Changes between NT4 and Windows 2000

Changes between NT4 and Windows 2000

Document number: 69036

Below is a collection of some of the changes between Windows NT 4 Workstation and Windows 2000 Professional. Some of the changes between Windows NT4 and Windows 2000 Professional are minor, you'd probably be able to figure out the correct selection without this guide Some of the changes are more significant, such as having an entirely new location. This document covers primarily the changes at the user interface level. While some common administrative tasks are covered, this document does not cover security, Active directory structure, domain and resource structures, administrative rights, and similar issues.

In the interest of being complete this list includes all changes noted in the process of updating documents. It does not, however, include all changes that exist between these two operating systems. The documents listed are examples of the usage and the need for updating. The documents listed have not necessarily yet been edited to reflect the changes. If there is a link to the document then it has been updated.

For tables showing the differences between Windows 2000 and Windows NT4, click here. The tables cover name changes, location changes, new features, and features no longer supported.

Change highlights:

1. The integrated browser. My Computer = My Network Places = Windows Explorer = Internet Explorer = My Documents ... All the features and tools available on one are available on each of the others.

2. Reorganization of administration and management functions. There are some very significant changes in location of these functions, and in some cases in how you use them. See the table covering location changes.

3. More wizards and Plug & Play improve success in adding and removing hardware, networking components, programs and similar features.

4. The "personalized menu". This feature is where only the most frequently and recently used applications are displayed in the Start > Programs Menu. To expand the menu to see all available applications click on the expand menu arrows. To turn off this feature go to the Start button, Click on Settings, Click on Taskbar & Start Menu ..... On the General tab uncheck " Use personalized menus"

5. There is no Office bar. The Office bar has been replaced with a Quick Launch bar. Intially the Quick Launch bar sits on the Taskbar at the bottom of the screen, but it can be moved. See Eureka! document 69053 — Move or modify the Quick Launch bar

6. For a list of the changes you can find using the Windows 2000 Professional Help utility, click here.

7. Additional sleep feature. Earlier builds used the "Power Saver" or "Power Options" functions (from Control Panel) to cause the computer to reduce power to things such as the monitor, hard disks or CPU after periods of inactivity. Generally this affected only laptops. Current Windows 2000 builds also include a security feature using the screen saver. If the machine is left inactive for 15 minutes or so the screen saver kicks in and you will need to use your password to reactivate the machine. For more information see Eureka! document 39004 — How to turn off energy star compliance feature .

Changes between NT4 and Windows 2000:

Windows Explorer, Windows NT Explorer.

On NT4 Windows NT Explorer can be found on the Start, Programs menu, or by right clicking the start button and clicking Explore.
On Windows 2000 Windows Explorer does not appear on the Start, Programs menu; it can be found by selecting Start, Programs , then Accessories, or by right clicking the start button and clicking E xplore. Although Windows Explorer is not on the Start ť Programs menu any of the browers available on the desktop or taskbar may be used instead with no loss of function.
On Windows 2000 Network Neighborhood has been renamed My Network Places.

The browsers: (My Computer, Internet Explorer, Windows (NT) Explorer, Network Neighborhood (My Network Places): 69051 — Windows Explorer and My Computer Tips

On NT4 there are several different browsers. They have similar functions and interfaces but also distinct differences. Those browsers are:Windows NT Explorer, My Computer, Network Neighborhood and Internet Explorer. Each has a slightly different structure that affects how to get to a feature or even if it is available.
On Windows 2000 all the browsers (My Network Places, Windows Explorer, My Computer, and Internet Explorer) are functionally equivalent. They differ in initial default views, but not in available options, structure or performance.

Browsers and the address bar.

