Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
By Author: Starr Andersen, Editor: Jay Schram
Abstract
This document provides information regarding features in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition that differ in functionality from Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (SP2). It is important to note that this document uses the Windows XP Professional SP2 feature set as the baseline for comparison with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition. Features not documented here are at parity with Windows XP Professional SP2 and function the same way.
On This Page
About This Document for Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Data Execution Prevention for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Files and Settings Transfer Wizard for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
IPsec for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Outlook Express for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Remote Assistance for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Remote Desktop for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Search Companion for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Windows Installer for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Windows Media Player for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Appendices for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
About This Document for Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
This document specifically focuses on the changes between Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and Windows XP Professional Service features introduced in Windows XP Professional SP2 you can review "Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2" on the Microsoft Web site at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=24842. Pack 2 (SP2). Only those features whose functionality has changed in some way from Windows XP Professional SP2 to Windows XP Professional x64 Edition are described.
This document describes the differences in functionality between Windows XP Professional SP2 and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition in the following features:
Data Execution Prevention
Files and Settings Transfer Wizard
Internet Protocol security (IPsec)
Outlook Express
Remote Assistance
Remote Desktop
Search Companion
Windows Installer
Windows Media Player
Data Execution Prevention for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
What does data execution prevention do?
Data execution prevention (DEP) is a set of hardware and software technologies that perform additional checks on memory to help protect against malicious code exploits. In Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, DEP is enforced by both hardware and software.
Who does this feature apply to?
Application and driver developers should be aware of DEP and the requirements of software running on a supporting platform. Applications that perform just-in-time (JIT) code generation or execute memory from the default process stack or heap should pay careful attention to DEP requirements.
Driver developers are encouraged to be aware of PAE mode on platforms supporting hardware-enforced DEP. PAE mode behavior on systems running Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is changed to improve driver compatibility.
What new functionality is added to this feature in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition?
The implementation of DEP for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is the same as for 64-bit versions of Windows Server™ 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1). The only exception is the default configuration, which is OptIn, as compared to OptOut on Windows Server 2003 SP1
For details on changes in data execution prevention see "Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1" on the Microsoft Web site at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=38958.
Files and Settings Transfer Wizard for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
What does the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard do?
The Files and Settings Transfer Wizard (FASTWiz) is a tool to assist users in migrating from their previous Windows-based computer to their new computer running Windows XP Professional x64 Edition. It assists users in collecting their settings and documents, as well as transferring and applying them to the new system.
Who does this feature apply to?
Users of all levels of technical expertise can use this tool to assist with their migration. Customization through the wizard of what is migrated requires minimal technical expertise.
What existing functionality is changing in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition?
Migration Support
Detailed Description
Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition adds support for migrating from 32-bit Windows XP to 64-bit Windows XP, as well as migrating between 64-bit Windows XP–based computers (on the same 64-bit architecture). In addition, many of the supported applications, like Office, are updated to support the latest versions. For example, Office 2003 is supported now. The new version uses the latest migration engine, also used by User State Migration Tool (USMT) v2.6 for corporate desktop migration as part of deployment.
Why is this change important?
This enables the key 64-bit migration scenarios, and improves application coverage.
What works differently? Are there any dependencies?
You need to use a newly created Files and Settings Transfer Wizard disk (from the Windows XP Professional x64 Edition version of the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard) for collecting data from the previous Windows XP system. The new version of the wizard will detect the newer versions of the applications and prepare for the migration to the 64-bit environment. It does not work with stores or connections from the original Windows XP version of the wizard.
How do I resolve these issues?
Ensure your collections are done with the new version of the wizard, even if the old system has an older version of the wizard.
IPsec for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
What does IPsec do?
Internet Protocol security (IPsec) is a framework of open standards for helping to ensure private, secure communications over Internet Protocol (IP) networks through the use of cryptographic security services. IPsec supports network-level data integrity, data confidentiality, data origin authentication, and replay protection. IPsec helps provide defense-in-depth against:
Network-based attacks from untrusted computers, attacks that can result in the denial-of-service of applications, services, or the network
Data corruption
Data theft
User credential theft
Unauthorized administrative control of servers, other computers, and the network
Who does this feature apply to?
All information technology (IT) professionals currently using IPsec to manage network access and secure data
All IT professionals responsible for designing and implementing scenarios for providing overall network security, including managing network access and maintaining data integrity and confidentiality
What existing functionality is changing?
