The Best Way to a 32-bit Desktop: Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and Windows 95
April 1996
Over two-thirds of businesses today are considering moving to, testing, or deploying a 32-bit desktop. They want to take advantage of a new generation of 32-bit applications, exciting new technologies, and realize the advantages of a more reliable and manageable operating system. All of the major PC innovations in graphics, multimedia, business productivity, and the Internet are happening first on the Microsoft® Windows® 32-bit desktop family of operating systems. Each of the top ten selling applications is being written to take advantage of the Windows 32-bit desktop operating system family. Finally, new levels of hardware support are now available as a result of exploiting Win32®, such as Plug and Play modems, ISDN, and so forth. In addition to running the latest 32-bit applications, the Windows 32-bit operating system family is less costly to own than its 16-bit predecessor due to increased reliability, built-in management and support tools, and greater ease of use.
In making the move to a 32-bit platform, IS managers need to evaluate both Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation. Some customers have asked us for more help in understanding the technical differences between Windows 95 and the upcoming Windows NT Workstation 4.0, and the implications these differences have when IT managers need to decide the best way to a 32-bit desktop.
Windows 95 is the easiest way to a 32-bit desktop with a reduced set of requirements, comprehensive compatibility and easy installation. Windows NT Workstation 4.0 is the most powerful 32-bit desktop-with its high performance, and industrial strength reliability and security. Customers need to decide which operating system is the most appropriate for their needs. In most cases, customers will use a mix of Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation to meet the broad range of needs of all their users.
This document is designed to address:
The differences between Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation 4.0 fall into eight main areas which an IT manager should review before committing to an operating system standard across their organization. The long term goal is to address these differences by sharing more technologies across both products. The following page has a summary of the relative differences to consider.
| Technical Area | Windows 95 | Windows NT Workstation 4.0 |
| Recommended Hardware Standards | Lower: 386/486 w/ 8-16MB | Higher: Pentium® w/16-32MB |
| Software Compatibility | Higher: Supports most Windows and MS-DOS® applications. | Lower: No support for applications which breach Windows NT security (any application which directly accesses hardware) |
| Hardware and Device Compatibility | Higher: Supports more than 4,000 devices | Lower: Supports approx. 3,000 devices |
| Installation & Deployment | Comprehensive detection code and dynamic device configuration support accurately recognizes, configures, and supports hardware. | Less Comprehensive detection code and static device driver support. |
| Power Management and Plug and Play | Built-in APM support for laptops and Plug and Play for both mobile and desktop systems. | <None (until Cairo release)/font> |
| Performance | Robust: Preemptive multitasking for 32-bit applications. Slightly greater performance on 16MB systems. | High Performance: Preemptive multitasking for all applications. Significantly greater performance on 32MB systems. |
| Reliability/Stability | Better: Vastly improved over Windows 3.11 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11 | Industrial Strength: All applications run in protected memory space. |
| Security | Robust: Support for server-based validated logon. | Industrial Strength: Complete protection down to the file level. |
Key Decision Criteria:
Windows 95: The Easiest Way to a 32-bit Desktop
Windows 95, with reduced systems requirements, great application and device compatibility, and easy installation, is the easiest way to get to a 32-bit desktop. Windows 95 offers improved stability over 16-bit Windows (Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.1), robust multitasking, and great mobile support through Advanced Power Management and Plug and Play.
Windows NT Workstation 4.0: The Most Powerful 32-bit Desktop
Alternatively, Windows NT Workstation 4.0, with high performance, industrial strength reliability and security, is the most powerful 32-bit desktop. Customers who have the necessary hardware and required application and device compatibility should look at Windows NT Workstation 4.0 as their standard 32-bit desktop.
The Facts Regarding Hardware and Software Compatibility
Because it is compatible with a wider range of hardware and software and offers additional functionality, such as Plug and Play and Advanced Power Management, Microsoft estimates that Windows 95 will continue to be the significantly higher volume product for the foreseeable future.
