Management features new to Windows Vista
Encyclopedia
Windows Vista
contains a range of new technologies and features that are intended to help network administrator
s and power user
s better manage their systems. Notable changes include a complete replacement of the "Windows Setup" process, completely rewritten deployment mechanisms, support for per-application Remote Desktop
sessions, new diagnostic and health monitoring tools, and a range of new Group Policy
settings covering many of the features new to Windows Vista
.
Other areas of interest include major changes to Task Scheduler
, as well as the addition of Subsystem for UNIX Applications
, which provides a POSIX
-compatible environment for applications as part of the operating system itself.
fonts and the Aero
visual style, and enabling the use of a mouse. Prior to copying the setup image, partitions can be graphically resized.
Support for loading third-party disk drivers has improved. Whereas Windows XP only supported loading drivers from floppy disks while the setup environment is initially loading, Windows Vista additionally supports loading drivers from USB and Firewire storage devices, and CDs and DVDs from within the main setup wizard.
Microsoft has aimed to reduce the amount of time setup takes to complete. Setup is now significantly faster than Windows XP and thus, Windows Vista can be installed in as little as 20 minutes. This is especially notable considering that the Windows Vista install is more than three times the size of its predecessor.
At the end of the setup process, Windows Vista automatically downloads and applies security and device driver updates from Windows Update
.
The Windows Recovery Environment tools have been significantly expanded to take advantage of the new graphical setup environment. A "toolbox" is presented to the user, offering access to repair functions, System Restore
, a new memory diagnostic tool, access to Complete PC Backup and Restore images, and access to a command prompt. Multiple command prompts can be spawned at once, and more command-line tools are available. Command prompts can be spawned at any time during setup by pressing Ctrl+F10.
all use the Windows Vista servicing stack. Package Manager can also be used to install updates to an offline Windows image, including updates, boot-critical device drivers, and language packs.
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.
to allow applications to more precisely log events. Event Viewer
has also been rewritten to take advantage of these new features. There are a large number of different types of event logs that can be monitored including Administrative, Operational, Analytic, and Debug log types. For instance, selecting the Application Logs node in the Scope pane reveals numerous new subcategorized event logs, including many labeled as diagnostic logs. Event logs can now be configured to be automatically forwarded to other systems running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008. Event logs can also be remotely viewed from other computers or multiple event logs can be centrally logged and managed from a single computer. Event logs can be filtered by one or more criteria, and custom views can be created for one or more events. Such categorizing and advanced filtering allows viewing logs related only to a certain subsystem or an issue with only a certain component. Events can also be directly associated with tasks, via the redesigned Event Viewer
.
. Most importantly a new set of public APIs have been created for reporting failures other than application crashes and hangs. Developers can create custom reports and customize the reporting user interface. The new APIs are documented in MSDN. The architecture of Windows Error Reporting has been revamped with a focus on reliability and user experience. WER can now report errors even when the process is in a very bad state for example if the process has encountered stack exhaustions, PEB/TEB corruptions, heap corruptions etc. In Windows XP, the process terminated silently without generating an error report in these conditions.
A new feature called Problem Reports and Solutions has also been added. It is a Control Panel
applet that keeps a record of all system and application errors and issues, as well as presents probable solutions to problems.
includes several new performance counters and various tools for tuning and monitoring system performance and resources. It shows the activities of the CPU, disk I/O, network, memory and other resources, in the Resource View. It supports new graph types, the ability to select multiple counters, retrieve counter values from a point on the graph, save graphed counter values to a log file, and the option to have a line graph continuously scroll in the graph window instead of wrap-around on itself. Windows Task Manager
also presents more detailed system information and monitoring. A comprehensive System Diagnostics Report can be created using the perfmon /report command.
The Reliability Monitor
tracks applications and driver installations, along with the date they were installed on, and by using system reliability statistics from Reliability Analysis Components, presents a graphical view of the variation in system reliability and stability.
incorporates support for application-level remoting, improved security (TLS
1.0), support for connections via an SSL
gateway, improved remoting of devices, support for .NET
remoting including support for remoting of Windows Presentation Foundation
applications, WMI
scripting, 32-bit color support, dual-monitor support, Network Level Authentication
and more.
Remote Assistance, which helps in troubleshooting remotely, is now a full-fledged standalone application and does not use the Help and Support Center or Windows Messenger. It is now based on the Windows Desktop Sharing API. Two administrators can connect to a remote computer simultaneously. Also, a session automatically reconnects after restarting the computer. It also supports session pausing, built-in diagnostics, and XML-based logging. It has been reworked to use less bandwidth for low-speed connections. NAT
traversals are also supported, so a session can be established even if the user is behind a NAT device. Remote Assistance is configurable using Group Policy
and supports command-line switches so that custom shortcuts can be deployed.
Windows Vista also includes Windows Remote Management (WinRM), which is Microsoft’s implementation of WS-Management
standard which allows remote computers to be easily managed through a SOAP
-based web service
. WinRM allows obtaining data (including WMI
and other management information) from local and remote computers running Windows XP
and Windows Server 2003
(if WinRM is installed on those computers), Windows Server 2008 and all WS-Management
protocol implementations on other operating systems. Using WinRM scripting objects along with compatible command-line tools (WinRM or WinRS), allows administrators to remotely run management scripts. A WinRM session is authenticated to minimize security risks.
Windows Vista includes Microsoft Management Console 3.0
(MMC), which introduced several enhancements, including support for writing .NET snap-ins using Windows Forms
and running multiple tasks in parallel. In addition, snap-ins present their UI in a different thread than that in which the operation runs, thus keeping the snap-in responsive, even while doing a computationally intensive task.
The new MMC interface includes support for better graphics and as well as featuring a task pane that shows actions available for a snap-in, when it is selected. Task Scheduler
and Windows Firewall
are also thoroughly configurable through the management console.
