As an eager world awaits, Microsoft's partners are busy burning the
CD-ROMs you'll receive in your boxed copies of Windows 2000, which are
due in retail stores by February 17th. Wondering what you'll get? Well,
wonder no more. Here's a first look at the contents of the Windows 2000
CD-ROMs!
All of the CD-ROMs (with the exception of the Resource Kit CDs) are
bootable, meaning that you can boot a PC with them as long as your system
supports that feature (and all modern PCs do). And all of the CD-ROMs
will auto-play when placed in the drive tray of a running Windows system.
This is probably obvious, but Windows 2000 ships only on CD-ROM: There
are no floppy or DVD versions. For a complete look at all of the possible
ways you can get Windows 2000 on CD-ROM, see my showcase, "
Upgrading
to Windows 2000: What upgrades what." This look at the CD-ROMs
applies to at least the "retail," "OEM," and
"evaluation" versions of Windows 2000.
The Windows 2000 Professional
CD-ROM includes the following directories and files in its root:
\BOOTDISK - Contains files necessary
for creating four-disk boot disk set.
\DISCOVER - Contains an HTML-based
"Discover Windows 2000" tour.
\I386 - Contains the Windows 2000
installation file set.
\SETUPTXT - Contains two release note
setup files that are Windows 2000 Professional-specific.
\SUPPORT - Contains the HCL, the
Application Compatibility tool, and the Windows 2000 Support Tools, a
subset of the full Windows 2000 Resource Kit.
\VALUEADD - Contains a small set of
Microsoft and third-party tools.
AUTORUN.INF - Causes SETUP.EXE to be
run when CD-ROM is inserted in drive.
CDROM_IP.5 - File that identifies
CD-ROM as valid Windows 2000 Professional installation media.
CDROM_NT.5 - File that identifies
CD-ROM as valid Windows 2000 installation media.
READ1ST.TXT - Common README file for
all editions of Windows 2000.
README.DOC - Common releases notes
file for all editions of Windows 2000, in Word format.
SETUP.EXE - Graphical front-end for
Windows 2000 installation (\I386\WINNT32.EXE).
Now let's take a look at the individual
directories:
\BOOTDISK
CDBOOT1.IMG, CDBOOT2.IMG, CDBOOT3.IMG,
CDBOOT4.IMG - Image files for each Windows 2000 Professional boot
disk.
MAKEBOOT.EXE & MAKEBT32.EXE -
command line programs that create the boot disks.
\DISCOVER
Contains a variety of files and
sub-directories containing the "Discover Windows 2000" tour.
Execute DEFAULT.HTM to view the tour from Explorer.
\I386
Contains a variety of files and
sub-directories that make up the Windows 2000 Professional
installation set. Execute WINNT.EXE from DOS or a Windows 9x boot-disk
to start Windows 2000 Setup. Or, execute WINNT32.EXE or WINNT32.MSI to
execute Windows 2000 Setup from Windows 9x, NT, or Windows 2000.
\SETUPTXT
PRO1.TXT and PRO2.TXT make up the
Windows 2000 Professional-specific release note setup documentation.
This was split into two files so that it could be read by the version
of Notepad that ships with Windows 9x.
\SUPPORT
\TOOLS - Contains the
Windows 2000 Support Tools, a subset of the full Windows 2000 Resource
Kit. Execute \SUPPORT\TOOLS\SETUP.EXE to install the Support Tools.
APCOMPAT.EXE - The Applicaton
Compatibility program, which can help fool applications into thinking
that they are installing or running on Windows NT 4 SP3, NT 4 SP4, NT
4 SP5, Windows 98, or Windows 95.
HCL.TXT - The Windows 2000 Hardware
Compatibility List (HCL) as of December 7, 1999. A much newer version
exists on the Microsoft Web site.
\VALUEADD
\3RDPARTY - A variety of unsupported
third-party applications.
\MSFT -A variety of unsupported
Microsoft applications.
BANNER.GIF - An image file used by
VALUEADD.HTM.
VALUEADD.HTM - An HTML document that
discusses the contents of the Value Added directory (\VALUEADD).
