What is unique about serial communications I/O is that one interrupt occurs on the system for each incoming character, versus disk or network I/O in which they manipulate blocks of information at a time. The burden on the communications driver to keep up is quite high.
To support high speed throughput of information from a communications device, the system must be able to respond quickly to incoming data. In Windows 3.1, real-mode drivers sometimes disabled system-wide interrupts for a "long" period of time (usually in terms of milliseconds), during which no incoming information can be received.
To directly address the issue of supporting higher sustained communications throughput, the Windows 95 development team focused on areas in the Windows kernel that resulted in periods of time that interrupts were disabled by the system. In Windows 3.1, the Windows kernel and other components was limited to reliable serial communications at rates of 9,600 bps or slightly higher (dependent upon CPU speed), due to high interrupt latency or other systems design limitations. In addition, the use of real-mode file system and networking drivers would block the system when Windows 3.1 had to execute real-mode code, thus preventing the system from being able to keep up with incoming data.
To improve performance and the rate at which the system can accept incoming data reliably, the Windows 95 team reduced code that can only be used by one process at a time (critical sections), and reduced interrupt latency in the core system. In addition, the use of new 32-bit protect mode components for the implementation of the file system and network subsystem also helped to improve the system responsiveness. Windows 95 is now truly limited in baud rate only by the hardware characteristics of the PC such as the processor speed, and type of communications port.
Driver Architecture
The communications subsystem consists of a modular 32-bit protect mode architecture with new communications drivers. VCOMM is a new layer that provides protected mode services that allow Windows-based applications and device drivers to use ports and modems. To conserve system resources, communications device drivers are loaded into memory only when in use by applications. Also, VCOMM uses the new Plug and Play services in Windows 95 to assist with configuration and installation of communications devices.
Figure 77. Windows 3.1 Communications Architecture
Windows 3.1 uses a monolithic communications driver, COMM.DRV, that provides an API interface for Windows-based applications to interact with communications devices and the code that serves as the communications port driver. The monolithic approach made it necessary to completely replace the Windows communication driver if new functionality was required by a hardware device. Figure 77 shows the relationship between the COMM.DRV driver and the hardware device in Windows 3.1.
Windows 95 provides a more flexible communications architecture than Windows 3.1, separating communications operations into three primary areas-Win32 communication APIs and TAPI, the universal modem driver, and communication port drivers.
Figure 78. Communications Architecture in Windows 95
Figure 78 shows the relationship between the VCOMM communications driver and the port drivers to communicate with hardware devices. The flow path for a Win16 based application is also illustrated to show how compatibility is maintained for existing Windows-based applications. Compatibility is maintained for IHVs and ISVs that replace the Windows 3.1 COMM.DRV driver, however the vendor-specific communications driver communicates directly with the I/O port, rather than going through VCOMM.
A description of the primary areas that make up the architecture are described below.
ú Win32 Communication APIs and TAPI
The Win32 Communications APIs in Windows 95 provide an interface to use modems and communications devices in a device-independent fashion. Applications will call the Win32 Communication APIs to configure modems and perform data I/O through them. Through the Telephony API, applications will be able to control modems or other telephony devices for operations such as dialing, answering, or hanging up a connection, in a standard way. TAPI-aware communication applications no longer need to provide their own modem support list, as interaction with a modem is now centralized by Windows 95. The communications functionality provided with Windows 95 utilizes these services.
ú Universal Modem Driver
Also new in Windows 95 is the universal modem driver, UniModem, which is a layer for providing services for data and fax modems, and voice. Users and application developers will not have to learn or maintain difficult modem "AT" commands to dial, answer, and configure modems. Rather, UniModem does these tasks automatically, using mini-drivers written by modem hardware vendors. Application developers can utilize TAPI to perform modem control operations in a modem-independent manner.
ú Port Drivers
Port drivers are specifically responsible for communicating with I/O ports. I/O ports are accessed through the VCOMM driver and provide a layered approach to device communications. For example, Windows 95 will provide a port driver to communicate with serial communications and parallel ports, and third-parties and IHVs can provide port drivers to communicate with their own hardware adapter such as multiport communications adapters. With the port driver model in Windows 95, it will no longer be necessary for third-parties to replace the communications subsystem as they did in Windows 3.1.
Telephony API (TAPI)
The Windows Telephony API is part of the Microsoft Windows Open Services Architecture (WOSA), which provides a single set of open-ended interfaces to enterprise computing services. WOSA encompasses a number of APIs, providing applications and corporate developers with an open set of interfaces to which applications can be written and accessed. WOSA also includes services for data access, messaging, software licensing, connectivity and financial services.
WOSA services such as the Windows Telephony API consist of two interfaces. Developers write to an applications programming interface (API). The other interface, referred to as the service provider interface (SPI), is used to establish the connection to the specific telephone network. This model is similar to the computer industry model whereby printer manufacturers provide printer drivers for Windows-based applications. Figure 79 shows the relationship between the "front-end" Windows Telephony API and the "back-end" Windows Telephony SPI.
Figure 79. Windows Seamlessly Integrates Applications and Telephone Networks
The Windows Telephony API provides a standard way for communication applications to control telephony functions for data, fax, and voice calls. The API manages all signaling between a PC and a telephone network. This includes such basic functions as establishing, answering and terminating a call. It also includes supplementary functions, such as hold, transfer, conference and call park found in PBXs, ISDN and other phone systems. The API also provides access to features that are specific to certain service providers, with built-in extensibility to accommodate future telephony features and networks as they become available.
The Telephony API also supports multiple models for connecting Windows 95 machines with telephone networks. There are four models for integrating PCs with telephones, as illustrated in Figure 80. Applications using the Telephony API can work in any of these four connection models, whether they involve a physical connection between PC and phone on the desktop such as the phone or PC-centric models, or a logical connection in either of the client-server models.
Figure 80. Four Models for Integrating PCs Running Windows 95 With Telephones
Through the use of the TAPI services, applications that support communication services have a device-independent means for interacting with telecommunications networks. TAPI also provides a common access mechanism for requesting the use of communication ports and communication devices, thus providing a means for multiple communications applications to share a single modem (voice, fax, or data) in the computer.
Windows 95 includes TAPI support in the base operating system, thus allowing application developers to leverage this functionality in their Windows 95-aware applications. In addition, all communication components included as part of Windows 95 are TAPI clients.
Better Sharing of Communication Devices Between Communication Applications and Services
Through the TAPI interface, communications applications can ask for access to the modem or telephone device, allowing the communications subsystem in Windows 95 to arbitrate device contention and allow applications to share a communications device in a cooperative manner.
Win32-based applications can utilize TAPI functionality to allow applications to be able to make outgoing calls, while others are waiting for inbound calls. For example, while a dial-up network service is configured for auto-answer mode and is waiting for an incoming call, a Win32-based communications application can call the TAPI services to request the use of the modem and perform an outgoing call. Of course, only one call can be performed at a time, but users no longer have to terminate other applications that are using a communications port in order to run a different communication. The TAPI services arbitrate requests to share communication ports and devices.
Centralized Modem Setup and Configuration
Support for installing and configuring a modem under Windows 95 is greatly simplified over Windows 3.1. No longer is it necessary to configure each individual communications program for the proper serial port, modem type, and other related modem configuration parameters. Windows 95 provides central configuration of communications devices through an icon in Control Panel. Win32-based applications that take advantage of the TAPI services implemented in Windows 95 can completely leverage the user's configuration of their communications hardware, making subsequent configuration of communications-based applications easy.
Windows 95 brings the following benefits to modem configuration:
ú Easy modem configuration for use by entire system for new communications applications
ú Centralized communications port status and configuration
ú Supported by TAPI & Win32 Communication APIs
ú Support for 100+ modems in Windows 95
Modem Configuration in Windows 3.1
To understand the implications of improved modem support in Windows 95, let's first examine the issue of modem configuration under Windows 3.1. Under Windows 3.1, when a user adds a new communications program to their computer, the user must first configure the application to communicate with their modem by specifying the COM port to use, the type of modem they have, in addition to other communication parameters. Communications and modem configuration is either handled by the applications vendor and specified as a series of default modem "AT" command statements, or it is up to the user to read through his/her modem manual and type in the appropriate command strings. Figure 81 shows the Modem Commands dialog box in Terminal provided with Windows 3.1. Furthermore, given the number of modems available on the market, many Windows 3.1 based communications applications support a limited set of recognized modems because of the increased burden on the applications developer to provide this support.
Figure 81. Modem Configuration in Windows 3.1 Terminal
Modem Configuration in Windows 95
As with support for printers, the use of modems in Windows 95 is centralized by the operating system. When a user first installs Windows 95, the user is prompted to detect or identify the modem device that they have connected to or installed in their computer. Once a modem has been selected and configured, any communications application that supports TAPI services can interact with the modem in a device-independent way. Users no longer need to know or understand complicated "AT" command sequences to customize their communications application.
Configuring a modem under Windows 95 is as easy as performing three simple steps: identifying the new modem device, configuring the modem device, and configuring the Telephony services.
Identifying a New Modem Device
If the user doesn't select a modem when Windows 95 is first installed, a new modem can be identified from the Modems control panel icon. When the Modems dialog box is displayed, the user can have Windows 95 detect the modem connected to the PC, or can manually select a modem from the list of known manufacturers and modem models. The detect option makes it easy for users by using Plug and Play detection or querying the modem to configure the correct device. If Windows 95 can not detect the device, then the user can manually select the proper modem to use.
Figure 82. Modem Wizard for Detecting and Installing a Modem
Configuring a Modem Device
Once the proper modem has been selected, the user can optionally change the properties for the device to set configuration parameters such as the volume for the modem speaker, the time to wait for the remote computer to answer the call, and the maximum baud rate to use. (The maximum baud rate is limited by the speed of the PC's CPU and the speed supported by the communications port.)
Figure 83. Sample Modem Property Sheet
Configuring Telephony Services
In addition to configuring the modem device, the user configures telephony services to identify the various dialing parameters associated with the different locations where the computer will be used.
For each location where the PC will be used, information is stored for use by TAPI-aware applications to simplify dialing a local call, a long distance call, the area code for the location for use in determining whether the call is inside or outside the calling area code, and calling card information. For a desktop PC, the location would commonly use the "default location" or perhaps change the default name to "in the office," whereas a mobile user would add several different locations to match where the laptop computer is commonly used.
For example, a mobile user may use the computer in the office, on the road, or in a remote city as part of his/her business needs. Figure 84 shows several different locations configured and selectable depending on the location where the computer is being used.
Figure 84. Dial Helper Property Sheet for Configuring Location Information
Improved Device/Hardware Support
Windows 95 provides improved communications device and hardware support over Windows 3.1. A few areas of improvement are discussed below.
16550A UART FIFO Support
Windows 95 will provide greater robustness and performance at high baud rates for MS-DOS-based and Windows-based communications applications using local serial ports with 16550A compatible UARTs. The 16550A UART contains a 16 byte FIFO buffer to prevent character overflow due to interrupt latency, and helps to reduce interrupt overhead overall. The Windows 3.1 communications driver did not fully support the use of the 16550A UART, requiring some third-party communications vendors to replace the Windows 3.1-provided communications driver. Communications in Windows 95 should alleviate the need for third-party vendors to replace communications driver components.
More Ports Supported
Windows 3.1 imposed a limit to the number of logical names that could be used to address or refer to serial communication ports and to parallel ports, of 9 serial ports and 4 parallel ports. The communication APIs present in Windows 95 have been enhanced to support the same number of logical ports as MS-DOS, which is 128 serial ports, and 128 parallel ports. This limit inhibited the use of multi-port serial devices in Windows 3.1. The actual limitations to the number of ports usable is still based on the physical number of ports available to the system.
Support for Future Parallel Modems
Windows 95 also provides support for Enhanced Capabilities Ports (ECP) to facilitate higher speed communications than is possible over a serial device. This support allows the use of future parallel port modems.
Plug and Play Support
Plug and Play support for communications devices in Windows 95 facilitates the detection of connected modem devices and assigning of system resources (e.g., IRQs and I/O addresses for communication ports), simplifying configuration and setup. In addition to Plug and Play detection, Windows 95 provides for manual detection of non-Plug and Play communication devices such as modems. Since there is presently no standard for obtaining device information using the "AT" modem command strings, detection of legacy modems is handled by performing a manual query of the modem device and checking information returned against a database of known modem information. Microsoft is working with other leading industry manufacturers to standardize the modem command set as part of a Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) proposed standard called IS-131. When this proposal is adopted, Windows 95 will support the standardized command set and this will aid detection of legacy modems.
Modems
Plug and Play detection for external modems requires new firmware in the modem to return the required Plug and Play ID information, while internal Plug and Play modems utilize the ISA Plug and Play specification. Windows 95 supports the use of PCMCIA communication devices as part of the Plug and Play services for the PCMCIA specification. Some modem manufacturers will improve their communications product offerings by revising their existing modem lines, whereas others will produce a new line of Plug and Play modems. Detection for Plug and Play serial devices such as modems is handled when Windows 95 is initially installed, during the boot process, or when a new modem device is connected to the system. As with other Plug and Play devices, the user is notified that the new device has been detected and is asked to confirm the installation and configuration of the device.
Support for legacy modems is provided by using device-specific information about a modem to provide a manual detection mechanism, or providing a list of supported modems from which a user can choose the appropriate one. Once the modem is identified for the system, it is available for use by TAPI-enabled communication applications including dial-up networking, Microsoft At Work fax services, and the new HyperTerminal communications application.
New Communications Application: HyperTerminal
Windows 95 includes a new 32-bit communications application called HyperTerminal that demonstrates what it's like to be a good communication application under Windows 95. HyperTerminal offers the same base communication capabilities as Terminal included with Windows 3.1, but integrates well with the UI in Windows 95 and demonstrates how the Win32 communication APIs and TAPI services support more flexible communications applications than Windows-based applications under Windows 3.1.
Good communication applications under Windows 95 will utilize the following services and capabilities to offer a more robust and powerful solution:
Win32-based application that uses the Win32 Communication APIs.
Internal architecture that uses multiple threads of execution to provide good responsiveness to the user and great error-free high speed communications. Multiple threads allows for full preemptive multitasking of communication tasks, supporting concurrent interaction with the user, downloading of remote data, and display of communication status.
Support for TAPI services for making remote connections and controlling the modem device.
New Communications Application: Dialer
The Dialer application in Windows 95 provides basic support for making telephone calls. It includes a telephone dial pad, user programmable speed dials and a call log. Increasingly, new communications hardware will support voice communications in addition to data and fax. The next generation of modems will support the AT+V standard (TIA IS-101) which adds voice support to the standard AT command set, effectively turning the modem into a telephone designed to be a PC peripheral. Other devices, such as those built on digital signal processors (DSPs) will also include voice telephony support.
Figure 85. Dialer Application in Windows 95
Windows 95 communications applications will bring control of the telephone to PC, enabling programmable "smart" answering machines, dynamic call filtering and routing, dialing from any PC application or directory, dragging-and-dropping to set up conference calls and other examples of computer-telephone integration.
Try It!
To see how the improvements made to communications support in Windows 95 will help users of existing MS-DOS and Windows-based communications applications, you've got to try it!
Background Multitasking of Communications Applications
To see how support for communications application in Windows 95 is improved over Windows 3.1, try the following under both Windows 3.1 and under Windows 95:
ú Run an MS-DOS-based communications application in the background with other foreground activities.
ú Run a Win16-based communications application and perform other CPU or disk intensive tasks, such as copying files, accessing a network, or accessing/formatting a floppy disk.
ú Run the 32-bit HyperTerminal communications application and perform other CPU or disk intensive tasks, such as copying files, accessing a network, or accessing/formatting a floppy disk.
Power of the Telephony API
To see how support for communications application in Windows 95 is simplified over Windows 3.1, try the following under Windows 95:
ú Install and configure a modem for use on your system.
ú Run TAPI-enabled applications such as Phone Dialer, HyperTerminal, Dial-Up Networking, and Microsoft At Work Fax software, and note that once the modem was configured you didn't have to change modem settings in any of these applications.
Mobile Computing Services
As computing moves beyond its traditional desktop environment, Microsoft is committed to leading the market by delivering system services and end-user functionality that dramatically improves the ease-of-use and power of mobile computing.
Vision of Mobile Computing with Windows 95
The goal for mobility in Windows 95 is to allow users-wherever they are and whatever computing they want to do-to do it easily. Our strategy for delivering on this vision is based on the following tenets:
Mobile computing encompasses anyone that moves away from their desktop PC and wants computing capabilities. It includes everyone, from people who move from meeting to meeting in an office building, to those who shuttle between their homes and offices, to business travelers, to those who have no office at all and move from customer site to customer site.
The tasks people want to do away from their desks are fundamentally similar to those that they do on their desktop. On desktop PCs, people want to draft a memo, review a budget spreadsheet, query a database, browse e-mail, peruse a presentation on the network, send a fax, or look at their schedule for the day. Away from their office and desktop PC, people want to continue performing these very same tasks.
The "mobile" computer environment is fundamentally different than the desktop environment. When users move away from their desktop PC, their computing environment changes dramatically. Their hardware environment is dynamic, as they plug in and unplug different components to deal with the task at hand. Portable PC users may be operating in a power constrained environment with a video display often half the size of their desktop display. They can't easily access a file on a server or receive e-mail. In this way, the mobile computing environment can be constrictive to users.
Mobile Framework in Windows 95
THe TheThe challenges that mobile computer users experience today stem from three fundamental problems: moving to and from the desk, staying connected, and dealing with the mobile work environment.
Moving To and From the Desk
Desktop PCs operate in a fairly constant hardware environment. Mobile computers do not. For example, portable computer owners usually change video resolution, pointing device, and network state every time they change location (for example, when they undock). To change locations means tweaking configuration files, contending with error messages and restarting their computer a lot. Being mobile is a constant struggle to get the hardware to adapt to the new conditions the user is computing in.
To achieve easy, seamless mobility, these changes in hardware must be transparent to the user: the machine should properly re-configure itself to match the current environment, with no special intervention from the user. Microsoft's Plug and Play architecture, defined in partnership with other industry leaders like Intel and Compaq, provides an infrastructure to effectively tackle these problems.
Staying Connected
At their desk, users have a wide array of communication capabilities to keep them connected to other people, both inside and outside their organization. They have access to the LAN and all its services such as e-mail, file sharing, and print sharing. There is a phone, a fax machine, and perhaps a modem close at hand. When they leave their desks, these users become communication islands. They are cut off from their network and all its services. Phones, faxes, and modems are not readily available. Being mobile becomes a constant struggle to stay in touch.
The ideal for most mobile users is to be as productive while mobile as they would be at a desk. To achieve this ideal, users must have easy access to powerful communications tools, regardless of location. Channels of communication exist between their portable and their desktop PC, between themselves and the rest of their workgroup, and between themselves and the broader community of PC, fax, and other users. Windows 95 provides powerful, easy-to-use, end-user communication capabilities and an open, extensible set of services for applications to establish these connections.
Dealing with the Mobile Environment
Mobile users face problems and challenges that simply do not exist for desktop computer users. Examples include keeping multiple versions of files in synch (e.g., the copy of the proposal on your laptop vs. the copy on the file server), transferring files from the desktop to the portable or over the phone lines, or working with limited disk storage. In addition, many activities that are simple on the desktop-sending a fax, using electronic mail, or printing a document-become needlessly complex in the mobile environment. While solutions to some of these problems exist today, these solutions are often provided as utilities that are difficult to use and are not well-integrated into the overall computing environment.
Windows 95 includes a variety of features specifically designed and optimized to simplify the lives of mobile computer users. Rather than learning new and different ways to handle the challenges of mobile computing, Windows 95 enables users to concentrate on the task at hand, and delegate the intricacies of the computing environment to the operating system.
The development investments for mobile computing in Windows 95 have focused on delivering solutions that make it easier and more powerful to stay connected, adapt to changing hardware configurations, and deal with the mobile computing environment. The following table shows features that address the needs of mobile users.
How have we made it...
Staying Connected
Moving To and From the Desk
Dealing with the Mobile Environment
Easier
Dial-Up Networking wizard;
Implicit connections; Password management;
Hot Docking;
Automatic device detection and setup;
PCMCIA support;
Hardware Suspend UI; Battery Monitor
File Synchronization: Briefcase UI, automatic reconciliation;
Deferred Printing;
File Viewers;
At WorkT Fax
More Powerful
PPP, SLIP protocols;
Support for faster baud rates;
Dynamic Networking;
Modular, extensible network architecture;
More network APIs
Power Management messages and APIs
baked into OS;
Dynamic video resolution;
Dynamic networking
Direct Cable Connection;
OLE reconciliation engine;
Remote Mail;
Integrated compression
Compatible
Unimodem drivers;
Built-in support for Windows, NetWare, Internet hosts
Supports today's PCMCIA standards;
APM 1.1 specification
The following sections detail how Windows 95 provides improved communication, hardware-adaptability, and productivity features for the mobile user.
Staying Connected
Dial-Up Networking
In the office, well over 50% of PC users have become accustomed to full workgroup computing capabilities-printing to a network printer, sending and receiving e-mail, and accessing shared files. However, when users leave the office, they cannot take all of the shared resources from their workgroup environment with them.
The dial-up networking features in Windows 95 give users complete workgroup computing capabilities while mobile. Dial-up networking is smoothly integrated into the Windows 95 shell. Whether the user is running a client-server application, accessing a customer database, downloading and/or browsing e-mail, or accessing shared files, network access while mobile looks and works exactly like network access in the office. Establishing a remote connection works the same as establishing a connection in the office-the user simply double-clicks on the desired network object. Similarly, if the user double-clicks on Mail, a remote connection is automatically established.
The Dial-up Networking client software component, like the rest of networking in Windows 95, provides an open architecture and connects to a broad set of networks (including Windows NT, NetWare Connect, and the Internet). Support is included for IPX, NetBEUI, and TCP/IP network protocols, using industry standard point-to-point protocol (PPP) over the wire, as shown in Figure 86. Because remote access is part of the dynamic 32-bit protected-mode network architecture of Windows 95, users don't have to re-configure or reboot their computers to continue working after establishing or ending a connection.
Figure 86. Remote Access Functionality in Windows 95 Supports TCP/IP, IPX, and NetBEUI over PPP
A Windows 95 desktop PC can be used as a convenient access point to a small LAN or simply to the desktop PC itself. (Windows NT Server v3.5 supplements the remote network access functionality in Windows 95 to provide a large network solution that allows for as many as 256 simultaneous dial-in sessions.) When used as a host computer-that is, which a user dials into-Windows 95 provides an easy to use, single-port host, capable of multi-protocol routing for IPX and NetBIOS with pass-through user-level security. The Windows 95 security scheme employs the Windows NT or NetWare authentication mechanism and user database to validate the user. Share-level security is also available. Using the desktop management capabilities in Windows 95, an administrator can disable dial-in access so users cannot dial into a particular desktop PC or cannot remotely access the entire network. (For more details about the desktop management infrastructure in Windows 95, see the Networking section earlier in this Guide.) If the user chooses to dial into a host system such as Windows NT, Shiva Netmodem/ LanRover, or NetWare Connect, Windows 95 offers full connectivity.
Figure 87. Windows 95 Supports Flexible Remote Connectivity Options and Broad Network Access
Windows 95 provides a modular, open architecture which enables applications to establish a "pipeline" to the remote network. The Remote Access API, a component of the Win32 API, provides ISVs with services to initiate and resume a remote connection, as well as to gather information about the type and status of the connection. These APIs enable applications to adjust their behavior depending on the transmission speed and other characteristics of the network connection.
Another key component of the Windows 95 architecture is the Remote Access subsystem. This open subsystem is network- and device-independent to enable universal connectivity. This means, for example, that Windows 95 supports ISDN boards, PBX modems, and so on. This capability is accomplished through service providers-software components that manage physical connections and network traffic over the remote media.
The Remote Access subsystem includes modular authentication provider that can be supplemented or replaced to provide custom security services. For instance, suppose the BrandX Company wanted to provide its own custom services. That company can replace the authentication DLL in Windows 95 with its own to take advantage of BrandX-specific security features.
The following diagram highlights the various components of the remote access subsystem that can be replaced by third-party service providers. The shadowed items can be replaced to add functionality not offered by the basic provider supplied with Windows 95.
Figure 88. Third-party service providers integrate directly into the Windows 95 Remote Access architecture
Telephony API
To communicate in a mobile environment, users and applications must dial phones or modems. Applications can use the Telephony API (TAPI) in Windows 95 to dial, whether the device is a phone on a PBX system, an ISDN board, or a modem. TAPI provides services to allow applications to share a line so that more than one application can wait for an incoming call while another dials out. TAPI itself is extensible so third-party developers can write TAPI service providers to extend dial support to new devices. One such TAPI service provider is Unimodem (discussed in detail in the following section).
TAPI also provides "Dial Helper" to guide users through the process of defining a correct phone number, given their location and telephone system. Dial Helper gives users the opportunity to define phone numbers in a location independent fashion. The user enters an area code and phone number, and Dial Helper applies location specific parameters to the number, such as a prefix to get an outside line. When users dial this the same number from a different location, they simply switch their location, and Dial Helper adjusts the prefixes, area codes, and other parameters automatically.
Unimodem
Windows 95 provides an easy, central, extensible mechanism for installing and configuring modems (very similar to Window's infrastructure for printers). Windows 95 automatically detects the modem and provides a default configuration for it. Once the user installs a modem, it is available to all applications. Applications no longer need to store modem commands or data on the capabilities of different modems. Windows 95 ships with support for the top 200 modems worldwide. Adding new modems is as simple as supplying the appropriate installation data (.INF) file. (Microsoft will certify the .INF files for each new modem and provide a logo identifying it as Windows compatible.)
It is important to note that both TAPI and Unimodem use the extensible 32-bit communications architecture in Windows 95. See the Communications Architecture section of this guide for additional information.
Dynamic Networking
Historically, network users with a portable have dealt with CONFIG.SYS files and a regular stream of error messages as they connected and disconnected from the network.
To adapt to changes in link speed and configuration, the network architecture in Windows 95 is completely dynamic, regardless of whether the user is using the NetWare compatible components or the Microsoft networking components. All the underlying drivers, transports, and redirectors are robust, 32 bit, dynamically-loadable, protected-mode virtual devices that support Plug and Play. This architecture enables Windows 95 to load and unload components of the network stack as demanded by hardware events. For example, when the user docks a portable PC (or inserts a PCMCIA network card), the network components are loaded and connections are established without user interaction. Even assigning a TCP/IP address is now dynamic, using the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) servers to allocate addresses on demand.
Finally, users can forget about the intricacies of network hardware and configurations. Virtually every aspect of networking, including dynamic configuration, is handled transparently by Windows 95
Password Management
Users constantly strive to protect the data on their portables from prying eyes and hands. This is no easy chore. Password protection at boot-up, after a suspend (reduced power) state, and at network logon means users must often contend with inconsistent user interfaces and multiple passwords.