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition IPsec functionality is the same as that in Windows Server 2003. To learn more about how this functionality has changed from previous versions of Windows XP see "New features for IPSec" on the Microsoft Web site at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=38619.
Outlook Express for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
What does Outlook Express do?
Outlook Express is the e-mail client included with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition. You can send e-mail and participate in newsgroups with Outlook Express, which is built on existing Internet standards such as Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3), and Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP).
Who does this feature apply to?
This feature applies to users who compose mail with Outlook Express.
What existing functionality is changing in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition?
Spell Checking
Detailed description
Spell checking is not supported in the 64-bit version of Outlook Express.
What works differently?
Because spell checking is not supported, you will see an error if you try to check spelling within a new message in Outlook Express by clicking Spelling on the Tools menu, or by pressing F7.
Remote Assistance for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
What does Remote Assistance do?
Remote Assistance enables a trusted person (a friend, support person, or IT administrator) to remotely and actively help someone with a computer problem. The helper (also called an expert) can view the screen of the user requesting assistance and offer advice. With the permission of the user, the helper can take control of the user's computer and perform tasks remotely.
Who does this feature apply to?
This feature is used by the following:
Computers connected to the Internet
Help Desk professionals who need to provide support to users with computer problems
Home users who want to get active remote help over the Internet to solve a computer problem
What existing functionality is changing in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition?
Voice Session (VoIP) during Remote Assistance
Detailed Description
Voice conversations during a Remote Assistance session using Voice Over IP (VoIP) will not be supported in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.
Why is this change important?
Voice Over IP in Remote Assistance does not currently work in 64-bit mode.
What works differently? Are there any dependencies?
During a Remote Assistance session between two 64-bit clients, the button to enable voice will not be visible.
During a Remote Assistance session between a 64-bit client and a 32-bit client, if the user on the 32-bit client (which has the Voice button to enable VoIP) attempts to use voice, the user receives a message stating that the 64-bit client does not support voice. The user on the 64-bit client receives a message stating that the remote user is attempting to start a voice session that is not supported.
Escalation Using E-mail
Detailed Description
One of the ways users can escalate a Remote Assistance session is through e-mail. There are various e-mail clients that users may choose to use. To use e-mail as a Remote Assistance escalation method, the user must choose a 64-bit client. An example of a 64-bit e-mail client is Outlook Express shipped with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.
Why is this change important?
If the e-mail client is not 64 bit, Remote Assistance escalation using e-mail will fail.
What works differently? Are there any dependencies?
Remote Assistance escalation using e-mail to send the invitation will be limited to 64- bit versions of e-mail clients such as Outlook Express.
How do I fix these issues?
Use a 64-bit e-mail client or if you must use an e-mail client that is not 64-bit, use an alternate Remote Assistance escalation method such as file transfer.
Escalation Using Windows Messenger
Detailed description
Remote Assistance using Windows Messenger requires a version of Windows Messenger that is 64-bit compatible (Version 4.7.3001). This version is included with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition. Remote Assistance will not work with other downloadable versions of Messenger (including MSN Messenger) that are not 64-bit compatible.
Why is this change important?
You may not be able to use Messenger to escalate a Remote Assistance request.
What works differently? Are there any dependencies?
To use Windows Messenger for Remote Assistance escalation you must use the 64-bit version of Windows Messenger included with Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and not a downloaded version from the Web.
Remote Desktop for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
What does Remote Desktop do?
Remote Desktop in Windows XP Professional x64 provides remote access to the desktop of your computer running Windows XP Professional x64, from a computer at another location. Remote Desktop is based on Terminal Services technology. Using Remote Desktop, you can run applications on a remote computer running Windows XP Professional x64 from any other client running a Microsoft Windows operating system.
Who does this feature apply to?
The changes to this feature will be of interest to information technology professionals in particular and all Remote Desktop users in general.
What new functionality is added to this feature in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition?
Unicode keyboard input support
Detailed description
Unicode keyboard input support allows the client computer to receive Unicode keyboard input. Tablet PC users can write using the local input panel and send that data through to a Terminal Server session.
What works differently?
You can use Unicode input to control Unicode-related text behavior, such as the specification of Unicode keyboard layout.
Client-side time-zone redirection
Detailed description
Client-side time-zone redirection allows Remote Desktop clients to see their time adjusted to their local time zone in their Remote Desktop sessions.
What works differently?
This new feature allows a client computer to redirect its time zone settings to the Terminal Services session based on the Group Policy configuration.
