Get started

Get started

Bring yourself up to speed with our introductory content.

• Windows Me (Millenium Edition)

  Windows Me (Millenium Edition) is an operating system from Microsoft released commercially September 14, 2000. Windows Me was developed specifically for the home user, whereas Windows 2000 was developed specifically for business use. Continue Reading

• Active Directory Security Guide

  This guide offers plenty of must-know tips on maintaining a secure Active Directory environment, starting with the basics and moving on to more advanced practices. Continue Reading

• x86

  x86 is a generic name for the series of Intel microprocessor families that began with the 80286 microprocessor. Continue Reading

• boot

  To boot (as a verb; also "to boot up") a computer is to load an operating system into the computer's main memory or random access memory (RAM). Continue Reading

• Exchange Server and POP3 FAQs

  POP3 can be a convenience for end users, and sometimes it's a necessity for small businesses that rely on a hosted e-mail service. But Exchange administrators are the ones who have to deal with the inevitable hassles it introduces to an Exchange ... Continue Reading

• Definitions to Get Started

  • Microsoft Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)
  • Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) certification
  • Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM)
  • Active Directory

  • Microsoft Windows Azure Active Directory (Windows Azure AD)
  • Microsoft Software Assurance (SA)
  • Active Directory forest (AD forest)
  • wbadmin

  View All Definitions

• Dolly (Digital Dolly)

  Dolly, also called Digital Dolly, is a program that can quickly clone (copy) drives to drives, drives to files, files to drives, or files to files. Dolly can clone entire disk partitions in block-wise fashion. Dolly can be used to clone the ...Continue Reading

• Deploying security templates

  This excerpt from Microsoft Windows Group Policy Guide covers the four options for deploying security templates: Importing security templates into GPOs, using the Security Configuration and Analysis tool, using the Secedit.exe command-line ...Continue Reading

• Understanding security templates

  Security templates can help you organize, configure and manage security throughout your Windows-based enterprise. This excerpt from Microsoft Windows Group Policy Guide explains how to access, create and modify security templates, and how to ...Continue Reading

• Server hardening

  This excerpt from Microsoft Windows Group Policy Guide discusses the basic security baseline for a member server that is running in a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory domain. In addition, best practice security configurations in the ...Continue Reading

• General hardening techniques

  This excerpt from Microsoft Windows Group Policy Guide focuses on the many techniques and tools available for hardening clients and servers, with special attention to controlling ports and services.Continue Reading

• Windows Product Activation (WPA)

  Windows Product Activation (WPA) is the mandatory product registration system included in Microsoft's Windows XP, Office XP, and recent Office products (such as Word 2002 or Excel 2002) as a means of enforcing compliance with the company's End User ...Continue Reading

• Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)

  Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI) is a specification for the equipment that monitors the physical environment and behavior of a server. The specification, developed jointly by Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, and NEC, is intended to ...Continue Reading

• single-system image (SSI)

  Single-system image (SSI) is the idea that the resources provided by cluster computing or in any system which aggregates resources should present a single interface to the user.Continue Reading

• restore point

  A restore point is a saved "snapshot" of a computer's data at a specific time. Restore points are a component of the Windows System Restore utility. By creating a restore point, you can save the state of the operating system and your own data so ...Continue Reading

• blue bomb (WinNuke)

  A "blue bomb" (also known as "WinNuke") is a technique for causing the Windows operating system of someone you're communicating with to crash or suddenly terminate.Continue Reading

• Local accounts and passwords

  Client computers' local accounts are one of the most overlooked security issues in any enterprise. Locking down these accounts and passwords is the first step in securing clients.Continue Reading

• Local system permissions

  This excerpt from The Definitive Guide to Securing Windows in the Enterprise covers local system permissions and how you can reconfigure the default permissions to reduce the likelihood of an attacker gaining access to your network.Continue Reading

• Folder redirection

  Folder redirection enables files to be centrally secured and audited on the server, eliminating the need to worry about local folders on a client's computer. This excerpt from The Definitive Guide to Securing Windows in the Enterprise ...Continue Reading

• Active Directory Planning and Design Guide

  This guide offers tips and resources on how to develop a plan to implement and design Active Directory.Continue Reading

• Outlook Web Access FAQs

  Whether you're troubleshooting a specific problem or you just want to learn more about OWA, you'll find the information you need here.Continue Reading

• Backing up Exchange Server with Microsoft VSS

  Learn about how the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) backup process works for Exchange Server and the pros and cons of implementing it.Continue Reading

• red screen of death

  The red screen of death is a term coined by some early testers of Longhorn (the code name for Microsoft's latest Windows operating system) who, in May 2005, came across an error message appearing against an all-red display screen.Continue Reading