The Security icon in the Windows 95 Control Panel provides a central, extensible mechanism for users to easily manage the security of their computer. The Master Password gives users the opportunity to unify all their different passwords under a single password regardless.
The Security Control Panel interface is open and extensible. As a result, ISVs and portable PC manufacturers can add their own property sheets to the Security Control Panel and hook their password services to the Master Password.
Moving To and From the Desk
Hot Docking Support
Many portable PC users have had to compromise storage, extensibility, and display size and resolution in favor of mobility. Docking stations (or simpler port replicators) provide users with both the mobility of the portable PC and the storage, extensibility, and versatile display capabilities of a desktop PC. However, users with docking stations spend a lot of time re-configuring and re-booting their machines when they take them in and out of their docking stations.
Microsoft forged partnerships with leading portable vendors like Toshiba and Compaq, and BIOS vendors like Phoenix Technologies to achieve a level of integration between hardware and software never achieved before. On the hardware side, docking stations have enabled docking and undocking operations without powering off the computer. On the software side, Windows 95 detects the impending changes in configuration and anticipates the resulting changes in hardware, manages any conflicts (such as open files on an external hard drive or network), and loads the hardware drivers appropriate to the new configuration.
Instead of rebooting and fooling with configuration files, users now simply choose "Eject PC" from the shell's "Start" menu. Windows 95 checks for any potential problems before undocking, and the system undocks (without powering down, if the user chooses). Once undocked, the system automatically reconfigures for the different hardware (for example, changing video resolution to 640x480 to match the resolution of the built-in display), and continues running.
New Message Support
The Windows Plug and Play initiative provides a new set of Windows messages that alert applications and device drivers to changes in the hardware, so they can react intelligently. These messages include:
Docking
About to change configuration (for example, when the user is about to undock)
Device about to be removed
Configuration changed (for example, when the user just undocked)
Device about to be added
Power Management:
System about to suspend
System suspended
System resumed
PCMCIA:
Device inserted
Device removed
Miscellaneous:
New device inserted (for a device that needs to be set up)
Serial mouse inserted
Parallel cable inserted
These messages enable applications and system services to better support the portable PC user. Windows 95 itself takes full advantage of these messages. For example, the applications shipping with Windows 95 alone use the Config Changed message in the following ways:
the Briefcase uses it to try to start updating
the print spooler uses it to print all deferred print jobs
Mail uses it to try to reestablish a network connection.
The Registry
The Registry provides a centralized, dynamic data store for all Windows settings. The Registry defines a "current configuration" branch to enable ISVs to better serve the needs of a mobile user. This branch stores information on a per-configuration basis. For example, the Desktop Control Panel stores per-configuration information about video resolution changes and Print Manager stores per-configuration information about the default printer.
Configurations are created when Windows 95 queries the BIOS for a dock serial ID, asking the user for a friendly name for the configuration, and then storing hardware and software associated with this configuration. Applications access and store information for each of the different hardware configurations that the mobile user uses. This registry support enables applications to gracefully adapt to different hardware configurations.
PCMCIA Support
The emergence of PCMCIA cards has been one of the most exciting advances in the portable market. To date, however, users were never sure if the card was compatible with their portable, they had to struggle through installation and configuration of card drivers and "socket services," and card insertion and removal were anything but dynamic.
Through the Plug and Play architecture, Windows 95 delivers power, compatibility, ease of installation, and dynamic card insertion and removal to PCMCIA users. PCMCIA drivers in Windows 95 are robust, 32 bit, dynamically loadable virtual device drivers with zero-memory footprint. Windows 95 ships with an updated version of card and socket services. A compatibility testing/logo program ensures compatibility with these standards.
Installation of a PCMCIA device is as simple as inserting the card. Finally, insertion and removal of cards happens dynamically. For example, when the user plugs in a PCMCIA network card, the portable detects the network card, loads the network drivers, and establishes a network connection. Then the shell updates its user interface to reflect that the mapped network drives are now active. Prior to Windows 95, users would have needed to shut down their systems and reboot in order to begin using the device.
Power Management
One of the curses of a portable user's existence is battery life. Windows 95 supports Advanced Power Management (APM) 1.1, which represents a major step forward from APM 1.0.
From an end-user perspective, there are three major changes. First, the Windows 95 shell includes a battery meter that provides the user with an accurate representation of the battery life they have remaining. Second, the user will be able to put their system in "Suspend" mode directly from the "Start" menu, as opposed to going to a hardware control. Third, users will have the option of automatically powering their PC off when they shut down Windows. (In the past of course, the user had to shut down Windows, then use the hardware power switch to shut off the PC.)
From a software vendor's perspective, Plug and Play APM messages allow applications to react to changes in the power state and battery life. For example, a mail program or utility that does background disk compression could disable this feature when running on limited battery power.
Flexible Video Resolution Support
In one focus group after another, "poor display" was cited as the number one limitation of portable computers. To overcome that limitation, portable vendors are putting high-end video controllers into portable PC systems, and users are plugging an external monitor into their portables when they are at their desks.
Windows 95 stores video resolution on a per-configuration basis and supports dynamic resolution changes. As a result, when the user has a monitor attached, they can set their video resolution at 1024x768, for example. When they undock (or detach the monitor), the video resolution changes to 640x480. Whenever they return to their connected or docked configuration, the resolution will automatically return to 1024x768.
Pointing Devices
In our focus groups, portable PC users often described difficulties in switching between the integrated pointing device on their portable (for example, a trackball or clip-on mouse) to a desktop pointing device.
Windows 95 improves on this in two ways. First, when the user changes configurations, Windows 95 automatically detects which pointing device is available to use, and enables it. Second, users can plug in a Plug and Play serial mouse and the system will detect the new mouse, and dynamically reconfigure so the user can it. No manual configuration changes are necessary.
Dealing With the Mobile Environment
File Synchronization: The Briefcase
Portable PC owners who also have a desktop PC (or who connect to a network) need to keep the most up-to-date files on the computer they are currently using. Today, users most often do this by comparing the dates stamps on files, and manually copying files from one machine to another-a tedious, un-intuitive, and error-prone process.
The Windows 95 Briefcase minimizes these headaches by keeping track of the relationships between different versions of a files on different computers. The user interface for this feature employs a simple metaphor that users are already comfortable with-a briefcase.
Figure 89. Initial Briefcase Screen Outlining the Briefcase Process
After installing the Briefcase software on the portable PC, a user can specify which files and directories he or she wants to take keep up-to-date by dragging and dropping those objects into the Briefcase. When the user reconnects the portable to the network or desktop PC, Briefcase automatically updates unmodified files on the host with the recently modified files from the portable. If both files have changed, Windows 95 calls the appropriate application to merge the disparate files.
Figure 90. Sample Briefcase Contents Showing Document Status
Windows 95 provides a set of OLE 2.0 interfaces that allow applications to define "reconciliation handlers." When both the file in the Briefcase and the corresponding original document have changed, Windows 95 calls the appropriate reconciliation handler to merge the two files.
The Windows 95 reconciliation APIs will also serve as the foundation for Cairo's reconciliation APIs. As a result, ISVs writing to the reconciliation APIs in Windows 95 can leverage that investment as they write Cairo applications in the future.
Microsoft At Work Fax
Fax is one of the most common tools mobile users employ to send messages and documents. Rich fax services are seamlessly integrated into the Microsoft Exchange e-mail client provided with Windows 95. Users of Windows 95 send a fax message the same way they send any other electronic message.
Microsoft At Work fax services extend the capabilities of today's "paper-based" fax machines. For example, a user can address a fax message in the Microsoft Exchange client and attach a binary file (such as a word processing document) just the way they do in mail today. Depending on the capabilities of the recipient's PC or fax machine, the message could appear as a message in their inbox with an attachment or, for those people with a Class 3 fax machine, the attached document could be rendered and printed with a cover sheet. Microsoft At Work Fax provides security to ensure the correct recipient via an RC4 encrypted password or public key and private key encryption.
If users want to send faxes when they are not connected to a phone line or network, they can spool them to their outbox. When they reconnect, the faxes are automatically sent.
Microsoft At Work Fax uses the open, extensible architecture of MAPI, plugging in as a transport provider and then leveraging the user interface provided by the Windows 95 client. Users do not need to learn how to operate a separate fax software package. For more information, see the Microsoft Exchange section in this guide.
"Local" Connections
Roughly 70% of portable PC users also use a desktop PC. As a result, they constantly need to transfer files and other data between the two machines. A simple way to effect this transfer is via a direct (parallel or serial cable) connection. Windows 95 makes this process significantly easier. Like remote access, establishing a local connection is seamlessly integrated into the shell and provides full participation for the client on a variety of networks. The services provided by a direct cable connection are much the same as those provided via a dial-up connection, only faster!
Wireless technologies like Infrared (IR) provide another form of local connection. Using the extensible device driver architecture in Windows 95, Microsoft is working closely with creators of wireless devices to develop and ship Windows drivers for these new technologies.
Document Viewers
Like other PC users, portable PC users often exchange documents with customers or other people in a different work environment. Many times, however, a mobile user (owing to limited disk space or lack of network access) doesn't have the applications needed to view files that they're received.
An extensible, replaceable file viewer technology has been seamlessly integrated into the Windows 95 shell. Users simply select a file and choose "Quick View". Windows 95 directly supports more than 30 different file types and publishes interfaces to allow applications to add support for additional formats (and even to add their own viewer). For more information, see the Windows 95 User Interface section in this guide.
Deferred Printing
Users generate print jobs regardless of where they are. Windows 95 supports "deferred" print jobs, which enables a user to generate print jobs even if a printer is not currently connected. The print jobs are stored by the system; when a printer becomes available, Windows 95 detects the connection and automatically spools the print jobs as a background process.
Windows 95 also gives users the ability to print to a generic printer. So, if they aren't sure which printer they will be connected to next, users can still queue the print jobs, then specify the printer only when a physical device is available. This functionality also enables users to easily use printers available at customer sites, in copy centers, etc.
Finally to better support the mobile user, Windows 95 stores the default printers on a per configuration basis. If the user has a different printer at home then they do the office, when Windows 95 detects the change in location (for example, docked versus undocked state on a computer), it will change the default printer.
Remote Mail
Historically, a user leaving the office also left behind robust e-mail capabilities. Microsoft, Lotus and other e-mail vendors are changing this. Windows 95 delivers the next generation of remote mail. They simply connect a phone line to their modem and start using mail. The remote connection is established automatically for them using Remote Access services.
Windows 95 has also optimized Mail to gracefully handle remote network connections and slow network links. Performance over the wire has been enhanced, and users can browse message headers, downloading only specific messages and getting an estimated time to download and status of the download process.
Messaging API
The Windows 95 Messaging API (MAPI) makes the communications abilities of mobile users significantly more powerful. More than any other class of users, mobile user need access multiple messaging providers and the ability to seamlessly move between these providers. While desktop users receive most of their electronic mail through a corporate or network-based electronic mail system, mobile users frequently connect to several different messaging providers (e.g. both CompuServe and their corporate network).
MAPI is an open, extensible messaging infrastructure standard. This standard ensures complete independence of Windows applications and client software from underlying messaging systems, while enabling vendors to supply a wide array of providers. To the end user, each messaging provider looks more-or-less the same. MAPI provides the support to dynamically switch between providers and associate multiple providers and preferences with a "profile."
Microsoft Exchange: E-Mail, Faxes and More
Personal computers today are being used for an increasingly wide range of tasks, beyond simply creating and editing documents. Electronic mail has not only become a primary communication vehicle within many companies, but also among individuals, families, and the public at large. Additionally, usage of online information services has dramatically increased, due in large part to e-mail-witness the astounding 15% per month growth rate seen by the Internet, in addition to the rapid growth in online commercial services, such as CompuServe( and others.
The growing use of messaging and communication services has resulted in a plethora of software tools. A very real problem users face today is that each of these different information sources and services comes with its own unique software and user interface. Users often have software for an email client such as Microsoft Mail(, a groupware client such as Lotus Notes(, and an online services client such as CompuServe Information Manager(, and perhaps some electronic fax software that came with their modem-all in addition to the basic File Manager they use for accessing and manipulating documents.
Windows 95 addresses this growing complexity by including an integrated messaging and workgroup communication system that provides universal e-mail, fax, and information-sharing solutions right out of the box. These different services are all presented in Windows 95 with a single user interface-called Microsoft Exchange. Microsoft Exchange is built on the open MAPI architecture, so it can work with many different e-mail systems and information services simultaneously-providing a universal inbox for communication between individuals and workgroups.
This section of the guide will introduce you to the Microsoft Exchange client and other components of the Windows Messaging Subsystem, including Microsoft At Work Fax software, the Messaging API (MAPI), and the Microsoft Mail Post Office.
Microsoft Exchange Highlights:
Send and receive rich-text e-mail messages over virtually any e-mail system, including public networks like the Internet.
Send faxes directly from your desktop. Receive incoming faxes directly in Microsoft Exchange's universal inbox.
Complete, built-in e-mail system to quickly get your workgroup up & running - includes a Microsoft Mail Post Office. Easily upgrade to a full Microsoft Mail Server or Microsoft Exchange Server to connect multiple workgroups, or the entire enterprise.
Move messages & documents between the file system and your mail folders. Organize them the way you want using sophisticated custom views, searching, and filtering.
Take full advantage of MAPI-enabled applications, ranging from desktop productivity to workflow and document management.
Windows Messaging Subsystem - MAPI 1.0
Because e-mail and other messaging-enabled applications are becoming so ubiquitous, Windows 95 includes a set of operating system-level components that provide built-in messaging services to any application that wishes to take advantage of them. The term Windows Messaging Subsystem is sometimes used synonymously with MAPI 1.0, because Windows 95 represents the first complete implementation of the "extended" MAPI architecture.
Windows 95 ships with a number of components which together make up the Windows Messaging Subsystem:
Microsoft Exchange Client. The built-in "Universal Inbox" in Windows 95, which is used to send, receive, and organize e-mail, faxes, and other information. It includes an OLE-compatible rich text editor used for composing and reading messages, as well as powerful custom views, searching, and filtering. Through the use of MAPI drivers (described below), the Microsoft Exchange client can work directly against most public or private e-mail systems.
Personal Address Book. The Personal Address Book contains not only email addresses, but names, phone/fax numbers, mailing addresses, and other personal contact information. Through the open MAPI interfaces, it is accessible from a wide variety of applications. Through the use of MAPI drivers , the Address Book is also the user interface for corporate email and information services directories. The Personal Address Book can store addresses for multiple email systems at the same time.
Personal Information Store. A sophisticated local "database" file that allows users to store e-mail messages, faxes, forms, documents, and other information in a common place. This functions as the user's Mailbox-including a universal inbox & outbox, as well as any other mail or document folders the user wishes to create. It supports long filenames, plus sorting and filtering on various fields of the stored objects. Custom views can be created and saved in the Personal Information Store.
MAPI 1.0. The core system components that seamlessly connect the Microsoft Exchange client and other applications to the various information services. MAPI's namesake component is the Messaging Application Programming Interface-the set of services that any mail-enabled or workgroup application can make use of. MAPI also defines a Service Provider Interface (SPI) that allows MAPI drivers to be written for nearly any messaging and workgroup service.
Microsoft Mail drivers. A set of MAPI drivers which allow the Microsoft Exchange client to be used with a Microsoft Mail Post Office, either the "workgroup edition" that's provided with Windows 95, or the "full" server edition that's available separately.
Microsoft At Work Fax drivers. MAPI drivers that allow the Microsoft Exchange client to send and receive electronic faxes just like any other piece of e-mail. See the second half of this section for more information on Microsoft At Work Fax software.
Microsoft Internet Mail drivers. Set of MAPI drivers which let the Microsoft Exchange client send and receive mail directly on the Internet, using the built-in TCP/IP and PPP communication protocols provided with Windows 95.
(Optional) Third-party MAPI drivers. Drivers for other messaging systems will be available separately from a large number of vendors. Examples of vendors working on MAPI drivers that will integrate into the Microsoft Exchange client include:
America OnLine
Apple
AT&T
Banyan
CompuServe
DEC
Hewlett-Packard
Novell
Octel
RAM Mobile Data
Skytel
Open Architecture for Open Connectivity
The Microsoft Exchange client is designed to work with virtually any messaging or workgroup system-whether it's LAN-based, host-based, or an online service. Likewise, transparent access to these various messaging systems is available to any application, not just Microsoft Exchange. The key to this open architecture is MAPI.
Figure 91. MAPI Provides an Open Architecture
MAPI defines both an Applications Programming Interface (API) and a Service Provider Interface (SPI). The API is used by end-user applications, including Microsoft Exchange, while the SPI is used to write drivers (sometimes called providers). As the above diagram shows, MAPI defines three different types of drivers:
Transport drivers provide the ability to send & receive e-mail on any messaging system.
Address Book drivers allow seamless access to any directory service, mailing lists, or other name databases.
Store drivers let MAPI applications read & write to local or server-based message stores, mailboxes, and workgroup databases.
A user of Windows 95 can install any combination of drivers so that their Microsoft Exchange client can be used for multiple email or workgroup systems at the same time as the following example indicates:
Figure 92. Configuring the Microsoft Exchange client for use with Multiple Services
Microsoft Exchange
As described earlier, Windows 95 has a built-in advanced e-mail and workgroup client called Microsoft Exchange. Far more than a "basic" e-mail client that's simply bundled in, Microsoft Exchange actually supersets the features of almost all existing e-mail clients on the market, including the current version of Microsoft Mail.
Summary of Improvements over Current Microsoft Mail
Microsoft Mail is currently available as part of Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT, as well separately for Windows 3.1 users. The Microsoft Exchange client goes beyond today's Microsoft Mail in the following ways:
Rich text e-mail, including full use of fonts, colors, bullets, etc. Uses drag & drop text editing, supports Find/Replace
Full OLE support, including Visual Editing, and cross-application drag/drop
Built-in Remote Mail capability - doesn't require a separate "remote" product. Uses TAPI and Remote Network Access to support all common modems and network protocols.
Fully integrated with Windows 95 file system - simply drag messages out to hard drive directories, or drag files into your mail folders.
Customizable toolbar with Tooltips( and right-click "shortcut" menus to commonly used tasks
Blind Carbon Copy (BCC:)
Intelligent message replies - reply text is automatically indented and rendered with your personal font/color. Better track who made which comments.
Connect to multiple mailbox files simultaneously.
Custom Views on any folder - define the columns, select the sorting/filtering/categorization.
Integrated with Windows 95 registry to use Master Password logon.
Working in Microsoft Exchange
Note: Microsoft Exchange and the rest of the Windows Messaging Subsystem (MAPI) are optional components in Windows 95. You need to select Custom setup in order to select these components. If you did not select Custom when you installed Windows 95, you can simply go into Control Panel, run Add/Remove Programs, click the Maintain tab page, and select Microsoft Exchange.
There are several ways to start using Microsoft Exchange. You can simply double-click on the Microsoft Exchange icon, and start viewing your email & messages.
Figure 93. Windows 95 Desktop showing Microsoft Exchange client
If you want to read your new e-mail, by far the easiest way to begin working with Microsoft Exchange is to select Open Inbox from the Start menu on the Taskbar, as shown in Figure 94.
Figure 94. The Open Inbox item on the Start Menu
When using Windows 95, no matter what application you're working in, you'll always be able to tell at a glance whether you have any new e-mail, by looking at the notifications on the Taskbar, in the lower right-hand corner. You'll see whether you're currently sending or receiving mail, or whether there is new mail that you haven't yet seen-in addition to the other standard system notifications that include print status, time, and battery power indicator.
Figure 95. New Mail Notification on the Taskbar
Rich Text Mail Messages
In designing Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft conducted extensive activity-based planning research into how people actually use e-mail throughout their business day. One of the strongest findings was that people use their e-mail 6-8 times more often than their word processor for tasks like sending memos to other people. Customers expressed a strong desire to be able to combine the power and immediacy of e-mail with the expressive capabilities of their word processor. To accomplish that, the Microsoft Exchange client includes a complete rich-text editor, which is fully compatible with OLE.
Note: most e-mail packages on the market today limit messages to a single typefont only.
Because the Microsoft Exchange client works as a universal e-mail client, it's been designed to correctly transmit the rich text and formatting over any mail system, even one that was not originally designed to handle rich text, like the Internet. The rich text information is automatically packaged as a separate compressed file attachment, and de-compressed on the receiving end by another Windows 95 client. If the mail is addressed to someone who doesn't use Windows 95-over the Internet, for example-then they will simply receive the "plain text" equivalent of your message, with any embedded objects sent as binary attachments.
Figure 96. Rich Text E-Mail Message with an embedded OLE object
Saving Messages
Messages received in the inbox can be saved for future reference, if the user so chooses. The user simply drags the messages into any of the other folders in the mailbox (message stores). The user can also drag the message to any directory on their local or network hard drives. In the latter case, the message becomes a .MSG file-but maintains all of the messaging-specific fields such as Sender, Recipient, and so on. At any time in the future, the user can still double-click on the .MSG file, open it and forward it to other e-mail users.
Personal Address Book
A "universal" e-mail client needs to work with a "universal" address book, one that can seamlessly handle e-mail addresses of all different types. Windows 95 includes a Personal Address Book, which is implemented as a MAPI service. This means that in addition to the local address book that you maintain yourself, Microsoft Exchange also has transparent access to the address books & directory services of any other e-mail systems that support MAPI. For example, the same Address Book could show you your Microsoft Mail global address list, or a corporate X.500 directory service.
For each new set of MAPI drivers you install, the Address Book adds a new "template" to aid the user in composing addresses of different types. If Mary Smith gives you her Internet e-mail address, you can simply type it in on a pre-defined "Internet" template. From then on you simply address her as "Mary Smith" on all of your e-mail-no need to remember complex addressing conventions.
The Personal Address Book also allows you to keep vital personal information on people, like telephone numbers, postal addresses, office locations. You can auto-dial any phone number in the address book using the built-in Windows 95 TAPI services.
Figure 97. Personal Address Book with users from different e-mail systems
Information Stores
Mail is typically stored in the user's Personal Information Store. Although a Personal Information Store is a single file, the user sees this file as sets of folders containing messages or documents. Normally, the user has a single information store, which contains their Inbox, Outbox, or other mail folders. Microsoft Exchange, however, lets the user create as many "stores" as they like - for example one store for current e-mail, and another for backup or archive purposes. Also, the built-in Personal Information Store is only one kind of information store. Any e-mail or workgroup system can expose their mailboxes or databases to users as information stores, by creating an appropriate MAPI driver. Information stores can be physically stored in local files, or represent a database on a network server.
For example, when the Microsoft Exchange client is connected to a Microsoft Exchange Server, the user will see new sets of folders (information stores) that represent replicated databases or "groupware" applications on the server- in addition to their standard Mailbox folders.
Messages, Documents, and Forms. Users can store more than just mail messages in their information stores - they can also store files or documents by dragging them into these folders. Additionally, any MAPI-compatible forms software can store their form data and form definitions in an information store.
Why store these items in an information store, rather than the regular file system?
MAPI properties. All items in information stores have additional fields that MAPI associates with them - like Sender, Subject, Received Time, Size, Importance, Sensitivity, etc. These "properties" can then be used for searching, filtering, and sorting.
OLE Document Properties. Documents that are stored as OLE 2.0 compound documents have lots of additional built-in properties, like Title, Author, Keywords, Comments, Last Edited Time, Number of Pages, etc. When a document is placed in an information store - all of these built-in properties are made available to the user through Custom Views.
Rich Custom Views. Finally, information stores offer the ability to create rich custom views of information, unlike the regular file system which displays only a few standard views based on filename, date, size, etc. Users create views by defining:
Which columns to show - including any of the MAPI or OLE document properties mentioned above.
How to sort, and filter the items to show only those of interest.
Custom grouping, which allows for multi-level categorized (or "outline") views of your information.
Figure 98 shows a folder that a user has created in one of their information stores. The user has also created a custom view on this folder -- to display the OLE properties of the documents they have stored there. This particular view uses the grouping feature to categorize the information by author.
Figure 98. Custom View showing OLE Document Properties
You can create as many custom views as you like in each of your folders individually, or create views that are shared among all folders. Custom views are useful in your universal inbox as well as any other folders you create. Some example uses of views:
View by Subject in your Inbox to create a "conversation thread" view -- all of the messages and responses on a particular topic, categorized together.
View by From in your Inbox to quickly locate and track all e-mail from a particular individual.
Microsoft Mail drivers
Windows 95 includes MAPI drivers for the Microsoft Mail e-mail system. This means that the Microsoft Exchange client can send and receive mail as a member of a Microsoft Mail network - either a full, enterprise-wide mail system, or a local workgroup mail system that uses Windows 95's built-in Microsoft Mail Post Office. Microsoft Exchange users can fully interoperate with existing Microsoft Mail users on other platforms, although rich-text messages are converted to plain-text messages when sent to an existing MS Mail client.
Remote Mail. To use mail on the road or from home, existing users of Microsoft Mail typically purchase a separate product called "Microsoft Mail Remote for Windows", and dial-in to a special MS Mail remote gateway. They then have special abilities to preview their waiting mail messages, decide which ones they really want to receive, then download only the selected messages. They can compose new messages or responses offline, and these are automatically sent whenever they next connect.
In keeping with the Windows 95 focus on great mobile and remote computing, the Microsoft Exchange client is designed to provide the benefits of Remote Mail, without requiring any additional client software, or a special gateway to dial-in to. Remote or mobile users can easily send and receive e-mail using the following features:
Remote Preview. Using the built-in Microsoft Mail drivers, Microsoft Exchange users can dial-in to their network and preview just the headers of their new mail messages. That is, they can see who has sent them new mail, what the subject is, how large the message is, and the estimated time it will take to download that message.
Selective Download. Once the headers are retrieved, the user can mark which messages they'd like to download, and which messages should be deleted without downloading. Users can either stay on the line after getting the headers, or make another call later to download their selected messages.
Remote Network Access. Rather than using a specialized e-mail gateway for remote mail, Microsoft Exchange relies on the standard Dial-Up Networking that's built into Windows 95. Users can dial into another machine running Windows 95, Windows NT Server, or 3rd-party remote access servers-such as a Shiva( LanRover(. Remote e-mail then becomes protocol-independent, since RNA supports standard network protocols such as TCP/IP, IPX, and NetBEUI.
Offline use. Microsoft Exchange users can compose mail while offline, that is, while they're not connected to a network. Download new messages at the airport, read your mail and compose replies while on the airplane, then send your responses automatically the next time you dial-in from the hotel. Messages are queued up in the outbox until the next time you're connected to the appropriate mail service.
Scheduled Connections. Users can dial-in as needed to retrieve mail remotely, or they can set up scheduled connections to dial in at a specific time, or on a regular basis (for example, if the user is on a permanently remote machine).