Print Management enables centralized installation and management of all printers in an organization. It allows installation of network-attached printers to a group of clients simultaneously, and provides continually updated status information for the printers and print servers. It also supports finding printers needing operator attention by filtering the display of printers based on error conditions, such as out-of-paper, and can also send e-mail notifications or run scripts when a printer encounters the error condition.
settings, which allow administrators to specify configuration for connected groups of computers, especially in a domain
. Windows Vista supports Multiple Local Group Policy Objects which allows setting different levels of Local Group Policy for individual users. A new XML based policy definition file format, known as ADMX has been introduced. ADMX files contain the configuration settings for individual Group Policy Objects (GPO). For domain based GPOs, the ADMX files can be centrally stored, and all computers on the domain will retrieve them to configure themselves, using the File Replication Service
, which is used to replicate files on a configured system from a remote location. The Group Policy service is no longer attached with the Winlogon
service, rather it runs as a service on its own. Group Policy event messages are now logged in the system event log
. Group Policy uses Network Location Awareness to refresh the policy configuration as soon as a network configuration change is detected.
New categories for policy settings include power management, device installations, security settings, Internet Explorer settings, and printer settings, among others. Group Policy settings also need to be used, to enable two way communication filtering in the Windows Firewall, which by default enables only incoming data filtering. Printer settings can be used to install printers based on the network location. Whenever the user connects to a different network, the available printers are updated for the new network. Group Policy settings specify which printer is available on which network. Also, printer settings can be used to allow standard users to install printers. Group Policy can also be used for specifying Quality of Service
(QoS) settings. Device installation settings can be used to prevent users from connecting external storage devices, as a means to prevent data theft.
Windows Vista improves Folder Redirection
by introducing the ability to independently redirect up to 10 user profile sub-folders to a network location. Up to Windows XP, only the Application Data, Desktop, My Documents, My Pictures, and Start Menu folders can be redirected to a file server. There is also a Management Console
snap-in in Windows Vista to allow users to configure Folder Redirection for clients running Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 2000
.
is now based on Management Console and can be used to automate management and configuration tasks. It already has a number of preconfigured system-level tasks scheduled to run at various times. In addition to time-based triggers, Task Scheduler also supports calendar and event-based triggers, such as starting a task when a particular event is logged to the event log, or even only when multiple events have occurred. Also, several tasks that are triggered by the same event can be configured to run either simultaneously or in a pre-determined chained sequence of a series of actions, instead of having to create multiple scheduled tasks. Tasks can also be configured to run based on system status such as being idle for a pre-configured amount of time, on startup, logoff, or only during or for a specified time. Tasks can be triggered by an XPath
expression for filtering events from the Windows Event Log. Tasks can also be delayed for a specified time after the triggering event has occurred, or repeat until some other event occurs. Actions that need to be done if a task fails can also be configured. There are several actions defined across various categories of applications and components. Task Scheduler
keeps a history log of all execution details of all the tasks. Other features of Task Scheduler include:
Services for UNIX has been renamed Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications, and is included with the Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista. Network File System (NFSv3) client support is also included. However, the utilities and SDK are required to be downloaded separately. Also, the server components from the SFU product line (namely Server for NFS, User Name Mapping, Server for NIS, Password Synchronization etc.) are not included.
and automation capabilities using Windows PowerShell
, an object-oriented command-line shell, released by Microsoft
, but not included with the operating system. Also, WMI
classes expose all controllable features of the operating system, and can be accessed from scripting languages. 13 new WMI providers are included. In addition, DHTML coupled with scripting languages or even PowerShell
can be used to create desktop gadgets; gadgets can also be created for configuration of various aspects of the system.
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
contains a range of new technologies and features that are intended to help network administrator
Network administrator
A network administrator, network analyst or network engineer is a person responsible for the maintenance of computer hardware and software that comprises a computer network...
s and power user
Power user
A power user is a user of a personal computer who has the ability to use advanced features of programs which are beyond the abilities of "normal" users, but is not necessarily capable of programming and system administration...
s better manage their systems. Notable changes include a complete replacement of the "Windows Setup" process, completely rewritten deployment mechanisms, support for per-application Remote Desktop
Remote Desktop Protocol
Remote Desktop Protocol is a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft, which provides a user with a graphical interface to another computer. The protocol is an extension of the ITU-T T.128 application sharing protocol. Clients exist for most versions of Microsoft Windows , Linux, Unix, Mac OS...
sessions, new diagnostic and health monitoring tools, and a range of new Group Policy
Group Policy
Group Policy is a feature of the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems. Group Policy is a set of rules that control the working environment of user accounts and computer accounts. Group Policy provides the centralized management and configuration of operating systems, applications, and...
settings covering many of the features new to Windows Vista
Features new to Windows Vista
Windows Vista has many new features compared with previous Microsoft Windows versions, covering most aspects of the operating system.This article discusses the changes most likely to be of interest to non-technical users...
.
Other areas of interest include major changes to Task Scheduler
Task Scheduler
Task Scheduler is a component of Microsoft Windows that provides the ability to schedule the launch of programs or scripts at pre-defined times or after specified time intervals. It was first introduced in the Windows 95 Plus! pack as System Agent but was renamed to Task Scheduler in Windows 98...
, as well as the addition of Subsystem for UNIX Applications
Microsoft Windows Services for UNIX
Windows Services for UNIX or Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications is a software package produced by Microsoft which provides a Unix subsystem and other parts of a full Unix environment on Windows NT and some of its immediate successor operating-systems...
, which provides a POSIX
POSIX
POSIX , an acronym for "Portable Operating System Interface", is a family of standards specified by the IEEE for maintaining compatibility between operating systems...
-compatible environment for applications as part of the operating system itself.
Setup
The setup process for Windows Vista has been completely rewritten and is now image-based. Setup is now based on Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) version 2.0, which, amongst other features, runs the entire setup process in a graphical environment, as opposed to the text-based environments of previous versions. Visually, the user interface resembles Windows Vista itself, using ClearTypeClearType
ClearType is a trademark for Microsoft's implementation of subpixel rendering technology. ClearType attempts to improve the appearance of text on certain types of computer display screens by sacrificing color fidelity for additional intensity variation. This trade-off is asserted to work well on...
fonts and the Aero
Windows Aero
Windows Aero is the graphical user interface and the default theme in most editions of Windows Vista and Windows 7, operating systems released by Microsoft. It is also available in Windows Server 2008, but is not enabled by default. Its name is a backronym for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective and...
visual style, and enabling the use of a mouse. Prior to copying the setup image, partitions can be graphically resized.
Support for loading third-party disk drivers has improved. Whereas Windows XP only supported loading drivers from floppy disks while the setup environment is initially loading, Windows Vista additionally supports loading drivers from USB and Firewire storage devices, and CDs and DVDs from within the main setup wizard.
