Device Management

Windows 2000 Professional includes a host of enhancements that make installing and managing devices more efficient. These include support for Plug and Play devices, the Microsoft Win32 Driver Model (WDM), and more devices, including digital video disc (DVD) and other removable storage devices.

Support for Plug and Play    As with Windows 98, Windows 2000 Professional supports the use of Plug and Play devices. Plug and Play is an independent set of computer architecture specifications that hardware manufacturers use to produce computer devices that can be configured with no user intervention. When you install a device, you do not need to know its Plug and Play requirements, because they are set automatically.

Windows Update    Users can install or update device drivers from the Windows Update Web site. By using an ActiveX control, Windows Update compares the available drivers with those on the users system and offers to install new or updated versions.

Support for PC Cards    Windows 2000 Professional supports the new features of products designed for the PC Card standard, also known as the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) standard.

Support for Multiple Monitors    Windows 2000 Professional allows you to configure multiple monitors for use with a single CPU. This feature was introduced in Windows 98 but has been enhanced for Microsoft Windows 2000 to support switching between the primary and secondary display.