A Good TAPI Application. Microsoft Exchange uses the Windows 95 TAPI facilities to dial & retrieve mail remotely. This allows for effective sharing of modem resources between applications. For example you can set your modem to listen for incoming faxes, but still make a call to get your e-mail-TAPI handles the resource management between applications. Microsoft Exchange also uses the TAPI Dial Helper feature to easily handle multiple locations, hotel dialing prefixes, and credit card calls.
Microsoft Mail Post Office
Windows 95 includes a Microsoft Mail Post Office - workgroup edition. This means that everything is included that you need to set up and manage a complete e-mail system for your workgroup. A Post Office is simply a shared directory where e-mail is stored - users connect to the Post Office in order to send or retrieve mail.
Typically, one of the users in your workgroup is designated as the Mail Administrator. They create the Post Office on their machine by using the "Workgroup PO" applet in the Windows 95 Control Panel. A wizard is used to step the administrator through the process of creating the post office. The administrator can then use this wizard to add new users, delete users, or manage shared folders. The administrator shares the Post Office directory, and the users enter the shared directory name the first time they start their Microsoft Exchange.
The Microsoft Mail Post Office included in Windows 95 is a workgroup edition, meaning it is limited to exchanging mail with users on a single Post Office. A single Post Office can potentially support dozens of users, depending on the server performance of the Post Office machine. At some point, however, you may need to split people into separate workgroups, each accessing their own Post Office. At this point you will need to upgrade to a full Microsoft Mail Server. The full edition of the Post Office allows mail to be routed between multiple Post Offices, as well as to other e-mail gateways.
You can also easily upgrade your Post Office to a Microsoft Exchange Server, a client/server messaging system that provides not only e-mail services, but also personal/group scheduling, information sharing applications ("groupware") and forms and application design tools.
Microsoft Internet Mail drivers
Windows 95 also includes a set of MAPI drivers that allows the Microsoft Exchange client to send and receive mail directly on the Internet. Because Windows 95 already includes great support for TCP/IP, including remote TCP/IP over PPP dial-up lines, everything you need is "in the box" to connect to the Internet and start sending and receiving mail. You can make a LAN connection if your company has direct access to the Internet, or you can obtain access through one of many Internet "Service Providers". Thanks to MAPI, you can configure the Microsoft Exchange client to simultaneously support Internet Mail along with other mail systems, such as the built-in Microsoft Mail.
Features of MS Internet Mail drivers:
Supports Internet electronic mail standards, including SMTP and POP.
True Windows Sockets application - leverages the great built-in TCP/IP support of Windows 95
Runs either via direct LAN connection or using Dial-Up Networking and PPP protocol.
Supports MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) - to allow interchange of video, images, voice, text, and graphics with other Internet users in mail messages. MIME Associations Option lets you associate multimedia elements with a program on your PC so you can directly "launch" them from your favorite applications.
Remote Preview. Supports Microsoft Exchange header and selective download options to make the most of your connect time on the Internet (see Remote Mail, above).
Automatically uses standard encoding (UUENCODE) to send & receive binary attachments with other Internet or Unix mail users.
Great International support - including support for character sets of all countries with rapidly growing Internet usage.
Ability to send Rich-Text e-mail over the Internet to other Windows 95 users (other users receive plain text messages).
Complete integration with all other Microsoft Exchange client features, including Custom Views, Filtering, Searching, etc.
Simple, graphical configuration and management tools, including detailed troubleshooting and logging facilities.
Figure 99. Graphical Configuration for the Microsoft Internet Mail driver
Send and Receive Faxes from your Desktop
Windows 95, in conjunction with Microsoft Exchange, provides PC users with the ability to send and receive faxes directly from their desktop. This capability, called Microsoft At Work( fax, sets the standard for desktop fax as an easy to use messaging facility that is well-integrated with Windows.
Microsoft At Work fax in Windows 95 provides the following key features:
Fax high-resolution printed documents from within your favorite Windows applications using a fax printer driver.
Microsoft At Work Binary File Transfer (BFT) capability sends original documents to users of Windows 95, Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and other Microsoft At Work-enabled platforms as e-mail attachments via fax.
Secure exchange of confidential documents using encryption and digital signatures.
High-speed communications with popular Class 1 fax modems, and the millions of traditional Group 3 fax machines worldwide.
Networked Windows 95 users can send and receive faxes through a shared fax modem on one of the Windows 95 workstations on the network.
A fax viewer that allows you to browse multi-page faxes using either 'thumbnails' or full-page view mode.
A cover page designer that lets you easily create new fax cover pages that incorporate graphics and text, or customize one of the predefined cover pages that are included with Microsoft At Work fax.
Connect easily to fax-on-demand systems using a built-in 'poll retrieve' feature that allows you to download faxes directly to your desktop.
Microsoft At Work fax is integrated into Windows 95 as a MAPI transport service provider, leveraging Microsoft Exchange's "universal inbox", rich message creation, and browsing capabilities to deliver ease of use and consistency to the management of fax messages. The fax provider coexists with other information or messaging services that the user may have installed, and leverages Microsoft Exchange's common address book and inbox.
Windows 95 users can take advantage of Microsoft At Work fax innovations that provide the secure exchange of editable documents, where the majority of faxed documents are created.
Faxes can be sent from within Windows applications using the 'File/Send' menu option for mail-enabled applications such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Additionally, a fax printer driver lets a user 'print' a document to their local fax modem either via 'File/Print' or by dragging a document onto the fax icon.
Microsoft At Work fax leverages the power of the Windows 95 operating system through the Win32 API. As a 32-bit application, fax integrates seamlessly with other Windows 95 applications through its support for the Windows Messaging System (MAPI), Windows Telephony (TAPI) and OLE 2.
In addition to tight integration with Windows 95, Microsoft At Work fax incorporates Microsoft At Work technologies that support Binary File Transfer (BFT), security and high quality document rendering. These technologies deliver powerful desktop fax messaging at the fingertips of the Windows 95 user.
When faxes are sent to other users of Windows 95 (or Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and other Microsoft At Work fax devices), the Microsoft At Work Binary File Transfer capability can be used to send the original file over the fax connection. For example, Suzan can attach a Microsoft Word document to an E-mail message and address the message to Dave's fax number. If Dave receives the fax via Microsoft At Work fax, he will receive the Word document attached to an incoming e-mail message. By clicking on the Word icon, Dave can open the original document.
However, if the fax number that Suzan addressed is a traditional Group 3 fax machine then Microsoft At Work fax will automatically render the Word document into an appropriate Group 3 fax image. The highest speed and image compression that is supported by the recipient fax machine will be used when transmitting the fax.
Fax at your Fingertips
Microsoft At Work fax has been designed to allow Windows 95 users to exchange printed documents and binary files easily and with a minimum of setup. Since fax is provided in Windows 95 as a core system service, it is always available from within Windows 95 applications or via Microsoft Exchange. Faxes may be transmitted using Microsoft Exchange's e-mail paradigm, or by printing a document to a fax printer. Faxes that have been received from other sources are always delivered via the Microsoft Exchange client.
A fax recipient can be identified by selecting a Fax Address from an address book (for example, the Personal Address Book), or addressed using a one-off address such as [fax:555-1212]. The MAPI service provider architecture allows the Windows 95 user to mix different types of recipients in the same message. For example, it is possible to send a message simultaneously to a Microsoft Mail, CompuServe, Internet and fax user as long as the Microsoft Exchange client contains profiles for these destinations.
The Send menu item on the File menu within any MAPI-enabled applications (for example, Microsoft Word or Excel) will activate Microsoft Exchange's Send dialog. The fax user can address the intended recipient within this dialog, and will see the faxed document attached as an icon in the message body.
The attachment of a document to a Microsoft Exchange mail message is the easiest way to fax original or 'editable' documents from Windows 95.
An easy way to send traditional faxes to Group 3 fax machines is to print a document to the Microsoft At Work fax printer using either the Print menu item on the File application menu item, or Drag and Drop a document onto the fax icon. Windows 95 fax will activate a dialog box asking the user to address the fax recipient and the rendered fax will be transmitted.
Rich Messaging Capabilities
Microsoft At Work fax in Windows 95 supports the rich text capabilities of the Microsoft Exchange client and the advanced capabilities provided by Microsoft At Work Binary File Transfer (BFT) and Rendering technologies.
The Microsoft At Work capabilities are effective when a Windows 95 fax user connects to another user of a Windows 95, Windows for Workgroups 3.11 or Microsoft At Work-enabled device. Microsoft At Work fax will query and exchange its capabilities with the receiving devices to determine whether the receiving device is a Group 3 fax machine, or a Microsoft At Work-enabled device.
If the receiving fax device supports Microsoft At Work fax and the originating machine attached an editable document to the message then the file is transferred in its native format. In this scenario, fax works exactly like electronic mail between the originator and recipient. This fax capability in Windows 95 supports the universal inbox provided by Microsoft Exchange.
If the receiving fax device is a traditional Group 3 fax machine then Microsoft At Work fax will convert the document to the most compact fax supported by the machine (i.e. MH, MR or MMR format) and transmit the image at the highest speed supported by the mutual connection. (i.e. up to 14.4 kbps).
However, if the receiving fax device is Windows 95 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and the originating machine sent a printed document, then the file will be transmitted between the two machines using a special Microsoft At Work rendered (printed) document format. The exchange of printed documents between Microsoft At Work devices is always faster than between Group 3 fax machines because the Microsoft At Work rendered image format achieves greater compression rations than Group 3 MMR.
Figure 100 shows the fax property sheet that is activated from Microsoft Exchange's "Fax" menu item:
Figure 100. Fax Messaging Properties
Workgroup Fax Features for MIS
Microsoft At Work fax supports Windows 95 users on local area networks by providing a shared modem fax capability. If a local fax modem is installed in one Windows 95 workstation, then all other Windows 95 users who are on the same physical network can send and receive faxes through the shared modem. The Windows 95 workstation that includes the modem is called the fax server.
Other Windows 95 users who are connected via the shared modem can have their incoming faxes routed directly to their desktops. Otherwise, faxes can be manually routed from the fax server to the final recipients by an administrator, using Microsoft Exchange.
In a similar way, Windows users can connect to Microsoft At Work-enabled fax servers and fax machines over a network connection. Microsoft is partnering with a variety of hardware and software vendors to develop fax products and services that incorporate Microsoft At Work technologies. These products and services will all be compatible with and leverage the capabilities of Microsoft At Work fax in Windows 95.
Easy Access to Fax Information Services
Microsoft At Work fax provides the capability to retrieve documents, software, binary files and fax images from Fax-on-Demand systems and fax machines that support the Group 3 'Poll Retrieve' capability. The ability to easily download information directly into a Windows 95 workstation via fax will help increase the popularity of fax on demand as a way for companies and information services to distribute information cost-effectively.
This distribution of information could include the automatic distribution of software updates. A Windows 95 workstation with Microsoft At Work fax could make a connection to a fax-on-demand server, and request the name of a binary file via its Poll Retrieve capability. The server would respond to the request by downloading the binary file to the Windows 95 workstation. This exchange can be accomplished on a single fax call to the fax-on-demand system.
Figure 101 illustrates how a Windows 95 user can request that a binary file be downloaded from a fax information service that supports 'Poll Retrieve'.
Figure 101. Poll Retrieve Form
Fax Viewer and Cover Page Designer
Windows 95 includes two special tools that allow users to view incoming faxes and to create customized cover pages for faxes that they send to other users. These tools are provided in Windows 95 as accessories.
Fax Viewer
When a Windows 95 user receives a fax image (as opposed to an editable document), the fax viewer is automatically activated when the fax message is opened in Microsoft Exchange. The viewer allows the user to scale, rotate, print and visually enhance 'fuzzy' faxes.
For multiple-page faxes, the viewer provides a thumbnails view of the fax that makes it very easy to scan the contents of the fax very quickly. Figure 102 illustrates this capability.
Figure 102. Fax Viewer with 'thumbnails' view
Fax Cover Page Editor
The Microsoft At Work fax cover page editor allows users to create their own customized fax cover pages, or to modify one of the predefined cover pages that are included in Windows 95. The Cover Page editor is an OLE 2 application that makes it very easy for the casual user to create cover pages that visually get the attention of fax recipients!
Secure Faxing with Encryption and Digital Signatures
Microsoft At Work fax protects valuable and confidential documents through encryption and digital signature capabilities. The sender of a document, or traditional fax can encrypt a fax using either a simple password, or using sophisticated RSA public/private key security.
The fax software includes the capability to exchange public keys with other users. The public keys that a user receives from other users can be stored and maintained in their personal address book.
When an encrypted fax is transmitted to a recipient, it cannot be read unless the recipient knows the password that was used to encrypt the file, or the originator's public key, depending on the security mechanism that is used.
Figure 103. Encryption and Digital Signature Support
Faxed documents can be 'signed' with a digital signature to ensure that the fax data has not been modified during transmission. The sender uses their private key to 'sign' the fax. Anyone with that sender's public key can read it, but with the knowledge that only the owner of that specific private key could have sent the fax.
The ability to protect confidential documents in a fax environment is an extremely important feature that sets Microsoft At Work fax ahead of other desktop fax applications.
Compatible with Popular Fax Modems and Fax Machines
Microsoft delivered the first Microsoft At Work desktop fax capability with Windows for Workgroups 3.11. This large installed base, along with the installed base of millions of Group 3 fax machines, has made compatibility a priority for fax in Windows 95.
In order to ensure fax connectivity with the widest possible variety of fax applications, fax machines and fax modems, Microsoft At Work fax in Windows 95 supports:
The ITU (International Telecommunications Union, formerly the CCITT) T.30 standard for Group 3 fax. Microsoft At Work capabilities such as BFT are implemented as T.30 NSF (non-standard facilities), thereby maintaining compatibility with the installed base of G3 fax machines.
The ITU V.17, V.29 and V.27ter standards for high-speed fax communications (up to 14.4kbps).
Class 1 and Class 2 fax modems. A Class 1 modem, or a Class 2 modem that supports NSF and ECM, is required for Microsoft At Work BFT and Security. Fax 'printing' to traditional Group 3 fax devices is available on both Class 1 and 2 modems. Microsoft is working directly with fax modem manufacturers to ensure excellent compatibility.
MH, MR and MMR compression for Group 3 fax communication.
Coexistence with Windows-based Telecommunications Applications
The ability of the Microsoft Exchange client to support multiple simultaneous MAPI service providers in Windows 95 means that users will want to have connections to The Internet, CompuServe and fax at their fingertips. Well-behaved telecommunications applications that support the Windows Telephony (TAPI) API will all coexist and share a local modem in a computer running Windows 95.
The implication of TAPI support for Windows 95 fax is that fax can be listening to the phone line in auto-answer mode, while other telecommunications applications and Microsoft Exchange providers dial out to information sources over the phone network. TAPI provides the call arbitration to ensure that physical modem resources are allocated to the appropriate telephony applications when they are needed.
Fax also leverages TAPI concepts such as 'locations' and the 'dial helper' common dialog, ensuring that fax calls are made consistently whether the fax user is on the LAN, at home or on the road.
MAPI Integrates Fax with Applications
Microsoft At Work fax evolves the fax capability in Windows for Workgroups 3.11 by creating an powerful and extensible integration platform for fax-enabled applications. The extensibility, through MAPI, of Microsoft At Work fax and Microsoft Exchange will make it easier for third-party software developers to deliver new fax-enabled applications and enhanced fax services.
Since fax is implemented in Windows 95 as a MAPI transport service provider, any MAPI-enabled application can fax information to other users using File/Send. In addition, fax features such as poll retrieve have been added to ensure that Microsoft At Work fax is an excellent client for enhanced fax services.
The Microsoft Network - OnLine Service
Microsoft is driven by a vision of creating a world of "Information at Your Fingertips." Online services play a significant role in this vision since they offer "any time" access to the rapidly expanding world of electronic information and communication. Microsoft's goal is to bring these online benefits to mainstream PC users for the first time, not just to the early adapters of technology who already use online services. To achieve this goal, Microsoft has created a new online service, The Microsoft Network, and has included worldwide access to The Microsoft Network as a feature of Windows 95.
The Microsoft Network (MSN) will bring all Windows 95 customers affordable and easy-to-use access to:
Electronic mail, for sending messages to and receiving them from other MSN members, or anyone with an electronic mailbox on the Internet.
Bulletin boards, for in-depth discussions on a variety of topics, such as hardware or software support from computer companies.
Chat rooms, for online conversations and special events with celebrities or business personalities.
File Libraries[BK1], for easy access to images, add-ins, utilities, and programs that can be copied to the user's PC.
The Internet, for e-mail and "newsgroup" bulletin boards.
In addition, The Microsoft Network offers advanced features such as Shortcuts, multitasking, and advanced e-mail services, all presented in an engaging, highly graphical format. Microsoft Windows 95[BK2] customers worldwide will be able to access MSN with a local phone call. The Microsoft Network will offer a wide range of online information and services, and in particular, Microsoft customers will find MSN the single best place to go to get information and support for Microsoft products.
Easy To Get Started
Access to The Microsoft Network is a feature of Windows 95. The customer doesn't need to install any software, and the modem detection support in Windows 95 automatically sets the modem up correctly. To get started, all users of Windows 95 have to do is run the Windows 95 online registration and accept the MSN trial offer that follows.
Easy To Use and Understand
The Microsoft Network is tightly integrated into Windows 95, both in terms of functionality and look and feel. Because of the consistent interface, Windows 95 customers will immediately feel comfortable navigating around the MSN service. The Microsoft Network's integration is so complete that experienced customers can also use the more powerful Windows 95 Explorer navigation tool to move around MSN. To customers familiar with Windows 95, The Microsoft Network is as familiar as their local system, with no new commands or concepts to learn.
The Microsoft Network Highlights
Shortcuts
Shortcuts (OLE links to services on The Microsoft Network) are a way to go immediately to specific areas within MSN. When MSN members double-click a Shortcut, they'll be brought directly to the appropriate area on MSN. If the member is not logged on to MSN, the Shortcut will start MSN and prompt the member to log on before executing the Shortcut. Members can create Shortcuts to anything on MSN: any folder, forum, bulletin board, or even a particular file in a File Library. The most-used Shortcuts can be stored in a MSN Favorite Places folder, or anywhere on the member's own system. And because Shortcuts are OLE objects, they can be moved around easily as files. For example, to share a favorite "find" a member could send a friend a Shortcut by e-mail, or even post it on a bulletin board.
Electronic Mail
In line with MSN's close integration with Windows 95, MSN uses the Microsoft Exchange client (the universal e-mail client included with Windows 95). MSN e-mail messages will appear in the same mailbox as other e-mail (such as LAN e-mail) in the Info Center. Because MSN uses the Microsoft Exchange client to manage its e-mail, there is only one e-mail application to learn how to use. The Microsoft Network's e-mail supports file attachments, so members can attach spreadsheets, graphics files, word processing documents, or almost any other kind of electronic file.
Multitasking
The Microsoft Network takes advantage of the multitasking provided by Windows 95 with a multi-threaded design. This means that several different MSN tasks can run at the same time. This is particularly useful when downloading files: while the file is being downloaded, the member can still browse around, read e-mail, participate in a chat room, or do anything else on MSN without waiting.
World Wide Access
The Microsoft Network will be available around the world at launch. Local dial-up access will be available in 35 countries, and the MSN application will be localized into many different languages.
How To Get Started
In the Welcome to Windows 95 dialog box, there is an Online Registration button that gives you the opportunity to register Windows 95 electronically. After you have filled out your registration information, you will be asked if you would like to learn more about The Microsoft Network. Choose "Yes" to begin MSN Signup. (If your modem isn't already configured automatically by Windows 95, use the Modem icon in the Control Panel to add it manually.)
If you have disabled the initial Welcome to Windows screen, you can still run Online Registration from the Start button (Online Registration is located in the Accessories program folder on the Programs submenu.) As with the steps above, when you have finished supplying your registration information, run MSN Signup by choosing "Yes" at the end of Online Registration.
If you would prefer not to register Windows 95 electronically, you can obtain an MSN account by running Signup from the Start button (Signup is located in the The Microsoft Network program folder on the Programs submenu.)
Multimedia Services
For the past year, the home market has been the fastest-growing segment of the PC business, and multimedia titles have been one of the fastest-growing segments of the software industry. A large and increasing portion of the PCs being sold into homes are coming with the equipment that makes cool multimedia applications possible ( notably CD-ROM drives, sound subsystems, horsepower, and local-bus video.
In 1993, the installed base of multimedia-capable Windows PCs grew rapidly to become the largest multimedia computing platform in the world.
Figure 104. Estimated and forecast sales of multimedia-capable PCs. Source: Dataquest
By Christmas of 1993, there were more multimedia titles available for Windows than there were for any other computing platform.
Figure 105. Number of multimedia titles sold by computer software retailers in 1993, by platform, by quarter, as reported by PC Data.
Microsoft Windows and Multimedia
Microsoft is committed to making Windows the leading force in multimedia technologies and systems for personal computers. Our commitment takes many forms, but the most important one is our ongoing investment in multimedia-related research and development. Some of the end results of the last few years of research and development are described in this chapter. This is far from the end, though. Multimedia technologies are evolving rapidly, and we will continue to press ahead in providing tools and architectural enhancements to enable developers and consumers to take advantage of new innovations.
A Little History
It is worth dwelling for a moment on how far Windows multimedia has come in the last few years. When Video for Windows 1.0 was released in 1992, sound cards and CD-ROM drives were relatively rare. Graphics subsystems were universally ISA-based, and software codec technology was in its infancy. The standard size for a digital video clip in this timeframe was 160 pixels by 120 pixels ( one-sixteenth of a VGA resolution screen. Technologists (who understood how difficult this was to accomplish) cheered wildly and proclaimed the dawn of the multimedia computing era. Customers shrugged. What's so great about a video clip the size of a dancing postage stamp?
In 1993, hardware and software makers began to deliver equipment and technology that offered better-than-postage stamp performance at reasonable consumer prices. Double-speed CD-ROM drives and local bus video offered more bandwidth to support the massive data requirements of digital video and quality sound. A second generation of software codecs made more effective use of the data available. Prices on 16-bit sound cards dropped into consumer range. With Microsoft Video for Windows 1.1, the size of a digital video clip that a mainstream computer could display reliably increased to 320 x 240 ( one-quarter the size of the screen. On one hand, critics have a point when they label this sort of digital video "dancing credit cards". On the other hand, digital video of this size has proven compelling enough to consumers that it has spurred a virtual tidal wave of multimedia title development. Retail software store shelves are crowded with multimedia titles and games.
Progress marches on. Installing Windows 95 will provide today's multimedia PCs with an overnight upgrade in multimedia capabilities. Based on the capabilities of high-end PCs in 1994, the mainstream PC of 1995 will be able play digital video segments that are larger, smoother, and better-looking than ever before ( even up to 640 x 480 (full screen) and beyond. We are now able to look forward quite realistically to a time when the amount of data that can be stored on a CD-ROM (rather than the speed of the video subsystem) is the most relevant factor limiting the richness of a consumer's experience with a multimedia title or game.
Figure 106. The dancing postage stamp era of multimedia computing is over.
Windows 95 A New High-Performance Multimedia Platform
Windows 95 delivers a new high-performance platform for PC multimedia. From a Big Picture perspective, here's the "greatest hits" of what Windows 95 contributes to the world of multimedia computing:
For consumers, Windows 95 makes multimedia easier, more fun, and more engaging.
Easier. Plug and play will make it far easier for consumers to install multimedia devices successfully. All of the architectural support for digital video, audio and MIDI is built into Windows 95, so that users are liberated from setup challenges. And Windows 95 is compatible with multimedia titles and tools created for Windows 3.1.
More Fun. Windows 95 is a much better platform for computer games than any version of Windows has ever been, including support for fast, intensely graphical games.
More Engaging. Installing Windows 95 is an immediate multimedia upgrade that allows any PC to become a better, more exciting multimedia playback machine. Authors creating titles and games for Windows 95 will be able to make their products faster and more exciting to play.
For developers, Windows 95 offers a powerful platform for professional multimedia authoring
Power. The new 32-bit architecture in Windows 95 squeezes vastly improved multimedia performance out of PCs, so developers can capture digital video and sound that is bigger and bolder than ever before. The multitasking architecture of Windows 95 makes it a much more convenient working environment for multimedia authors.
Professional Quality. The streamlined architecture of digital video, digital audio, MIDI and file handling subsystems in Windows 95 enable authors and toolmakers to create very high-quality, sound, video, and animation effects. Windows 95 is a very attractive platform for professional development of multimedia effects and footage beyond the realm of the PC ( TV commercials, for example.
For hardware makers, Windows 95 offers exciting new opportunities
Graphics. A display driver technology called Display Control Interface (DCI) offers ways for Windows to take advantage of hardware assistance for several graphical operations such as image stretching.
Sound. A new technology called Polymessage MIDI offers sound card makers a way to play very, very complex MIDI sequences with virtually no CPU use. Sound cards are improving rapidly, and there is a great deal of room for competition on a feature basis.
Making Multimedia Easier
Plug and Play Support
As multimedia applications, titles, tools, and games have become more and more compelling, consumers have begun buying add-on multimedia components (such as CD-ROM drives and sound cards). Buying these devices has been cheap and easy; installing them has been a different matter. To put it mildly, installing a CD-ROM in a PC has heretofore required... patience.
Support of Plug-and-Play in Windows 95 will make the prospect of adding a new multimedia device to a PC considerably less daunting. Just plug in a Plug and Play enabled sound card and (literally) it plays. In fact, Windows 95 even makes the prospect of installing old multimedia devices less daunting ( Windows 95 includes tools that make it vastly easier to identify and resolve conflicts between so-called "legacy" devices that are not plug-and-play enabled. Windows 95 includes built-in drivers for the most popular sound cards to make this process as painless as we can possibly make it.
It is difficult to overstate the importance of plug and play for multimedia. Plug and play will do three things for the multimedia market:
It will allow the base of multimedia capable PCs to grow through plug-and-play upgrade kits, rather than placing so much of the growth burden on the purchase of new CPUs. Because Windows 95 includes the basic architecture for handling sound, MIDI, and digital video, every PC running Windows 95 can easily be made into a multimedia PC ( just plug in a sound card and/or CD-ROM drive.
It will substantially diminish the cost of installing and supporting multimedia devices, which will (among other things) help speed their adoption for business use.
As multimedia standards (such as CD-ROM speed) continue to improve, plug and play will allow consumers to upgrade multimedia components conveniently without replacing their entire PC. Plug and play support will be vital for adoption of new multimedia devices like MPEG cards.
AutoPlay: Spin and Grin
In various ways, titles and games that run off a CD-ROM feel a bit different than other applications. For one, the way to start a CD-ROM program differs from hard disk-based applications-you first have to open your drawer, extract the right disk, and place it in the CD-ROM drive. Then you can run it like any other program. Assuming, of course, that you can find the icon you created when you first installed the program-a second difference between CD-ROM products and hard disk-based applications is that CD-ROM products may be used less regularly.