Microsoft has aimed to reduce the amount of time setup takes to complete. Setup is now significantly faster than Windows XP and thus, Windows Vista can be installed in as little as 20 minutes. This is especially notable considering that the Windows Vista install is more than three times the size of its predecessor.
At the end of the setup process, Windows Vista automatically downloads and applies security and device driver updates from Windows Update
Windows Update
Windows Update is a service provided by Microsoft that provides updates for the Microsoft Windows operating system and its installed components, including Internet Explorer...
.
System recovery
The new Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) detects and fixes startup related problems. It can be accessed by pressing F8 during startup. The system then boots into the WinRE interface and offers various tests as well as recovery and failure detection tools. WinRE automatically detects blue screen errors and registry damage and tries to repair the system and get it up and running quickly.The Windows Recovery Environment tools have been significantly expanded to take advantage of the new graphical setup environment. A "toolbox" is presented to the user, offering access to repair functions, System Restore
System Restore
System Restore is a component of Microsoft's Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, but not Windows 2000, operating systems that allows for the rolling back of system files, registry keys, installed programs, etc., to a previous state in the event of system malfunction or failure.The...
, a new memory diagnostic tool, access to Complete PC Backup and Restore images, and access to a command prompt. Multiple command prompts can be spawned at once, and more command-line tools are available. Command prompts can be spawned at any time during setup by pressing Ctrl+F10.
Servicing
Package Manager replaces the previous Package Installer (Update.exe) and Update Installer (Hotfix.exe). It is part of the Windows Vista servicing stack. Updates for Windows Vista are delivered as files and resources only. Package Manager, the Control Panel item to turn on/off Windows features, and Windows UpdateWindows Update
Windows Update is a service provided by Microsoft that provides updates for the Microsoft Windows operating system and its installed components, including Internet Explorer...
all use the Windows Vista servicing stack. Package Manager can also be used to install updates to an offline Windows image, including updates, boot-critical device drivers, and language packs.
Deployment
Windows Vista is deployed using 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
XML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
Answer Files for unattended installations. Sysprep
Sysprep
Sysprep is the name of Microsoft's System Preparation Utility for Microsoft Windows operating system deployment.- History :Sysprep was originally introduced for use with Windows NT 4.0. Later versions introduced for Windows 2000 and Windows XP are available for download from Microsoft and included...
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
Windows Easy Transfer
Windows Easy Transfer is a file transferring program included in newer versions of Microsoft Windows operating system which allows the switching files and settings between two PCs. The program aides migration of Windows XP or earlier to a new computer running Windows Vista or Windows 7. It...
which allows settings to be inherited from previous installations. User State Migration Tool
User State Migration Tool
The User State Migration Tool is a Microsoft command line utility program intended to allow advanced users, comfortable with Scripting language, to transfer files and settings between PCs. This task is also performed by Windows Easy Transfer, recommended for general users...
allows migrating user accounts during large automated deployments.
ClickOnce
ClickOnce
ClickOnce is a Microsoft technology that enables the user to install and run a Windows application by clicking a link in a web page. ClickOnce is a component of Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 and later, supports deploying applications made with Windows Forms or Windows Presentation Foundation...
is a deployment technology for "smart client
Smart client
Smart Client is a term describing an application environment which:* delivers applications over a web [] connection* does not require installation * automatically updates without user action...
" 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
ActiveX
ActiveX is a framework for defining reusable software components in a programming language-independent way. Software applications can then be composed from one or more of these components in order to provide their functionality....
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
Group Policy
Group Policy is a feature of the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems. Group Policy is a set of rules that control the working environment of user accounts and computer accounts. Group Policy provides the centralized management and configuration of operating systems, applications, and...
can be installed without a User Account Control
User Account Control
User Account Control is a technology and security infrastructure introduced with Microsoft's Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 operating systems, with a more relaxed version also present in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2...
consent dialog being displayed.
Event logging and reporting
Windows Vista includes a number of self-diagnostic features which help identify various problems and, if possible, suggest corrective actions. The event logging subsystem in Windows Vista also has been completely overhauled and rewritten around XMLXML
Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
to allow applications to more precisely log events. Event Viewer
Event Viewer
Event Viewer, a component of Microsoft's Windows NT line of operating systems, lets administrators and users view the event logs on a local or remote machine. In Windows Vista, Microsoft overhauled the event system.- Overview :...
has also been rewritten to take advantage of these new features. There are a large number of different types of event logs that can be monitored including Administrative, Operational, Analytic, and Debug log types. For instance, selecting the Application Logs node in the Scope pane reveals numerous new subcategorized event logs, including many labeled as diagnostic logs. Event logs can now be configured to be automatically forwarded to other systems running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008. Event logs can also be remotely viewed from other computers or multiple event logs can be centrally logged and managed from a single computer. Event logs can be filtered by one or more criteria, and custom views can be created for one or more events. Such categorizing and advanced filtering allows viewing logs related only to a certain subsystem or an issue with only a certain component. Events can also be directly associated with tasks, via the redesigned Event Viewer
Event Viewer
Event Viewer, a component of Microsoft's Windows NT line of operating systems, lets administrators and users view the event logs on a local or remote machine. In Windows Vista, Microsoft overhauled the event system.- Overview :...
.
Windows Error Reporting
Windows Error Reporting has been improved significantly in Windows VistaWindows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
. Most importantly a new set of public APIs have been created for reporting failures other than application crashes and hangs. Developers can create custom reports and customize the reporting user interface. The new APIs are documented in MSDN. The architecture of Windows Error Reporting has been revamped with a focus on reliability and user experience. WER can now report errors even when the process is in a very bad state for example if the process has encountered stack exhaustions, PEB/TEB corruptions, heap corruptions etc. In Windows XP, the process terminated silently without generating an error report in these conditions.
A new feature called Problem Reports and Solutions has also been added. It is a Control Panel
Control Panel (Windows)
The Control Panel is a part of the Microsoft Windows graphical user interface which allows users to view and manipulate basic system settings and controls via applets, such as adding hardware, adding and removing software, controlling user accounts, and changing accessibility options...
applet that keeps a record of all system and application errors and issues, as well as presents probable solutions to problems.
