computer science

Management features new to Windows Vista

Management features new to Windows Vista is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Management features new to Windows Vista rather than just read about it. In short: Windows Vista contains a range of new technologies and features that are intended to help network administrators and power users better manage their systems. Notable changes include a complete replacement of both the Windows Setup and the Windows startup processes, completely rewritten deployment mechanisms, new diagnostic and health monitoring tools such as random access memory diagnostic program, support for per-a…

Key takeaways

Management features new to Windows Vista belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Management features new to Windows Vista to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Management features new to Windows Vista from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Windows Vista contains a range of new technologies and features that are intended to help network administrators and power users better manage their systems. Notable changes include a complete replacement of both the Windows Setup and the Windows startup processes, completely rewritten deployment mechanisms, new diagnostic and health monitoring tools such as random access memory diagnostic program, support for per-application Remote Desktop sessions, a completely new Task Scheduler, and a range of new Group Policy settings covering many of the features new to Windows Vista. Subsystem for UNIX Applications, which provides a POSIX-compatible environment is also introduced.

Setup

The setup process for Windows Vista has been completely rewritten and is now image-based instead of being sector-based as previous versions of Windows were. The Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) has been updated to host the entire setup process in a graphical environment (as opposed to text-based environments of previous versions of Windows), which allows the use of input devices other than the keyboard throughout the entire setup process. The new interface resembles Windows Vista itself, with features such as ClearType fonts and Windows Aero visual effects. Prior to copying the setup image to disk, users can create, format, and graphically resize disk partitions. The new image-based setup also reduces the duration of the installation procedure when contrasted with Windows XP; Microsoft estimates that Windows Vista can install in as few as 20 minutes despite being more than three times the size of its predecessor. Windows XP only supported loading storage drivers from floppy diskettes during initialization of the setup process; Windows Vista supports loading drivers for SATA, SCSI, and RAID controllers from any external source in addition to floppy diskettes prior to its installation. At the end of the setup process, Windows Vista can also automatically download and apply security and device-driver updates from Windows Update. Previous versions of Windows could only configure updates to be installed after the operating system installation.

System recovery

The new Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) detects and repairs various operating system problems; it presents a set of options dedicated to diagnostics including Startup Repair, System Restore, Backup and Restore, Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool, Command Prompt, and options specific to original equipment manufacturers. WinRE is accessible by pressing F8 during operating system boot or by booting from a Windows installation source such as optical media.

Startup Repair Startup Repair (formerly System Recovery Troubleshooter Wizard) is a diagnostic feature designed to repair systems that cannot boot due to operating system corruption, incompatible drivers, or damaged hardware; it scans for corruption of operating system components such as Boot Configuration Data and the Windows Registry and also checks boot sectors, file system metadata, Master Boot Records, and partition tables for errors and whether the root cause for failure originated during an installation of Windows. Microsoft designed Startup Repair to repair over eighty percent of issues that users may experience. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 enhances Startup Repair to replace additional system files during the repair process that may be damaged or missing due to corruption.

Component Based Servicing Package Manager, part of the Windows Vista servicing stack, replaces the previous Package Installer (Update.exe) and Update Installer (Hotfix.exe). Microsoft delivers updates for Windows Vista as files and resources only. Package Manager, Windows Update, and the Control Panel item to turn Windows features on and off, all use the Windows Vista servicing stack. Package Manager can also install updates to an offline Windows image, including updates, boot-critical device drivers, and language packs. Windows Vista introduced Component-Based Servicing (CBS) as an architecture for installation and servicing.

Deployment

The deployment of Windows Vista uses a hardware-independent image, the Windows Imaging Format (WIM). The image file contains the necessary bits of the operating system, and its contents are copied as is to the target system. Other system specific software, such as device drivers and other applications, are installed and configured afterwards. This reduces the time taken for installation of Windows Vista. Corporations can author their own image files (using the WIM format) which might include all the applications that the organization wants to deploy. Also multiple images can be kept in a single image file, to target multiple scenarios. This ability is used by Microsoft to include all editions of Windows Vista on the same disc, and install the proper version based on the provided product key. In addition, initial configuration, such as locale settings, account names, etc. can be supplied in XML Answer Files to automate installation. Microsoft provides a tool called ImageX to support creation of custom images, and edit images after they have been created. It can also be used to generate an image from a running installation, including all data and applications, for backup purposes. WIM images can also be controlled using the Windows System Image Manager, which can be used to edit images and to create XML Answer Files for unattended installations. Sysprep is also included as part of Windows Vista, and is HAL-independent. Also included in Windows Vista is an improved version of the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard now known as Windows Easy Transfer which allows settings to be inherited from previous installations. User State Migration Tool allows migrating user accounts during large automated deployments. ClickOnce is a deployment technology for "smart client" applications that enables self-updating Windows-based applications that can be installed and run with minimal user interaction, and in a fashion that does not require administrator access. The ActiveX Installer Service is an optional component included with the Business, Enterprise and Ultimate editions that provides a method for network administrators in a domain to authorize the installation and upgrade of specific ActiveX controls while operating as a standard user. ActiveX components that have been listed in Group Policy can be installed without a User Account Control consent dialog being displayed.

Event logging and reporting

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Management features new to Windows Vista

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Management features new to Windows Vista claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Management features new to Windows Vista before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Management features new to Windows Vista ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Management features new to Windows Vista

In research: Management features new to Windows Vista appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Management features new to Windows Vista in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Management features new to Windows Vista is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Software features, Windows Vista, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Management features new to Windows Vista outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Management features new to Windows Vista in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Management features new to Windows Vista means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Management features new to Windows Vista out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Management features new to Windows Vista in simple terms?

Why does Management features new to Windows Vista matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Management features new to Windows Vista?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Management features new to Windows Vista.