In watching users run multimedia applications, we realized that the act of placing a disk in a CD-ROM drive is loaded with information. If the CD-ROM is a title, and you've never run it before, then the act of putting it in the drive means that you intend to install the program. If you already have installed the title, then the act of inserting the disk means that you intend to run it.
Simple enough. In Windows 95, we have implemented a feature called AutoPlay that allows software developers to make their products easier for customers to install and run. When you put a disk into a CD-ROM drive, Windows 95 automatically spins it and looks for a file called AUTORUN.INF. If this file exists, then Windows 95 opens it and follows the instructions.
This new feature will make the setup instructions for a Windows 95-based multimedia game or title almost absurdly easy:
To play ______, insert the disk in your CD-ROM drive.
Have a nice day!
Built-in Support for Digital Video
For the past several years, Microsoft has been developing a high-performance architecture for digital video ( Microsoft Video for Windows. (For more details, see the "Multimedia Graphics Architecture" section later in this chapter.)
In the past, Video for Windows was distributed separately (principally as a Software Developers' Kit). With the release of Windows 95, Microsoft Video for Windows is built right into the operating system. For the first time, the ability to play digital video will be built into every copy of Microsoft Windows (including Windows NT). This has several implications:
Users and independent software vendors can use the .AVI file format to distribute digital video files with the same confidence that they today distribute files of other Windows-supported formats like .TXT, .WRI, .BMP, .PCX, and .WAV.
The barriers to entry for would-be multimedia title and tool developers will be further lowered because the issues of licensing and installing Microsoft Video for Windows will disappear.
Built-in Support for Sound and MIDI
MIDI is the computer equivalent of sheet music. Using sheet music, you can describe how to play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata in a few pages ( but in order to actually play the song you need to find a piano and a person who knows how to read sheet music. When you hear the music performed from the sheet music, you can expect some variation in sound depending on the circumstances ( for example, if you use an expensive grand piano, the sonata will sound better than it would if you used an old upright.
Similarly, a MIDI file can contain the electronic instructions for playing Moonlight Sonata in just a few kilobytes ( but in order to play the song you must have a device (such as a sound card) that knows how to "read" MIDI instructions and that can produce a piano sound. Just as the sound of pianos varies somewhat in the real world, so does the sound of a piano on a sound cards.
At the high end, MIDI is used as a development tool for musicians. Virtually all advanced music equipment today supports MIDI, and MIDI offers a convenient way to control the equipment very precisely.
At the low end, MIDI is becoming an ever more popular tool for multimedia product developers because it offers a way to add music to titles and games with a tiny investment of disk space and data rate. The majority of sound cards today have on-board MIDI support built in.
Windows 95 includes built-in support for both MIDI and waveform audio (.WAV).
CD Player: Whistle while you work
Many people like to play audio CDs in their CD-ROM drives while working. So we created a CD Player to go into Windows 95. The controls on this player look just like a regular CD player, and it supports many of the same features you find in advanced CD players ( such as random play, programmable playback order and the ability to save programs) so that you don't have to re-create your playlist each time you pop in a CD.
Figure 107. You already know how to use the CD Player in Windows 95. Your CD will play, uninterrupted, in the background as you work.
Making Multimedia More Engaging
CD+ Support Built Into Windows 95
In addition to making it easy for users of Windows 95 to play their favorite audio CDs from their current collection, Windows 95 is helping to define a standard for music CDs of the future. Windows 95 is the first operating system to announce support for the new Sony/Phillips "CD+" format. CD+ is a new CD format that will enable audio CD players and multimedia PCs to easily play the same compact discs. This new format allows both audio and data to be integrated on the same CD, in a manner conducive to both users of audio CDs and users of PC-based CD-ROM titles.
The CD+ format uses new technology, called stamped multisession, that solves the "track one" problem that has prevented easy use of CD-ROMs in audio CD players. Until now, CD-ROM titles have used the first track of a compact disc for data, thus producing static-and potential speaker damage-when played on audio CD players. Sony and Phillips are implementing stamp multisession under the brand name "CD+." Other music industry companies can license the CD+ brand from them, or create their own implementations of stamp multisession. Microsoft Windows 95 will accommodate all compatible implementations of the technology.
Because data and audio information can be combined on the same CD title, the new CD+ format will open up a broad, new category of CD titles that can be enjoyed fully as audio discs, and that can provide digital information in the form of music videos, song lyrics, biographies and other text, and even promote online exchanges with musicians, when inserted into a PC running Windows 95.
The new format leverages a range of new features being included exclusively in Windows 95 to help make multimedia more engaging. The AutoPlay feature in Windows 95, for example, will enable users to insert a compact disc in their CD-ROM drive and have it automatically play. Also, the 32-bit multimedia subsystems in Windows 95 enable unprecedented playback performance. The new CD file system further facilitates multimedia use, while the Plug-and-Play support in Windows 95 will make it simple for consumers to install and use CD-ROM drives and related hardware.
Bigger, Faster, Better-looking 32-bit Digital Video Playback
Displaying digital video involves moving and processing huge streams of data continuously and efficiently. The new digital video implementation in Windows 95 offers some exciting new efficiencies that will allow software developers confidently to create multimedia titles that are more compelling and good-looking than ever before.
Multimedia title and game developers are business people ( when they create a product, they do so with the hope of turning a profit. To maximize the number of PCs that can run a title, most developers tend to include lowest-common-denominator digital video. To ensure that as many PCs as possible can play their title or game, developers have tended to use "postage-stamp" sized video windows with low frame rates (which make movement look "jerky") and extreme compression (which makes the video look "blocky").
Windows 95 will raise the lowest common denominator significantly.
In the past, the process of displaying digital video has relied on a series of 16-bit systems ( from reading data from the disk, to decompressing the video data, to displaying it on screen. One key design goal of Windows 95 was to transition this architecture to 32 bits, and the difference is eye-popping. For multimedia users, installing Windows 95 will be the quickest and cheapest multimedia upgrade available. Without adding any hardware, Windows 95 enables customers to display bigger, smoother, more colorful digital video than ever before.
It's also important to note that multimedia in Windows 95 is fully compatible with 16-bit multimedia titles. Early testing has shown that the 32-bit improvements in file access speed and stream handling results in performance improvements even for 16-bit multimedia applications ( the biggest improvements, of course, will be realized in the new generation of fully 32-bit titles that will be designed for Windows 95.
For customers who upgrade their PC to Windows 95, one easy-to-overlook source of performance improvements is the display driver. Many display drivers are updated more or less continuously, whether to fix problems, enhance performance, or to incorporate new features such as DCI. Most customers, however, don't update drivers on their system unless they are having a problem. Upgrading to Windows 95 will ensure that they have the latest and greatest.
Multitasking and Threads: "We Don't Interrupt This Program..."
Multimedia applications don't take well to interruption. ( When you are watching a video clip or listening to a sound file, you really don't want it to stop in the middle.
The multitasking in Windows 95 is quite different from prior versions of Windows because it is preemptive. In Windows 95, multiple 32-bit processes can share the CPU at the same time, whether those processes have been initiated by different applications ("multitasking") or by one application ("threading").
This has a very important implication for how multimedia titles will feel to consumers. Threading allows multimedia titles and games to have a more smooth, finished feeling to them. For example, a game might have a thread that plays background music continuously during game play. This would help smooth out the breaks between scenes, when the game is loading new data on another thread of the program.
There is at least one other benign externality for multimedia in the move to 32-bitness. As applications, tools and codecs are gradually rewritten to 32 bits, video and other multimedia processes will become less and less likely to be interrupted by other applications. A simple example of this is that in Windows 95 you can move a video window while it is playing without interrupting it.
Built-in Support for Fast CD-ROMs
The trend toward faster CD-ROM drives (double- and triple-speed) is a very good thing for multimedia computing. To get the best possible performance from these new devices, Windows 95 includes a new 32-bit CD-ROM file system (CDFS) for reading files from CD-ROM drives as quickly and efficiently as possible. The Windows 3.1 system for reading files from CD-ROM drives (MSCDEX.DLL) will be included in Windows 95 for last-resort compatibility with products that rely on it.
Faster reading of CD-ROM data helps to make video and audio playback from CD-ROM drives look and sound better. This is an important component of the overall performance enhancements to multimedia in Windows 95.
Windows 95 also extends its support for CD-ROM to drives that read XA-encoded disks, such as Kodak PhotoCD and Video CDs.
MPEG(Hardware Support for TV-like Video from Your CD-ROM
MPEG is a very complex codec (compression/decompression system) for squeezing digital video and stereo audio into an incredibly small data stream. For example, most feature movies can fit on two CD-ROMs with MPEG compression.
Because MPEG is so complex, displaying video from an MPEG file is a very calculation-intensive process ( so calculation-intensive, in fact, that the most appealing way to display MPEG video on today's PCs is by using hardware assistance.
Together with the Open PC MPEG Consortium, Microsoft has defined an industry standard for MPEG board and chip makers that want to ship MPEG devices for Windows 95. This standard will allow applications to incorporate MPEG video without worrying about precisely which vendor's MPEG device is present to decompress it.
Making Windows More Fun
Fast DIB Drawing
For the past year, the home market has been the fastest-growing segment of the PC business. More and more of our customers are telling us that they want games for Windows ( and at this point, there aren't many. Games are already the largest category of multimedia application, but most of today's computer games are running on MS-DOS.
Figure 108. At the end of 1993, computer games were one of the last remaining software categories for which Windows product sales trailed MS-DOS product sales.
The speed of graphics (or, more appropriately, the lack of it) in Windows has been one of the most important obstacles keeping game developers from choosing the Windows platform for their games. We have addressed this issue head-on in Windows 95 in a way that provides substantially improved speed while preserving the device independence that makes Windows appealing in the first place.
A new 32-bit call was added to the Win32 API for Windows 95 and Windows NT, called CreateDIBSection. This new feature allows developers to get bitmaps onto the screen as quickly as possible ( if there is nothing fancy (such as clipping or stretching), the CreateDIBSection call will actually allow applications to send DIBs more or less directly to the video frame buffer. (For more information, see the diagram in the "Multimedia Graphics Architecture" section later in this chapter.)
Because we recognize that this kind of graphic speed is critically important to quality games, we have moved a portion of the CreateDIBSection improvements of Windows 95 into a tool for Windows 3.1, called the WinG libraries. WinG (pronounced "Win Gee" ( the "G" stands for games) libraries allow game developers to create fast, graphical games for Windows today with the assurance that your game will be fast and compatible with Windows 95.
Figure 109. The graphics core of DOOM for Windows was ported from MS-DOS to the WinG library in 2 days. Id Software is scheduled to ship a full version of the product towards the end of 1994.
Built-in Joystick Support
Not much to say here, really. Windows 95 has built-in joystick support so you don't need to load external drivers. Have fun!
Powerful Development Environment
Sound Compression for CD-quality Sound
Sound can take up a lot of disk space. Full CD-quality, uncompressed stereo audio contains a lot of data-about 176K for every second of sound! An entire CD-ROM can contain only a little over an hour of music. It can also eat up a fair-sized chunk of the data rate that a CD-ROM drive is capable of sustaining.
To lessen the burden of storing and playing sound from an application, Windows 95 includes a family of sound compression technologies ("codecs"). These codecs can be divided into two groups:
Music-oriented codecs (such as IMADPCM) are included that allow close to CD-quality sound to be compressed to about one-quarter size.
Voice-oriented codecs (such as TrueSpeech() are included to allow very, very efficient compression of voice data.
This support for compressed sound is two-way ( you can play sound from a compressed sound file, or you can compress a sound file (using the built-in sound recording and editing utility). If you have a microphone, you can turn on voice compression when recording so that your file is compressed in real time.
In addition to the codecs that come with Windows 95, the audio architecture of Windows multimedia is designed to be extendible through other installable codecs. The video architecture of Windows multimedia can be extended in the same way.
Polymessage MIDI Support for Better Sound
Windows 95 comes with Microsoft's best-ever implementation of MIDI, including a new technology called polymessage MIDI support. This enhancement allows Microsoft Windows to communicate multiple MIDI instructions simultaneously within a single interrupt. The result of this change is that playing MIDI files now requires even less computing power than it did before, and allows developers to process MIDI instructions alongside graphics and other data even more successfully.
Multitasking
Multitasking makes Windows 95 a much more attractive platform for multimedia authoring. Creating multimedia content is very CPU-intensive work that can take a long time to complete. For example, compressing a digital video file can take hours, depending on the complexity of the file and the specs of the system doing the compression. Currently, authors who want to compress more than one digital video file have to do them one at a time ( when one file finishes, they can start the next. The result was that video authors were virtually chained to their desks until late at night.
With Windows 95, authors still have control of their PC, even when an enormous compression operation is underway. This makes it possible for digital video authors to initiate several compression operations at once ( and then head home.
Professional Quality
Capture and Compression of Bigger Digital Video
When it comes to capturing digital video, there's no avoiding the grim reality that video contains an enormous amount of data. Capturing digital video is even more data-intensive than playing it back, because raw digital video footage is uncompressed. A single frame of full-color video at 640x480 contains close to a megabyte of data. At 30 frames per second, you can fill up a 1 gigabyte hard drive with uncompressed video data in less than a minute. There are ways to compress this data in order to make your storage go further, but no matter what, the rate at which you can write data to disk is of great importance.
The 32-bit file access of Windows 95 is therefore every bit as important to digital video authors as it is to digital video users. Because you can write more data to disk more quickly in Windows 95, you can capture better-looking video-bigger, more frames per second, more colorful.
Once the raw footage is captured, the next step is to compress it ( a potentially time-consuming process. Both Cinepak and Indeo( will be available in 32-bit versions for Windows 95, and this should make the process considerably more efficient.
General MIDI: You Want a Trumpet, You Get a Trumpet!
One of the early challenges for MIDI was that it was, in a way, too flexible. Any instrument can be "connected" to any MIDI channel, so that a "sequence" (song) written for a piano might accidentally end up being played on a tuba.
The general MIDI specification is an industry standard way for MIDI authors to request particular instruments and sounds. Microsoft supports this standard.
Built-in Support for Multimedia Devices
Windows 95 includes built-in support for common multimedia authoring devices like laser disks and VCRs. This makes it easy to set up a system for "step capture," a process in which the author captures digital video data one frame at a time, usually to be compressed later. This is a slow process, but it is absolutely the best way to get the best possible quality digital video.
Frame-accurate control of the VCR is also important for recording broadcast-quality special effects to use in commercials, movies, television programs, music Multimedia PCs for 1995 videos, and the like.
Opportunities for IHVs and OEMs: Multimedia PCs for 1995
All things being equal, installing Windows 95 will upgrade any PC into a more capable multimedia tool.
Of course, all things are not equal. There is a great deal of variation in the quality and capability of multimedia PCs and devices. The Microsoft PC 95 Hardware Design Guide is being published under separate cover to help IHVs and OEMs identify opportunities to take advantage of new capabilities in Windows 95.
We are making five high-level recommendations to OEMs:
Balance beats horsepower. Multimedia playback places heavy demands on many parts of the system, from the CD-ROM (reading data) to the hard disk (writing data) to the CPU (decompressing) to the video and audio subsystems (playing it). A fast CPU does not guarantee a great playback system. In fact, multimedia playback on most of today's high-end PCs is not constrained by the CPU.
Local bus video is indispensable. Even OEMs creating "non-multimedia" systems should use local bus video, because doing so will enable consumers to plug-and-play their way to a multimedia system later, should they choose to do so. Without local bus video, a PC will not be able to keep up with the amount of video data that 1995's consumer multimedia titles and games will want to display continuously.
Double-speed CD-ROM or better. Titles in 1995 will be written assuming double-speed data rates.
SVGA (800x600) or better with 16-bit color. Why more colors than 256? Because multimedia applications use a lot of colors, and tend to compete for access to the system palette. Consider the challenge of a multimedia presentation that includes a digital video clip of an underwater scene on a slide with a smooth-shaded maroon background. There aren't enough colors in a 256-color palette to make both the slide background and the underwater scene look good.
16-bit audio. The installed base of sound cards that can interpret MIDI is now large enough to be tempting to game and title developers. Not all sound systems are equal ( some sound great (16-bit with sampled sounds), and some sound like Star Trek reruns. The differences are significant, and customers will be able to tell the difference.
New Opportunities for Great-Sounding Audio
There is a great deal of variation in the quality of audio cards and sound systems. Most of the time, sound cards up to now have been used principally for their ability to play waveform audio ( the equivalent of recorded sound. For some uses, like voice-overs, there is no realistic alternative to recorded waveforms. However, recorded sound is very resource-intensive for both the CD-ROM and the CPU. In Windows 95, there are enhancements to the handling of MIDI that makes it an even more appealing alternative to .WAV for playing music within games and multimedia titles. There are several things that makers of audio cards and systems can do to distinguish themselves:
Polymessage MIDI support. This is a very efficient new technology included in Windows 95 that makes it easier for application and game writers to use MIDI. If a sound card supports polymessage MIDI, the CPU use required to play even a very complex song is quite small.
16-voice or better polyphony. Polyphony is the ability to play multiple sounds at once. Support for more concurrent sounds means fuller-sounding playback.
Sampled sound rather than wave-form synthesis. Wave-form synthesis uses a mathematical approximation of a sound, such as a piano. Sampled sound is an actual recording of the piano, and sounds considerably better. Including samples of at least the most common General MIDI instruments helps ensure that music in games and titles sounds really good, instead of synthetic.
DCI: Taking Advantage of New Video Card Features
In the summer of 1994, Microsoft released the new DCI display driver development kit. This technology was developed in partnership with Intel and other makers of advanced video display cards.
DCI is a device driver level interface that allows Windows to take advantage of hardware features that are (or could be) built into advanced display adapters, specifically:
Stretching which speeds up rendering of images that are stretched or distorted.
Color-space conversion which assists in playback of compressed digital video by accepting YUV data instead of requiring RGB.
Double Buffering which allows faster, smoother block transfers (BLTs) of images by providing memory space for off-screen drawing.
Chroma key which facilitates the merging of video data streams, allowing a particular color to be treated as "transparent" in the merge operation.
Overlay which speeds display of partly concealed objects.
Asynchronous drawing which, along with double buffering, provides a faster method for "drawing" into off-screen memory space.
Most of the hardware features above relate to the fast, efficient decompression and playback of digital video. Applications that use the Microsoft Video for Windows architecture will benefit from these features automatically and substantially.
Multimedia Architecture
Multimedia Graphics Architecture
There are four kinds of graphics an application might want to "draw" on the screen, and four APIs that an application can use to do so:
"Productivity application" graphics. Scroll bars, fonts, buttons, and the like. Applications that want the system to help them draw these things use GDI, the basics Windows graphics API.
Digital video. Applications that want to play digital video use the Video for Windows API. More details on the Video for Windows architecture are provided in the following section.
Game graphics. Games draw their own graphics (in memory) and want bitmaps blasted to the screen as fast as possible. That's what WinG does. It is available for Windows 3.1, and provides many of the same benefits of the CreateDIBSection function in Windows 95, as well as fast access to the frame buffer through DCI.
3D engineering graphics. Applications that want the system to help them draw 3D solids use OpenGL. OpenGL is Microsoft's strategic choice of 3D application programming interface. We have a long- term commitment to deliver an implementation of OpenGL as part of the broader Win32 API, a commitment we announced last November. Our first OpenGL implementation shipped in Windows NT 3.5.
Figure 110. Windows Graphics Architecture
There are three pieces to the device driver interface in Windows, and the APIs described above are designed to take advantage of whatever DDI provides the best performance.
GDI-DDI is the basic graphics device driver interface for Windows. It is optimized for the flexible graphics requirements described above for the GDI API.
DCI is the new device driver interface created jointly by Microsoft and Intel. DCI drivers provide a fast, direct way for games and digital video in windows to write to the video frame buffer. It also enables digital video playback to take advantage of several specific kinds of hardware support included on advanced graphics adapters. For example, stretching hardware can allow users to scale up the size of a digital video clip with virtually no additional strain on the CPU. Color space conversion support in hardware can reduce the amount of work a codec must perform by up to 30%, allowing substantially better video playback.
The 3D-DDI enables applications that use OpenGL to take advantage of accelerated 3D support in hardware.
How Multimedia Data is Routed in Windows
The following diagram describes (in simplified form) the path that synchronized multimedia data travels from storage to experience during playback.
Figure 111. Windows Multimedia
First, the data (usually an .AVI file) must be stored somewhere, such as a CD-ROM, a local hard drive, a network file server, or another storage medium. The quality of the eventual playback will be constrained by the amount of data that the storage medium can supply to the file system continuously.
A command (such as Play), usually issued through the Media Control Interface (MCI), causes the relevant part of the file system in Windows 95 to retrieve the stored data. Obtaining this data swiftly and steadily is vital to the success of overall playback performance, and the 32-bit protected-mode enhancements in the new file system (and CDFS) in Windows 95 have a lot to do with the overall performance enhancements of multimedia in Windows 95.
A multimedia data stream (such as an .AVI file) generally contains multiple components, such as digital video data, audio data, text, and perhaps other data (such as hot spot information, additional audio tracks, and so forth.) As multimedia information comes off the CD-ROM, the first job of the Video for Windows architecture is to figure out what the data stream contains, and to separate and route it accordingly.
In most cases, digital video and digital audio are stored in a compressed form. Before it can be seen or heard, therefore, it must be decompressed. Frequently, this function is performed in software. If hardware support is available on the graphics adapter or sound card for all or part of the decompression work, however, Video for Windows can tap into it.
The Video for Windows architecture has been created in a way that allows installable codecs. Windows 95 ships with a set of useful software-only codecs for both video and audio, but you are not limited to these tools only. As new codecs become available for particular audio and digital video needs, they can be plugged into the Video for Windows architecture. For example, motion JPEG is a useful codec for multimedia authoring ( capture cards that support JPEG compression and decompression are easily available, even though JPEG itself is not explicitly provided in Windows 95.
Installation and Setup of Windows 95
The very first contact that users will have with Windows 95 will be during the time they initially install it on their computer. If the Setup process is not easy, or the user is confronted with a series of configuration-related questions that they don't understand how to answer, the initial experience with an operating system for a novice or intermediate user will be bad, and will set the tone for their initial trial. Advanced users can overcome difficult installation procedures, but their frustration level will still have a finite threshold.
Setup in Windows 95 is completely rewritten to offer greater flexibility and better customization than Windows 3.1 does. In addition, Setup in Windows 95 is more modularized than Setup in Windows 3.1, allowing the easy customization of individual Setup steps, as well as the easy installation of new custom components.
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
Setup of Windows 95 has been improved over Windows 3.1 in a number of areas, including:
A modular setup architecture that provides increased customization and flexibility
An entirely GUI-based approach and improved interaction with the user, including better visual feedback of progress during setup
Improved hardware device detection and configuration support
Better customization over components to install
Built-in smart recovery mechanisms for failed setup
Built-in verification of installed components for easy correction and replacement of corrupted or deleted files
A network setup process which is well-integrated with other setup components, and provides support for a number of network installation configuration scenarios
Support for an automated batch installation procedure, allowing Windows 95 to be installed with little or no user intervention
Better flexibility for PC installers, VARs, and MIS organizations to customize Setup by adding components to be installed at setup time, such as custom in-house applications or other solution offerings
Modular Setup Architecture
Setup in MS-DOS is responsible for installing the basic disk operating system on the PC. Setup in Windows 3.1 is a combination of components and installation procedures inherited from prior versions, and is responsible for installing the GUI on the PC. Setup in Windows for Workgroups extended the Setup functionality in Windows 3.1 to install networking components on top of the GUI and disk operating system. As Windows 95 is a complete, integrated operating system, it is now responsible for installing the disk operating system, the GUI, and the networking functionality on the PC. This posed some interesting problems when the Windows 95 development team first approached the daunting task of writing Setup for Windows 95.
The original Setup written for Windows was not flexible enough easily add additional components to the setup process, without making the installation procedures unwieldy. To make the installation process easier, modularized, and more flexible, the Windows 95 development team for Setup completely rewrote the installation code. Windows 95 also incorporates the use of more intelligent defaults and mechanisms for automatically configuring or installing key components while requiring only minimal user intervention, furthering the ease-of-use of the operating system.
For end-users, Setup in Windows 95 provides a simple, easy way to initially install and configure Windows 95. For MIS organizations, Setup in Windows 95 provides greater control and flexibility over components that are installed, and offers support for automated batch installs to further simplify the setup procedure.
GUI-based Setup Program
Setup in Windows 95 differs from that of Windows 3.1 by featuring an entirely GUI-based setup process. Using a GUI-based setup simplifies the interaction with the user by providing better visual feedback of configured options, and greater flexibility for navigating through the setup process. To support a GUI-based setup, Windows 95 features a Setup program that runs entirely from within the Windows environment. Users who have either Windows or Windows for Workgroups on their PCs already, Windows 95 Setup run like a Setup program for a Windows-based application. For new installations, Windows 95 Setup includes the necessary components to install a minimal version of Windows to support the GUI-based setup process.
The GUI-based Setup also provides better visual feedback to the user throughout the installation process. Users are constantly shown where they are in the setup process and are given a number of visual cues that the system is proceeding with the setup process.
Leveraging of Detection Code
The modular architecture of Setup also allows the leveraging of detection and installation procedures beyond the initial setup process. The same procedures and detection mechanisms used by Setup to detect and initially configure hardware devices and peripherals in the Setup process, are also used for maintaining or detecting the devices post-Setup. For example, the same code base used during Setup that for the detection of Plug and Play or legacy hardware devices is also used to detect or configure new devices once Windows 95 is up and running.
Improved Customization
Windows 3.1 provided few mechanisms for easily customizing the setup process, but Windows 95 makes customization easier for system administrators. Customization of Setup allows for better control over components installed into an existing environment. MIS organizations can now easily tailor the existing configuration options for Setup components such as supported network interface cards, or supported printers. Windows 95 also offers the flexibility for system administrators to add on components to be installed during the setup process or to run additional procedures during the final phases of Setup.
Improved Hardware Detection
During Setup, Windows 95 detects the different hardware devices and components configured on the computer and uses this information to install drivers and set the appropriate entries in the Registry.
Unlike the simple hardware detection mechanisms used in Windows 3.1 to identify the PC configuration for a narrow group of devices, Windows 95 provides more versatile hardware detection and configuration mechanisms and provides detection support for a wider range of devices.
Windows 95 provides straight-forward detection support for the base computer components such as communication ports and processor type, but provides more robust detection of system devices including video display adapters, pointing devices, hard disk controllers, floppy disk controllers, and network interface cards.
Windows 95 Setup also helps to detect any hardware resource conflicts at an early point during the setup process. Hardware resources such as IRQs, I/O addresses, or DMA address in use by more than one device can cause havoc when initially installing an operating system and may prevent the system from starting properly..
Windows 95 detects hardware components and devices one of two ways:
It leverages Plug and Play detection to identify Plug and Play devices and peripherals.
It uses a manual query detection mechanism for legacy devices and peripherals.