Performance monitoring and diagnostics
The Performance MonitorResource Monitor
Resource Monitor is a system application in Microsoft Windows operating systems. It is used to view information about the use of hardware and software resources in real time. Resource Monitor is available in Windows Vista and onwards only...
includes several new performance counters and various tools for tuning and monitoring system performance and resources. It shows the activities of the CPU, disk I/O, network, memory and other resources, in the Resource View. It supports new graph types, the ability to select multiple counters, retrieve counter values from a point on the graph, save graphed counter values to a log file, and the option to have a line graph continuously scroll in the graph window instead of wrap-around on itself. Windows Task Manager
Windows Task Manager
Windows Task Manager is a task manager application included with the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems that provides detailed information about computer performance and running applications, processes and CPU usage, commit charge and memory information, network activity and...
also presents more detailed system information and monitoring. A comprehensive System Diagnostics Report can be created using the perfmon /report command.
The Reliability Monitor
Resource Monitor
Resource Monitor is a system application in Microsoft Windows operating systems. It is used to view information about the use of hardware and software resources in real time. Resource Monitor is available in Windows Vista and onwards only...
tracks applications and driver installations, along with the date they were installed on, and by using system reliability statistics from Reliability Analysis Components, presents a graphical view of the variation in system reliability and stability.
Remote management
Remote Desktop Protocol 6.0Remote Desktop Protocol
Remote Desktop Protocol is a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft, which provides a user with a graphical interface to another computer. The protocol is an extension of the ITU-T T.128 application sharing protocol. Clients exist for most versions of Microsoft Windows , Linux, Unix, Mac OS...
incorporates support for application-level remoting, improved security (TLS
Transport Layer Security
Transport Layer Security and its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer , are cryptographic protocols that provide communication security over the Internet...
1.0), support for connections via an SSL
Transport Layer Security
Transport Layer Security and its predecessor, Secure Sockets Layer , are cryptographic protocols that provide communication security over the Internet...
gateway, improved remoting of devices, support for .NET
.NET Framework
The .NET Framework is a software framework that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It includes a large library and supports several programming languages which allows language interoperability...
remoting including support for remoting of Windows Presentation Foundation
Windows Presentation Foundation
Developed by Microsoft, the Windows Presentation Foundation is a computer-software graphical subsystem for rendering user interfaces in Windows-based applications. WPF, previously known as "Avalon", was initially released as part of .NET Framework 3.0. Rather than relying on the older GDI...
applications, WMI
Windows Management Instrumentation
Windows Management Instrumentation is a set of extensions to the Windows Driver Model that provides an operating system interface through which instrumented components provide information and notification...
scripting, 32-bit color support, dual-monitor support, Network Level Authentication
Network Level Authentication
Network Level Authentication is a technology used in Remote Desktop Services or Remote Desktop Connection that requires the connecting user to authenticate themselves before a session is established with the server. Originally, if you opened an RDP to a server it would load the login screen...
and more.
Remote Assistance, which helps in troubleshooting remotely, is now a full-fledged standalone application and does not use the Help and Support Center or Windows Messenger. It is now based on the Windows Desktop Sharing API. Two administrators can connect to a remote computer simultaneously. Also, a session automatically reconnects after restarting the computer. It also supports session pausing, built-in diagnostics, and XML-based logging. It has been reworked to use less bandwidth for low-speed connections. NAT
Network address translation
In computer networking, network address translation is the process of modifying IP address information in IP packet headers while in transit across a traffic routing device....
traversals are also supported, so a session can be established even if the user is behind a NAT device. Remote Assistance is configurable using Group Policy
Group Policy
Group Policy is a feature of the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems. Group Policy is a set of rules that control the working environment of user accounts and computer accounts. Group Policy provides the centralized management and configuration of operating systems, applications, and...
and supports command-line switches so that custom shortcuts can be deployed.
Windows Vista also includes Windows Remote Management (WinRM), which is Microsoft’s implementation of WS-Management
WS-Management
Web Services-Management is a DMTF open standard defining a SOAP-based protocol for the management of servers, devices, applications and various Web services. The DMTF has published the standards document DSP0226 with version v1.1.0 of 2010-03-03....
standard which allows remote computers to be easily managed through a SOAP
SOAP
SOAP, originally defined as Simple Object Access Protocol, is a protocol specification for exchanging structured information in the implementation of Web Services in computer networks...
-based web service
Web service
A Web service is a method of communication between two electronic devices over the web.The W3C defines a "Web service" as "a software system designed to support interoperable machine-to-machine interaction over a network". It has an interface described in a machine-processable format...
. WinRM allows obtaining data (including WMI
Windows Management Instrumentation
Windows Management Instrumentation is a set of extensions to the Windows Driver Model that provides an operating system interface through which instrumented components provide information and notification...
and other management information) from local and remote computers running Windows XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
and Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft, introduced on 24 April 2003. An updated version, Windows Server 2003 R2, was released to manufacturing on 6 December 2005...
(if WinRM is installed on those computers), Windows Server 2008 and all WS-Management
WS-Management
Web Services-Management is a DMTF open standard defining a SOAP-based protocol for the management of servers, devices, applications and various Web services. The DMTF has published the standards document DSP0226 with version v1.1.0 of 2010-03-03....
protocol implementations on other operating systems. Using WinRM scripting objects along with compatible command-line tools (WinRM or WinRS), allows administrators to remotely run management scripts. A WinRM session is authenticated to minimize security risks.
System tools
- New /B switch in CHKDSKCHKDSKCHKDSK is a command on computers running DOS, OS/2 and Microsoft Windows operating systems that displays the file system integrity status of hard disks and floppy disk and can fix logical file system errors. It is similar to the fsck command in Unix.The command is implemented as an executable...
for NTFS volumes which clears marked bad sectors on a volume and reevaluates them. - Windows System Assessment ToolWindows System Assessment ToolThe Windows System Assessment Tool is a module of Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows 7 which measures various performance characteristics and capabilities of the hardware it is running on and reports them as a Windows Experience Index score, a number from 1.0 and 5.9 for Windows Vista and from...
, a built-in benchmarking tool, analyzes the different subsystems (graphics, memory, etc.), produces a Windows Experience Index (formerly Windows Performance Rating) and uses the results to allow for comparison to other Windows Vista systems, and for software optimizations. The optimizations can be made by both Windows and third-party software. - Windows BackupBackup and Restore CenterBackup and Restore is a component of Microsoft Windows introduced in Windows Vista and included in later versions that allows users to create backup. It is a replacement of NTBackup, which was included in previous Windows versions.-Features:There are two different types of backup supported: File...