• serial port server (serial server or port redirector)

  A serial port server, also called a serial server or port redirector, is a device that transfers data between a computer serial port (COM port) and an Ethernet local area network (LAN).Continue Reading

• fragmentation

  In some operating system's file systems, a data file over a certain size is stored in several "chunks" or fragments rather than in a single contiguous sequence of bits in one place on the storage medium, a process that is called fragmentation.Continue Reading

• seat management

  Seat management is a method of coordinating all the workstations in an enterprise network by overseeing the installation, operation, and maintenance of hardware and software at each workstation.Continue Reading

• gold code

  In software development, gold code is the final, ready-to-manufacture (that is, replicate onto media) version of the software.Continue Reading

• Smart Tags

  Microsoft's Smart Tags were a proposed feature of Windows XP that would allow Microsoft and its partners to insert their own links into any Web page viewed through its Internet Explorer browser.Continue Reading

• Terminal Server product or Microsoft Windows Terminal Server (WTS)

  The Microsoft Windows Terminal Server (WTS) is a server program running on its Windows NT 4.0 (or higher) operating system that provides the graphical user interface (GUI) of the Windows desktop to user terminals that don't have this capability ...Continue Reading

• ProLiant

  ProLiant, an "industry standard" computer server from Compaq, typifies the popularly-priced server that is designed to satisfy general computing needs at various levels in an enterprise.Continue Reading

• hotfix

  A hotfix is code (sometimes called a patch) that fixes a bug in a product.Continue Reading

• verbose logging

  Verbose logging is a computer logging mode that records more information than the usual logging mode.Continue Reading

• RIBLOE (Remote Insight Board -- Lights Out Edition)

  The Remote Insight Board -- Lights Out Edition (RIBLOE) is a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) card intended for the remote management of Compaq servers.Continue Reading

• Joliet

  Joliet is an extension to ISO 9660, the specification for the file system (including file names) for the content on a compact disc (CD); it allows file names up to 64 characters in length (including spaces) and the use of Unicode characters in file ...Continue Reading

• Handle to Registry Key (HKEY)

  Handle to Registry Key (HKEY) is a typedef supplied in the Windows headers files.Continue Reading

• Winbind

  Winbind is a program that allows users in a heterogeneous network to log in using workstations that have either Unix or Windows NT operating systems.Continue Reading

• Wired for Management (WfM)

  Wired for Management (WfM) is a specification from Intel that allows the performance of certain computer configuration and maintenance functions over a network or dial-up connection.Continue Reading

• INI

  INI is a file name extension used in Microsoft Windows.Continue Reading

• PXE (Preboot Execution Environment)

  Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) refers to various methods of getting an IBM-compatible computer, typically running Windows, to boot up without the need for a hard drive or boot diskette.Continue Reading

• taskbar

  In the graphical user interface (GUI) for a computer operating system or application, a taskbar is a visual device on the desktop that typically shows the user which applications (tasks) are currently active and running.Continue Reading

• extended desktop

  Extended desktop is a feature in a computer that allows a user to extend viewing capabilities by using two or more monitors at the same time.Continue Reading

• thunk

  Thunk is programming that converts 16-bit memory address space into 32-bit memory address space and vice versa.Continue Reading

• Ctrl-Alt-Delete

  In a personal computer with the Windows operating system, Ctrl-Alt-Delete is the combination of keyboard keys that the computer user can press at the same time to terminate an application task or to reboot the operating system (have it shut down and...Continue Reading

• Microsoft Management Console (MMC)

  The Microsoft Management Console (MMC) is an application that provides a graphical-user interface (GUI) and a programming framework in which consoles (collections of administrative tools) can be created, saved, and opened.Continue Reading

• snap-in

  Snap-in, in general, refers to an object that can be attached to another object and that will then function as part of the whole.Continue Reading

• WinAMP (Windows Audio MPEG Player)

  WinAMP (Windows Audio MPEG Player) is a program from Nullsoft that allows PC users to play audio files, particularly music, in many (but not all) popular digital audio formats, including MS-Audio, WAV, and MP3. With WinAMP, it is possible to listen ...Continue Reading

• enhancement

  In an information technology product, an enhancement is a noteworthy improvement to the product as part of a new version of it.Continue Reading

• Windows 9x (Windows 95 or Windows 98)

  Windows 9x is short for "Windows 95 or Windows 98."Continue Reading

• Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL)

  Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) is a Microsoft procedure for certifying that the hardware for peripherals and other components is compatible (works as expected) with Microsoft Windows operating systems.Continue Reading