On NT4 Windows NT Explorer and Internet Explorer are separate. You cannot use the address bar of Windows NT Explorer to access the internet.
On Windows 2000 you can access internet sites from any of the browsers (My Network Places, Windows Explorer, My Computer, and Internet Explorer) simply by typing the internet address in the address bar. The interface differs slightly depending upon whether you are accessing the internet or your local computer. When you access the internet the three buttons on the toolbar are Search, Favorites and History. When you access your local computer or mapped network drives the three buttons on the toolbar are Search, Folders and History. To use Internet Explorer to access the local machine select View ť Explorer ť F olders. The only difference you will note between accessing local files using Internet Explorer (in contrast to the other browsers) is that "Microsoft Internet Explorer" appears on the title bar if you originally started with Internet Explorer, but not if you started from Windows Explorer, My Computer, or My Network Places.

The browsers and mapping network drives

On NT4 quickly accessing a network drive from Windows Explorer requires first mapping to that drive.
On Windows 2000 you can access a network drive simply by typing the address in the address bar of any of the browsers e.g. \\psh-common-02\peoplenet32. You can still map to a network drive, but you don't need to do so.

Start Menu - Programs

On NT4 clicking on the Start button then selecting Programs lists all folders and programs available from the Start Menu.
On Windows 2000 the default is for the Start button then selecting Programs to list only the most recently used programs. This is called the "Personalized Menu." A user may ask " Where did my programs go?" Holding the pointer on the menu for a moment will expand the menu and allow the display of the other programs and folders. To turn off the personalized menu Start ť Settings ť Taskbar & Start Menuť General (tab) ť uncheck Use Personalized Menus.

What happened to the stuff in Administrative Tools?
Administrative tools has been relocated to the Control Panel. Start button ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Administrative Tools ť

Some of the functions that were under Administrative Tools in NT4 are still there in Windows 2000, just in the new location Start button ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Administrative Tools ť

Function	Windows 2000 Location
Disk Administrator (now Disk Management)	Computer Management ť Disk Management
Event Viewer	Event Viewer
Performance Monitor (now System Monitor)	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Administrative Tools ť Performance ť System Monitor
User Manager (now Local Users and Groups)	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Administrative Tools ť Local Users and Groups ť Groups ť Administrators
Windows NT Diagnostics (now System Information)	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Administrative Tools ť Computer Management ť System Information.

Some of the functions that were under Administrative Tools in NT4 are in an entirely new location:

Function	Windows 2000 Location
Backup	Start ť Programs ť Accessories ť System Tools ť Backup
Remote Access Admin (now Network and Dial-Up Connections)	Start ť Programs ť Settings ť Network and Dial-Up Connections

Event viewer: See document 69033 — How to use Event Viewer

On NT4 event viewer is accessed from Administrative Tools which is found on the Programs Start Menu.
On Windows 2000 event viewer is accessed from Administrative Tools which is found on Control Panel.

Verifying who is Adminsitrator:

On NT4 verifing who is Administrator on a machine is done through User Manager. On MT4 User Manager is accessed from Administrative Tools which is found on the Programs Start Menu.
On Windows 2000 verifying who is administrator on a machine can be done through Users and Passowords which is found on Control Panel.

Disk Administrator: 39016 — How to assign permanent drive letters

On NT4 Disk Administrator is accessed from Administrative Tools which is found on the Programs Start Menu.
On Windows 2000 Disk Administrator has been replaced. To access the same function go to Control Panel, select the Administrative Tools icon, when that panel opens select the Computer Management icon and from the console tree select Disk Management.

Virtual memory: See document 69016 — How to change virtual memory settings.

On NT4 virtual memory is on the Performance tab of the System Icon of the Control Panel
On Windows 2000 changing virtual memory requires selecting the Performance options ...button on the Advanced tab of the System Icon of the Control Panel.

Permissions: See document 69037 — How to view and change permissions.

On NT4 permissions are found by selecting the object, then right clicking for Properties, then clicking on the Security tab and then on the Permissions tab.
On Windows 2000 permissions are found by selecting the object, then right clicking for Properties, then clicking on the Security tab.

Sounds: See document 69038 — How to assign and remove sound assigned to events.