(code-named SafeDocs) allows automatic backup of files, recovery of specific files and folders, recovery of specific file types, or recovery of all files. With Windows Vista Business, Enterprise or Ultimate, the entire disk can be backed up to a Complete PC Backup and Restore image and restored when required. Complete PC Restore can be initiated from within Windows Vista, or from the Windows Vista installation disc in the event that Windows cannot start up normally from the hard disk. Backups are created in Virtual PCMicrosoft Virtual PCWindows Virtual PC is a virtualization program for Microsoft Windows. In July 2006 Microsoft released the Windows-hosted version as a free product...
format and therefore can be mounted using Microsoft Virtual PC. The Backup and Restore Center gives users the ability to schedule periodic backups of files on their computer, as well as recovery from previous backups. - Windows Update
Windows UpdateWindows Update is a service provided by Microsoft that provides updates for the Microsoft Windows operating system and its installed components, including Internet Explorer...
has been revised, and now runs completely as a control panel application, not as a web application as in prior versions of Windows. - System RestoreSystem RestoreSystem Restore is a component of Microsoft's Windows Me, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7, but not Windows 2000, operating systems that allows for the rolling back of system files, registry keys, installed programs, etc., to a previous state in the event of system malfunction or failure.The...
is now based on Shadow Copy technology instead of a file-based filter and is therefore more proactive at creating useful restore points. Restore points are now "volume-level", meaning that performing a restore will capture the state of an entire system at a point in time. These can also be restored using the Windows Recovery Environment when booting from the Windows Vista DVD, and an "undo" restore point can be created prior to a restore, in case a user wishes to return to the pre-restored state. - System File CheckerSystem File CheckerSystem File Checker is a utility in Microsoft Windows that allows users to scan for and restore corruptions in Windows system files. This utility is available on Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003...
is integrated with Windows Resource ProtectionWindows Resource ProtectionWindows Resource Protection is a feature in Windows Vista that replaces Windows File Protection. It protects registry keys and folders in addition to critical system files. The way it protects resources differs entirely from the method used by Windows File Protection.- Overview :Windows File...
which protects registryWindows registryThe Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as the applications running on the platform: the kernel, device drivers, services, SAM, user...
keys and folders too besides critical system files. Using Sfc.exe, specific folder paths can be checked, including the Windows folder and the boot folder. Also, scans can be performed against an offline Windows installation folder to replace corrupt files, in case the Windows installation is not bootable. For performing offline scans, System File Checker must be run from another working installation of Windows Vista or a later operating system or from the Windows setup DVD which gives access to the Windows Recovery Environment. - System Configuration (MSConfigMSConfigMSConfig is a system utility to troubleshoot the Microsoft Windows startup process...
) allows configuring various switches for Windows Boot Manager and Boot Configuration Data. It can also launch a variety of tools, such as system information, network diagnostics etc. and enable or disable User Account ControlUser Account ControlUser Account Control is a technology and security infrastructure introduced with Microsoft's Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 operating systems, with a more relaxed version also present in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2...
. - Windows InstallerWindows InstallerThe Windows Installer is a software component used for the installation, maintenance, and removal of software on modern Microsoft Windows systems...
4.0 (MSI 4.0) includes support for features such as User Account ControlUser Account ControlUser Account Control is a technology and security infrastructure introduced with Microsoft's Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 operating systems, with a more relaxed version also present in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2...
, Restart Manager, and Multilingual User Interface. - Problem Reports and Solutions is a new control panel user interface for Windows Error ReportingWindows Error ReportingWindows Error Reporting is a crash reporting technology introduced by Microsoft with Windows XP and included in later Windows versions and Windows Mobile 5.0 and 6.0. Not to be confused with the Dr...
which allows users to see previously sent problems and any solutions or additional information that is available. - Windows Task ManagerWindows Task ManagerWindows Task Manager is a task manager application included with the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems that provides detailed information about computer performance and running applications, processes and CPU usage, commit charge and memory information, network activity and...
has a new "Services" tab which gives access to the list of all Windows services, and offers the ability to start and stop any service as well as enable/disable the UAC file and registry virtualization of a process. Additionally, file properties, the full path and command line of started processes, and DEPData Execution PreventionData Execution Prevention is a security feature included in modern operating systems.It is known to be available in Linux, Mac OS X, and Microsoft Windows operating systems and is intended to prevent an application or service from executing code from a non-executable memory region. This helps...
status of processes can be viewed. It also allows creating a dump fileCore dumpIn computing, a core dump consists of the recorded state of the working memory of a computer program at a specific time, generally when the program has terminated abnormally...
which can be useful for debuggingDebuggingDebugging is a methodical process of finding and reducing the number of bugs, or defects, in a computer program or a piece of electronic hardware, thus making it behave as expected. Debugging tends to be harder when various subsystems are tightly coupled, as changes in one may cause bugs to emerge...
. - Disk Defragmenter can be configured to automatically defragment the hard drive on a regular basis. It features cancellable, low I/O priority, shadow copy-aware defragmentation. It can also defragment the NTFS Master File Table (MFT). The user interface has been simplified, with the color graph, progress indicator and other information such as file system, free space etc., being removed entirely. Chunks of data over 64MB in size will not be defragmented; Microsoft has stated that this is because there is no discernible performance benefit in doing so. The defragmenter is not based on an MMCMicrosoft Management ConsoleMicrosoft Management Console is a component of Windows 2000 and its successors that provides system administrators and advanced users an interface for configuring and monitoring the system.- Snap-ins and consoles :...
snap-in. The command line utility defrag.exe offers more control over the defragmentation process. This utility can be used to defragment specific volumes and to just analyze volumes as the defragmenter would in Windows XP. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 adds back the ability to specify which volumes are to be defragmented to the GUI. - The Disk ManagementLogical Disk ManagerThe Logical Disk Manager is an implementation of a logical volume manager for Microsoft Windows NT, developed by Microsoft and Veritas Software. It was introduced with the Windows 2000 operating system, and is supported in Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista and Windows 7...
console has been improved to allow the creation and the resizing of disk volumes without any data loss. Partitions (volumes) can be resized before starting Windows Vista setup or after installation. - Group PolicyGroup PolicyGroup Policy is a feature of the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems. Group Policy is a set of rules that control the working environment of user accounts and computer accounts. Group Policy provides the centralized management and configuration of operating systems, applications, and...
settings let administrators set ACLsAccess control listAn access control list , with respect to a computer file system, is a list of permissions attached to an object. An ACL specifies which users or system processes are granted access to objects, as well as what operations are allowed on given objects. Each entry in a typical ACL specifies a subject...
for the volume interface for disks, CD or DVD drives, tape and floppy disk drives, USB flash drives and other portable devices.