• wallpaper

  On a computer that is provided with a desktop kind of user interface, wallpaper is the background pattern or picture against which desktop menus, icons, and other elements are displayed and moved around.Continue Reading

• MetaFrame

  MetaFrame is the name for a thin client/server software application from Citrix that is used to provide Microsoft's Windows Terminal Server product (WTS) with additional server and client functionality by allowing any client, no matter what ...Continue Reading

• clock cycle

  In a computer, the clock cycle is the time between two adjacent pulses of the oscillator that sets the tempo of the computer processor.Continue Reading

• StarOffice

  StarOffice is a free productivity application suite from Sun Microsystems that includes a word processor (Writer), spreadsheet (Calc), database (Base), presentation maker (Impress), illustrator (Draw), schedule managment (Schedule), e-mail (Mail) ...Continue Reading

• Accelerated Hub Architecture (AHA) (or Intel Hub Architecture)

  Accelerated Hub Architecture (AHA) (also called Intel Hub Architecture) is an Intel 800-series chipset design that uses a dedicated bus to transfer data between the two main processor chips instead of using the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI...Continue Reading

• distributed file system (DFS)

  A distributed file system is a client/server-based application that allows clients to access and process data stored on the server as if it were on their own computer.Continue Reading

• PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect)

  PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) is an interconnection system between a microprocessor and attached devices in which expansion slots are spaced closely for high speed operation.Continue Reading

• ping storm

  A ping storm is a condition in which the Internet ping program is used to send a flood of packets to a server to test its ability to handle a high amount of traffic or, maliciously, to make the server inoperable.Continue Reading

• Plug and Play (PnP)

  Plug and Play (PnP) is a capability developed by Microsoft for its Windows 95 and later operating systems that gives users the ability to plug a device into a computer and have the computer recognize that the device is there.Continue Reading

• HPFS (High Performance File System)

  HPFS (High Performance File System) is the file system introduced with IBM's OS/2 Version 1.2. HPFS is noted for handling large files (2 gigabytes) across multiple hard disk volumes (addressable up to 2 terabytes) and long file names (up to 256 ...Continue Reading

• TweakUI

  TweakUI is a software utility that lets Windows 9x, Windows NT, and Windows 2000 users modify the desktop user interface and other system characteristics to their liking.Continue Reading

• swap file (swap space or pagefile)

  A swap file (or swap space or, in Windows NT, a pagefile) is a space on a hard disk used as the virtual memory extension of a computer's real memory (RAM).Continue Reading

• memory leak

  A memory leak is the gradual loss of available computer memory when a program repeatedly fails to return memory it obtained for temporary use.Continue Reading

• Quick Fix Engineering (QFE)

  Quick Fix Engineering (QFE) is a Microsoft term for the delivery of individual service updates to its operating systems and application programs such as Word.Continue Reading

• illegal operation

  An illegal operation, a term often seen in error messages, is a command to the operating system or an instruction to the computer processor that specifies an operation that is unknown to the operating system or processor and that therefore can't be ...Continue Reading

• Component Object Model (COM)

  Component Object Model (COM) is Microsoft's framework for developing and supporting program component objects.Continue Reading

• COM+

  COM+ is an extension of Component Object Model (COM), Microsoft's strategic building block approach for developing application programs.Continue Reading

• carbon copy (cc)

  In e-mail, a carbon copy (abbreviated "cc," and sometimes "fcc" for "first carbon copy") is a copy of a note sent to an addressee other than the main addressee.Continue Reading

• PCI-X (Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended)

  PCI-X (Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended) is a computer bus technology (the "data pipes" between parts of a computer) that increases the speed that data can move within a computer from 66 MHz to 133 MHz.Continue Reading

• Y2K (year 2000)

  Y2K is an abbreviation for "year 2000." As that year approached, many feared that computer programs storing year values as two-digit figures (such as 99) would cause problems.Continue Reading

• Windows NT

  Windows NT is a Microsoft Windows personal computer operating system designed for users and businesses needing advanced capability.Continue Reading

• Winsock

  Winsock is a programming interface and the supporting program that handles input/output requests for Internet applications in a Windows operating system.Continue Reading

• Winsock 2

  Like Winsock, Winsock 2 is a programming interface and the supporting program that handles input/output requests for Internet applications in a Windows operating system.Continue Reading

• word processor

  A word processor is a computer program that provides special capabilities beyond that of a text editor such as the WordPad program that comes as part of Microsoft's Windows operating systems.Continue Reading

• blue screen of death (BSOD)

  The blue screen of death (BSOD), is the informal name given by users to the Windows general protection fault (GPF) error.Continue Reading

• ISAPI (Internet Server Application Program Interface)