Windows 95 supports one-third more device drivers than does Windows NT Workstation (approximately 1,000 more drivers). Windows NT Workstation does a capable job of supporting a wide array of device drivers. However, certain types of devices, such as video, audio, and PCMCIA are areas where Windows NT Workstation support falls short of Windows 95. Microsoft is particularly focused on working with third parties to develop Windows NT Workstation drivers for these devices.
In terms of application support, Windows 95 was designed to be compatible with the vast majority of MS-DOS and Windows-based applications. Windows NT, however, has certain architectural differences which means that certain types of applications that run on Windows 95 do not run on Windows NT.
There are several reasons why an application that runs on Windows 95 may not run on the Windows NT platform:
Realities of a Mixed Environment
No single operating system can satisfy the broad range of needs of all users today. Mobile users, legacy applications, and older hardware often require environments with mixed operating systems. For most customers, a mixed environment of Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation is most appropriate to address their needs, and Microsoft will provide information to enable customers to choose the right mix (including the Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation Deployment Guides).
One Example of a Mixed Environment: Mobile Computer Users
Many companies have employees who spend a significant fraction of their working hours away from their office, whether they're at a customer site, in a hotel, or in remote locations, and rely on mobile form-factor computers to help them perform their jobs. These mobile computer users need integrated features, such as electronic mail, fax, and remote networking, which ease information access from whatever location. They need a high level of compatibility with their current devices and applications, and an operating system which places moderate demands on the system (RAM, disk space, battery power) and provides Plug and Play device configuration capabilities. Since Windows NT Workstation will not provide Plug and Play and Advanced Power Management capabilities until the 1997 release, Windows 95 may be the best choice today, even if Windows NT Workstation 4.0 is selected for deployment to non-mobile users.
Managing both Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation 4.0
Microsoft has worked hard to provide the tools and technologies to easily manage a mixed environment of Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation 4.0. Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation 4.0 share a common user interface and programming interface which makes managing a mixed environment easier for customers. Users don't have to learn how to use two different operating systems and they can also use most all of the same applications across either system. In addition, with the release Systems Management Server (SMS) 1.2 later this year, both Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation 4.0 will be remotely manageable from a central SMS 1.2 console, which makes enterprise-wide management more cost effective. Systems Management Server 1.2 provides easy, centralized management, including hardware and software inventory, software distribution, and remote management.
Migrating to Windows NT Workstation 4.0
Windows NT Workstation 4.0 will provide robust and automated upgrade paths for MS-DOS 6.x, Windows 3.x, Windows for Workgroups 3.x and Windows NT Workstation 3.x operating systems. Windows 95, due to the differences in registry architectures, will not have an automated upgrade to Windows NT Workstation 4.0 (this will be addressed in the next major release of Windows NT Workstation).
Microsoft will provide extensive migration information to help IT managers plan, deploy, and manage an operating system upgrade. In fact, the Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Deployment Guide will be available with the Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Beta 2 compact disc in early May. This deployment guide details how an IT manager can use "push" and "pull" installation options for the above operating systems.
Upgrading Windows 95-the Manual Upgrade Path
Customers demand compatibility with their installed environments, but they also want state of the art advancements in the systems they use. Microsoft's strategy is to provide customers with the best possible operating systems which provide new features and support for advanced 32-bit applications, but are also appropriately tailored to certain usage requirements, and that offer maximum compatibility with older drivers, older applications, and older computer equipment.
Remaining compatible with the installed base of hardware and software is Microsoft's biggest challenge when we release new versions of our operating systems. Given this challenge, we have developed two desktop operating systems, one of which is designed specifically to be compatible with the great majority of MS-DOS and Windows-based applications, as well as the bulk of hardware devices. Windows 95 has done very well in this regard, with tens of thousands of MS-DOS and Windows-based applications, as well as 4,000 device drivers supported today. Windows NT Workstation was designed from the ground up specifically to provide greater security, robustness and portability. Given this optimization, Windows NT Workstation can not be as compatible with as many legacy applications and device drivers as Windows 95. Customers need to consider this carefully when making operating system decisions. The attached comparison chart provides more detail of the strengths and weaknesses of both desktop operating systems.