Management Console
Microsoft Management Console
Microsoft Management Console is a component of Windows 2000 and its successors that provides system administrators and advanced users an interface for configuring and monitoring the system.- Snap-ins and consoles :...
(MMC), which introduced several enhancements, including support for writing .NET snap-ins using Windows Forms
Windows Forms
Windows Forms is the name given to the graphical application programming interface included as a part of Microsoft .NET Framework, providing access to native Microsoft Windows interface elements by wrapping the extant Windows API in managed code...
and running multiple tasks in parallel. In addition, snap-ins present their UI in a different thread than that in which the operation runs, thus keeping the snap-in responsive, even while doing a computationally intensive task.
The new MMC interface includes support for better graphics and as well as featuring a task pane that shows actions available for a snap-in, when it is selected. Task Scheduler
Task Scheduler
Task Scheduler is a component of Microsoft Windows that provides the ability to schedule the launch of programs or scripts at pre-defined times or after specified time intervals. It was first introduced in the Windows 95 Plus! pack as System Agent but was renamed to Task Scheduler in Windows 98...
and Windows Firewall
Windows Firewall
Windows Firewall is a software component of Microsoft Windows that provides firewalling and packet filtering functions. It was first included in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003...
are also thoroughly configurable through the management console.
Print Management enables centralized installation and management of all printers in an organization. It allows installation of network-attached printers to a group of clients simultaneously, and provides continually updated status information for the printers and print servers. It also supports finding printers needing operator attention by filtering the display of printers based on error conditions, such as out-of-paper, and can also send e-mail notifications or run scripts when a printer encounters the error condition.
Group Policy
Windows Vista includes around 2400 Group PolicyGroup Policy
Group Policy is a feature of the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems. Group Policy is a set of rules that control the working environment of user accounts and computer accounts. Group Policy provides the centralized management and configuration of operating systems, applications, and...
settings, which allow administrators to specify configuration for connected groups of computers, especially in a domain
Windows Server domain
A Windows domain is a collection of security principals that share a central directory database. This central database contains the user accounts and security information for...
. Windows Vista supports Multiple Local Group Policy Objects which allows setting different levels of Local Group Policy for individual users. A new XML based policy definition file format, known as ADMX has been introduced. ADMX files contain the configuration settings for individual Group Policy Objects (GPO). For domain based GPOs, the ADMX files can be centrally stored, and all computers on the domain will retrieve them to configure themselves, using the File Replication Service
File Replication Service
File Replication Service is a Microsoft Windows Server service for distributing shared files and Group Policy Objects. It replaced the Lan Manager Replication service , and has been partially replaced by Distributed File System Replication...
, which is used to replicate files on a configured system from a remote location. The Group Policy service is no longer attached with the Winlogon
Winlogon
In computing, Winlogon is the component of Microsoft Windows operating systems that is responsible for handling the secure attention sequence, loading the user profile on logon, and optionally locking the computer when a screensaver is running...
service, rather it runs as a service on its own. Group Policy event messages are now logged in the system event log
Event Viewer
Event Viewer, a component of Microsoft's Windows NT line of operating systems, lets administrators and users view the event logs on a local or remote machine. In Windows Vista, Microsoft overhauled the event system.- Overview :...
. Group Policy uses Network Location Awareness to refresh the policy configuration as soon as a network configuration change is detected.
New categories for policy settings include power management, device installations, security settings, Internet Explorer settings, and printer settings, among others. Group Policy settings also need to be used, to enable two way communication filtering in the Windows Firewall, which by default enables only incoming data filtering. Printer settings can be used to install printers based on the network location. Whenever the user connects to a different network, the available printers are updated for the new network. Group Policy settings specify which printer is available on which network. Also, printer settings can be used to allow standard users to install printers. Group Policy can also be used for specifying Quality of Service
Quality of service
The quality of service refers to several related aspects of telephony and computer networks that allow the transport of traffic with special requirements...
(QoS) settings. Device installation settings can be used to prevent users from connecting external storage devices, as a means to prevent data theft.
Windows Vista improves Folder Redirection
Folder redirection
In computing, and specifically in the context of Microsoft Windows operating systems, Microsoft refers to Folder Redirection when automatically re-routing I/O to/from standard folders to use storage elsewhere on a network...
by introducing the ability to independently redirect up to 10 user profile sub-folders to a network location. Up to Windows XP, only the Application Data, Desktop, My Documents, My Pictures, and Start Menu folders can be redirected to a file server. There is also a Management Console
Microsoft Management Console
Microsoft Management Console is a component of Windows 2000 and its successors that provides system administrators and advanced users an interface for configuring and monitoring the system.- Snap-ins and consoles :...
snap-in in Windows Vista to allow users to configure Folder Redirection for clients running Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 2000
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...
.
