Basics and Installation for MS Windows NT Workstation 4.0

Chapter 1 - Welcome

Welcome to Microsoft® Windows NT® Workstation 4.0, the most powerful operating system for business computing. Windows NT Workstation combines the ease-of-use of Windows® 95 with the power and reliability of Windows NT.

The new Windows 95 interface makes it easier and faster for you to do your work. New features such as Microsoft Windows NT Explorer make finding and storing files easier than ever, and the new icons and screen design keep your workstation organized and your programs accessible.

Introducing Windows NT Workstation 4.0

These are the major ways in which Windows NT Workstation 4.0 is designed to meet the demanding computing needs of today's business world.

Ease of Use, Productivity, and Compatibility

Windows NT Workstation 4.0 has the Windows 95 easy-to-use interface which helps you do your work easier and faster. Windows NT Workstation 4.0 ensures high performance for 32-bit programs. All Win16 Windows-based programs have the preemptive multitasking capabilities of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and can be run in a separate address space for better responsiveness and reliability.

System Reliability and Data Protection

Windows NT Workstation 4.0 meets the reliability standards required by management information systems (MIS) professionals and other power users to run critical line-of-business programs. Windows NT Workstation 4.0 protects application programs from one another.

Workgroup and Networking Support

Built-in file-sharing and print-sharing capabilities make it easy to use Windows NT Workstation for workgroup computing. Windows NT Workstation 4.0 has an open network system interface that is compatible with Banyan VINES, NetWare, Novell, UNIX, Macintosh, and LAN Manager 2.x, as well as Microsoft Windows for Workgroups, Windows 95, and standard x86 environments. Up to 10 simultaneous connections can be made to a Windows NT Workstation 4.0 computer for sharing files and printers.

Object Linking and Embedding

In Windows NT Workstation, you can combine information from several applications into one compound document using the special object linking and embedding (OLE) capabilities of Windows-based applications. For example, you can create a compound document that includes formatted text, graphics, and information from a spreadsheet or a database, plus icons that run sound recordings or play multimedia devices. You can edit the information without knowing which application was used to create it.

The applications included with Windows NT that have OLE capabilities are Windows Messaging, Clipbook Viewer, Paintbrush, Sound Recorder, and WordPad.

Built-in Tools for Internetworking and Intranetworking

With built-in TCP/IP, Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Microsoft Peer Web Services, you have all the tools and information needed to browse the Internet and publish information to corporate intranets.

What's New in Windows NT Workstation 4.0

Here are the new features that you will find in Windows NT Workstation 4.0:

Windows 95 User Interface

Windows NT Workstation 4.0 includes the new Windows 95 user interface, making the operating system even easier to use. Additional new features include Windows NT Explorer, My Briefcase, Recycle Bin, and Network Neighborhood.

Telephony API (TAPI) and Unimodem

Windows NT Workstation 4.0 provides the technologies required by fax applications, Windows Messaging (for electronic mail), and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

NetWare 4 Client and Logon Script Support

The NDS client for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 provides NetWare login script support and file/print capabilities. However, VLM support is not included.

Peer Web Services

Microsoft Peer Web Services for Windows NT Workstation is designed for personal Web publishing from computers running Windows NT Workstation. With Peer Web Services, you can set up a personal Web server to run on your company's intranet, which is ideal for development, testing, and peer-to-peer publishing.

Microsoft Internet Explorer

Use Microsoft Internet Explorer to easily navigate and access information on the Web. With Microsoft Internet Explorer, you can browse Macintosh, NetWare, and Windows Web sites without changing formats.

Distributed Applications for the Internet

In addition to using component object model (COM) to integrate applications on a single computer, you can now use Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) to integrate client/server applications across multiple computers. DCOM can be used to integrate robust Web browser applications. DCOM provides the infrastructure for client/server applications that can share components across the Internet or intranet.

Windows Messaging

Windows NT Workstation 4.0 includes Windows Messaging for managing e-mail (including e-mail over the Internet).

Direct Draw and Direct Sound Support

Includes the APIs necessary to develop and run games and other applications for Windows 95.

Finding Information About Windows NT Workstation

This manual, Windows NT Workstation Start Here, provides the information you need to get started quickly. The Windows NT Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) contains a list of computers and peripherals that are compatible with Windows NT Workstation 4.0. For more information about Windows NT Workstation, see the following documentation.

Online Help Files

The online Help files included with Windows NT Workstation are your primary source for getting assistance. To access these files, click the Start button, then click Help. You can click the Help Contents tab to get an overview of the online information, or click the Index or Find tab to get specific assistance on a topic.

Additional Files on Your Compact Disc

The Windows NT Workstation compact disc provides files with the most current information about the product. See the directory for your computer's platform: i386 MIPS, ALPHA, or PPC.

Setup.txt

Contains information that should be read before installing Windows NT Workstation.

Readme.doc

Contains general information about Windows NT Workstation, including hardware- and software-specific information and descriptions of product features that were added or changed after the documentation was created.

Printer.doc

Contains printer-specific information.

Network.doc

Contains network-specific information.

Other Sources of Information

The Microsoft Windows NT Workstation World Wide Web Site

For information on upgrades and other news, see the Microsoft Windows NT Workstation World Wide Web Site.

https://www.microsoft.com/NTWorkstation 

Windows NT Workstation Resource Kit

If you want to become an expert user of Microsoft Windows NT Workstation, see the Windows NT Workstation Resource Kit Version 4.0. It contains specific information for administrators who are responsible for installing, managing, and integrating Windows NT Workstation in a network or multiuser environment.