On NT4 the icon on Control Panel for sound events is called Sound.
On Windows 2000 the icon on Control Panel for sound events is called Sounds and Multimedia. There is also the addition of a sounds S cheme which allows a user to save a desired set of sound assignments to a name.

Sounds: See document 30004 — How to troubleshoot "no sound" problems.

On NT4 the volume controls for multimedia devices such as the CD ROM are found in the Accessories folder of the Programs menu.
On Windows 2000 the volume controls for multimedia devices such as the CD ROM are found on the Audio tab Sounds and Multimedia icon on Control Panel.

Dial-up networking: See document 55049 — How to create a RAS phone number connection

On NT4 changes to Dial-up networking are found in Start menu ť Programs ť Accessories ť Dial-Up Networking or My Computer ť Dial-Up Networking
On Windows 2000 Dial-up networking is found in Start ť Settings ť Network and Dial-up Connections

Sharing: See document 50011 — How to share a directory on your C: drive

On NT4 a file can be shared by right clicking a folder in Windows Explorer and selecting sharing. Sharing is installed by default.
On Windows 2000 sharing is a service that is separately installed. It may not be active on the machine. To install sharing Start ť Settings ť Network and Dial-up Connections ť Local Area Connections ť Install ť Service ť Add ť File and Printer Sharing. Once installed the sharing process is the same as for Windows NT4.

VGA mode: See document 69022 — How to boot into VGA mode

On NT4 the option to boot into VGA mode appears as a selection on screen during boot-up.
On Windows 2000 the user must press F8 during boot-up to get a menu which has the option to boot using VGA mode.

Regional settings: See document 69040 — How to change the date and time format

On NT4 the icon to select from Control Panel to change the date or time format is called Regional Settings
On Windows 2000 the icon to select from Control Panel to change the date or time format is called Regional Options

Add/Remove Programs: See document 69004 — How to uninstall and install software

On NT4 Add/Remove programs provides a button to remove programs listed, and a button to install programs from CD-ROM or floppy. The "Add/Remove" button is unclear, often pressing it will remove a program or component with no further warning to the user.
On Windows 2000 Add/Remove programs has an entirely new look. There are two panels. The left side allows selection of (1) change or remove programs (2) Add new programs or (3) Add/Remove Windows components.

Change or remove programs lists current programs and provides a button to either change or remove the program. Programs can be sorted by name, date, size, frequency of use or date last used. Note, however, "Date last used" is not reliable.

Add new programs provides buttons to load software from (a) floppy or CD (b)Microsoft's internet site or (c) the network. The last is a Windows 2000 feature somewhat like the software library concept.

File associations: 69015 — How to setup and modify file associations

On NT4 how file associations are set by choosing Options from the View menu of Windows Explorer or My Computer.
On Windows 2000 how file associations are set from choosing Folder Options either from the Tools menu in Windows Explorer (or My Computer) or choosing the Folder Options icon found on Control Panel.

File display: 69050 — Tips on files and folders.

On NT4 how files are displayed and file associations are set by choosing Options from the View menu of Windows Explorer or My Computer.
On Windows 2000 how files are displayed and file associations are set from choosing Folder Options either from the Tools menu in Windows Explorer (or My Computer) or choosing the Folder Options icon found on Control Panel.

Menu display style of alt+key shortcuts

On NT4 when a letter is underlined in a menu that selection can be reached from the keyboard by pressing the { Alt}key and then that letter.
On Windows 2000 the default is not to display an underlined letter in a menu until the { Alt} key is pressed. Once the { Alt} key is pressed the user can press a letter that is now underlined to make that selection. To restore the display of the underlined letter Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Display ť Effects(tab) ť uncheck " Hide keyboard navigation indicators until I use the Alt key."

Network connection indication

On NT4 if there is no network connection at login the user will get an error " Domain controller not found."
On Windows 2000 if there is no network connection at login the user will see a small icon of a monitor with a red X at the lower right-hand corner in the system tray of the taskbar.