Once setup detects the device, Windows 95 installs the appropriate device drivers and configures the system.
Four Scenario Setup Options
Setup in Windows 95 will provide options to support common scenarios, designed to make it easy to install Windows 95 to meet your needs. The four scenarios supported by Setup in Windows 95 are:
Typical. This is the option most users will select to perform a "typical" installation of Windows 95.
Compact. This is the option will perform a "compact" installation of Windows 95, installing the minimal files needed for proper operation.
Laptop. This is the option will install components of Windows 95 that are useful for laptop or mobile computer users.
Custom. This option provides full customization of the setup process of Windows 95, allowing the user to install all, or selected components.
Simplified Four-Phase Setup
Windows 95 Setup is quite a bit simpler than Windows 3.1 Setup and is divided into four logical phases:
Hardware detection
Configuration questions
Copying component files for Windows 95
Final system configuration.
The following sections describe what happens in each of these phases.
Hardware Detection Phase
During the hardware detection phase, Setup analyzes installed system components, detects installed hardware devices, and detects connected peripherals. During this phase of Setup, Windows 95 analyzes the system to identify the hardware resources that are available (for example, IRQs, I/O addresses, and DMA addresses), identifies the configuration of installed hardware components (for example, IRQs in use), and builds the hardware tree in the Registry.
Windows 95 uses a number of mechanisms to detect installed hardware devices during setup. For legacy PCs, Windows 95 maintains a database of known hardware devices and performs a manual detection to check I/O ports and specific memory addresses to attempt to identify whether they are being used by recognized devices. Windows 95 will also check for Plug and Play peripherals connected to legacy PCs, which return their own device identification codes. For PCs that contain a Plug and Play BIOS, Windows 95 queries the PC for installed components and the configuration used by these components (Windows 95 also checks the system for connected Plug and Play Peripherals on Plug and Play PCs).
During the hardware detection phase of Setup, Windows 95 tries to identify hardware conflicts and provides a mechanism to resolve conflicts early during the installation process to overcome hardware configuration issues that Windows 3.1 users encounter.
Once the hardware detection phase is complete, the user is presented with a dialog box on the screen allowing them to proceed with Setup, or to review the hardware devices that were detected and system components that Windows 95 will install.
Configuration Questions Phase
Windows 95 uses information found in the first phase to determine which system components it will install. Windows 95 consolidates the configuration and customization phase of Setup into a single process at the beginning of the Setup procedure. By contrast, users were constantly asked for system configuration information and confirmations during Windows 3.1 Setup.
Users can review the components Windows 95 will install, and remove or add any components.
Copying Files
This phase of Setup is the most straightforward. Once the user has identified or confirmed the Windows 95 components to install, Setup begins copying files from the Windows 95 installation disks (or from a network server, if specified). Once the necessary files are copied to the user's PC, Setup prompts the user to remove any disks in floppy drives and then reboot the system to proceed with the final phase of Setup.
Final System Configuration
During the final system configuration phase, Setup upgrades the existing configuration of Windows and replaces the existing version of MS-DOS with the new Windows 95 operating system.
After files are updated and the system is configured, Setup guides the user through a process to configure peripheral devices such as modems or printers that may be connected to the system. Once this is done, Windows 95 is ready to use!
Better Control Over Installed Components
Users now have greater control over components and parts of Windows 95 that are installed during the Setup process. Based on the modular architecture of Windows 95, users will be able to selectively choose the options that Windows 95 will install for the given functionality that they desire.
Smart Recovery Mechanism for Setup
With Windows 3.1 Setup, if the system hung during device detection, or if Setup procedure ended abnormally, it would set a flag disabling hardware detection for the next time that Setup ran. This mechanism provided a means for a user to by-pass a section of setup that would otherwise fail. However, to do this the user was required to rerun the entire setup procedure and manually identify hardware devices.
Windows 95 supports a far better recovery mechanism in the case of setup failure. During the setup process, Windows 95 creates and maintains a log as the setup operations are performed and the hardware devices are detected. If Setup fails, perhaps due to a hang during hardware detection, the last entry in the Setup log identifies where the process was interrupted. To recover and resume, the user simply reruns Setup-the Setup program recognizes that it was run before, and will begin from where it left off. In the case of a hang during a hardware detection procedure, the system will actually bypass the detection module where the hang occurred, and will allow the user to manually select the proper hard device installed in or connected to the system.
Built-in Verification of System Files
Under Windows 3.1, if a user accidentally deleted a component file or a system file was corrupted, there was no easy way for a user to recover the given file. A user needed either to use the Expand utility to recopy over a known file, or to completely reinstall Windows 3.1 to reinstate a lost file.
Windows 95 provides some very flexible solutions to this problem. During the Setup process (and subsequent maintenance of the Windows 95 system), Windows 95 creates and maintains a log of the installed components. This information is used as part of Setup's smart recovery support, and is also used to verify the integrity of installed components.
If a user runs Setup after Windows 95 is already installed, Setup asks the user whether to reinstall Windows 95 or simply to verify installed components. If the user wants to verify installed components, Setup examines the setup log and reruns through the Setup process without completely copying all system components. Windows 95 verifies the integrity of files that were installed during Setup with the files provided on the Windows 95 installation disks. If the integrity check fails due to either a missing file on the Windows 95 computer, or a file was corrupted, Setup automatically reinstalls the missing or damaged file.
This capability in Windows 95 greatly simplifies and reduces the time required to resolve missing files or corrupted configurations, thus helping to reduce the time and money required to support desktop configurations.
Network Setup Improvements
Windows 95 provides improved support for installation and use in network environments. Windows 95 can be installed on a network to upgrade existing Windows users, or can be used to convert existing MS-DOS PCs. Windows 95 offers the same capabilities for running Windows from a network, but also provides additional functionality to better address the requests of MIS organizations.
In addition to basic support for stand-alone computers, Windows 95 includes Setup provisions for better supporting the following installation:
Installing and running Windows 95 from a local computer on a network
Installing and running Windows 95 from a network server instead of installing on the local computer
Installing Windows 95 on a network server and supporting diskless computers that RIPL boot from the network server
Installing Windows 95 on a network server and supporting a computer with a single floppy drive to connect to the network and run Windows 95 from the network server
Additional information about network support in Windows 95 is discussed in the Networking section of this guide.
Network Installation Location Remembered
To make it easy to install new drivers when a user modifies the configuration of a PC in a networked environment, Setup in Windows 95 remembers the location on the network from which it was installed from. Whether the server was a NetWare server, or a Windows NT Server, when the new user adds a device or requires additional driver support files to properly run Windows 95, the Setup code will automatically attempt to get the files from the network server. Setup stores a UNC pathname in the registry, eliminating the need to maintain a permanent network connection on the PC.
Any user that has been prompted for the insertion of a diskette containing needed files for Windows or Windows for Workgroups will find this new functionality a blessing.
Batch Installation Support
Windows 95 features a batch installation option that provides for the use of an installation script to automate the installation process. MIS organizations or VARs can simplify the installation procedure for a user by specifying answers to questions that Setup needs information for, as well as specifying defaults to use for installing and configuring devices such as printers.
System administrators can use the NetSetup tool provided with Windows 95 to create a batch script that specifies all of the options that Setup needs, thus providing support for hands-free installs. The batch install capability of Windows 95 is more flexible and customizable than that provided with Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11.
Configuration Preserved When Upgrading from Windows or Windows for Workgroups
Windows 95 can be easily installed as an upgrade on a PC where Windows or Windows for Workgroups already exists. During the upgrade process, Windows 95 uses existing configuration information to set installation defaults and will examine the contents of specific .INI files to further determine the appropriate Setup options.
Windows 95 preserves configuration information, such as the Program Group definitions created by the user, and will maps user interface-related features or functionality from Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups to that of the new interface used by Windows 95.
International Language Support
With the growth of the world-wide PC market, the use of Microsoft Windows and Windows-based applications has made PCs easier to use around the globe. Windows and Windows-based application are sold and used worldwide. This poses some unique problems for both Microsoft as an operating system vendor, and ISVs as application developers.
When a new software application or operating system intended for a world market is developed, efforts must be undertaken to localize the software to a given country and written language in which it will be used. In many cases, this is as simple as changing the names of menus, menu items, and strings displayed by the software to match the foreign language used in the locale. However, as the features and functionality of a software product grow, so does the complexity required to tailor the application to characteristics of the native country. Since the start of the design work for the Windows NT operating system, Microsoft has been adding to the level of support for international languages and cultural conventions in the 32-bit editions of the Windows family of operating systems.
This section discusses the localization plans for Windows 95, the built-in international support for using Windows 95 on a world-wide basis, and the special provisions that Windows 95 provides for enhancing existing or developing new applications that can be used in different parts of the world.
Summary of Improvements over Windows 3.1
Support for using the Windows operating system on a global basis is improved in Windows 95. Windows 95 offers benefits to both end-users and to software developers, which can be summarized as follows:
Benefits for Users
Windows 95 makes it easy to use multiple language fonts and character sets, and easily switch between the different keyboard layouts required to support them.
With the Eastern European version of Windows 3.1, a user can directly switch between only two keyboard layouts; for example, Russian and English. With the standard Latin versions of Windows, a user cannot easily switch between different keyboard layouts directly-the user has to go to Control Panel for each language switch.
With Windows 95, users can easily switch between all available languages and corresponding keyboard layouts configured on their system by using the Alt+Shift key combination-making it easy for users to integrated information into a multilingual document.
Windows 95 substitutes fonts when switching between different languages if the original font is not present on the system.
When switching between different languages, matching fonts for the new language are substituted if the original font is not available. This allows users to be able to read and use the text for a similar character set, even if they don't have the same font that the original information was created in.
Proper sorting and formatting rules are used corresponding to the presently configured locale.
Different locales and cultures have different rules for interpreting information. For example, cultures use different sequence algorithms for sorting information, use different comparison algorithms for finding or searching for information, and use different formats for specifying time and date information. Win32-based applications that use the National Language Support (NLS) APIs allow users to easily exchange information on a global basis, while preserving the integrity of the information.
Benefits for Developers
It's easy for application developers to add international language support to their applications.
Developers can now use the Win32 NLS APIs for sorting, searching, and manipulating information in a locale-independent way. NLS services in Windows 95 ensures that information is handled properly for the given culture or locale. The correct national format is automatically supplied based on the international settings specified by the user in Control Panel. For example, to obtain the current date format information to match the current locale, a developer can simply make the application call an NLS API and the system will return the proper format. Likewise, to sort information in the proper sequence in French, Norwegian, or Spanish, the application calls a corresponding culture-independent NLS API.
Windows 95 provides services for application vendors to automatically switch between the proper fonts and keyboard layouts as users navigate through a multilingual document.
For users who create or edit multilingual content in their documents (for example, translators), a Win32-based application that uses the international services in Windows 95 automatically activates the correct fonts and corresponding keyboard layouts for the edit point in the text. This allows easy editing of information contained within multilingual documents.
Information can be passed through the Clipboard to other applications and preserve language-specific attributes.
Windows 95 provides additional services for application vendors to easily exchange information between internationally-aware applications, while preserving all language formatting characteristics.
Multilingual-aware applications can change the given language of the system under program control.
Windows 95 provides services that application vendors can use to automatically switch the language that the system uses to match attributes in a document. For example, as a user scrolls through a multilingual document, the application can automatically switch the system language to match the format of the information contained within the document.
Language-relevant information can be saved in Rich Text Format (RTF) from a multilingual-aware application.
Extensions are provided to the RTF specification to support storing international language information in RTF files.
Localization of the Windows 95 Operating System
As a result of success of Microsoft Windows around the world, Windows and Windows-based applications have been localized into many different languages. Microsoft Windows 3.1 was localized into more 25 major languages. However, this process took as long as 18 months, thus delaying the availability of Windows 3.1 for some language versions. The Windows 95 development team has been working on international localization issues concurrently with the development of the domestic U.S. version of the operating system. To better support a global market, Microsoft plans to localize Windows 95 into at least 29 different language versions. The localized versions of Windows 95 will be released on a planned development schedule that does not exceed 120 days. The planned localized product versions for Windows 95 include German, French, Spanish, Swedish, Dutch, Italian, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Portuguese, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Czech, Polish, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek, Arabic, Basque, Hebrew, Thai, Indonesian, and Catalan (as well as several other variations of these languages).
International Language Issues
For an operating system to be used effectively in a world-wide environment, the localization is only a small part of the solution to offer global customers a solution. A world-wide operating system release must also provide services to support the use of international applications and support a global market by making the application developer's job easier.
Here are some international language issues which international end-users and applications developer face:
From the End-User's Perspective
Some users need to use more than one language in a document. For example, they might be translating from English to Russian or they might be writing an instruction document for a product in many different languages. This causes series of obstacles for the user. For example, the user must repeatedly switch to another keyboard layout on-the-fly so that he or she can continue writing text in a different language. Likewise, when using a database, the user faces the problem of sorting the information in the proper order for a given language.
From the Developers Perspective
When localizing a product into different languages, a developer is faced with several questions, such as: What is the correct sorting order for French? How is a date represented in Germany? Do the Swedes really need to have the ability to use the characters: , Ž, ™? If a document contains text in more than one language, is there some way for the software to "know" which part of the document is in which language? Can information in a multilingual document be passed to another application via the Clipboard?
It is of course not expected that every developer knows how to address these issues, but many try natively as part of their application and come a little short, creating problems for the end-user, their support organization, and their own development team.
In Windows 95, Microsoft has set out to offer international language support at the operating system and API level to add functionality which provides solutions to using software and exchanging documents around the world.
International Language Support
Since the mainstream Windows operating system platform has not previously offered international language support as an operating system service, many application vendors have hard-coded global characteristics into their applications. This allows their applications to be used in a given locale, but prevents them users from easily using the application in a different cultural environment. Therefore, the user is dependent upon the application vendor for providing a version of the application that matches their locale attributes.
Providing international language support services in the Windows 95 operating system makes it easier for application developers to solve international language issues related to presenting or manipulating information in their applications.
Date and Time Formats
Date and time information needs to be represented in different formats depending on the locale where the information is being used. For example, date information presented in English places the day between the month and year as in "March 9, 1994," whereas a different locale may represent the same date as "9 March 1994."
Sorting and Searching Support
International language issues are much more complex than simply representing date and time information in the proper format. Sorting and searching algorithms in applications must correspond to the proper language rules for the locale in which the information is being used and manipulated.
Here are some examples of subtle differences between different language rules:
In French, diacritics are sorted right to left instead of left to right as in English.
In Norwegian, some extended characters follow the Z character as they are considered unique characters rather than characters with a diacritic.
In Spanish, CH is a unique character between C and D, and ¥ is a unique character between N and O.
In Windows 3.1, many developers developed their own sorting routines for different languages and hard-coded this functionality into their code. This makes their applications inflexible to support the numerous right sorting tables required for all the languages in which they want to localize their application in.
As a further example, when sorting a database in Swedish with an English-language sort algorithm, names would be sorted like this:
English sorting
Correct Swedish sorting
Andersson
Andersson
kesson
Karlsson
Žrlingmark
Magnusson
Karlsson
Turesson
Magnusson
kesson
Turesson
Žrlingmark
The system treats the and Ž as an A and therefore sorts it as an A at the top of the list. But in the correct Swedish sort order, the and Ž are sorted at the end of the alphabet, after Z. The reason that the names starting with and ™ are sorted as last in the correct Swedish sorting is that the and Ž are separate vowels in the Swedish language and occur at the very end of the alphabet. A Swede looking for "Žrlingmark" would be quite confused to find it near the beginning, not the end, of a list of names, for example.
Support for Different National Character Set Support, Keyboards, and Fonts
In standard Windows 3.1 there is no way to use fonts native to the Eastern European countries such as Greece, Russia, or Turkey. For instance, if a user tries to install a Russian font on an English or French version of Windows 3.1, the characters appear unintelligible on the screen and the user is unable to use the font. Therefore, a special English Eastern European version of Windows 3.1 was designed for English users who needed to use the Eastern European fonts, including Russian Cyrillic or Greek. The English Eastern European version of Windows 3.1 offered the same capabilities as the true Russian or Turkish EE (Eastern European) version of Windows for displaying font and character information.
International Language Solution: Multilingual Content Support
Windows 95 resolves many problems related to international language issues by integrating multilingual content support in the core of the operating system. Windows 95 also offers national language support to software developers as a series of APIs that are part of the Win32 API set.
What is Multilingual Content?
Multilingual content support is the ability to display and edit text of various languages and scripts in a single document. Multilingual content support is a core feature in the Windows 95 product and will be supported in the next major release of Windows NT (code named "Cairo").
Multilingual content support in an application has two major benefits. The first is that users who need to deal with content in multiple languages and scripts and exchange these documents with users on other language systems can do so. This is an important feature within the European Union, for example, where Greek- and Latin-based languages must coexist in documents. The second benefit is that an application which supports multilingual content will support the native content of any market into which it is sold. A multilingual application is a great application for the world.
Switching Between Languages and Keyboards the Easy Way
Windows 95 allows the user to add support for multiple keyboard layouts to match different international conventions. In Control Panel, the Keyboard icon provides the ability to configure the system to support the preferred keyboard layouts as shown in Figure 112.
Figure 112. Keyboard Properties Dialog Showing International Layout Support
Under Windows 3.1, to change the keyboard layout a user would go to Control Panel each time he or she wanted to change to a different keyboard format. Windows 95 makes this even easier. Figure 113 shows a sample legacy word processing document that illustrates the ability to integrate text using the Arial font in different languages within the same document. The language identifier in the status area of the Taskbar allows the user to easily switch the system language between the available language options. A Windows 95 application that uses NLS APIs would incorporate the ability to switch the preferred language directly on the toolbar of the application.
Figure 113. Windows 95 Makes it Easy to Switch Between Different Languages to Create Multilingual Documents
Multilingual Extensions to the ChooseFont Dialog Box
The ChooseFont common dialog is now enhanced to include a list box showing the character set scripts supported by a particular font. This allows for proper representation of fonts for a given language.
Figure 114 shows an early representation of the new ChooseFont common dialog box, illustrating the integration of font script selection options. The scripts list shows the script names for each of the character sets covered by the font selected in the Font control. The preview window displays a font sample that is dependent on the script selected, as well as the other font attributes. The sample preview string is specific to the character set chosen by the user, showing what each of the different scripts look like.
Figure 114. Windows 95 Displays the Available Font Selections for a Given Font Script Chosen by the User
Internationally-aware applications can support multilingual font selection by using the ChooseFont common dialog box (thus allowing users to select fonts) and by recognizing the extensions to the ChooseFont data structures in Windows 95. Even Windows-based applications-which, though not originally designed for Windows 95, still support formatted text, but not multilingual messages-may gain some basic level of support for multilingual content. If an application uses the ChooseFont common dialog box, it benefits from the enhancements, allowing users to select from the full range of character sets and fonts configured in the system. As long as the application saves the complete logical font data structure representation for fonts, an existing Windows-based application can get by without being aware that the font change a user has made includes a possible change of character set. (Applications do generally save this data, at least when saving text in their native format. Fewer save this when writing to interchange formats such as RTF.)
Multilingual Support for Exchanging Information Via the ClipBoard
A good multilingual-aware application should can exchange multilingual content with other aware applications and can exchange appropriate flat text to others, within the limitations of the ASCII text formats. Windows 95 provides special support in the data exchange APIs to pass language information along with the rich text data.
Win32 National Language Support APIs
When they install Windows 95, users specify a locale preference. (This preference can be changed later via Control Panel.) The Win32 NLS APIs can use the user' default locale settings or a specific locale setting.
By using the Win32 NLS APIs, developers can easily integrate international language support in their Win32-based applications. These APIs are supported both on the Windows 95 and Windows NT operating system platforms (with limited support available with Win32s under Windows 3.1) and allow applications to properly retrieve regional and language settings, format date and time, sort lists according to cultural rules, compare and map strings, and determine character type information.
This means that a developer in the U.S. can be assured that the sorting order and date formats that Microsoft provides with the operating system are correct. Therefore, the developer has only to use the appropriate Win32 NLS APIs to sort or display information.
By using the Win32 NLS APIs, developers can more easily develop applications for new global markets. Using this API set also lowers development costs by eliminating the need for proprietary sorting methods, parsing the WIN.INI file or Registry, and locale-specific coding. Perhaps more importantly for developers, the API set provides a mechanism for accurate and consistent behavior on each 32-bit Microsoft Windows platforms.
End-users benefit because the API set ensures that information is handled and displayed properly for a given locale-specific format. In addition, users don't have to worry as to whether their international text is being sorted properly.
Try It!
To be able to examine the improvements present in Windows 95 to switch between language types and keyboard layouts, you've got to Try It!
Support for Multilingual Content
To demonstrate the multilingual content support in Windows 95, try these simple procedures to install different language support.
In Control Panel, open the Keyboard icon and click on the Language tab. Add a couple of keyboards (for example, Swedish and French) and then choose OK. On the right corner of the Taskbar, notice a small square is displayed in the status area to represent the active keyboard layout-two letters are displayed in the square to represent the language, for instance EN for English.
Start a word processing application and try to create a document in which to try the multilingual content support. To hot-switch between different input languages, press ALT+SHIFT, and toggle through the available configured languages. Once you have switched to a new input language, type something (a multilingual-aware application would automatically switch the proper font). Of course you have to know where the keys are on that country-specific keyboard layout.
In a true multilingual-aware application, you can scroll the text and the application will automatically switch the current input language to match the proper language format when you scroll through different languages in the text.
Accessibility
Microsoft is committed to making computers easier to use for everyone, including individuals with disabilities. Personal computers are powerful tools that enable people to work, create, and communicate in ways that might otherwise be difficult or impossible. This vision of enabling all people can be realized only if individuals with disabilities have equal access to the powerful world of personal computing.
The issue of computer accessibility in the home and workplace for people with disabilities is becoming increasingly important. Seven to nine out of every ten major corporations employ people with disabilities who may need to use computers as part of their jobs. In the U.S. alone, an estimated 30+ million people have disabilities that can potentially limit their ability to use computers. Additionally, as the population ages, even more people will experience functional limitations, causing the issue of computer accessibility to become even more important to the population as a whole.
Legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (which affects private businesses with more than 15 employees) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (which addresses government spending), also brings accessibility issues to the forefront in both the public and private sectors.
Microsoft already offers a number of products specifically for users with disabilities and includes features in our mainstream software products that help make them more accessible. Our two most prominent accessibility products are Access Pack for Microsoft Windows and AccessDOS. Both were developed by the Trace Research and Development Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, using research funded by NIDRR. Microsoft recently followed these up by releasing Access Pack for Microsoft Windows NT. These products enhance the Windows, MS-DOS, and Windows NT operating systems by adding a variety of features which make the computer more accessible for users with limited dexterity or hearing impairments. Microsoft distributes these utilities at no charge to the customer, and documents their availability with each of our new products.
Windows 95 offers several enhancements designed to make the system more accessible and easier to use for individuals with disabilities. In recent years Microsoft has established close relationships with users who have disabilities, organizations representing disabled individuals, workers in the rehabilitation field, and software developers who create products for this market. Based on their combined input, Microsoft has defined specific design goals for Windows 95:
Integrate and improve the features from Access Pack which compensate for difficulties some individuals have using the keyboard or the mouse
Make the visual user interface easier to customize for people with limited vision
Provide additional visual feedback for users are deaf or hard-of-hearing
Provide new API and "hooks" for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) developing third-party accessibility aids, including those which allow blind individuals to use Windows
Make information on accessibility solutions more widely available and increase public awareness of these issues
Throughout the Windows 95 product, enhancements designed to meet these goals are included. This section describes the enhancements to the product which will make computing easier for individuals who have disabilities.
Summary of Improvements Over Windows 3.1
The primary improvements in accessibility for Windows 95 are:
Scaleable user-interface elements
Compensate for difficulties using the keyboard
Keyboard emulation of the mouse
Support alternative input devices which emulate the keyboard and mouse
Provide visual cues to tell the user when the application is making sounds
Advise applications when the user has limited vision
Advise applications when the user needs additional keyboard support due to difficulty using a mouse
Advise applications when the user wants visual captions to be displayed for speech or other sounds
Advise applications when they should modify their behavior to be compatible with accessibility software utilities running in the system
Optimize keyboard layouts for users who type with a single hand, a single finger or a mouthstick
Include audible prompts during Setup for users who have low vision
Color schemes which are optimized for users with low vision
Include accessibility information in our documentation
General Accessibility Enhancement Features
Online Help
An Accessibility section in the Windows 95 help contents and index provides a quick reference and pointer to topics that can help adjust the behavior of the system for people with disabilities.
Controlling the Accessibility Features
Most of the accessibility features described in this section are adjusted through the Accessibility Options icon in Control Panel in Windows 95. This allows you to turn the accessibility features on or off and to customize timings, feedback, and other behavior for your own particular needs.
Figure 115. The Accessibility Features property sheet in Control Panel
Emergency Hotkeys
Most of the accessibility features described in this section are adjusted through the Control Panel. But if a user is unable to use the computer until an accessibility feature is turned on, how can they use Control Panel to activate it? This chicken-and-the-egg problem is solved by providing emergency hotkeys which by which a user can temporarily turn on the specific feature he or she needs. Then, once a feature is turned on, the user can navigate to Control Panel and adjust the feature to his or her own preferences, or turn it on permanently.
The same hot-key can use used to temporarily turn off one of the features, if it gets in the way or to enable another person to use the computer.
We have been worked hard to make sure that the emergency hotkeys will not get in the way of users who don't need them. Each hot-key is designed to be obscure key combinations or key sequences which should not conflict with applications. If such a conflict does arise, the hotkeys can be disabled, and the user can still use the feature or not as needed.
As an additional precaution, each emergency hot-key plays a rising tone, and also brings up a confirmation dialog box that briefly explains the feature and how it was activated. If the user pressed the hot-key unintentionally, this allows the user to cancel the feature's activation. It also provides a quick path to more detailed Help and the Control Panel settings for that feature, allowing the user to disable the hot-key permanently.
Accessibility TimeOut
The Accessibility TimeOut turns off Access Pack's functionality after the system has been idle for a certain period of time. It returns the system to its default configuration. This feature is useful on machines shared by multiple users.
The Accessibility TimeOut can be adjusted using Control Panel.
Accessibility Status Indicator
An optional visual indicator is provided that tells the user which accessibility features are turned on, helping users unfamiliar with the features identify the cause of unfamiliar behavior. The indicator also provides feedback on the keys and mouse buttons currently being "held down" by the StickyKeys and MouseKeys features. The status indicator can be displayed on the system Task Bar, or as a free-floating window, and can be displayed in a choice of sizes.
Figure 116. The Accessibility Status Indicator Window
Features for Users with Low Vision
Scaleable User Interface Elements
Users who have limited vision or who suffer eyestrain during normal use of Windows can now adjust the sizes of window titles, scroll bars, borders, menu text, and other standard screen elements. These sizes are completely customizable through the Control Panel in Windows 95. You can also choose between two sizes for the built-in system font.