Our goal for the Windows family of operating system products is to share as many common components as possible. To date, we have been able to share the application programming and user interfaces, OLE object model, and MAPI, all of which were built upon an open architecture. Within the next six months we are taking the next step in sharing code across the family by moving to a common device driver model, known as the Windows Driver Model (WDM). This will help to eliminate today's device driver compatibility issues for Windows NT.
Microsoft will continue to enhance and optimize all three members of the family, Windows 95, Windows NT Workstation, and Windows NT Server, based on customer feedback and customer requirements.
Windows 95 and Window NT Workstation Technical Comparison
This table summarizes features which the products will share over time. The next release of Windows NT Workstation, (version 4.0) scheduled for mid-1996, will bring the user interface into parity across both products. Additional feature differences which exist today but will be resolved in the future are noted as "Future Release."
| Product Features | Windows 95 | Windows NT Workstation 4.0 |
| System and Peripheral Requirements and Support | ||
| Runs MS-DOS device drivers | Yes | No |
| Runs Win16 device drivers | Yes | No |
| Recommended RAM for running multiple applications | 8-16MB | 16-32MB |
| Typical disk space requirement | 40MB | 120MB |
| Runs on PowerPC™, MIPS®, and DEC® Alpha AXP™-based RISC systems | No | Yes |
| Supports multiprocessor configurations for scaleable performance without changing operating system or applications | No | Yes |
| Application Support | ||
| Win32 API for application development, OLE for linking data across applications | Yes | Yes |
| Preemptive multitasking of Win32 applications | Yes | Yes |
| Runs Win16 applications | Yes | Yes |
| Multimedia API's (DibEngine, Direct Draw, DirectSound, Direct Input, Reality Lab 3D graphics libraries) | Yes | Direct Draw and DirectSound Others: 1997 |
| DCOM | No In Future Release | Yes |
| OpenGL® graphics libraries for 3D graphics | Yes - SP1 | Yes |
| System Resource Capacity | Greatly expanded | Unlimited |
| Runs MS-DOS applications | Yes | most |
| Runs IBM® Presentation Manager® (through 1.3) and POSIX® 1003.1 applications | No | Yes |
| Application and Data Protection | ||
| Preemptive multitasking for Win16 applications | No | Yes |
| System completely protected from errant Win16 and Win32 applications | No | Yes |
| NTFS file system provides complete protection of files on a stand-alone system (Files, folders, and applications can be made "invisible" to specific users) | No | Yes |
| Has automatic recovery from a system failure | No | Yes |
| Ease of Use | ||
| Auto-detection and configuration of hardware during installation | Yes | Yes |
| Next-generation Windows User Interface | Yes | Yes |
| Plug and Play technology that lets you add hardware automatically and dynamically reconfigure the system | Yes | 1997 Release |
| Connectivity | ||
| LAN connectivity and peer-to-peer networking, with all popular protocols including TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, DLC and NetBEUI | Yes | Yes |
| Open networking architecture provides a choice of clients, transports, and drivers and extensibility for support of third party networking applications | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in Remote Access Services | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in universal inbox providing e-mail and fax | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in Microsoft Network (MSN) client software | Yes | Delivered separately post 4.0 Release |
| Manageability | ||
| Open system management architecture provides infrastructure for third party system management solutions | Yes | Yes |
| Supports existing and emerging system management standards (SNMP, DMI) | Yes | Yes |
| System Policies to provide centralized control over desktop configuration | Yes | Yes |
| User profiles to provide consistent configuration for roving users or different users sharing a single system | Yes | Yes |
| Remote monitoring of system performance | Yes | Yes |
| System and Peripheral Support | ||
| Fully exploits 386DX, 486, and Pentium platforms | Yes | 486 & Pentium (no support for 386) |
| Disk compression | Yes (for VFAT file system) | Yes (for NTFS file system) |
| Dynamic PCMCIA support (don't have to reboot system to add a device) | Yes | Static today, Yes in 1997 Release |
| Support and Service | ||
| Quick Fix Engineering teams to solve critical problems at specific sites | Yes | Yes |
| Immediately post new drivers and component updates on line | Yes | Yes |
| Regular Service Pack releases to provide new drivers and component updates | Yes | Yes |
© 1996 Microsoft Corporation
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