Find and Search:

On NT4 to locate a file, folder or computer you use Find from the Tools menu of Windows NT Explorer or Find from the Start button. If you select Find ť Files and Folders from the Start button only the Find window opens, Windows NT Explorer does not open.
On Windows 2000 to locate a file, folder or computer you use Search from the toolbar of Windows Explorer or Sear ch from the Start menu. If you select Sear ch from the Start menu Windows Explorer opens in search view.

Find and Search for computer:

On NT4 to locate a computer from Windows NT Explorer you can use Tools ť Find ť Computer... or from the Start button ť Find ť Computer....
On Windows 2000 to locate a computer from Windows Explorer use the Search button on the toolbar then pull the scroll bar to the bottom, under Search for other items select the link Computers. If you open My Network Places and click the Search button on the toolbar the default search view is to search for Computers. The Sear ch option that is on the Start menu does not list Computers but if you select For Files and Folders then Windows Explorer will open in Search view and you can scroll down and select the Computers link.

Find and Search for files or folders:

On NT4 to locate a file or folder from Windows NT Explorer you can use Tools ť Find ť Files or Folders... or from the Start button ť Find ť Files or Folders....
On Windows 2000 to locate a file or folder from Windows Explorer use the Search button on the toolbar, or from the Start button ť Sear ch ť For Files or Folders... or right-click the Start button and select S earch. Every choice will open Windows Explorer in search files and folders view.

Computer name and system information:

On NT4 you can find the computer name in Network Properties. You can open Network Properties from the following locations:

Start button ť Settings ť Control Panelť Networkť Identification(tab).
Right-click Network Neighborhoodť P roperties ť Identification(tab).

On Windows 2000 the computer name is found on the Network Identification tab of System Properties. The Computer name is given as the "full computer name" which includes the .peoplesoft.com suffix.You can open the Network Identification tab of System Properties from the following locations:
- Start button ť Settings ť Control Panel ť System ť Network Identification (tab)
- Right-click My Network Places ť P roperties ť Adva nced ť Network Identification... ť Network Identification (tab)
- Start button ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Network and Dial-up Connections ť Adva nced ť Network Identification... ť Network Identification (tab)

Cookies, Favorites, and Profiles

On NT4 Cookies, Favorites, and Profiles are found in folders under c:\winnt\Profiles\(your username)\
On Windows 2000 Cookies, Favorites, and Profiles are found in folders under c:\Documents and Settings\(your username)\

Your Windows desktop:

On NT4 C:\winnt\profiles\(your username)\Desktop
On Windows 2000 C:\Document and Settings\(your username)\Desktop

Windows 2000 Professional changes listed in Help

Below is the list of changes Windows 2000 Professional lists in Help.

To get the details in Windows 2000 Help:

On your Windows 2000 machine click the Start button and select Help
Click on the Contents Tab
On the left-hand side pane click Start Here
On the right-hand side pane click on " If you've used Windows before"
Clicking on a link will take you to a window with more information.

Here is the list you should find on that page (the links go back to the list above):

Active Desktop
Add New Hardware
Administrative Tools

Backup

CD Player
Character Map
Clipboard Viewer
Compression Agent
Console

Devices
Dial-up Networking
Direct Cable Connection
Disk Administrator

Event Viewer

Favorites
Find
Find Computer
Find Files or Folders
Find on the Internet
Find People
Folder Options

HyperTerminal

Inbox
Internet
ISDN Configuration wizard

Log Off

Media Player

Modems
MS-DOS Prompt
Multimedia
My Briefcase

Network
Network Neighborhood

Passwords
PC Card
Performance Monitor
Phone Dialer
Ports
Power Management
Printers

Regional Settings
Remote Access Admin

Schedules Tasks
SCSI Adapters
Server
Services
Sound Recorder
Sounds
System Information
System Monitor