Task Scheduler
The redesigned Task SchedulerTask Scheduler
Task Scheduler is a component of Microsoft Windows that provides the ability to schedule the launch of programs or scripts at pre-defined times or after specified time intervals. It was first introduced in the Windows 95 Plus! pack as System Agent but was renamed to Task Scheduler in Windows 98...
is now based on Management Console and can be used to automate management and configuration tasks. It already has a number of preconfigured system-level tasks scheduled to run at various times. In addition to time-based triggers, Task Scheduler also supports calendar and event-based triggers, such as starting a task when a particular event is logged to the event log, or even only when multiple events have occurred. Also, several tasks that are triggered by the same event can be configured to run either simultaneously or in a pre-determined chained sequence of a series of actions, instead of having to create multiple scheduled tasks. Tasks can also be configured to run based on system status such as being idle for a pre-configured amount of time, on startup, logoff, or only during or for a specified time. Tasks can be triggered by an XPath
XPath
XPath is a language for selecting nodes from an XML document. In addition, XPath may be used to compute values from the content of an XML document...
expression for filtering events from the Windows Event Log. Tasks can also be delayed for a specified time after the triggering event has occurred, or repeat until some other event occurs. Actions that need to be done if a task fails can also be configured. There are several actions defined across various categories of applications and components. Task Scheduler
Task Scheduler
Task Scheduler is a component of Microsoft Windows that provides the ability to schedule the launch of programs or scripts at pre-defined times or after specified time intervals. It was first introduced in the Windows 95 Plus! pack as System Agent but was renamed to Task Scheduler in Windows 98...
keeps a history log of all execution details of all the tasks. Other features of Task Scheduler include:
- Several new actions: A task can be scheduled to send an e-mail, show a message box, start an executable, or fire a COMComponent Object ModelComponent Object Model is a binary-interface standard for software componentry introduced by Microsoft in 1993. It is used to enable interprocess communication and dynamic object creation in a large range of programming languages...
handler when it is triggered. - Task Scheduler schema: Task Scheduler allows creating and managing tasks through XMLXMLExtensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....
-formatted documents. - New security features, including using Credential Manager to store passwords for tasks on workgroup computers and using Active DirectoryActive DirectoryActive Directory is a directory service created by Microsoft for Windows domain networks. It is included in most Windows Server operating systems. Server computers on which Active Directory is running are called domain controllers....
for task credentials on domain-joined computers so that they cannot be retrieved easily. Also, scheduled tasks are executed in their own session, instead of the same session as system services or the current user. - Ability to wake up a machine remotely or using BIOS timer from sleep or hibernation to execute a scheduled task or run a previously scheduled task after a machine gets turned on.
- Ability to attach tasks to events directly from the Event ViewerEvent ViewerEvent Viewer, a component of Microsoft's Windows NT line of operating systems, lets administrators and users view the event logs on a local or remote machine. In Windows Vista, Microsoft overhauled the event system.- Overview :...
. - The Task Scheduler 2.0 API is now fully available to VBScriptVBScriptVBScript is an Active Scripting language developed by Microsoft that is modeled on Visual Basic. It is designed as a “lightweight” language with a fast interpreter for use in a wide variety of Microsoft environments...
, JScriptJScriptJScript is a scripting language based on the ECMAScript standard that is used in Microsoft's Internet Explorer.JScript is implemented as a Windows Script engine. This means that it can be "plugged in" to any application that supports Windows Script, such as Internet Explorer, Active Server Pages,...
, PowerShellWindows PowerShellWindows PowerShell is Microsoft's task automation framework, consisting of a command-line shell and associated scripting language built on top of, and integrated with the .NET Framework...
and other scripting languages.
Command-line tools
Several new command-line tools are included in Windows Vista. Several existing tools have also been updated and some of the tools from the Windows Resource Kit are now built-in into the operating system.- auditpol — Configure, create, back up and restore audit policies on any computer in the organization from the command line with verbose logging. Replaces auditusr.exe.
- bcdeditWindows Vista Startup ProcessThe startup process of Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 is different from any previous versions of Windows. For Windows Vista, the boot sector loads the Windows Boot Manager , which first looks for an active partition, then accesses the Boot Configuration...
— Create, delete, and reorder the bootloader (boot.ini is no longer used). - bitsadmin — BITSBackground Intelligent Transfer ServiceBackground Intelligent Transfer Service is a component of Microsoft Windows XP and later operating systems that facilitates prioritized, throttled, and asynchronous transfer of files between machines using idle network bandwidth...
administration utility. - chglogon — Enable or disable session logins.
- chgport — List or change COM port mappings for DOS application compatibility.
- chgusr — Change install mode.
- choiceChoice (command)In computing, CHOICE is a DOS command that allows for batch files to prompt the user to select one item from a set of single-character choices. It was introduced as an external command with MS-DOS 6.0, Novell DOS 7 and PC DOS 7.0, and is also available from the command line shell of some versions...
— Allows users to select one item from a list of choices and returns the index of the selected choice. - clip — Redirects output of command line tools to the Windows clipboardClipboard (software)The clipboard is a software facility that can be used for short-term data storage and/or data transfer between documents or applications, via copy and paste operations...
. This text output can then be pasted into other programs. - cmdkey — Creates, displays, and deletes stored user names and passwords from Credentials Manager.
- diskpart — Expanded to support hard disks with the GUID Partition TableGUID Partition TableIn computer hardware, GUID Partition Table is a standard for the layout of the partition table on a physical hard disk. Although it forms a part of the Extensible Firmware Interface standard , it is also used on some BIOS systems because of the limitations of MBR partition tables, which restrict...
, USB media, and a new "shrink" command has been added which facilitates shrinking a pre-existing NTFSNTFSNTFS is the standard file system of Windows NT, including its later versions Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, and Windows 7....
partition. - diskraid — Launches the Diskraid application.
- dispdiag — Display diagnostics.
- expand — Updated version of expand.exe that allows extracting .MSU files. MSU is a self-contained update format known as a 'Microsoft Update Standalone Installer'. MSU files use Intra-Package Delta (IPD) compression technology. IPD technology reduces the download size of an MSU file but still delivers a self-contained package that contains the updated files.
- forfiles — Selects a file (or set of files) and executes a command on that file. This is helpful for batch jobs.
- icacls — Updated version of caclsCaclscacls and icacls are Microsoft Windows native command line utilities capable of displaying and modifying the access control lists on folders and files...
. Displays or modifies access control listAccess control listAn access control list , with respect to a computer file system, is a list of permissions attached to an object. An ACL specifies which users or system processes are granted access to objects, as well as what operations are allowed on given objects. Each entry in a typical ACL specifies a subject...
s (ACLs) and DACLs of files and directories. It can also backup and restore them and set mandatory labels of an object for interaction with Mandatory Integrity ControlMandatory Integrity ControlIn the context of the Microsoft Windows range of operating systems, Mandatory Integrity Control or Integrity Levels is a core security feature, introduced in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, that adds Integrity Levels to processes running in a...
. - iscsicli — Microsoft iSCSIISCSIIn computing, iSCSI , is an abbreviation of Internet Small Computer System Interface, an Internet Protocol -based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities. By carrying SCSI commands over IP networks, iSCSI is used to facilitate data transfers over intranets and to manage...