\VALUEADD\3RDPARTY
\CA_ANTIV - Contains Computer Associates International's InoculateIT AntiVirus AVBoot V1.1,
a program that will check for viruses when booted on a floppy disk.
\LEVEL8\MQC.QUE - Level 8's Message
Queuing Connector, a cross-platform application connectivity product
that Microsoft recommends for implementing Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ)
API in non-Microsoft operating system platforms.
\MGMT\AGENTS - Contains an HTML file
that links to agents that support Windows Management Instrumentation
on the Web.
\MGMT\CITRIX\ENG - Citrix ICA clients
for MetaFrame on Windows 2000. This includes clients for Windows 3.x,
9x, NT, and Windows 2000.
\MGMT\INTELDMI\CIMOMPRO - Contains
Smart Technology's CIMON to DMI Data Wrapper application, which allows
an existing DMI application to run seamlessly on a WMI enabled system.
\MGMT\INTELDMI\DMISP - Contains
Intel's DMI 2.0 Service Provider.
\MGMT\INTELDMI\WBEMDMIP - Contains
Intel's DMI to CIMON Data Provider 1.0.
\MGMT\WINSTLE - Contains Windows
WinInstall LE ("limited edition"), an excellent program from
Veritas that allows you to package normal application
"setup" programs as packages for Windows Installer.
\SECURITY\SDTI - Contains Security
Dynamics' ACE/Agent for Windows 2000, which provides enterprises with
the ability to add strong authentication management and encryption to
their Windows 2000 environment.
\VALUEADD\MSFT
\FONTS - Contains two TrueType fonts,
Arial Alternate Regular and Arial Alternate Symbol.
\MGMT\ADC - Contains the Active
Directory Connector, which allows you to synchronize Microsoft
Exchange Server 5.5 mailboxes, custom recipients, and distribution
lists with Windows 2000 users, contacts, and groups.
\MGMT\IAS - Contains the Windows NT
4.0 Internet Authentication Service snap-in, an MMC add-in that allows
you to manage IAS from Windows 2000.
\MGMT\MS_SMS - Contains the Systems
Management Installation Wizard, which allows a Windows 2000
Professional computer to be a client of Systems Management Server (SMS).
\MGMT\MSTSC_HPC - Contains the
Microsoft Terminal Server Client for the Handheld PC (HPC) version
2.11 and 3.0.
\MGMT\PBA - Contains the Phone Book
Administrator for Windows 2000.
\MGMT\WBEMODBC - Contains the Windows
Management Instrumentation (WMI/WBEM) ODBC adapter, which provides a
standard API that allows ODBC-based applications to read the data in
the WMI Common Information Management (CIM) repository as if it were a
relational database.
\XTRADOCS\SCRIPT - Contains four
Windows Help files documenting JScript, Windows Scripting Components,
VBScript, and the Windows Scripting Host (WSH).
\XTRADOCS\SERK - Contains the
FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions Resource Kit. Execute DEFAULT.HTM to
view the documentation.
The Windows 2000 Server CD-ROM includes the following directories and files in its root:
\BOOTDISK - Contains files necessary
for creating four-disk boot disk set.
\CLIENTS - Contains Active Directory
and Internet Printing client software for Windows 9x.
\I386 - Contains the Windows 2000
installation file set.
\PRINTERS - Contains fixes for printer
drivers that ship with Windows 2000.
\SETUPTXT - Contains three release note
setup files that are Windows 2000 Server-specific.
\SUPPORT - Contains the HCL, the
Application Compatibility tool, and the Windows 2000 Support Tools, a
subset of the full Windows 2000 Resource Kit.
\VALUEADD - Contains a small set of
Microsoft and third-party tools.
AUTORUN.INF - Causes SETUP.EXE to be
run when CD-ROM is inserted in drive.
CDROM_IS.5 - File that identifies
CD-ROM as valid Windows 2000 Server installation media.
CDROM_NT.5 - File that identifies
CD-ROM as valid Windows 2000 installation media.
READ1ST.TXT - Common README file for
all editions of Windows 2000.
README.DOC - Common releases notes
file for all editions of Windows 2000, in Word format.