By default, the session time zone is the same as the server time zone, and the client computer cannot redirect its time zone information. If the Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Terminal Services\Client/Server data redirection policy status is set to Enabled, clients that are capable of time zone redirection send their time zone information to the server. The server base time is then used to calculate the current session time (current session time = server base time + client time zone).
GDI+ rendering primitives support
Detailed description
GDI+ rendering primitives support offers better performance when using applications that use GDI+ operations.
What works differently?
With the GDI+ graphic set you can load, save, and convert image data from a variety of resources and media. GDI+ is also useful for working with text layouts, because they are resolution independent and look the same on the remote client display as when they are printed.
GDI+ functionality is also used when dealing with image resizing. When an image needs to be adjusted to fit on a client that is not the same size as the original image on the server, GDI+ efficiently transforms the image during the rendering operation.
FIPS encryption support
Detailed description
Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) encryption is a government approved security standard, allowing Remote Desktop Connection to be utilized by government agencies. With FIPS on, all data between the client and server is protected by using Federal Information Processing Standard 140-1 validated encryption methods.
What works differently?
With FIPS encryption support, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Terminal Services supports the following encryption options:
Low encrypts data sent from the client to the server using 56-bit encryption but does not encrypt the data that is sent from the server to the client.
Client Compatible encrypts communications between the client and the server at the maximum key strength that the client supports. When you have mixed clients that support varying encryption levels, use this level.
FIPS Compliant encrypts and decrypts all communications using the FIPS encryption algorithms in the Microsoft cryptographic modules.
High, the default setting encrypts the data transmission in both directions by using a 128-bit key.
Fallback printer driver
Detailed description
The fallback printer driver is a backup driver that users can use when trying to print in a Remote Desktop session.
Why is this change important?
Users were having problems printing, due to the fact that the driver needs to be present on both the client and server. With the fallback printer driver, the driver no longer is required to be present on the server. Although the user will be able to print, full printing quality may not be present.
What existing functionality is changing in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition?
Auto-reconnect
Detailed description
When Remote Desktop Connection detects a loss in network connectivity, it will try to automatically reconnect. The user interface was updated to provide more information when Remote Desktop is trying to reconnect.
The new auto-reconnect dialog now gives more status information to the user, such as the current number of auto-reconnect attempts.
What settings are added in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition?
There are three new Group Policy settings related to Remote Desktop for Windows XP x64 Edition.
Setting name |
Location |
Default value |
Possible values |
|---|---|---|---|
Deny log off of an administrator logged in to the console session |
Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Terminal Services |
Not configured |
Enabled, disabled, not configured |
Secure Server |
Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Terminal Services\Encryption and Security\RPC Security Policy |
Not configured |
Enabled, disabled, not configured |
Terminal Server |
Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Terminal Services\Client/Server data redirection |
Not configured |
Enabled, disabled, not configured |
Search Companion for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
What does Search Companion do?
Search Companion makes it easy to search for files and folders, printers, people, and other computers on your network; and it's a convenient starting point for searching for information on the Internet. Search Companion also has an indexing service that maintains an index of all the files on your computer, making searches faster.
Who does this feature apply to?
This feature applies to users who use the Search Companion
What existing functionality is changing in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition?
Spell Checking
Detailed description
Spell checking is not supported in Search Companion on x64 computers.
What works differently?
When you open Search Companion by clicking Search on the Start menu, spell checking is not supported. Also, if you are using the 64-bit version of Internet Explorer and you open Search Companion from the Internet Explorer toolbar, spell checking is not supported.
Windows Installer for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
What does Windows Installer do?
Windows Installer is a component of the Windows operating system that simplifies the application installation process. Windows XP Professional x64 Edition includes a new version, Windows Installer 3.1.
Windows Installer manages the installation and removal of applications by applying a set of centrally defined setup rules during the installation process. These setup rules define the installation and configuration of the installed application. You can also use this service to modify, repair, or remove an existing application. The Windows Installer technology consists of the Windows Installer service for the Windows operating systems and the package (.msi) file format used to hold information regarding the application set up and installations.
Windows Installer is also an extensible software management system. It manages the installation, addition, and deletion of software components, monitors file resiliency, and maintains basic disaster recovery with rollbacks. Windows Installer supports installing and running software from multiple sources, and can be customized by developers who want to install custom applications.
Who does this feature apply to?
The new functionality in Windows Installer 3.1 will be of primary interest to installation developers.
What new functionality is added to this feature in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition?