Customizable Mouse Pointer
Users who have difficulty seeing or following the mouse pointer can now choose between three sizes: normal, large, and extra large. They are also able to adjust the color or add animation, both of which can increase the pointer's visibility.
High-Contrast Color Schemes
The Windows color schemes allows users to choose from several well-designed sets of screen-color options designed both to match users' individual tastes and to meet their visual needs. The new color schemes in Windows 95 include high-contrast colors designed to optimize the visibility of screen objects, making it easier for users with visual impairments.
High-Contrast Mode
Many users with low vision require high contrast between foreground and background objects to be able to distinguish one from the other. For example, they may not be able to easily read black text on a gray background, or text drawn over a picture. Users can now set a global flag to advise Windows 95 and applications that they need information presented with high contrast.
Windows 95 also provides an emergency hot-key which allows a person to set the computer into high-contrast mode when they may be unable to use Control Panel, or when the current color scheme makes the computer unusable for them. This hot-key allows them to choose an alternate color scheme which better meets their needs.
High-Contrast Mode can be turned on or off using an emergency hot-key, by pressing left ALT, left SHIFT, and PRINT SCREEN keys simultaneously.
Features for Making Keyboard and Mouse Input Easier
StickyKeys
Many software programs require the user to press two or three keys at one time. For people who type with a single finger or a mouthstick, that just isn't possible. StickyKeys allows users to press one key at a time and instructs Windows to respond as if they had been pressed simultaneously.
When StickyKeys is on, pressing any modifier key (that is, CTRL, ALT, or SHIFT) will latch that key down until you release the mouse button or a non-modifier key. Pressing a modifier key twice in a row will lock it down until it is tapped a third time.
StickyKeys functionality is adjusted using the Control Panel, or it can be turned on or off using an emergency hot-key, by pressing the SHIFT key five consecutive times.
SlowKeys
The sensitivity of the keyboard can be a major problem for some individuals, especially if they often press keys accidentally. SlowKeys instructs Windows to disregard keystrokes that are not held down for a minimum period of time. This allows a users to brush against keys without any ill effect, and when the user get a finger on the proper key, the user can hold the key down until the character prints to the screen.
SlowKeys functionality is adjusted using the Control Panel, or it can be turned on or off using an emergency hot-key, by holding down the right SHIFT key for eight seconds. (This hot-key also turns on RepeatKeys.)
RepeatKeys
Most keyboards allow users to repeat a key just by holding it down. This feature is convenient for some, but can be a major annoyance for people who can't lift their fingers off the keyboard quickly. RepeatKeys lets users adjust the repeat rate or disable it altogether.
RepeatKeys is adjusted using the Control Panel, or it can be turned on or off using an emergency hot-key, by holding down the right SHIFT key for eight seconds (This hot-key also turns on SlowKeys.)
BounceKeys
For users who "bounce" keys, resulting in double strokes of the same key or other similar errors, BounceKeys instructs Windows to ignore unintended keystrokes.
BounceKeys is adjusted using the Control Panel, or it can be turned on or off using an emergency hot-key, by holding down the right SHIFT key for twelve seconds. You will hear an up-siren after eight seconds, and another double-tone after twelve seconds. Releasing the SHIFT key after the double-tone will activate BounceKeys.
MouseKeys
This feature lets individuals control the mouse pointer using the keyboard. Windows 95 is designed to allow the user to perform all actions without needing a mouse, but some applications may require one, and a mouse may be more convenient for some tasks. MouseKeys is also useful for graphic artists and others who need to position the pointer with great accuracy. You do not need to have a mouse to use this feature.
When MouseKeys is on, use the following keys to navigate the pointer on your screen:
Press any number key except 5 (these are also called the direction keys) on the numeric keypad to move the pointer in the direction indicated by Figure 117.
Use the 5 key for a single mouse-button click and the + key for a double-click.
To drag and release an object, with the pointer on the object, press ins to begin dragging, then move the object to its new location and DEL to release it.
Select the left, right, or both mouse buttons for clicking by pressing the /, -, or * key, respectively.
Hold down the CTRL key while using the direction keys (numeric keys, except for 5) to "jump" the pointer in large increments across the screen.
Hold down the SHIFT key while using the direction keys to move the mouse a single pixel at a time for greater accuracy.
Figure 117. Keys on the numeric keypad that control the mouse pointer
MouseKeys can be adjusted using the Control Panel, or it can be turned on or off using an emergency hot-key, by pressing the left ALT, left SHIFT and NUM LOCK keys simultaneously.
ToggleKeys
ToggleKeys provide audio cues-high and low beeps-to tell the user whether a toggle key is active or inactive. It applies to the CAPS LOCK, NUM LOCK, and SCROLL LOCK keys.
ToggleKeys can be adjusted using the Control Panel, or it can be turned on or off using an emergency hot-key, by holding down the NUM LOCK key for eight seconds.
Features for Users Who Are Hearing-Impaired
ShowSounds
Some applications present information audibly, as wave-files containing digitized speech or through audible cues that each convey a different meaning. These cues might be unusable by a person who is deaf or hard-of-hearing, someone who works in a very noisy environment, or someone who turns off the computer's speakers in a very quiet work environment. In Windows 95, you can set a global flag to let applications know you want visible feedback-in effect asking the applications to be "close captioned".
SoundSentry
SoundSentry tells Windows to send a visual cue, such as a blinking title bar or screen flash whenever there is a system beep. This allows users to see the message that may not have been heard.
Support for Alternative Input Devices
SerialKeys
This feature, in conjunction with a communications aid interface device, allows the user to control the computer using an alternative input device. Such a device needs only to send coded command strings through the computer's serial port to specify keystrokes and mouse events which are then treated like normal keyboard and mouse input.
Support for Multiple Pointing Devices
The new Plug and Play architecture in Windows 95 inherently supports multiple pointing devices all cooperating together. This allows seamless addition of alternative pointing devices, such as head-pointers or eye-gaze systems without the need to replace or disable the normal mouse.
Features for Software Developers
Accessibility Guidelines for Software Developers
Windows 95 contains many built-in features designed to make the computer more accessible to people with disabilities. To make a computer running Windows 95 truly accessible, application developers must provide access to their applications' features, taking care to avoid incompatibilities with accessibility aids.
As part of the Software Development Kit for Windows 95 and User Interface Design Guidelines for Windows 95, Microsoft has provided developers with documentation which not only outlines to these important concepts, but provides technical and design tips to help ISVs produce more accessible applications. Most of these tips will mean very little additional work to the designer, as long as the application designer is aware of the issues and incorporates accessibility into the application design at an early stage. By providing this information to application developers, Microsoft hopes to increase the general level of accessibility of all software running on the Windows platform.
Methods for Simulating Input
Windows 95 now allows developers of voice-input systems and other alternative input systems to easily simulate keyboard and mouse input using fully documented and supported procedures.
Chaining Display Drivers
Some accessibility aids, such as screen review packages for low-vision users, need to detect information as it is drawn to the screen. Windows 95 supports chaining display drivers that allow these utilities to intercept text and graphics being drawn, without interfering with the normal computer operation.
New Common Controls
Many accessibility aids have difficulty working with applications which implement non-standard controls. Windows 95 introduces a whole new set of controls available for mainstream software developers, and these standardized implementations are designed to cooperate with accessibility aids.
Try It!
To see how these accessibility features in Windows 95 make it easy to customize the appearance and behavior of your computer, you can try them out yourself!
Don't Touch that Mouse
Press the left alt, the left shift and the num lock keys simultaneously, and you'll be able to drag-and-drop, and click or double-click both the primary and secondary mouse buttons simply using your keyboard's numeric keypad. For more information, see the "MouseKeys" section above.
Try Typing With a Pencil
Suppose you could only type with a single finger, or with a stick held between your teeth. How would you press ALT+ TAB? Press a SHIFT key consecutive five times to try out StickyKeys. Once it's activated, press the ALT key and see what happens. Press TAB and you'll have just typed two keys at once with a single finger. Press the ALT key twice, then press TAB a few times to see the ALT+ TAB window and cycle through all the tasks you have running. When you're satisfied, press ALT one more time to release it. When you're ready to move on you can turn off this feature just by pressing two keys at the same time. Don't forget to watch the status indicator on the system Task Bar!
Support for MS-DOS-based Applications
All of the accessibility features described here are available even when you're running MS-DOS-based applications. Start an MS-DOS application and try StickyKeys or MouseKeys-these features are available any time you need them, whatever you may be doing.
Take a New Look
Imagine that you couldn't read black text on a gray background, because all the lines blurred together. Press Left ALT + Left SHIFT + PRINTSCREEN and see if you find an appearance that's more suitable to your needs.
Applications and Utilities
Windows 95 includes a set of applications and utilities designed to take advantage of new areas of the operating system, including 32-bit preemptive multitasking, long filenames, new Windows 95 visual elements and common dialogs, OLE, TAPI, MAPI, and other Win32 API features. This section describes some of the new applications and utilities, and the key features they provide.
The applications and utilities listed in this section have either been completely re-designed or designed from scratch so that a novice user can have a good experience using the applications for the very first time (and for many times after that). Experienced users will find them both powerful and flexible, however the applications were not necessarily designed to satisfy all the needs of advanced users-many of the applications and utilities will help to inspire third-party developers to further exploit technology included in Windows 95.
File Viewers
File Viewers are a new capability included in Windows 95. They allow users to view files in most popular file formats without using the application used to create the files. File Viewers provide a real convenience when looking at attachments sent in electronic mail messages, or browsing files on a network. Figure 26 shows the right-click context menu with the Quick View menu item selected, and the resulting Quick View window showing the contents of a Microsoft Excel worksheet.
Figure 118. Quick View of a Microsoft Excel Worksheet
File viewers also support the ability to drag and drop of a file from the Windows Explorer or desktop onto an open file viewer (Quick View) window. If the extension of a document is not associated with a known application, the "Open With" dialog allows user to specify either viewing the file using QuickView or opening the selected document with an application.
Users can also specify the default open command for any file type to be QuickView in the View Options dialog (in the Windows Explorer), which is convenient for users who look at a particular file type a lot but do not have the application on their hard disk. Users can also customize the quick view display in several ways:
Can view files in standard view or page view, both landscape and portrait layout modes
Can view files in different fonts, point sizes
Can rotate bitmap files so things like fax messages can be moved to the correct orientation
Jointly developed by Microsoft and Systems Compatibility Corporation (SCC), Windows 95 includes Quick Viewers for popular file formats. (SCC offers additional viewers and features in their Outside In for Windows product.) In addition, ISVs are being encouraged to ship their own Quick Viewers for the file formats they support to work with future releases of their software.
Windows 95 will provide Quick Viewers that support the following file formats (third-parties and ISVs will provide support for additional file formats-users can also assign different extensions to applications to choose QuickView format):
.ASC ASCII file
.BMP Windows Bitmap Graphics File
.CDR Corel Draw files
.DOC Word for MS-DOS ver 5, 6; Word for Windows ver 2, 6; WordPerfect, ver 4.2, 5, 6, 6.1
.DRW Micrographix Draw
.EPS Encapsulated PostScript files
.GIF Compuserve GIF File
.INF setup files
.INI configuration files
.MOD Multiplan v 3, 4.0, 4.1 File
.PPT PowerPoint, ver 4 files
.PRE Freelance for Windows
.RLE Bitmap Files (RunLengthEncoding)
.RTF Rich Text Format File
.SAM AMI and AMI PRO files
.TIF Tiff File
.TXT Text File
.WB1 Quattro Pro for Windows spreadsheet files
.WK1 Lotus 1-2-3 v 1 & 2 Files
.WK3 Lotus 1-2-3 v 3 File
.WK4 Lotus 1-2-3 v 4 spreadsheet and chart files
.WKS Lotus 1-2-3 File or MS Works v 3 File
.WMF Windows Metafile
.WPD WordPerfect demo files
.WPS Works Word Processing Files
.WQ1 Quattro Pro for MS-DOS File
.WQ2 Quattro Pro v 5 for MS-DOS File
.WRI Windows 3.x WRITE files
.XLC Excel 4 Chart File
.XLS Excel 4 Spreadsheet and Excel 5 Spreadsheet and Chart Files
WordPad
WordPad is a 32-bit application that replaces Write and Notepad, provided in Windows 3.1, as a single editor. WordPad is a completely rewritten application and was written as a good example of the user interface style that applications written for Windows 95 should use. While not a full-blown word processor, WordPad does make it easy for users to create simple documents and memos. WordPad also utilizes the new common dialogs in Windows 95 for opening files, saving files, and for printing-the new dialogs make it easy for users to use long filenames.
As an OLE server and client application, WordPad provides easy integration with other OLE-enabled applications provided with Windows 95, or available from third-parties. WordPad uses the same native file format as Microsoft Word for Windows version 6, but also supports reading and writing rich text files (RTF) and text files, and reading of Write .WRI files.
WordPad also is MAPI-enabled, so it's easily integrated with Microsoft Exchange to allow users to send files over electronic mail, or by fax, directly from within WordPad.
Figure 119. WordPad Application Provided in Windows 95
Paint
As with WordPad, Paint in Windows 95 is a new 32-bit application that replaces it's Windows 3.1 counterpart, Paintbrush. Paint is an OLE server, allowing the creation of OLE object information that can be embedded or linked into other documents. Paint is also MAPI-enabled, thus making it easy to integrate with Microsoft Exchange to send images as electronic mail messages, or as a fax message.
The combination of Paint and WordPad operating on the system provide a good way for novices to see the interaction of good 32-bit applications written for Windows 95.
Figure 120. Paint Application Provided in Windows 95
Backup
Backup is a new 32-bit application for Windows 95 that makes it easy for users to "back up" information on their computer to another storage medium such as floppy disk or to tape. The user interface in the Backup application takes full advantage of new Windows 95 user interface, and uses standard controls such as the tree and list view controls to make it easy for novices and users familiar with the controls in Windows Explorer as part of the Windows 95 shell. Usability studies have shown that the user interface is easy for novice users to understand and use, and thus will make it quick and simple for backups to be performed. Backup includes the ability to drag and drop file sets and backup sets onto a link to the Backup application which can be placed on the desktop to make starting a backup operation much easier-this allows users to just "click and drag" to start a backup procedure. Access to the Backup application can also be invoked by explicitly running the Backup application, or by choosing the Backup option from the Tools tab on the Disk Property sheet.
Figure 121. Backup application provided in Windows 95 can backup local hard disk, floppy disks, or network drives
Backup is extremely flexible, and allows backup, restore, and compare of files using hard disks, network drives, floppy disks, and QIC 40, 80, 3010, and 3020 tape drives which are connected to the primary floppy disk controller, and the QIC 40, 80, and 3010 tape drives manufactured by Colorado Memory Systems which connect to the parallel port. Backup also supports compression of files to maximize storage space. The on tape format is the industry standard QIC-113 format. The Backup application can read tapes created with other backup applications which also use this standard QIC-113 on tape format, both with file compression and without file compression.
Other standard options include differential and full backup, re-direction of files on restore, and always erasing floppies or tapes before a backup. Backup includes a full system backup/restore feature which allows the user to simply select the full system backup file set (automatically created for user when backup is first launched), do a backup, and then, later do a restore. This works even if the user has replaced their hard disk with a completely different type of hard disk. The Backup application does all the necessary merging of registry settings and management of replacing files in use so a novice user never has to understand all of the technical details associated with this fairly complex operation.
HyperTerminal
HyperTerminal is a new 32-bit communications application provided with Windows 95 that provides asynchronous connectivity to host computers such as on-line services, or other PCs. HyperTerminal replaces the Terminal application provided in Windows 3.1, and is a completely different application, providing advanced features and functionality not supported in Terminal.
HyperTerminal represents a good communications application written for Windows 95, and is completely integrated with, and takes full advantage of, the new Telephony API (TAPI) and UNIMODEM subsystems built into Windows 95. HyperTerminal uses the new 32-bit communications subsystem and provides error-free data transfer by leveraging the new architecture components in Windows 95, including multithreading and preemptive multitasking. The user interface in HyperTerminal focuses on the document centric nature of Windows 95, and is centered around the communications connection that users make, rather than around the main application. As with the other applications and utilities provided with Windows 95, HyperTerminal uses the new common dialogs and supports the use of long filenames
HyperTerminal makes connecting to remote computers easy for both novices and experienced PC users. Through the use of innovative autosensing technology, complex communications settings such as baud rate, number of stop bits, parity, and terminal emulation type, are automatically determined by the HyperTerminal application, so the user doesn't have to deal with these settings at all. This results in a significant usability improvement.
HyperTerminal provides mainstream communications program functionality, including terminal emulation and binary file transfer capability. Terminal emulation support includes emulation of ANSI, TTY, VT52, and VT100 terminals. Binary file transfer protocol support includes Xmodem, Ymodem, Zmodem, and Kermit file transfer protocols.
Figure 122. HyperTerminal application in Windows 95 makes it easy to connect to host computer services and perform error-free downloading of files
New MS-DOS-based Edit.Com
Windows 95 also includes a new version of the MS-DOS-based text editor, EDIT.COM. Enhancements were made to the editor provided with MS-DOS to make it easier for users to work with text files in case the Windows 95 shell can not be loaded for some reason.
Users of MS-DOS will find the Edit program very familiar, however there are some dramatic improvements. Edit will allow users to open up to 9 files at the same time, split the screen between two files, and easily copy and paste information between files. Users can also open files which are approximately 4 MB in size. Another key feature in the new Edit program is that it also supports long filenames-users can open filenames and navigate through their directory structure just as they do under the Windows 95 shell. Edit is also smaller and faster than it's MS-DOS predecessor.
Figure 123. New Edit.Com in Windows 95 supports split screen, and using long filenames
WinPad Organizer
Windows 95 includes an integrated personal information manager called the WinPad Organizer, that replaces the Cardfile/Calender combination provided with Windows 3.1, and adds a to-do list manager. Windows 95 users get a simple, easy-to-use PIM for management of appointments, contacts, and task-lists, etc. Additionally the PIM is compatible and synchronizes data with upcoming "WinPad" based "Mobile Companions" (handheld devices). For the first time, Windows users will be able to easily keep critical information like contact names/address, schedule, to-do and other information synchronized between their desktop and a handheld device. Additionally, the WinPad Organizer synchronizes data with the Timex Data Link Watch, allowing you to carry your personal information on your wrist.
Figure 124. WinPad Organizer makes it easy to keep track of your calendar, to do list, addresses, and more
Disk Utilities
Windows 95 includes a collection of disk utilities designed to keep your system performing optimally and error-free. In addition to the DriveSpace Disk Compression Tool discussed in the Architecture section of this guide, Windows 95 also includes a disk optimizer tool, and a disk checking and repair tool.
Disk Defragmenter (Optimizer)
The Disk Drefragmenter (optimizer) tool in Windows 95 makes it easy for users to optimize their hard disk by rearranging information so it's better organized. This helps to minimize the area on which Windows 95 will need to look on your disk to load information that you request. Unlike the disk defragmenter utility provided with MS-DOS, the Disk Defragmenter utility in Windows 95 is a graphical application that runs within Windows 95. Users can defragment their disks in the background while other applications are running on their system, making it convenient for them to optimize their system. Additionally, users can see details of the defragment process and watch the progress being made by the utility, or can display a minimal status, as shown in Figure 125, that simply shows the status of the optimization process.
Figure 125. Disk Defragmenter utility in Windows 95 helps users optimize their disk performance
ScanDisk (Disk Checking and Repair Tool)
The ScanDisk (disk checking and repair tool) provided with Windows 95 is designed to help users check the integrity of their disks and to remedy problems that are detected. Unlike the Scandisk utility provided with MS-DOS, the ScanDisk utility in Windows 95 is a graphical application that runs within Windows 95. Users have the option of either running a standard scan, where ScanDisk will only check the files on the user's system for errors, or a thorough scan, where files are checked for errors and a disk surface test is performed to check for additional errors. As with the Disk Defragmenter utility, users do not need to exit any running applications to run the ScanDisk utility making it easy and convenient for users to check the integrity of their disk system, and thus prevent possible catastrophic errors in the future.
Figure 126. ScanDisk utility in Windows 95 allows users to perform a standard or thorough scan to check the integrity of their files and disk
What Makes A Great Application for Windows 95?
While Windows 95 provides compatibility for running MS-DOS and Win16-based applications, users benefit from additional functionality supported by Win32-based applications. Win32-based applications benefit from the preemptive multitasking architecture of Windows 95 and the increased robustness and protection for running applications. In addition, there are six key areas that make a great application for Windows 95 from the users perspective:
The Win32 Application Programming Interface (API)
OLE functionality
Windows User Interface Style Guideline 4.0
Support for handling Plug and Play events
Support for manipulating long filenames
Adherence to common setup guidelines for consistent software installation
In the next section discusses why these components make these applications great for users.
The Win32 Application Programming Interface
Microsoft supports the use of the Win32 API on three operating system platforms: Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 3.1 with Win32s. Each operating system supports a common set of Win32 APIs, allowing applications to be developed for a single API set and run on multiple platforms. This allows application developers and corporate developers to learn a single API set, and leverage development resources to support a broad base of hardware systems. Users benefit from being able to run the same application on multiple platforms, and increased system reliability under Windows 95 due to improved robustness and memory protection available to 32-bit applications.
Windows 95 delivers a robust and powerful 32-bit platform. 32-bit applications for Windows 95 are preemptively multitasked, run in private address spaces, and can spawn multiple threads of execution. Preemptive multitasking ensures excellent system responsiveness, allowing users to run multiple applications simultaneously and integrate personal productivity and business-critical applications in a smooth manner. This is similar to the model that Windows NT uses today. The use of a private address space for each Win32-based application ensures that multiple applications can run simultaneously without interfering with each other or the operating system itself. The Windows 95 operating system provides smooth, preemptive multitasking and protected virtual memory, because Windows 95 is based on a re-architected 32-bit protected-mode kernel and a 32-bit protect-mode driver model.
User Benefits of Using Win32-based Applications
Running 32-bit applications under Windows 95 provides the following improvements from an end-user perspective:
Background multitasking for running multiple applications that is smoother because of the preemptive multitasking architecture in Windows 95
Overall system performance improvements due to 32-bit operating system components
Robustness and system reliability improvements due to 32-bit memory protection and separate message queues
New applications functionality because of Win32 and other operating system services
ú File manipulation that is easier because of long file name support in Windows 95
OLE Functionality
Users are getting and using more applications per PC than ever before. In 1992, InfoCorp reported the average number of applications purchased per desktop running the Windows operating system increased to more than 7 programs, up from an average of 3.4 programs for customers using the MS-DOS operating system in 1986. People are not just acquiring more applications, they are using them together. Research shows that users cite the ability to move and share information among applications as the most important reason for using windows applications.
Users who learn one Windows application find it easy to learn a second or third. So, as users access several applications in the course of creating a compound document, they'll feel comfortable with those applications.
The Solution for Application Integration
OLE is a mechanism that allows applications to interoperate more effectively, thereby allowing users to work more productively. Users of OLE applications create and manage compound documents. These are documents which seamlessly incorporate data, or objects, of different formats. Sound clips, spreadsheets, text, bitmaps are some examples of objects commonly found in compound documents. Each object is created and maintained by its server application. But through the use of OLE, the services of the different server applications are integrated. Users feel as if a single application, with all the functionality of each of the server applications, is being used. Users of OLE-enabled applications don't need to be concerned with managing and switching between the various server applications; they focus solely on the compound document and the task being performed using OLE-based features.
Features of OLE
With OLE, Microsoft Windows 95 increases the degree of application integration available to any applications which take advantage of the services. This gives users tangible benefits, allowing them to share data and functionality across applications, and to combine them as they please. Because OLE is based on an open industry-standard, users can extend their applications with additional third-party products, further expanding their choice and flexibility.
OLE provides the following features to allow users to easily integrate information into multiple applications:
Cross-application drag-and-drop
Users can drag-and-drop graphs, tables, and pictures directly onto slides, worksheets, and documents to mix text, data, and graphics into compound documents. Using drag-and-drop is faster and more intuitive than using the Clipboard to cut and paste.
Visual editing
With visual editing, the user can double-click an object to directly edit it while remaining in the original document. For instance, double-click an embedded Microsoft Excel worksheet in a Word document, and the Microsoft Excel menus and toolbars automatically appear within the context of Word. Unlike the first release of OLE technology, the user is not launched into a separate Microsoft Excel window to work on the spreadsheet data.
Drag-and-Drop
Drag-and-drop is a new and more intuitive way to move data between applications. The most widely used way to transfer data between applications has been to use the Clipboard. But this involves multiple steps; namely using the Copy operation, moving to the destination application, and using the Paste command. A more effective way to move information-drag-and-drop-already exists within applications and, with OLE, it now works between applications, too. The user simply selects an object in one application, drags it to its destination in another application and drops it into place. Objects also can be dragged over the desktop to system resource icons such as printers and mailboxes, making it faster and easier to send, print, or share files.
Visual Editing
Visual editing makes revising a compound document faster, easier, and more intuitive. For example, a Microsoft Excel worksheet that's contained within a Word document (see Figure 127), can be double-clicked by the user. The user then is able to interact with the Microsoft Excel worksheet right there, without switching to a different application or window.
Figure 127. Sample OLE Spreadsheet Object Embedded in a Word Processing Document
The menus and toolbars necessary to interact with the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet temporarily replace the existing menus and controls of Word. Microsoft Excel, the application that is needed to edit or modify the spreadsheet, partially "takes over" the Word document window (see Figure 128). When the user wants to work on the word processing portion of the document, the focus returns to Word, and the original Word menus and controls are restored.
Figure 128. Activating OLE Object Changes Menu Context
The advantage of visual editing is even greater for example, when users create compound Word documents including large numbers of objects created by different applications, such as Microsoft Excel worksheets and charts, PowerPoint graphics, sound and video clips, and so on. Instead of switching back and forth among different windows to update the objects, the user is presented with a single document window in Word, providing a single location for editing and other interactions with the data. Visual editing offers users a more "document-centric" approach, putting the primary focus on the creation and manipulation of information rather than on the operation of the environment and its applications.
Windows User Interface Style Guideline 4.0
As in previous version of Windows, one of the reasons why applications are easy to learn is the fact that they look and act alike. With Windows 95, Microsoft has taken great steps to improve the basic common controls that all applications can share. These controls have evolved based on user feedback and extensive usability testing here at Microsoft. Applications that use these controls provide the users with commonality and improved features-such as being able to create new folders in the Save As dialog box-without having to switch to the Windows Explorer or File Manager.
Figure 129. Save As Common Dialog
In the new Printer Properties dialog you can see examples of some of the new controls with make access to features even easier for users. At the top of the dialog you can see tabs for "Paper," "Device Options," Graphics," and, in the case of the printer shown in Figure 130, "Postscript." Clicking any tab presents the user with properties for that particular area. Another new control available to all applications is the Spin Control next to the number of Copies.