SETUP.EXE - Graphical front-end for
Windows 2000 installation (\I386\WINNT32.EXE).
Now let's take a look at the individual
directories:
\BOOTDISK
CDBOOT1.IMG, CDBOOT2.IMG, CDBOOT3.IMG,
CDBOOT4.IMG - Image files for each Windows 2000 Server boot
disk.
MAKEBOOT.EXE & MAKEBT32.EXE -
command line programs that create the boot disks.
\CLIENTS
\WIN9x - Contains the Active Directory
client software for Windows 9x.
\WIN9XIPP.CLI - Contains the Internet
Printing client software for Windows 9x.
\I386
Contains a variety of files and
sub-directories that make up the Windows 2000 Server installation set. Execute WINNT.EXE from DOS or a Windows 9x boot-disk
to start Windows 2000 Setup. Or, execute WINNT32.EXE or WINNT32.MSI to
start Windows 2000 Setup from Windows 9x, NT, or Windows 2000.
\PRINTERS
\FIXPRNSV
- Contains the Windows 2000 Printer Driver Fixer, which will fix
incompatible print drivers left over during an upgrade.
\NT4 - Contains Windows NT 4.0 upgrade
print drivers.
\WIN9x - Contains Windows 9x upgrade
print drivers.
\SETUPTXT
SRV1.TXT, SRV2.TXT and SRV3.TXT make up the
Windows 2000 Server-specific release notes for setup.
This was split into three files so that it could be read by the version
of Notepad that ships with Windows 9x.
\SUPPORT
\TOOLS - Contains the
Windows 2000 Support Tools, a subset of the full Windows 2000 Resource
Kit. Execute \SUPPORT\TOOLS\SETUP.EXE to install the Support Tools.
APCOMPAT.EXE - The Applicaton
Compatibility program, which can help fool applications into thinking
that they are installing or running on Windows NT 4 SP3, NT 4 SP4, NT
4 SP5, Windows 98, or Windows 95.
BUILDCHK.EXE and CHKBUILD.BAT, two
command line applications that verify the Windows build number.
HCL.TXT - The Windows 2000 Hardware
Compatibility List (HCL) as of December 7, 1999. A much newer version
exists on the Microsoft Web site.
\VALUEADD
\3RDPARTY - A variety of unsupported
third-party applications.
\MSFT -A variety of unsupported
Microsoft applications.
BANNER.GIF - An image file used by
VALUEADD.HTM.
VALUEADD.HTM - An HTML document that
discusses the contents of the Value Added directory (\VALUEADD).
\VALUEADD\3RDPARTY
\CA_ANTIV - Contains Computer Associates International's InoculateIT AntiVirus AVBoot V1.1,
a program that will check for viruses when booted on a floppy disk.
\LEVEL8\MQC.QUE - Level 8's Message
Queuing Connector, a cross-platform application connectivity product
that Microsoft recommends for implementing Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ)
API in non-Microsoft operating system platforms.
\MGMT\AGENTS - Contains an HTML file
that links to agents that support Windows Management Instrumentation
on the Web.
\MGMT\CITRIX\ENG - Citrix ICA clients
for MetaFrame on Windows 2000. This includes clients for Windows 3.x,
9x, NT, and Windows 2000.
\MGMT\INTELDMI\CIMOMPRO - Contains
Smart Technology's CIMON to DMI Data Wrapper application, which allows
an existing DMI application to run seamlessly on a WMI enabled system.
\MGMT\INTELDMI\DMISP - Contains
Intel's DMI 2.0 Service Provider.
\MGMT\INTELDMI\WBEMDMIP - Contains
Intel's DMI to CIMON Data Provider 1.0.
\MGMT\WINSTLE - Contains Windows
WinInstall LE ("limited edition"), an excellent program from
Veritas that allows you to package normal application
"setup" programs as packages for Windows Installer.
\SECURITY\SDTI - Contains Security
Dynamics' ACE/Agent for Windows 2000, which provides enterprises with
the ability to add strong authentication management and encryption to
their Windows 2000 environment.