New Installer Functions
The installer functions of Windows Installer 2.0 and later versions support both 32-bit and 64-bit applications and processes. There are two new installer functions included with Windows Installer 3.1:
MsiSetExternalUIRecord
This function enables an external user-interface handler that receives messages in a record format.
MsiNotifySidChange
This function notifies and updates the Windows Installer internal information with changes to user security identifiers (SIDs).
For additional information on these changes see the Installer Function Reference on the MSDN Web site at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=41193.
New MinorUpdateTargetRTM Property
The MsiPatchMetadata table contains information about a Windows Installer patch. The information is required to remove the patch and is used by Add or Remove Programs.
A new property is added to the MsiPatchMetadata table in Windows Installer 3.1. The MinorUpdateTargetRTM property indicates that the patch targets the release to manufacturing (RTM) version of the product or the most recent major upgrade patch. Developers can author this optional property in minor update patches that contain sequencing information to indicate that the patch removes all patches up to the RTM version of the product, or up to the most recent major upgrade patch.
New x64 and Msix64 Properties
Windows Installer 3.1 now supports the x64 and Msix64 properties. The x64 property should be authored in the Template property of the summary information stream when identifying a 64-bit package to be installed on x64 architectures. The Msix64 property can be used in conditional statements when evaluating the architecture. The Installer will automatically set the Msix64 property to the numeric processor level when running on the x64 processor. The property is not set when running on a different processor.
The 64-bit packages that should install on the Itanium architecture should still be marked as Intel64. You cannot mix 64-bit architectures within the same package (Intel64 and x64 cannot both be specified in the Template property of the summary information stream).
Windows Media Player for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
What does Windows Media Player do?
Windows Media® Player is an application that you can use to play and organize digital media files on your computer, play content on the Internet, and more.
Who does this feature apply to?
All users who use Windows Media Player should be aware of the changes incorporated in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.
What new functionality is added to this feature in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition?
Windows Media Player 10
Detailed description
Windows Media Player 10 is installed as part of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition. This version of Windows Media Player includes security fixes and new functionality.
If you perform a new installation of Windows XP Professional x64 Edition on a computer that is running a previous version of Windows, the operating system is replaced, and Windows Media Player 10 cannot be removed. For more information, see the Windows Media Player FAQ on the Microsoft Web site at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=38620.
Why is this change important? What threats does it help mitigate?
Windows Media Player 10 is the most secure version of Windows Media Player and it has been updated to work with the other security enhancements contained in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition.
What works differently?
If you decide to return to an earlier version of Windows XP, it might not be possible to play protected files that you obtained in Windows Media Player 10. This occurs because Windows Media Player 10 handles licenses differently than earlier versions of Windows Media Player.
The mini Player mode is not functional on x64 computers.
How do I resolve these issues?
Before you install Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, back up the licenses for your protected digital media files to a floppy disk. (You can do this through License Management in Windows Media Player.) Then, if you remove Windows XP Professional x64 Edition at a later time, first back up any additional licenses you have acquired in Windows Media Player10 to a floppy disk. Once you have installed the earlier version of Windows XP, restore the licenses you obtained in the earlier version of Windows Media Player. For information on restoring licenses you obtained using Windows Media Player 10, see the Windows Media Player FAQ on the Microsoft Web site at https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=38620.
If you decide to return to an earlier version of Windows XP, you can install Windows Media Player 10 from the Microsoft Windows Media Download Center.
Appendices for Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Appendix A: Document History
Release Date |
Changes to Document |
|---|---|
December 6, 2004 |
First version of document released |
April, 2005 |
NetMeeting deleted; Remote Desktop, Outlook Express, and Windows Installer added |
Appendix B: Features Not Supported in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
The features that are not supported in Windows XP Professional x64 Edition are:
Windows Server 2003 Administration Tools Pack (Adminpak.msi)
Windows Media Player 9
IEEE 1394 audio
Windows SharePoint Services
OLE DB
Active Desktop
IME handwriting support
16-bit applications
32-bit Shell extensions
32-bit Outlook Express
64-bit native FrontPage 2002 Server Extensions from Microsoft
Subsystems and Protocols
Microsoft DOS
16-bit subsystem
IPX/SPX
AppleTalk Protocol LAN
Services for Macintosh
Data Link Control (DLC) LAN
NetBEUI
Service Advertising Protocol (SAP)
IPX Router
Open Shortest Path First (OSPF)
NetBIOS gateway