Tape Devices
Taskbar
Telephony
Telnet

UPS
User Manager
Users

View Options
Volume Control

Windows Explorer
Windows NT Diagnostics
Windows NT Explorer
WSP Client

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Tables showing changes between NT4 and Windows 2000

Name Changes

NT4 Name	Windows 2000 Name
Disk Administrator	Disk Management
Find	Search
Find Fast	QuickFinder Manager
My Briefcase	Off line files
Network	Network and Dial-Up Connections
Network Neighborhood	My Network Places
Regional Settings	Regional Options
Sounds	Sounds and Multimedia
Office bar	Quick Launch bar
Performance Monitor	System Monitor
Options (Windows NT Explorer)	Folder Options
Windows NT Explorer	Windows Explorer
User Manager	Local Users and Groups

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Tables showing changes between NT4 and Windows 2000

Interface Changes

NT4 Interface	Windows 2000 Interface
Add/Remove Programs
Mapping Network Drive

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Location Changes

Function	NT4 Location	Windows 2000 Location *
Backup	Start ť Programs ť Administrative Tools ť Backup	Start ť Programs ť Accessories ť System Tools ť Backup
Disk Administrator Disk Management	Start ť Programs ť Administrative Tools ť Disk Administrator	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Administrative Tools ť Computer Management ť Storage ť Disk Management
Event Viewer	Start ť Programs ť Administrative Tools ť Event Viewer	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Administrative Tools ť Event Viewer
Performance Monitor System Monitor	Start ť Programs ť Administrative Tools ť Performance Monitor	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Administrative Tools ť Performance ť System Monitor
Remote Access Admin	Start ť Programs ť Administrative Tools ť Remote Access Admin	Start ť Programs ť Settings ť Network and Dial-Up Connections
User Manager (Who is Administrator)	Start ť Programs ť Administrative Tools ť User Manager ť Groups ť Administrators ť Properties	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Users and Passwords or for advanced functions Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Administrative Tools ť Computer Management ť Services ť Local Users and Groups ť Groups ť Administrators
Windows NT Diagnostics	Start ť Programs ť Administrative Tools ť Windows NT Diagnostics	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Administrative Tools ť Computer Management ť System Information.

Network Identification Computer Name	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Network ť Identification	Start ť Control Panel ť System ť Network Identification
Network Services	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Network ť Services	Start ť Network and Dial-up Connections ť Local Area Connection File ť Properties ť Components
Network Protocols	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Network ť Protocols	Start ť Network and Dial-up Connections ť (right click connection) Properties ť Connect using
Network Adapters	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Network ť Adapters	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Administrative Tools ť Computer Management ť System Tools ť Device Manager
Network Bindings	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Network ť Bindings	Start ť Network and Dial-up Connections ť Advanced ť Advanced Settings ť Adapters and Bindings

Performance Paging file Virtual Memory	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť System ť Performance ť Change	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť System ť Advanced ť Performance Options ť Change
Environment User Variables System Variables Environment Variables	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť System ť Environment	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť System ť Advanced ť Environment Variables ...
Startup/Shutdown Startup and Recovery	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť System ť Startup/Shutdown	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť System ť Advanced ť Startup and Recovery
Hardware Profiles	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť System ť Hardware Profiles	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť System ť Advanced ť Hardware ť Hardware Profiles
Cookies, Favorites, and Profiles	c:\winnt\Profiles\(your username)\	c:\Documents and Settings\(your username)\
Favorites	c:\winnt\Profiles\(your username)\Favorites	c:\Documents and Settings\(your username)\Favorites
Desktop	c:\winnt\Profiles\(your username)\Desktop	c:\Documents and Settings\(your username)\Desktop
Start Menu	c:\winnt\Profiles\(your username)\Start Menu	c:\Documents and Settings\(your username)\Start Menu