\VALUEADD\MSFT
\FONTS - Contains two TrueType fonts,
Arial Alternate Regular and Arial Alternate Symbol.
\MGMT\ADC - Contains the Active
Directory Connector, which allows you to synchronize Microsoft
Exchange Server 5.5 mailboxes, custom recipients, and distribution
lists with Windows 2000 users, contacts, and groups.
\MGMT\IAS - Contains the Windows NT
4.0 Internet Authentication Service snap-in, an MMC add-in that allows
you to manage IAS from Windows 2000.
\MGMT\MS_SMS - Contains the Systems
Management Installation Wizard, which allows a Windows 2000
Professional computer to be a client of Systems Management Server (SMS).
\MGMT\MSTSC_HPC - Contains the
Microsoft Terminal Server Client for the Handheld PC (HPC) version
2.11 and 3.0.
\MGMT\PBA - Contains the Phone Book
Administrator for Windows 2000.
\MGMT\WBEMODBC - Contains the Windows
Management Instrumentation (WMI/WBEM) ODBC adapter, which provides a
standard API that allows ODBC-based applications to read the data in
the WMI Common Information Management (CIM) repository as if it were a
relational database.
\XTRADOCS\SCRIPT - Contains four
Windows Help files documenting JScript, Windows Scripting Components,
VBScript, and the Windows Scripting Host (WSH).
\XTRADOCS\SERK - Contains the
FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions Resource Kit. Execute DEFAULT.HTM to
view the documentation.
The Windows 2000 Advanced Server CD-ROM includes the following directories and files in its root:
\BOOTDISK - Contains files necessary
for creating four-disk boot disk set.
\CLIENTS - Contains Active Directory
and Internet Printing client software for Windows 9x.
\I386 - Contains the Windows 2000
installation file set.
\PRINTERS - Contains fixes for printer
drivers that ship with Windows 2000.
\SETUPTXT - Contains three release note
setup files that are Windows 2000 Advanced Server-specific.
\SUPPORT - Contains the HCL, the
Application Compatibility tool, and the Windows 2000 Support Tools, a
subset of the full Windows 2000 Resource Kit.
\VALUEADD - Contains a small set of
Microsoft and third-party tools.
AUTORUN.INF - Causes SETUP.EXE to be
run when CD-ROM is inserted in drive.
CDROM_IA.5 - File that identifies
CD-ROM as valid Windows 2000 Advanced Server installation media.
CDROM_NT.5 - File that identifies
CD-ROM as valid Windows 2000 installation media.
READ1ST.TXT - Common README file for
all editions of Windows 2000.
README.DOC - Common releases notes
file for all editions of Windows 2000, in Word format.
SETUP.EXE - Graphical front-end for
Windows 2000 installation (\I386\WINNT32.EXE).
Now let's take a look at the individual
directories:
\BOOTDISK
CDBOOT1.IMG, CDBOOT2.IMG, CDBOOT3.IMG,
CDBOOT4.IMG - Image files for each Windows 2000 Advanced Server boot
disk.
MAKEBOOT.EXE & MAKEBT32.EXE -
command line programs that create the boot disks.
\CLIENTS
\WIN9x - Contains the Active Directory
client software for Windows 9x.
\WIN9XIPP.CLI - Contains the Internet
Printing client software for Windows 9x.
\I386
Contains a variety of files and
sub-directories that make up the Windows 2000 Server installation set. Execute WINNT.EXE from DOS or a Windows 9x boot-disk
to start Windows 2000 Setup. Or, execute WINNT32.EXE or WINNT32.MSI to
start Windows 2000 Setup from Windows 9x, NT, or Windows 2000.
\PRINTERS
\FIXPRNSV
- Contains the Windows 2000 Printer Driver Fixer, which will fix
incompatible print drivers left over during an upgrade.
\NT4 - Contains Windows NT 4.0 upgrade
print drivers.
\WIN9x - Contains Windows 9x upgrade
print drivers.
\SETUPTXT
ADVSRV1.TXT, ADVSRV2.TXT and ADVSRV3.TXT make up the
Windows 2000 Advanced Server-specific release notes for setup.