Figure 130. Sample Tabbed Dialog Box Property Sheet
The new Open Dialog allows the user to see long filenames, and navigate the entire PC, and connected network to look for files to open.
Figure 131. Open Common Dialog
The new Open dialog also uses Tree Lists to allow the user to navigate through the hierarchy of the hard disks attached to the computer and through the network to which the computer is connected.
Figure 132. Open Common Dialog Provides Easy Access to Network Resources
Figure 133 shows another new control that makes viewing and accessing hierarchical information even easier. This is a tree list control found in the property sheet for the Device Manager in the System section of Control Panel. As users expand and collapse the tree, they can see information relevant to their topic of choice.
Figure 133. Sample Tree List Control
Applications no longer have to include their own custom slider controls. Figure 134 shows the new common slider control included in Windows 95.
Figure 134. Sample Slider Control
There are many new common controls, tool bar, status bar, column heading, tabs, slider, progress indicator, rich text control, list view, tree view... and much more. Great applications for Windows 95 will use these new controls to make the users access consistent across applications and make the entire system much easier to use.
Support for Plug and Play Events
Applications that provide Plug and Play event awareness help users by seamlessly adapting to hardware configuration changes. Users will reap two key benefits:
Applications automatically recognize and respond to hardware changes
Consider this scenario: the desktop Control Panel in Windows 95 recognizes changes in the video resolution and configures the computer accordingly. Now suppose a user who has a mobile PC installed in a docking station and who is using an external monitor running in 1024 x 768 resolution mode. When the user undocks the PC, the desktop Control Panel recognizes this action and seamlessly switches resolution for the mobile PC to 640 x 480. When this change occurs, Plug and Play aware applications will resize their windows and toolbars accordingly. The user doesn't have to do a thing; it's all automatic.
Here's another scenario: Suppose you were using a mobile PC to work on a document. One of the most critical situations you could find yourself in is running out of battery power. With Windows 95, your computer sends a message to all the active Plug and Play aware applications, telling them to shut down and save your data because the power is going off in a few minutes.
Applications warn users about open network files when hot-undocking their computers
Suppose that you have a PCMCIA network card installed in your laptop computer, and you are leaving the office. As you leave the office, you switch PCMCIA cards and install your modem for dial-up network access. With Plug and Play, you don't have to fuss with software configuration-you're set. Windows 95 simply knows that the network has gone away, and that the network card is now replaced by a modem. A Plug and Play aware Email application also learns this information from the operating system. It knows that there is no more network connection and it now needs to use the modem to make connections. The software configurations are automatically made for you.
It should be quite clear that applications which are Plug and Play aware provide seamless adaptation to changes in the hardware configuration. With applications that are Plug and Play aware, users can focus on their work, not their configuration.
Long Filename Support
As you have seen by now, there is a much improved new shell for Windows 95. But the shell itself is only part of what is really here for users. Now an application that takes advantage of this new shell support can offer their users long filenames and direct file viewing. Long filename support means that documents no longer have to be limited to eight characters for names. They now can have up to 255 characters. Instead of "23ISM_JB.doc", you can name a file "Status report July 23 regarding the ISM project for my boss Jim Bernstein"-a title that really tells you what the document is about. Applications that support the Viewer capabilities in Windows 95 provide users with a quick and easy way to view their documents directly from the shell without launching the application.
Figure 135. Windows 95 Applications Support Long Filenames
Consistent Setup Guidelines
In the past users have generally had an easy way to setup their new applications, but removing these applications from their hard disks was not so simple. Most Windows 3.1 users eventually ended up with all kinds of files on their systems which were never used because they belonged to some previously-deleted application. And since many applications use the same library files, with Windows 3.1 it was quite common to have several copies of a files installed in different places on the hard disk, an inefficient use of precious disk space. Another common problem with Windows 3.1 is "files, files, files, everywhere"-applications put files in their own directory, in the Windows directory, in the System directory, in the root, you name it. This creates a real mess when trying to keep track of what's where.
The Software Development Kit for Windows 95 offers to developers some guidelines for consistent installation locations and uninstall functionality in their applications. Common libraries can be shared by applications thereby reducing the amount of disk space consumed by duplication. The guidelines also set standards for where developers should put all their files on the hard disk. No more "files, files everywhere" syndrome. These guidelines provide a much easier, powerful, and compatible structure for users. Setup programs that follow the guidelines will all operate similarly, use consistent naming conventions, and offer the same setup options-thus reducing the learning curve for users, and improved manageability and support for corporations allowing for increased efficiency in remote administration installed software.
The Windows 95 Logo Program
The Windows 95 logo program is intended to help users easily identify software, hardware and peripherals that exploit the rich capabilities of the new operating system. Examples of these new capabilities are Plug and Play and support for 32-bit applications. Users can mix and match hardware and software products designated with the Windows 95 logo and be assured that the products are fully compatible with the Microsoft Windows 95 operating system.
Much of the industry is working very hard and very creatively to develop products that are not just compatible with Windows but are designed for Windows 95. The mission of the Windows 95 logo program is to help users identify these great new products and understand these products will be a step beyond what they are familiar with today.
Many hardware and software vendors are currently developing products for Windows 95. Products will bear the "Designed for Microsoft Windows 95" logo as a signal to customers that the product is not only compatible with but specifically designed to exploit the technology built into Windows 95. The Windows 95 logo makes it easy for customers to choose products that were designed to deliver the benefits and functionality of Windows 95. Customers no longer have to figure out which technical details make a particular product more compelling than another or worry about compatibility. They only need to look for the Windows 95 logo and they can be assured of choosing a product built to work synergistically with Windows 95, to make computing easier and more powerful.
Availability of Windows 95-Based Products
Licensing of the Windows 95 logo will begin in early 1995. Products supporting the new logo are expected to appear on the market within two to three months of the release of Windows 95, although some may appear even sooner. The logo program is completely optional for vendors. Products without the Windows 95 logo will continue to be sold as they always have. Products that meet current Windows logo licensing requirements but do not meet the new requirements for the Windows 95 logo may continue to use phrases such as "for Windows" or "Windows Compatible" to identify that the product runs on the Windows platform.
Licensing Criteria for Windows 95 Logo
To be able to use the Windows 95 logo and be a part of the logo program, vendors of hardware and software products must meet specific criteria in order to license the logo for use with their products.
Customers of Windows 95 can feel comfortable that products that use the "Designed for Microsoft Windows 95" logo will offer the following capabilities:
Hardware Products. For hardware products, including PC systems and subsystems, the baseline criteria include supporting Plug and Play in Windows 95. Historically, installing new hardware devices has required substantial technical expertise to configure and load hardware and software. Plug and Play in Windows 95 provides a mechanism for all this configuration to happen automatically. Computers, add-on boards and peripheral devices supporting Plug and Play bring true ease of use to customers of Windows 95. The logo is an easy-to-remember way to identify the Plug and Play benefits of the Windows 95 operating system.
Software Products. Software products must be 32-bit Windows-based applications, providing better multitasking and application robustness. Applications with the Windows 95 logo will also feature the enhanced user interface of Windows 95, provide support for long filenames, automated installation, and uninstall capability. Many applications, especially typical productivity applications, will also support OLE component software technology, providing better cross-application interoperability and efficiency through features such as OLE Drag and Drop.
For More Information
Additional information on the Windows 95 Logo, including commonly asked questions and answers and a sample of the logo, is available through the Microsoft Developer Solutions Phone-Fax Service at (206) 635-2222.
Windows 95 Questions and Answers
October 1994
Microsoft is continually enhancing the Microsoftr WindowsT operating system product line to deliver easy-to-use yet powerful products that exploit the latest advancements in microcomputer hardware technology. There is a great deal of interest in and speculation about Windows 95. It is the official name of the Windows "Chicago" project, which is the technology-development effort that will deliver the next major release of Windows for the mainstream desktop and portable PC. The purpose of this document is to answer the most common questions customers have asked about Windows 95.
Note The list of questions and answers on Windows 95 is updated on an as-needed basis to help address the common questions that are asked. To obtain the latest questions and answers on Windows 95, access the Microsoft WinNews information forum on the information service you connect to. See the beginning of this guide for more information on where to find Microsoft WinNews information.
What Is Windows 95?
What is Windows 95? Why change from the name Windows "Chicago" to Windows 95?
Windows 95 is the official product name of the next major version of Microsoft Windows. Windows "Chicago" was the code name for the development project to produce the successor to Windows 3.x and WindowsT for Workgroups 3.x, and this name was used until the official product name was decided and announced.
What are the key benefits and features of Windows 95? What features will Windows 95 not have?
Windows 95 will present a major step forward in functionality on desktop and portable PC platforms by providing a system that is even easier, faster and more powerful to use, and which maintains compatibility with the Windows- and MS-DOSr operating system-based applications and hardware peripherals in which customers have invested.
Ease of use will be improved through the Plug and Play architecture and a more intuitive user interface. With the introduction of the Windows 95 operating system, the engine of Microsoft Windows is being revamped to improve performance and provide smooth multitasking. Windows 95 will be a complete, integrated 32-bit operating system that does not require MS-DOS, although it can run MS-DOS-based applications. It implements the Win32r API and provides pre-emptive multitasking and multiple threads of execution for 32-bit applications. Windows 95 will include reliable and open networking support and high performance, as well as messaging and dial-up network access services.
As the successor to Windows 3.x and Windows for Workgroups 3.x, Windows 95 will meet a number of key requirements. First, Windows 95 will be compatible with applications and device drivers for both MS-DOS and Windows. When a customer upgrades to Windows 95, performance will meet or exceed performance of Windows 3.1, as long as the customer has an 80386DX or higher system with at least 4 MB of RAM. For systems with more than 4 MB of memory, performance will be improved over Windows 3.1. The transition to the new user interface will be easy for current users of Windows, and companies that want to make the transition at their own pace will still be able to run Program Manager and File Manager during the transition period.
Windows 95 will not be processor-independent nor will it support symmetric multiprocessing systems. Windows 95 is also not designed to meet C/2T-level security specifications. If these features are important to a customer, Windows NTT is the right operating system to use.
How does Windows 95 compare to the Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups and Windows NT operating systems?
Windows 95 is designed to make mainstream PCs easier and more powerful. It will be the right choice for customers who want to run business and personal-productivity applications and for use on home computers. Windows NT is designed for the most demanding business uses such as development or advanced engineering and financial applications. Windows NT is the right choice for customers who need the highest level of protection for their data and applications. Windows NT is also the right choice for those who need scalability to multiprocessing and RISC systems.
Why is Microsoft changing the numbering system for Windows?
Until recently, version numbers have served us well. Version numbers helped inform customers that new versions were available and gave some sense for the significance of the improvements. However, our customer base has broadened to include less technical users, and our research indicates that even our most sophisticated customers find our current version-numbering scheme confusing. For example, Windows 3.1 provided far more new capabilities than a typical 0.1 release, and Windows for Workgroups 3.11 introduced dramatically more than the usual .01 release. We must make it easier for customers to understand which version of our software they are using, so they know when to consider upgrading to the next release.
Does this numbering system mean Microsoft will release a new version of Windows every year?
No. It means that the version numbers will help give users a sense for the "model year" of their software, in the same way that customers have a sense of the model year of their cars today.
Why Will I Want Windows 95?
Why will individual customers want to upgrade to Windows 95?
The sheer quantity of the improvements included in Windows 95 represents a great value for customers. Top on the list of requested improvements was an easier way to work with the PC. As a result, a new user interface was designed in Windows 95 that will help make computing even easier for both less experienced users and experienced users who want greater efficiency and flexibility.
Long file name support is one of many usability improvements in Windows 95. Improving ease of use goes beyond fixing problems with Windows - it encompasses the hardware, applications and network as well. Plug and Play will make hardware setup automatic, and built-in networking will make starting a new network or connecting to an existing network server such as Novellr NetWarer and Windows NT Server just as easy.
Customers also want greater efficiency and power and to get their work done faster. They want to run more than one application or task at the same time. They want to use their computers to access files, electronic mail, and public-information networks from any location - at work, at home, or on the road. They also want better multimedia, whether for playing MS-DOS-based games or for teleconferencing using TV-quality video resolution. The following are highlights of capabilities in Windows 95 that address these requests:
Pre-emptive multitasking. Windows 95 can perform multitasking smoothly and responsively for 32-bit applications.
Scalable performance. The performance improvements that Windows 95 provides over Windows 3.1 increase as the amount of RAM increase, due to the high-performance 32-bit architecture of Windows 95.
Support for 32-bit applications. Windows 95 supports the Win32 API, which means customers can look forward to a new generation of easier, faster and more reliable applications.
Increased reliability. Windows 95 increases protection for running existing MS-DOS- and Windows-based applications and provides the highest level of protection for new 32-bit applications for Windows. As a result, an errant application will be much less likely to disable other applications or the system.
Faster printing. Windows 95 features a new 32-bit printing subsystem that reduces the time spent waiting for print jobs to finish and improves system response when jobs are printing in the background.
Better multimedia support. Just as Windows 3.1 made sound a part of the system, Windows 95 now includes support for video playback. The video system and CD-ROM file system will provide high-quality output for multimedia applications.
More memory for MS-DOS-based applications. Windows 95's use of protected-mode drivers means customers will have more than 600K free conventional memory in each
MS-DOS session, even when they are connected to the network and using a CD-ROM drive and a mouse.
Microsoft Exchange client. Windows 95 includes the Microsoft Exchange client, a universal client that retrieves messages into one universal inbox from many kinds of systems, including Microsoft Mail, faxes, CompuServer Mail, Internet mail, and so on.
Why will companies want to upgrade to Windows 95?
Companies will want to move to Windows 95 because it will help reduce their PC support burden, help increase their control over the desktop, and help increase the productivity of their end users. Numerous studies have shown that as much as 80 percent of the cost of owning a PC over the long term are the costs associated with support, including installing, configuring and managing the PC, and training the PC user. The Gartner Group has concluded that
Windows 95 will likely lead to significantly lower total cost of ownership compared to MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 (PC Research Note: Personal Computing Costs: A Windows 95 Model, Aug. 15, 1994). Their model estimates the support savings will be $1,180 per user per year. Over the five-year ownership period assumed in the analysis, this translates into savings of nearly $6,000 per user.
Windows 95 includes numerous features designed to reduce the costs of supporting PCs and PC users, including the following:
A simpler, more intuitive user interface that can reduce training requirements for novice users and enable experienced users to learn new tasks with less help. The start button, taskbar, Windows Explorer, wizards, a new help system and more will make Windows 95 easy to learn and make functionality easy to discover.
Built-in networking support that is easier to set up and configure and is faster and more reliable to use. Whether you're running NetWare or Microsoft networks using NetBEUI, IPX/SPX or TCP/IP protocols, and using NDIS or ODI drivers, Windows 95 has integrated support for your network client, protocol and driver. Additional networks are added easily. Windows 95 includes 32-bit clients for both NetWare and Microsoft networks that are fast, reliable, and require no conventional memory. A Windows 95-based PC can have multiple network clients and transport protocols running simultaneously for connecting heterogeneous systems.
Plug and Play device installation to automate the difficult process of adding devices to a PC. Windows 95 supports the industry-standard Plug and Play specification to enable automatic installation and configuration of add-on devices. If you install Windows 95 on the system you have today and purchase a Plug and Play add-on device, you will be able to install that device by just plugging it in and turning on your system. Plug and Play takes care of the messy details of installation and configuration. Plug and Play also enables innovative new system designs that support such capabilities as hot docking and undocking.
System-management capabilities that will simplify remote administration and enable new system-management applications. Windows 95 features an infrastructure for the management of PCs that leverages a hierarchical database of system-configuration information, called the Registry. The Registry holds all the pertinent information about the system - hardware, software, user preferences and privileges - and provides access to its contents over the network through a variety of industry-standard interfaces, including SNMP, DMI, and Remote Procedure Call. This infrastructure will simplify many administrative tasks by including tools for remote configuration of the desktop and will lead to a new generation of sophisticated
system-management applications for managing the desktop, performing hardware and software inventorying, and supporting software distribution.
System policies that enable an administrator to control a desktop configuration.
Windows 95 supports policies, which are settings an administrator configures to define the operations users can access on their PCs. Policies also can be used to define the appearance of the desktop. For example, the administrator can set a policy to disable the MS-DOS prompt and the "Run" commands, to prevent users from arbitrarily running applications.
Support for roving users. Windows 95 can present different configurations, depending on who has logged into the PC. This option allows users to log into different machines on the network and see their personal configurations.
Built-in agents for automating backup of desktop systems. Windows 95 includes the software required to backup a desktop system using a server-based backup system. The backup agents included with Windows 95 work with the most popular server-based systems.
In addition to reducing support costs and increasing control over the desktop, Windows 95 will help make end users more productive. In usability-test studies, users of Windows 3.1 are able to perform a series of typical tasks that they perform today in 25 percent less time using Windows 95. These tests did not take into account many of the tasks that users would like to perform but which are too difficult today, such as installing a CD-ROM drive and sound card or retrieving a file from the desktop system while using the computer at home or traveling on business. By making these capabilities much more accessible, Windows 95 will enable customers to be even more productive using PCs.
Won't it be expensive to put Windows 95 on all the PCs in a company?
Windows 95 has been designed to provide a safe and smooth transition to the new operating system. Windows 95 will work on the hardware and software you already have through support for existing device drivers and applications for MS-DOS and Windows. On mainstream systems - those with at least 4 MB of RAM and an 80386DX processor - Windows 95 will perform as fast or faster than Windows 3.1 if all you do is upgrade the operating system. The installation program will detect and maintain current system settings and enable automated installation through a variety of techniques, including login scripts and software-distribution applications. Users of Windows 3.1 will be productive quickly, as confirmed by the thorough usability testing Microsoft conducted with users of Windows 3.1 and the learning aids that will be included with the product. After a 15-minute "play period" and with the help of a computer-based tutorial, users of Windows 3.1 participating in tests have been found to be as productive using Windows 95 as they are using Windows 3.1 the first time they perform a set of typical tasks. By the time it is commercially available, Windows 95 will have been subjected to hundreds of thousands of hours of rigorous internal testing and will have undergone the most extensive beta testing in history.
The savings achieved by using Windows 95 will outweigh the costs of making the migration. The Gartner Group has estimated that migration costs can be recouped in three to six months. Good planning and deployment techniques can help keep these costs to a minimum.
Ship Dates and Packaging Plans
When will Windows 95 ship?
Windows 95 is scheduled to ship in the first half of 1995. Microsoft's commitment is to ship a great product. The intense testing period will help ensure a great release based on feedback from tens of thousands of beta testers.
What different packages will you have for Windows 95?
Packaging decisions will be made later in the development cycle, based on customer needs.
I understand there is a new logo for Windows 95. What will it mean to me?
The new logo, which looks quite similar to the current logo, featuring the same Windows flag, will be used optionally by vendors to identify their hardware, software and peripheral products that take advantage of new capabilities in Windows 95. The logo will let customers know at a glance, for example, which CD-ROM drives are Plug and Play-enabled and which applications are 32-bit.
Vendors can obtain detailed logo requirements by accessing the Microsoft Developer Solutions Phone-Fax service at (206) 635-2222 and requesting document 130.
I keep hearing rumors that Microsoft is working on versions of Windows 95 for non-Intel microprocessors. Is this true?
No, Microsoft is not working on versions of Windows 95 for non-Intelr microprocessors. Windows NT is Microsoft's portable operating system, and it's already available on high-end Intel, MIPSr, Alpha AXPT, PowerPCT and Clipper computers.
What will happen to MS-DOS?
Microsoft will continue to enhance MS-DOS as long as customers require it. Future versions will be derived from the protected-mode technology developed in the Windows 95 project.
User Interface
How will the new user interface in Windows 95 make the PC easier to use?
The goal for the user interface for future versions of Windows is to make computers easy for all people to use. The user-interface design in Windows 95 will achieve these goals through the most extensive usability-testing effort ever (thousands of hours of laboratory testing, with hundreds of users of all levels of experience) and through feedback from various sources, including testing at customer sites, reviews with experts on training in Windows, audits by
user-interface consultants, feedback from focus groups, and analysis of product-support calls.
We expect both inexperienced and experienced users will find that the changes being made to the user interface in Windows 95 make it even easier to learn and use. The system taskbar will make all the functions most users need accessible with a single click of a button. The taskbar will show all open windows and will make it much easier to switch between windows by just clicking on a button representing that window. Instead of mastering different kinds of tools (Program Manager, File Manager, Print Manager and Control Panel) to work with different resources on their computers, users of Windows 95 will be able to browse for and access all resources in a consistent fashion with a single tool. All resources in the system will have property sheets, which present tabbed-notebook-style interface settings that can be directly changed; a new integrated Help system makes it easy and fast to get help at all times.
Won't a new user interface mean a lot of retraining for current users of Windows?
The Windows 95 user interface is designed to make experienced users of Windows 3.x productive immediately, and usability testing has found this to be the case. After a few iterations of working with the Windows 95 environment, users of Windows 3.1 are able to complete common tasks faster with Windows 95. With subtle refinements in the user interface and the addition of migration training aids during the continued testing process, productivity can be expected to improve even more.
Windows 95 will enable corporate customers and individuals who want to move gradually to the new user interface to continue running Program Manager and File Manager while they become familiar with the new user-interface features.
Architecture
Your performance goals sound very ambitious, considering all the functionality you're adding to Windows 95. How will you achieve those goals?
The stated performance goal of Windows 95 is that when a customer upgrades to Windows 95, performance will meet or exceed performance of Windows 3.1, as long as the customer has an 80386DX or higher system with at least 4 MB of RAM. (For systems with more memory, performance will be improved over Windows 3.1.) Windows 95 will meet this performance goal by implementing new technologies to better optimize the use of memory on low-end system configurations. The networking, disk, CD-ROM and paging caches will be fully integrated to scale better as more memory is added to the system. Protected-mode device drivers will be dynamically loadable to ensure that only the drivers that are immediately needed are consuming memory. Great attention will be paid to effective tuning, including hand-tuning source code.
I've heard Windows 95 described as a 32-bit operating system, yet I've also heard that portions of Windows 95 are implemented with 16-bit code. Are both these statements correct?
Windows 95 is a 32-bit, pre-emptive multitasking operating system that implements some 16-bit code to provide compatibility with existing applications. Windows 95 deploys 32-bit code wherever it significantly improves performance without sacrificing compatibility. It retains existing 16-bit code where it is required to maintain compatibility or where 32-bit code would increase memory requirements without significantly improving performance. All of the I/O subsystems and device drivers (such as networking and file systems) in Windows 95 are fully 32-bit, as are all the memory management and scheduling components. Many functions provided by the Graphics Device Interface (GDI) have been moved to 32-bit code, including the spooler and printing subsystem, the TrueTyper font rasterizer, and key drawing operations. Windows 95 includes a 32-bit implementation of OLE. Much of the window-management code (user) remains 16-bit to help ensure application compatibility.
Does Windows 95 improve limits on system resources?
Yes. Windows 95 improves system-resource limits dramatically while maintaining compatibility with existing Windows-based applications. This means that users will not only be able to run more applications than Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11, but will also be able to create more complex documents.
Plug and Play
What is Plug and Play? What benefits does Plug and Play provide?
Plug and Play is a technology jointly developed by PC product vendors that will dramatically improve the integration of PC hardware and software. Windows 95 is a key enabling technology for Plug and Play. Plug and Play is built into all levels of Windows 95 and covers both common desktop and laptop devices, such as monitors, printers, video cards, sound cards, CD-ROM drives, SCSI adapters, modems and PCMCIA devices.
With Windows 95, a user can easily install or connect Plug and Play devices to the system, letting the system automatically allocate hardware resources with no user intervention. For example, by simply plugging in a CD-ROM and sound card, a desktop PC can be easily turned into a multimedia playback system. The user simply plugs in the components, turns on the PC, and "plays" a video clip.
Windows 95 also enables new Plug and Play system designs that can be dynamically reconfigured. For example, a Windows 95 Plug and Play laptop can be removed from its docking station while still running and taken to a meeting; the system automatically reconfigures to work with a
lower-resolution display and adjusts for the absence of the network card and large disk drive.
Will Plug and Play devices work with my current system, or will I need a new system? What benefits will I receive when I purchase a Plug and Play device with my current system after I have installed Windows 95?
Windows 95 and Plug and Play devices will provide complete backward compatibility to work with systems that were not designed according to the Plug and Play specification. And when you purchase a Plug and Play device for a non-Plug and Play PC running Windows 95, you still benefit from the automatic installation features of Plug and Play add-on devices.
Application Support
What support does Windows 95 have for applications?
Windows 95 supports applications for MS-DOS and 16-bit Windows-based applications supported by Windows 3.x as well as a new generation of 32-bit applications. It provides this support through the Win32 API, which is also available in Windows NT. This new generation of
32-bit applications will provide benefits such as greater robustness, smoother multitasking, long
filename support, a new look and feel, and threads, to name a few.
When will applications that exploit Windows 95 be available?
Applications written for Windows 3.1 and Windows NT that follow guidelines provided by Microsoft will be able to run on Windows 95. There are hundreds of 32-bit Windows-based applications available today for Windows NT, and more are released every day. In addition, leading software vendors have already begun developing 32-bit applications for Windows 95, and we expect many to ship within 90 days of the ship date of Windows 95.
Networking
Will I need new networking software to connect Windows 95 to my network server?
No. Windows 95 will continue to run existing real-mode networking components while enhancing the 32-bit protected-mode networking components first delivered with Windows for Workgroups.
What improvements will the networking support in Windows 95 offer over the support in Windows for Workgroups 3.11?
In addition to being backward compatible with today's network clients, Windows 95 will enhance the open and flexible, high-performance 32-bit networking architecture offered today with Windows for Workgroups 3.11 that enables customers to mix and match networking components. Windows 95 includes fast 32-bit, native clients for both NetWare and Windows NT Server networks; supports NDIS 2.x, 3.x and ODI drivers; and provides 32-bit NetBEUI, IPX/SPX and TCP/IP protocols. In addition, the network architecture in Windows 95 will make it possible for users to connect simultaneously to multiple networks using multiple protocols.
Will there be a Windows 95 server product?
Windows 95 will not be provided in a separate server product. Windows NT Server is the Microsoft product to use for production servers. Windows 95 does improve upon the peer-server capabilities offered in Windows for Workgroups by offering additional features for remote installation, control and administration. These features will make Windows 95 an even better product for an easy-to-use file-sharing and print-sharing LAN that is ideally suited for a
small business, small department or remote office.
Can Windows 95 connect to the Internet?
Yes. Windows 95 includes the networking support you need to connect to the Internet. It includes a fast, robust, 32-bit TCP/IP stack (TCP/IP is the language used by the Internet) as well as PPP or "dial-in" support. Windows 95 supports the large number of tools used to connect to the Internet, such as Mosaic, WinWAIS and WinGopher, through the WindowsT Sockets programming interface. Windows 95 also includes standard Internet support, such as telnet and ftp.