  ISAPI (Internet Server Application Program Interface) is a set of Windows program calls that let you write a Web server application that will run faster than a common gateway interface (CGI) application.Continue Reading

• Microsoft Exchange and Windows Small Business Server FAQs

  Running Microsoft Exchange on Windows SBS can introduce certain unique issues for SMBs. Learn more about running Exchange on SBS in this collection of FAQs.Continue Reading

• Active Server Page (ASP)

  ASP is also an abbreviation for application service provider.Continue Reading

• domain controller

  Primary domain controller (PDC) and backup domain controller (BDC) are roles that can be assigned to a server in a network of computers that use the Windows NT operating system.Continue Reading

• Microsoft Windows Internals, Fourth Edition: Chapter 4: Management Mechanisms

  Delve inside the Windows kernel with noted internals experts Mark Russinovich and David Solomon, in collaboration with the Microsoft Windows product development team. This classic guide -- fully updated for Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and ...Continue Reading

• BizTalk

  BizTalk is an industry initiative headed by Microsoft to promote Extensible Markup Language (XML) as the common data exchange language for e-commerce and application integration on the Internet.Continue Reading

• Step-by-Step Guide: Time Management

  In the hustling bustling world of IT, one thing Windows computing managers never have enough of is time. How often have you arrived at work in the morning with an ambitious agenda, only to find yourself sitting at your desk eight to ten hours later ...Continue Reading

• enterprise

  In the computer industry, an enterprise is an organization that uses computers.Continue Reading

• Zero Administration

  Zero Administration for Windows is Microsoft's initiative to help make its operating system easier to install and manage.Continue Reading

• NetBEUI (NetBIOS Extended User Interface)

  NetBEUI (NetBIOS Extended User Interface) is a new, extended version of NetBIOS, the program that lets computers communicate within a local area network.Continue Reading

• Wintel

  Wintel is a computer trade industry term for personal computers based on the Intel microprocessor and one of the Windows operating system from Microsoft.Continue Reading

• Win32s

  Win32s is a Microsoft upgrade to the Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.1 operating systems, which run 16-bit applications, that allows them to run some 32-bit applications.Continue Reading

• WinFrame

  WinFrame is a software product from Citrix that, together with a Windows NT operating system, allows a computer server to provide Windows applications and data for attached computer workstations.Continue Reading

• Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE)

  An MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) is someone who has passed exams about the Microsoft Windows NT operating system, related desktop systems, networking, and Microsoft's BackOffice server products.Continue Reading

• dual boot

  A dual boot system is a computer system in which two operating systems are installed on the same hard drive, allowing either operating system to be loaded and given control.Continue Reading

• IOS (Input/Output Supervisor)

  IOS (Input/Output Supervisor) is a Microsoft Windows program that supervises the interaction between file system requests and events and input/output device drivers.Continue Reading

• EDRAM (enhanced dynamic random access memory)

  EDRAM (enhanced dynamic random access memory) is dynamic random access memory (dynamic or power-refreshed RAM) that includes a small amount of static RAM (SRAM) inside a larger amount of DRAM so that many memory accesses will be to the faster SRAM. ...Continue Reading

• windowing system

  A windowing system is a system for sharing a computer's graphical display presentation resources among multiple applications at the same time.Continue Reading

• command interpreter

  A command interpreter is the part of a computer operating system that understands and executes commands that are entered interactively by a human being or from a program.Continue Reading

• NDIS (Network Driver Interface Specification)

  NDIS (Network Driver Interface Specification) is a Windows specification for how communication protocol programs (such as TCP/IP) and network device driver should communicate with each other.Continue Reading

• PCMCIA card

  A PCMCIA card is a credit card-size memory or I/O device that connects to a personal computer, usually a notebook or laptop computer.Continue Reading

• QDOS (86-DOS)

  QDOS was the forerunner of DOS (Disk Operating System), the first widely-used personal computer operating system.Continue Reading

• Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA)

  The PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) is an industry group organized in 1989 to promote standards for a credit card-size memory or I/O device that would fit into a personal computer, usually a notebook or laptop ...Continue Reading

• MTS (Microsoft Transaction Server)

  This definition is generally duplicated under Viper.Continue Reading

• Remote Network Access Application (RNAAPP)

  RNAAPP (Remote Network Access Application) is one of those occasionally visible yet mysterious little programs that come with the Microsoft Windows 95/98 operating system.Continue Reading

• directory

  A directory is, in general, an approach to organizing information, the most familiar example being a telephone directory.Continue Reading

• bootable floppy

  A bootable floppy is a diskette containing a back-up copy of your hard disk master boot record (MBR).Continue Reading