This was split into three files so that it could be read by the version
of Notepad that ships with Windows 9x.
\SUPPORT
\TOOLS - Contains the
Windows 2000 Support Tools, a subset of the full Windows 2000 Resource
Kit. Execute \SUPPORT\TOOLS\SETUP.EXE to install the Support Tools.
APCOMPAT.EXE - The Applicaton
Compatibility program, which can help fool applications into thinking
that they are installing or running on Windows NT 4 SP3, NT 4 SP4, NT
4 SP5, Windows 98, or Windows 95.
BUILDCHK.EXE and CHKBUILD.BAT, two
command line applications that verify the Windows build number.
HCL.TXT - The Windows 2000 Hardware
Compatibility List (HCL) as of December 7, 1999. A much newer version
exists on the Microsoft Web site.
\VALUEADD
\3RDPARTY - A variety of unsupported
third-party applications.
\MSFT -A variety of unsupported
Microsoft applications.
BANNER.GIF - An image file used by
VALUEADD.HTM.
VALUEADD.HTM - An HTML document that
discusses the contents of the Value Added directory (\VALUEADD).
\VALUEADD\3RDPARTY
\CA_ANTIV - Contains Computer Associates International's InoculateIT AntiVirus AVBoot V1.1,
a program that will check for viruses when booted on a floppy disk.
\LEVEL8\MQC.QUE - Level 8's Message
Queuing Connector, a cross-platform application connectivity product
that Microsoft recommends for implementing Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ)
API in non-Microsoft operating system platforms.
\MGMT\AGENTS - Contains an HTML file
that links to agents that support Windows Management Instrumentation
on the Web.
\MGMT\CITRIX\ENG - Citrix ICA clients
for MetaFrame on Windows 2000. This includes clients for Windows 3.x,
9x, NT, and Windows 2000.
\MGMT\INTELDMI\CIMOMPRO - Contains
Smart Technology's CIMON to DMI Data Wrapper application, which allows
an existing DMI application to run seamlessly on a WMI enabled system.
\MGMT\INTELDMI\DMISP - Contains
Intel's DMI 2.0 Service Provider.
\MGMT\INTELDMI\WBEMDMIP - Contains
Intel's DMI to CIMON Data Provider 1.0.
\MGMT\WINSTLE - Contains Windows
WinInstall LE ("limited edition"), an excellent program from
Veritas that allows you to package normal application
"setup" programs as packages for Windows Installer.
\SECURITY\SDTI - Contains Security
Dynamics' ACE/Agent for Windows 2000, which provides enterprises with
the ability to add strong authentication management and encryption to
their Windows 2000 environment.
\VALUEADD\MSFT
\FONTS - Contains two TrueType fonts,
Arial Alternate Regular and Arial Alternate Symbol.
\MGMT\ADC - Contains the Active
Directory Connector, which allows you to synchronize Microsoft
Exchange Server 5.5 mailboxes, custom recipients, and distribution
lists with Windows 2000 users, contacts, and groups.
\MGMT\IAS - Contains the Windows NT
4.0 Internet Authentication Service snap-in, an MMC add-in that allows
you to manage IAS from Windows 2000.
\MGMT\MS_SMS - Contains the Systems
Management Installation Wizard, which allows a Windows 2000
Professional computer to be a client of Systems Management Server (SMS).
\MGMT\MSTSC_HPC - Contains the
Microsoft Terminal Server Client for the Handheld PC (HPC) version
2.11 and 3.0.
\MGMT\PBA - Contains the Phone Book
Administrator for Windows 2000.
\MGMT\WBEMODBC - Contains the Windows
Management Instrumentation (WMI/WBEM) ODBC adapter, which provides a
standard API that allows ODBC-based applications to read the data in
the WMI Common Information Management (CIM) repository as if it were a
relational database.
\XTRADOCS\SCRIPT - Contains four
Windows Help files documenting JScript, Windows Scripting Components,
VBScript, and the Windows Scripting Host (WSH).
\XTRADOCS\SERK - Contains the
FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions Resource Kit. Execute DEFAULT.HTM to
view the documentation.