Initiator. - mklink — create, modify and delete junctionsNTFS junction pointAn NTFS junction point is a feature of the NTFS file system that provides the ability to create a symbolic link to a directory which then functions as an alias of that directory...
, hard linkHard linkIn computing, a hard link is a directory entry that associates a name with a file on a file system. . The term is used in file systems which allow multiple hard links to be created for the same file. This has the effect of creating multiple names for the same file, causing an aliasing effect: e.g...
s, and symbolic linkSymbolic linkIn computing, a symbolic link is a special type of file that contains a reference to another file or directory in the form of an absolute or relative path and that affects pathname resolution. Symbolic links were already present by 1978 in mini-computer operating systems from DEC and Data...
s. - muiunattend — Multilingual User Interface unattend actions.
- netcfg — WinPEWindows Preinstallation EnvironmentWindows Preinstallation Environment is a lightweight version of Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008 R2 that is used for the deployment of workstations and servers...
network installer. - ocsetup — Windows optional component setup.
- pkgmgr — Windows package manager.
- pnpunattend — Audit system, unattended online driver install.
- pnputil — Microsoft PnP Utility.
- query — Query {Process|Session|TermServer|User}
- quser — Display information about users logged on to the system.
- robocopyRobocopyRobocopy, or "Robust File Copy", is a command-line directory replication command. It has been available as part of the Windows Resource Kit starting with Windows NT 4.0, and was introduced as a standard feature of Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008...
— the next version of xcopyXCOPYIn computing, Xcopy is a command used on PC DOS, MS-DOS, OS/2, Microsoft Windows, and related operating systems for copying multiple files or entire directory trees from one directory to another and for copying files across a network...
with additional features. Compared to the freely available TechNet Magazine version, (XP026), the Windows Vista version additionally supports /EFSRAW switch to copy encrypted files without decrypting them and /SL switch to copy symbolic links instead of their target. - rpcping — Pings a serverServer (computing)In the context of client-server architecture, a server is a computer program running to serve the requests of other programs, the "clients". Thus, the "server" performs some computational task on behalf of "clients"...
using RPCMSRPCMicrosoft RPC is a modified version of DCE/RPC. Additions include support for Unicode strings, implicit handles, inheritance of interfaces , and complex calculations in the variable-length string and structure paradigms already present in DCE/RPC.- Example :The DCE 1.0 reference implementation...
. - setx — Creates or modifies environment variableEnvironment variableEnvironment variables are a set of dynamic named values that can affect the way running processes will behave on a computer.They can be said in some sense to create the operating environment in which a process runs...
s in the user or system environment. Can set variables based on argumentsParameter (computer science)In computer programming, a parameter is a special kind of variable, used in a subroutine to refer to one of the pieces of data provided as input to the subroutine. These pieces of data are called arguments...
, registry keysWindows registryThe Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options on Microsoft Windows operating systems. It contains settings for low-level operating system components as well as the applications running on the platform: the kernel, device drivers, services, SAM, user...
or file input. - sxstrace — WinSxS tracing utility.
- takeown — Allows administrators to take ownership of a file for which access is denied.
- timeout — Accepts a timeout parameter to wait for the specified time period (in seconds) or until any key is pressed. It also accepts a parameter to ignore the key press.
- tracerpt — Microsoft TraceRpt.
- waitfor — Sends, or waits for, a signal on a system. When /S is not specified, the signal will be broadcasted to all the systems in a domain. If /S is specified, then the signal will be sent only to the specified system.
- wbadmin — Backup command-line tool.
- wecutil — Windows Event collector utility.
- wevtutil — Windows Event command line utility.
- where — Displays the location of files that match the search pattern. By default, the search is done along the current directory and in the paths specified by the PATH environment variable.
- whoami — Can be used to get user name and group information along with the respective Security IdentifierSecurity IdentifierIn the context of the Microsoft Windows NT line of operating systems, a Security Identifier is a unique name which is assigned by a Windows Domain controller during the log on process that is used to identify a subject, such as a user or a group of users in a network of NT/2000...
s (SID), privileges, logon identifier (logon ID) for the current user (access token) on the local system. i.e. the current logged on user. If no switch is specified, the tool displays the user name in NTLMNTLMIn a Windows network, NTLM is a suite of Microsoft security protocols that provides authentication, integrity, and confidentiality to users....
format (domain\username). - winrm.cmd — Windows Remote Management command line utility.
- winrs — Windows Remote Shell (WinRS) allows establishing secure Windows Remote Management sessions to multiple remote computers from a single console.
- winsat — Windows System Assessment ToolWindows System Assessment ToolThe Windows System Assessment Tool is a module of Microsoft Windows Vista and Windows 7 which measures various performance characteristics and capabilities of the hardware it is running on and reports them as a Windows Experience Index score, a number from 1.0 and 5.9 for Windows Vista and from...
command line.
Services for UNIX has been renamed Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications, and is included with the Enterprise and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista. Network File System (NFSv3) client support is also included. However, the utilities and SDK are required to be downloaded separately. Also, the server components from the SFU product line (namely Server for NFS, User Name Mapping, Server for NIS, Password Synchronization etc.) are not included.
Scripting
Windows Vista supports scriptingScripting language
A scripting language, script language, or extension language is a programming language that allows control of one or more applications. "Scripts" are distinct from the core code of the application, as they are usually written in a different language and are often created or at least modified by the...
and automation capabilities using Windows PowerShell
Windows PowerShell
Windows PowerShell is Microsoft's task automation framework, consisting of a command-line shell and associated scripting language built on top of, and integrated with the .NET Framework...
, an object-oriented command-line shell, released by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, but not included with the operating system. Also, WMI
Windows Management Instrumentation
Windows Management Instrumentation is a set of extensions to the Windows Driver Model that provides an operating system interface through which instrumented components provide information and notification...
classes expose all controllable features of the operating system, and can be accessed from scripting languages. 13 new WMI providers are included. In addition, DHTML coupled with scripting languages or even PowerShell
Windows PowerShell
Windows PowerShell is Microsoft's task automation framework, consisting of a command-line shell and associated scripting language built on top of, and integrated with the .NET Framework...
can be used to create desktop gadgets; gadgets can also be created for configuration of various aspects of the system.