(Word) Autotext entries	C:\Apps\Office97\Office\STARTUP\Normal.dot	C:\Apps\Office2000\Templates\PeopleSoft Templates\Normal.dot
Customized Excel toolbars	.XLB files in C:\WINNT	.XLB files in C:\Documents and Settings\URUSERID\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel

Dial-Up Networking	Start ť Programs ť Accessories ť Dial-Up Networking or My Computer ť Dial-Up Networking	Start ť Network and Dial-up Connections ť Make new connection

Network Settings	Start ť Control Panel ť Network	Start ť Network and Dial-up Connections ť Local Area Connection
Devices	Start ť Control Panel ť Devices	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Administrative Tools ť Computer Management ť Device Manager (there are a couple other ways of getting to device manager)
Modems	Start ť Control Panel ť Modems	Start ť Control Panel ť Phone and Modem Options
Services	Start ť Control Panel ť Services	Start ť Settings ť Control Panel ť Administrative Tools ť Services

Permissions	Properties ť Security ť Permissions	Properties ť Security
Sharing (select object and right click)	Properties ť Sharing	(select object and right click) ť Sharing (must be installed)

Options (Windows NT Explorer) Folder Options	Windows NT Explorer ť View ť Options	Windows Explorer ť Tools ť Folder Options
File Associations	Windows NT Explorer ť View ť Options	Windows Explorer ť Tools ť Folder Options

VGA mode	Select VGA option on start-up	Press F8 during start-up, select VGA option

There are often several alternative routes to the same location.

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New or Returning Features

Function	Comments
Add/Remove Hardware (Control Panel)	Plug and Play is back
Legacy Devices	Plug and Play for the serial port and Parallel port
Defragment Disk Optimizer	Disk Defragmenter is back
Folder Options (Control Panel)	Set display style for individual folders
Personalized Menu	Collapsible Start Programs menu focuses on most used programs. Turn it off or on Start ť Settings ť Taskbar & Start Menu ... ť Use personalized menus
Fully Qualified Name	Windows 2000 names will have .peoplesoft.com appended to it as part of the active directory naming requirements
Safe Mode	Pressing F8 on bootup brings up various options for troubleshooting. {Ctrl}+F in Notepad In NT4 you couldn’t initiate a search in Notepad by typing the {ctrl} + F combination that works in most other Microsoft applications. Win2K has upgraded to use this key shortcut.
{Ctrl}+F in Notepad	In NT4 you couldn’t initiate a search in Notepad by typing the {ctrl} + F combination that works in most other Microsoft applications. Win2K has upgraded to use this key shortcut.
Address bar in Windows Explorer, My Computer, My Network Neighborhood	You can go direct from machine to internet simply by typing an http://address in the address bar of My Computer, My Network Neighborhood, or Windows Explorer. You also can type in a machine name - no need to map a drive just to do a one time operation.
Web views	In file/folder viewing modes (e.g. Windows Explorer) you can choose "Web view" or "Windows Classic Folders" Web view will give you a small preview of a selected file (if viewable) and details about the file.
Auto-off, Sleep Mode, Power Options	Most of the NT4 machines required going into the BIOS to change settings for sleep or stand-by modes. From Power Options in Control Panel the auto-off times for the display, hard drive and system stand-by can be modified.
Recovery Console	Recovery console is an addin that may be useful in recovering from crashes. This option is not yet part of the standard build. It is being tested to learn if it has enough utility to be work including.

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Features no longer supported

Windows NT4 function not on Windows 2000	Workaround
Error message – No domain controller found	Look for a small icon of a monitor with a red x at the lower right hand corner It means there is no network connection
Office Bar	Quick Launch bar – it won’t put a tiny bar in the upper right-hand corner, but you can tear it off the taskbar and move it around. Put the mouse pointer on the vertical bar on the left hand side. When the cursor changes to a double arrow hold down the left mouse button, the cursor should add two dark vertical bars to the double arrow. Hold down the left button and drag the Quick Launch bar to the desired place.

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