http://www.findmadeleine.com/

http://www.findmadeleine.com/
September 2000, Microsoft introduced Windows Me (Millennium Edition), which upgraded Windows 98 with enhanced multimedia and Internet features. It also introduced the first version of System Restore, which allowed users to revert their system state to a previous “known-good” point in the case of system failure. System Restore was a notable feature that made its way into Windows XP. The first version of Windows Movie Maker was introduced as well.

Windows Me was conceived as a quick one-year project that served as a stopgap release between Windows 98 and Windows XP. Many of the new features were available from the Windows Update site as updates for older Windows versions, (System Restore was an exception). As a result, Windows Me was not acknowledged as a unique OS along the lines of 95 or 98. Windows Me was widely criticised for serious stability issues, and for lacking real mode DOS support, to the point of being referred to as the “Mistake Edition”. Windows Me was the last operating system to be based on the Windows 9x (monolithic) kernel and MS-DOS. It is also the last Windows operating system to lack Product Activation.

In 2001, Microsoft introduced Windows XP (codenamed “Whistler”). The merging of the Windows NT/2000 and Windows 3.1/95/98/ME lines was achieved with Windows XP. Windows XP uses the Windows NT 5.1 kernel, marking the entrance of the Windows NT core to the consumer market, to replace the aging 16/32-bit branch. Windows XP is the longest version of Windows ever released between upgrades, from 2001 all the way to 2007 when Windows Vista was released to consumers. The Windows XP line of operating systems were surpassed by Windows Vista on January 30, 2007.

Windows XP is available in a number of versions:

“Windows XP Home Edition”, for home desktops and laptops (notebooks)
“Windows XP Home Edition N”, as above, but without a default installation of Windows Media Player, as mandated by a European Union ruling
“Windows XP Professional”, for business and power users
“Windows XP Professional N”, as above, but without a default installation of Windows Media Player, as mandated by a European Union ruling
Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE), released in November 2002 for desktops and notebooks with an emphasis on home entertainment
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2003
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, released on October 12, 2004.
“Windows XP Tablet PC Edition”, for tablet PCs (PCs with touch screens)
Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005
Windows XP Embedded, for embedded systems
“Windows XP Starter Edition”, for new computer users in developing countries
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, released on April 25, 2005 for home and workstation systems utilizing 64-bit processors based on the x86-64 instruction set (AMD calls this AMD64, Intel calls it Intel 64)
Windows XP 64-bit Edition, is a version for Intel’s Itanium line of processors; maintains 32-bit compatibility solely through a software emulator. It is roughly analogous to Windows XP Professional in features. It was discontinued in September 2005 when the last vendor of Itanium workstations stopped shipping Itanium systems marketed as “Workstations”.
Windows XP 64-bit Edition 2003, based on the Windows Server 2003 kernel.

On April 24, 2003 Microsoft launched Windows Server 2003, a notable update to Windows 2000 Server encompassing many new security features, a new “Manage Your Server” wizard that simplifies configuring a machine for specific roles, and improved performance. It has the version number 5.2. A few services not essential for server environments are disabled by default for stability reasons, most noticeable are the “Windows Audio” and “Themes” services; Users have to enable them manually to get sound back or the “Luna” look as per Windows XP. The hardware acceleration for display is also turned off by default, users have to turn the acceleration level up themselves if they trust the display card driver.

In December 2005, Microsoft released Windows Server 2003 R2, which is actually SP1 plus an add-on package. Among the new features are a number of management features for branch offices, file serving, and company-wide identity integration.

Windows Server 2003 is available in five editions:

Web Edition
Standard Edition
Enterprise Edition (32 and 64-bit)
Datacenter Edition
Small Business Server

The next version of Windows Server, currently scheduled for release in the second half of 2007, is known by the codename Windows Server “Longhorn”, but given Microsoft’s announcement that its server products will maintain the year based naming scheme, it is likely to be released as “Windows Server 2007″ or “Windows Server 2008″. Server “Longhorn” builds on the technological and security advances first introduced with Windows Vista, and aims to

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