Systems Management
What specific desktop-management features will Windows 95 enable?
The Windows 95 operating system can be set up from a network server and can be configured at the desktop to run locally or across the network. In each case, the administrator can establish a specific configuration for the installation, controlling which features are installed and which features can be accessed or altered by the end user.
Windows 95 supports policies, which are settings an administrator configures to define what applications or services users or groups of users can access using their PCs. Using policies, for example, the administrator can disable the MS-DOS prompt and the "Run" commands to prevent users from arbitrarily running applications and can disable file-and-print sharing.
To enable users to rove and use any system on the network, Windows 95 will provide user profiles. These profiles will be centrally stored, accessed when the user logs in to a Windows 95 system, and used to install the appropriate configuration and set the appropriate policies for that user. Windows 95 also enhances the security provided by Windows for Workgroups to include user-level security.
Windows 95 also includes key desktop agents for popular server-based backup programs as well as SNMP and DMI. Finally, hardware installation and configuration will be made much easier and less costly with the implementation of the Plug and Play architecture in devices and systems. The Windows Registry will provide data about hardware resources. The data can be accessed by third-party vendors to provide inventory-management solutions.
Messaging and Mail
What is Microsoft Exchange?
Microsoft Exchange is a universal information client built into the Windows 95 user interface that can read and send electronic mail from different e-mail systems, including LAN-based systems such as Microsoft Mail, Internet mail, or mail on remote on-line system services such as CompuServe or The Microsoft Network, and can send and receive faxes and other remote messages. Microsoft Exchange in Windows 95 also includes Microsoft At Work fax software for sending and receiving electronic fax messages. Microsoft Exchange also provides an effective way to organize, sort, categorize and filter messages.
The Microsoft Network - Online Service
What is The Microsoft Network?
The Microsoft network is a new on-line service that Microsoft is developing to help bring the rapidly expanding world of electronic information and communication to mainstream PC users. The Microsoft Network (MSN) will bring all Windows 95 customers affordable and easy-to-use access to electronic mail, bulletin boards, chat rooms, file libraries, and Internet newsgroups. Microsoft Windows 95 customers worldwide will be able to access MSN with a local phone call. The Microsoft Network will offer a wide range of online information and services, and in particular Microsoft customers will find MSN the single best place to go to get information and support for Microsoft products. The MSN client's tight integration with Windows 95 allows customers already familiar with Windows 95 to leverage their learning, and feel comfortable on- line immediately.
Why is Microsoft getting into the online services business with The Microsoft Network?
Microsoft has long believed in "Information At Your Fingertips," and we believe that the Microsoft Network represents a major opportunity for us to deliver on that vision. Enabling PC users to easily communicate and access information is the next great opportunity in our industry. The online service business has great promise to provide consumers with that easy communication and information access, but it's still in the infancy stage and many factors must come together to make it a mainstream phonemena. Online services must offer a more compelling multimedia-rich set of publications, shopping services, games, etc., that will both attract and retain a large audience. This will require investments by both the providers of information and services, and new tools and infrastructure investments by the online service companies. Microsoft hopes to help expand this market by enabling the providers of information and services with better technology and tools, while motivating them with a more attractive business model.
Mobile Computing
What improvements will Windows 95 offer for people who use a mobile or remote computer?
Windows 95 will provide support for mobile computers and will make it easy for end users to access resources when they are away from the office. The implementation of Plug and Play in Windows 95 will support inserting and removing devices such as PCMCIA cards while the operating system is running. It will also support automatic reconfiguration of dockable computers when they are inserted or removed from the docking station, without rebooting the system. An enhanced version of Advanced Power Management (APM) will further extend battery life.
Remote networking will be a special focus. Windows 95 includes a dial-up network client that allows a mobile computer to dial into popular remote networking products, such as Shivar Netmodem, NetWare Connect and Windows NT Remote Access Services, using the same network protocols and advanced security features provided for desktop PCs. Finally, Windows 95 will provide file-synchronization services.
How are the remote-client capabilities in Windows 95 different from those in Windows for Workgroups 3.11?
Clients running Windows for Workgroups can remotely dial into Windows NT Server or Windows for Workgroups-based servers only. Windows 95 supports a much more diverse
remote-access environment; it can connect not only to a Windows NT Server and other PCs running Windows 95, but also to NetWare servers running NetWare Connect, network devices such as the Shiva Netmodem (using the PPP Dial-Up Networking support in Windows 95), and the Internet.
For More Information
How can I obtain the latest information directly from Microsoft about Windows 95?
Microsoft has established a number of easily accessible electronic-distribution points for new white papers, press releases and other pertinent documentation. Use the following electronic addresses to access further information:
On CompuServe GO WINNEWS
On the Internet ftp.microsoft.com/peropsys/win_news
On the Worldwide Web http://www.microsoft.com
On GEnieT WINNEWS Download area in Windows RTC
On ProdigyT Jumpword WINNEWS
On AOL Keyword WINNEWS
To subscribe to Microsoft's WINNEWS Electronic Newsletter, send e-mail to enews@microsoft.nwnet.com with the words SUBSCRIBE WINNEWS in your message.
#########
Microsoft, MS-DOS and Win32 are registered trademarks and Windows and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. C/2 and PowerPC are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. Novell and NetWare are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc. CompuServe is a registered trademark of CompuServe, Inc. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation. MIPS is a registered trademark of MIPS Computer Systems, Inc. Alpha AXP is a trademark of Digital Equipment Corporation. Clipper is a trademark of Computer Associates International, Inc. TrueType is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Shiva is a registered trademark of Shiva Microsystems Corporation. GEnie is a trademark of General Electric Corporation. Prodigy is a trademark of Prodigy Services Company.
The information contained in this document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to change in market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication.
Index
-1-
16-bit code
implemented to maintain compatibility, 64
-3-
32-bit code
I/O subsystems and device drivers in Windows 95, 64
provides maximum performance, 64
32-bit disk access
block I/O subsystem, 77
-A-
Accessibility, 289
Accessibility status indicator, 292
Americans with Disabilities Act, 289
BounceKeys, 294
controlling accessibility features, 291
customizable mouse pointer, 293
Design goals for Windows 95, 289
Emergency hotkeys, 291
guidelines for software developers, 296
high-contrast mode, 293
making keyboard and mouse input easier, 293
MouseKeys, 294
online help, 291
RepeatKeys, 294
SerialKeys, 296
ShowSounds, 296
SlowKeys, 294
StickyKeys, 293
summary of improvements over Windows 3.1, 290
support for MS-DOS-based applications, 298
support for multiple pointing devices, 296
ToggleKeys, 295
Admin Config tool, 176
Applications and Utilities
New features in beta-2, 27
Architecture
communications architecture, 200
how applications run in the system, 67
kernel improvements supporting better communications, 199
mini-driver model, 125
multimedia architecture, 267
ring 0 and ring 3 code, 67
size goals, 68
summary of improvements over Windows 3.1, 61
AUTOEXEC.BAT
not needed in Windows 95, 63
-B-
Backup
described, 302
server-based network backup, 180
supported tape drives, 303
Beta-2:, 23
Block I/O subsystem
benefits of, 78
Browsing
discoverable in Windows 95, 37
not intuitive in Windows 3.1, 37
-C-
Cache. See VCACHE
CDFS. See CD-ROM File System
CD-ROM File System
benefits in Windows 95, 77
described, 77
ISO 9660 CD file system, 77
replaces MSCDEX driver, 77
COMM.DRV, 201
Communications
16550A UART support, 209
architecture discussion, 200
centralized modem setup and configuration, 205
configuring telephony services, 208
example of a good Win32-based communication application, 210
goals in Windows 95, 198
improved device/hardware support, 208
in Windows 3.1, 200
in Windows 95, 201
more comm ports supported, 209
Plug and Play support, 198, 209
port drivers, 202
summary of improvements over Windows 3.1, 197
TAPI, 202
universal modem driver, 202
use of TAPI in Windows 95 components, 204
Windows 95 kernel improvements, 199
Compatibility
user interface, 58
with existing hardware, 3
with existing MS-DOS and Windows-based applications, 3
Compression. See DriveSpace disk compression
CONFIG.SYS
not needed in Windows 95, 63
Control Panel
access from the Start button, 35
improvements over Windows 3.1, 42, 52
properties for Display, 52
Coordinated Universal Time, 82
Copying files
status displayed over slow links, 40
-D-
Desktop Systems Management. See Systems management
Device Drivers
mini-driver architecture, 125
DHCP. See TCP/IP
Disk compression. See DriveSpace disk compression
Disk defragmenter
described, 307
Disk device support
ESDI controllers, 128
high-speed floppy disk driver, 128
IDE, 127
logical block addressing, 126
removable media, 127
Disk utilities
supported under Windows 95, 83
Display adapter support
driver robustness improvements, 131
energy star monitor support, 132
image color matching. See Image color matching
improved driver stability, 129
improved video display performance, 130
new control panel enhancements, 131
summary of improvements over Windows 3.1, 129
support for more adapters than Windows 3.1, 130
VESA DPMS and DDC specification support, 129
Display resolution
switching on-the-fly, 53
DMI, 142
DNS. See TCP/IP
Documents
opening from the Start button, 34
DoubleSpace. See DriveSpace disk compression
Drag and Drop
using a mouse right-click, 51
Drive mappings
made easy in Windows 95, 40
DriveSpace
Compatibility with existing CVF, 83
Disk compression support in Windows 95, 83
Disk compression tool in Windows 95, 83
-E-
Edit
MS-DOS-based editor described, 305
Enhanced Metafile (EMF). See Printing
-F-
File extensions
documented for developers, 81
hidden from the user, 80
File synchronization. See Mobile computing
File System
32-bit protected mode FAT (VFAT), 76
additional date/time attributes, 81
architecture discussed, 74
benefits of changes from Windows 3.1, 74
exclusive volume access, 82
installable file system, 75
New features in beta-2, 25
sample property sheet, 82
support for multiple network redirectors, 148
third-party functionality, 76
Files
quick viewing contents of, 56
renaming filenames, 39
Find
improvements for searching over Windows 3.1, 54
powerful new utility in Windows 95, 54
searching for files, 54
searching for information in Windows 95, 35
Folders
folders within folders, 38
Fonts
32-bit TrueType rasterizer, 91
improved support in Windows 95, 91
integrated with the UI, 56
Fonts folder
described, 56
-G-
Graphics Device Interface (GDI)
32-bit code distribution, 65
-H-
Help
new online help in Windows 95, 43
Shortcut Buttons, 44
simplified interface, 43
table of contents, 43
What's this?, 44
HyperTerminal, 210
described, 303
supported binary file transfer protocols, 304
-I-
I/O Supervisor (IOS)
described, 78
IDE disk drives
support for alternate IDE controller, 127
support for IDE CD-ROM drives, 127
support for large drives, 127
IFS. See File system
Image Color Matching (ICM), 189
benefits to users, 189
InterColor 3.0, 190
INI files
problems under Windows 3.1, 88
still used by Win16-based applications, 90
system switch simplification, 90
International Language Support, 279
benefits for developers, 280
benefits for users, 279
date and time formats, 282
international language issues, 281
localization of Chicago, 281
multilingual content support, 284
sorting and searching support, 283
summary of improvements over Windows 3.1, 279
support for different national character sets, 284
Win32 NLS APIs, 287
Internet
networking support for connecting to, 140
interrupt latency
solution for communications problems, 200
IPX/SPX
protocol support in Chicago, 158
support for Windows Sockets, 158
-L-
Linear memory addressing
described, 86
Local reboot
improved effectiveness for Win32-based applications, 100
in Windows 95, 93
terminating hung applications, 94
Long file name support
in file system, 80
maximum size of file names, 80
on networks, 161
Long file names
documentation for developers, 80
extensions to the MS-DOS FAT file system, 80
no reformatting necessary, 80
sample MS-DOS directory listing, 80
support for 8.3 MS-DOS names, 80
support for existing disk management utilities, 80
supported on diskettes, 80
usability benefits, 38
-M-
MAPI 1.0
described, 228
Master key. See Security
Memory
zero conventional footprint, 104
Memory model
compatible with Windows NT, 86
Microsoft Exchange
combination of drivers supported, 230
common address book, 228
components of, 228
described, 231
drivers for use with Microsoft Mail, 237
Improvements over Microsoft Mail, 231
information stores, 235, 248
Internet Mail drivers, 229
Internet Mail drivers, features of, 239
Microsoft At Work Fax, 229, 241
New features in beta-2, 27
open architecture, 229
Personal address book, 234
personal information store, 228, 235
remote mail, 237
Third-party MAPI driver vendors, 229
workgroup fax features for MIS, 244
workgroup post office, 238
Microsoft Network Peer Services
remote administration of, 154, 157
share-level security, 157
user-level security, 157
Mini-port driver
compatibility with Windows NT, 79
described, 79
support for SCSI devices, 79
Mobile
New features in beta-2, 25
Mobile computing, 213
Chicago framework for, 213
deferred printing support, 225
dial-up networking, 142, 215
docking support, 220
document viewers, 225
dynamic networking, 219
file synchronization, 223
flexible video resolution support, 222
local connections, 225
Messaging API (MAPI), 226
Microsoft At Work Fax, 224
password management, 219
PCMCIA support, 221
point devices support, 222
power management, 222
support for deferred printing, 189
TAPI, 218
Unimodem, 218
vision of Chicago mobile computing, 213
Modem support
benefits of configuration in Windows 95, 205
centralized setup and configuration, 205
Plug and Play, 206
Modems support
Plug and Play, 210
Mouse
right-clicking, 50
Mouse device support, 133
Control Panel enhancements, 134
driver support for windowed and full-screen MS-DOS application, 134
protect-mode virtual device driver, 134
second chance to connect a mouse, 134
summary of improvements over Windows 3.1, 133
MSCDEX
taken over by CDFS driver, 77
MS-DOS
32-bit protect-mode device drivers, 104
Int 21h, 75
MS-DOS Command Prompt
new and enhanced commands, 112
support for long file names, 112
support for UNC pathnames, 111
MS-DOS-based applications
better cleanup after termination, 96
better defaults for running, 107
graphic-intensive applications, 106
hardware-intensive, 105
improved compatibility, 105
improved memory protection, 106
improved protection for virtual machines, 96
improvements made to run, 105
local VM environment settings, 110
New features in beta-2, 24
PIF editor in Windows 3.1, 107
preemptively multitasked, 70
property sheets for, 107
run in separate VMs, 70
single MS-DOS application mode, 105
summary of improvements over Windows 3.1 for running, 103
support for VGA graphics mode, 106
system protection, 71
terminating gracefully, 110
toolbar in MS-DOS window, 109
user-scalable MS-DOS window, 109
Multimedia
32-bit digital video playback, 260
architecture discussion, 267
autoplay, 257
benefits for consumers, 255
benefits for developers, 255
benefits for hardware makers, 256
benefits from multitasking and threads, 260
built-in support for digital video, 257
CreateDIBSection, 262
end of dancing postage stamp era, 254
game support, 262
growth of PC market in 1993, 253
history, 254
MIDI, 258
MPEG support, 261
New features in beta-2, 27
opportunities for IHVs and OEMs, 265
Plug and Play support, 256
polymessage MIDI support, 264
recommendations to OEMs, 265
routing data through Windows, 269
sound compression, 263
support for DCI, 267
support for fast CD-ROMs, 261
Video for Windows, 254
WinG, 262
Multiple users on the same PC, 169
Multitasking
cooperative, 62
described, 62
preemptive, 62
Multithreading
Win32-based applications, 62
-N-
NDIS 3.1
stack components, 150
NetBEUI, 160
NetWare connectivity
solution for MIS problems, 7
NetWatcher, 143, 182
Network
tool in Control Panel, 40
Network management, 180
NetWatcher, 182
tools, 181
Network Neighborhood
browsing networks is easy, 39
icon in the Windows 95 UI, 39
Network provider interface. See Networking
Network redirectors
support in file system for using multiple, 75
Networking
32-bit Microsoft client, 156
32-bit SMB interoperability, 156
as easy as "point and click", 140
built-in, 5
Chicago networking architecture, 144
compatible with existing networks, 157
consistent browsing across multiple providers, 141
dynamic networking for mobile computing, 219
integration with Novell NetWare, 150. See Novell NetWare
interprocess communications interfaces, 160
managing network resources, 180
Microsoft Network integration, 155
Microsoft Network Peer Services, 156
mobile computing support, 141
modular, open design, 145
multiple protocol support, 145
NDIS 3.1, 149
Network Neighborhood, 141
network provider interface (NPI), 146
New features in beta-2, 26
pass-through security, 153
Plug and Play enabled, 145
printing improvements, 193
protocol support, 158
server-based backup, 180
summary of improvements over Windows 3.1, 137
system login, 147
system management support, 142
well-connected client operating system, 139
Novell NetWare
32-bit protect-mode Microsoft Client for NetWare Networks, 138
bindery support, 151
client support, 150
command-line utilities, 155
dial-up networking, 165
file and printer sharing for NetWare, 139, 152
improved performance with Chicago client, 151
integration in Chicago, 150
IPX/SPX interoperability, 158
login scripts, 151
Microsoft Print Server for NetWare, 154
NetWare API support, 155
network login, 147
RIPL support, 169
support for diskless workstations, 155
support for long file names, 161
support for NetWare login scripts, 139
support in the Network Neighborhood, 141
-O-
OLE
drag and drop, 311
features of, 311
more document centric, 41
use in applications for Windows 95, 310
use in Paint, 301
use in WordPad, 301
visual editing, 312
-P-
Paint
described, 301
Performance
compared to Windows 3.1, 4
Performance Monitor, 143
Performance monitoring, 179
Plug, 25
Plug and Play
benefits with legacy hardware, 118
benefits with Windows 95, 120
communications support, 198
described, 115
dynamic operating environment, 119
examples of Plug and Play printers, 195
installation and configuration with no user intervention, 118
modem devices, 206
networking support, 141
new PC features, 118
PCMCIA support, 117
printer detection, 191, 194
problems with PCs today, 115
reduced PC support costs, 118
requirements for mobile computing, 116
solution to PC configuration problems, 117
support for communications devices, 209
support for multimedia devices, 256
support in Setup, 273
Port driver
described, 78
Printers folder
described, 55
Printing, 185
32-bit preemptive spooler, 186
32-bit print subsystem, 186
configuring a printer, 192
enhanced metafile (EMF) spooling, 187
local or remote print job management, 193
managing print jobs, 192
Microsoft Print Server for NetWare, 154
network printing support, 161
performance improvements in Windows 95, 188
Plug and Play printer detection, 191, 194
Printers folder, 190
printing from MS-DOS-based applications, 188
support for "point and print" network printing, 191
support for deferred printing, 189
Printing:, 25
Property sheets
explained, 49
-Q-
Quick Viewers
described, 299
file formats recognized by Windows 95, 300
-R-
Real-mode mapper
protect-mode to real-mode mapping, 79
provides compatibility with MS-DOS disk device drivers, 79
Recycle Bin
described, 41
Registry
DAT files, 90
defined, 88
dynamic keys, 169
policies, 143
registry editor, 143
registry tools, 176
remote access to configuration information, 91
role in Plug and Play support, 91
role in systems management, 168
solution to INI file problems, 89
system management support, 143
Win32 API support, 170
Remote administration
managing print jobs, 193
Remote administration of Chicago PC, 164
Remote network access
gateway support, 165
RMM. See Real-mode mapper
Robustness
better cleanup after virtual machine terminates, 96
debugging support in Windows 95 SDK, 98
for MS-DOS-based applications, 95
for Win16-based applications, 96
for Win32-based applications, 98
improvements in Windows 3.1 over Windows 3.0, 93
local reboot. See Local reboot
parameter validation for Win16-based applications, 98
per-thread state tracking, 95
summary of improvements in Windows 95, 93
virtual device driver parameter validation, 95
virtual device driver thread cleanup, 94
RPC, 161
-S-
ScanDisk
described, 308
SCSI
support described, 79
support from block I/O subsystem, 78
SCSI disk devices
32-bit ASPI drivers, 128
ASPI/CAM compatibility, 128
compatible with Windows NT mini-port drivers, 128
popular SCSI controllers supported, 128
Security
master key for unified logon, 162
network login, 147
network security discussion, 161
pass-through security, 153, 164
support for user-level privileges, 153
user-level security, 163
Settings
accessing from the Start button, 34
Setup, 271
built-in verification of system files, 276
GUI-based, 272
improved hardware detection, 273
modular architecture, 271
New features in beta-2, 24
smart recovery mechanism, 275
summary of improvements over Windows 3.1, 271
upgrading from Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11, 277
Shortcuts
deleting does not delete object, 48
described, 47
embedding in applications, 48
in the Programs folder, 48
on the desktop, 48
tracking of renames, 48
using, 47
SNMP
agent support in Chicago, 142
MIB support, 142
support for network management, 182
Structured exception handling
defined, 101
System Management
Admin Configuration tool, 176
System policies, 173
default settings, 174
for computers, 176
for users, 175
System Policy Editor, 143
System Resources
32-bit heaps in Windows 95, 85
described, 84
improvements in GDI, 86
improvements in USER, 86
improvements made in Windows 95, 85
in Windows 3.1, 85
percentage of, 85
Systems Management
DMI agent, 142
management tools, 143
managing desktops, 178
managing user configurations, 171
policies, 143
registry-based, 143
remote administration, 164
role of server, 177
SNMP agent, 142
SNMP MIB support, 142
system policies, 173
user profiles, 172
-T-
TAPI, 199, 202
configuring telephony services, 208
functionality supported, 203
interfaces layer, 202
role in Windows Open Services Architecture (WOSA), 202
support for arbitrating access to modem or telephone device, 204
Task switching
improvements to "cool switch", 36
Taskbar
customizing the configuration, 36
objective for, 36
task buttons, 36
task switching, 36
Undoing window operations, 51
TCP/IP, 158
dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP), 159
OSF DCE Domain Naming Service (DNS), 160
PPP, 216
PPP support, 165
support for Windows Sockets, 159
utility support in Chicago, 158
Windows Internet Naming Service (WINS), 160
Windows NT Advanced Server, 159
Telephony API. See TAPI
Threads
available to Win32-based applications, 62
defined, 62
example usage of, 63
TrueType. See Fonts
-U-
UNC pathnames
obsoletes "mapping" drives, 40
UNIMODEM, 199
Upgrading
safe, hassle-free, 4
Usability testing, 31
User Interface
improving Windows 3.1, 30
integration of printing functionality, 193
migrating from Windows 3.1, 58
New features in beta-2, 23
objectives for, 29
Printers folder, 190
the Start button, 34
the Taskbar, 33
Transition aids for users of Windows 3.1, 57
using File Manager from Windows 3.1, 58
using Program Manager from Windows 3.1, 58
User profiles, 172
supported settings, 172
UTC. See Coordinated Universal Time
-V-
VCACHE
described, 77
dynamic caching, 77
helps Windows 95 scale better than Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.11, 77
improvements from SmartDrive, 77
relationship to VFAT, 77
VCOMM, 200
VFAT
benefits of, 76
described, 76
interaction with block I/O subsystem, 76
Virtual device driver
described, 65
Virtual device drivers
benefits under Windows 95, 67
graceful cleanup from terminated application, 95
parameter validation, 95
replacement for real-mode MS-DOS device drivers, 66
tracking allocated resources, 94
Virtual memory
simplified configuration, 87
support in Windows 95, 87
swapfile on a fragmented hard disk, 87
swapfile supported on a compressed volume, 87
VxD. See virtual device driver
-W-
Win16-based applications
compatibility maintained in Windows 95, 68
compatibility, size, and performance, 68
impact of running in separate VMs, 69
not run in separate VMs, 68
parameter validation, 98
performance, 69
resource tracking, 97
support for running, 67
system protection, 69
Win32
flat/linear address space, 72
Win32-based applications
benefits over Win16-based applications, 71
better local reboot, 100
compatibility with Windows NT, 73
improved robustness, 73, 98
long filename support, 73
memory protection, 73
parameter validation, 99
per-thread resource tracking, 99
preemptive multitasking, 72
private address space, 99
separate message queues, 72, 99
structured exception handling, 101
support for, 71
termination handling, 101
Windows 95 Logo
criteria to meet, 321
designed for, 321
hardware products, 322
Logo Program described, 321
Software products, 322
timing, 321
Windows Explorer
described, 46
details view, 47
flexible and customizable, 47
single view on a world of information, 46
Windows NT
compatibility with NDIS miniport drivers, 149
Windows NT Advanced Server
domain login, 147
network integration with, 155
pass-through security in Chicago, 153
support for long file names, 161
user-level security privileges, 153
Windows NT Server, 191
Windows Sockets
IPX/SPX support, 158
Windows 95
32-bit versus 16-bit components, 64
Effectively evaluating features and functionality, 13
fully-integrated operating system, 62
mission of base architecture, 61
reviewing or evaluating, 13
suggested evaluation criteria, 13
WinNews
getting the latest information on Windows 95, 2
WinPad Organizer
described, 306
WINS. See TCP/IP
Wizards
Different types of Wizards supported in Windows 95, 45
functionality in Windows 95, 45
Modem Wizard, 207
support for installing printers, 191
WordPad
described, 301
1094 098-57241
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3
3
Introduction
1094 098-57241
vi
vi
189
189
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
190
190
Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
Introduction
Criteria for Evaluating Windows 95
Criteria for Evaluating Windows 95
Criteria for Evaluating Windows 95
Windows 95 Product Overview
Windows 95 Product Overview
Windows 95 Product Overview
The Windows 95 User Interface
The Windows 95 User Interface
The Windows 95 User Interface
Base System Architecture
Base System Architecture
Base System Architecture
Robustness Improvements
Robustness Improvements
Robustness Improvements
Support for MS-DOS-based Applications
Support for MS-DOS-based Applications
Support for MS-DOS-based Applications
Plug and Play
Plug and Play
Plug and Play
Improved Device Support
Improved Device Support
Improved Device Support
Networking
Networking
Networking
Systems Management
Systems Management
Systems Management
Printing
Printing
Printing
Communications
Communications
Communications
Mobile Computing Services
Mobile Computing Services
Mobile Services Computing
Microsoft Exchange
Microsoft Exchange
Microsoft Exchange
The Microsoft Network
The Microsoft Network
The Microsoft Network
Multimedia Services
Multimedia Services
Multimedia Services
Installation and Setup of Windows 95
Installation and Setup of Windows 95
Installation and Setup of Windows 95
International Language Support
International Language Support
International Language Support
Accessibility
Accessibility
Accessibility
Applications and Utilities
Applications and Utilities
Applications and Utilities
Applications and Utilities
What Makes a Great Application for Windows 95?
What Makes a Great Application for Windows 95?
What Makes a Great Application for Windows 95?
The Windows 95 Logo Program
The Windows 95 Logo Program
Windows 95 Questions and Answers
Windows 95 Questions and Answers
Windows 95 Questions and Answers
Index
Index
Index