List of Microsoft Windows Components

List of Microsoft Windows components - Wikipedia 06-01-18 03(08
List of Microsoft Windows components

The following is a list of Microsoft Windows components.
Contents
Configuration and maintenance
User interface
Applications and utilities
Windows Server components
File systems
Core components
Services
DirectX
Networking
Scripting and command-line
Kernel
.NET Framework
Security
Deprecated components and apps
APIs
Miscellaneous (to be categorized)
See also
References
Configuration and maintenance

Component Description Introduced
Settings Windows 8
Control Panel
Allows users to view and change

basic system settings and
controls, such as adding
Control Panel hardware, adding and removing Windows 1.0
software, controlling user
accounts, and changing
accessibility options
Allows the user to display and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Microsoft_Windows_components#Services Pagina 1 van 25

Device Manager control the hardware attached to Windows 95

the computer, and control what
device drivers are used
Centralizes the most relevant

Windows Mobility Center information related to mobile Windows Vista
computing
Centralizes and reports on the

status of anti-virus, Automatic
Security and Maintenance Updates, Windows Firewall, and Windows XP SP2
other security-related components
of the operating system
Administrative Tools
Provides system administrators

and advanced users with a
Microsoft Management Console flexible interface through which Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack
they may configure and monitor
the system
Built-in benchmarking tool that

analyzes the different subsystems
(graphics, memory, etc.), and
uses the results to allow for
Windows System Assessment Tool comparison to other Windows Windows Vista
Vista systems, and for software
optimizations. It rates the
computer's performance using the
Windows Experience Index.
Allows for the rolling back of

system files, registry keys,
System Restore installed apps, etc., to a previous Windows ME
state in the event of a system
failure
Helps diagnose and recover from

serious errors which may prevent
Windows from booting
Windows Recovery Environment successfully, or restore the Windows Vista
computer to a previous state
using System Restore or a
backup image
Rearranges files stored on a hard

disk to occupy contiguous storage
Disk Defragmenter Windows 95, Windows 2000
locations in order to optimize
computer performance
Lets administrators and users

Event Viewer view the event logs on a local or Windows NT 3.1
remote machine
Resource Monitor Lets administrators view current

(previously Reliability and Performance system reliability and Windows Vista
Monitor) performance trends over time
Logical volume manager

Windows NT 4.0 (Separate Tool),
Logical Disk Manager developed by Microsoft in
Windows 2000
conjunction with Veritas Software

Registry Editor Allows users to browse and edit Windows 3.1

the Windows registry
Allows users to script tasks for

Task Scheduler running during scheduled Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95
intervals
Software installation and deployment
An online service providing

updates such as service packs,
critical updates and device
Windows Update drivers. A variation called Windows 98
Microsoft Update also provides
software updates for other
Microsoft products.
An engine for the management of

software installation. Includes a
GUI framework, automatic
Windows Installer generation of the uninstallation Windows 2000
sequence and deployment
capabilities for corporate
networks.
Technology for deploying .NET

Framework-based software via
ClickOnce web pages, with automatic update .NET Framework 2.0
capabilities. Intended for per-user
only applications.
User interface

Windows PowerShell Command-line shell and scripting framework. Windows XP
The most visible and recognizable aspect of Microsoft

Windows. The shell provides the container inside of which
the entire graphical user interface is presented, including
Windows Shell the taskbar, the desktop, Windows Explorer, as well as Windows 95
many of the dialog boxes and interface controls. In
Windows Vista, a new compositing glass-like user interface
called Windows Aero has been shown.
Provides an interface for accessing the file systems,

File Explorer
launching applications, and performing common tasks such Windows 95
(previously Windows Explorer)
as viewing and printing pictures
Starting with Windows Vista, search is a tightly shell-

Windows Vista,
integrated component of Windows. A downloadable
Windows Search downloadable for
Windows Desktop Search software is available for
older versions
Windows XP and older versions.
Folders which are presented to the user through an

interface as an abstract concept, instead of an absolute
path. This makes it possible for an application to locate
Special Folders Windows 95
where certain kinds of files can be found, regardless of
what version or language of operating system is being
used. See also Windows Shell namespace.
Serves as the central launching point for applications. It

provides a customizable, nested list of apps for the user to
launch, as well as a list of most recently opened
Start menu Windows 95
documents, a way to find files and get help, and access to
the system settings. By default, the Start Button is visible at
all times in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.
The application desktop bar which is used to launch and

Taskbar Windows 95
monitor applications
Used to open a file with the appropriate app. Users can

File associations assign file associations uniquely to specific actions, known Windows 1.0
as verbs.
Applications and utilities

Used to transfer many files at once

Easy Transfer Windows Vista
from one computer to another
Keeps a single list of contacts that

Contacts Windows Vista
can be shared by multiple apps
Camera Windows 8
Calculator Calculation application Windows 1.0
Calendar Calendaring application Windows Vista
Utility to view and search

characters in a font, copy them to
Character Map the clipboard and view their Windows 3.1

Windows Alt keycodes and Unicode

names
Cortana Digital personal assistant Windows 10
Edge Web browser Windows 10
Platform for exchanging

Feedback Hub communication with Windows Windows 10
Insiders and developers
Digital media player and media

library application that is used for
playing audio. In addition to being a
media player, Groove includes the
Groove Music ability to copy music to compact
Windows 8
(previously Xbox Music) discs, synchronize content with a
digital audio player (MP3 player) or
other mobile devices, and let users
purchase or rent music from the
Windows Store.

playing video. In addition to being a
Movies & TV
media player, Movies & TV lets Windows 8
(previously Xbox Video)
users purchase or rent movies and
TV episodes from the Windows
Store.
OneDrive Freemium cloud storage folder and

Windows 8.1
(previously SkyDrive) sync service
Integrated note-taking app, based

OneNote on the Microsoft Office product of Windows 10
the same name
On-Screen Keyboard (osk.exe) Virtual keyboard
Paint Simple graphics painting app Windows 1.0
Paint 3D Simple graphics painting app Windows 10 version 1703
Photos Simple image viewer Windows 8
Steps Recorder
(called Problem Steps Recorder in Windows 7
Windows 7)
Utility to create bootable versions of

Windows To Go Windows 8
Windows 8 and above
Notepad Simple text editor Windows 1.0
Screen reader utility that reads

dialog boxes and window controls
Narrator Windows 2000
in a number of the more basic
applications for Windows
Simple audio recording app that

can record from a microphone or
headset, and save the results in
Sound Recorder WAVE format and Windows Media Windows 3.0 Multimedia Extensions
Audio format in some Windows

versions
Windows 8.1, downloadable for

Skype Messaging and calling service
previous versions
Sticky Notes Tool for jotting notes on the desktop Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
Text-based shell (command line

interpreter) that provides a
Command Prompt Windows NT 3.1
command line interface to the
operating system
Simple word processor that is more

advanced than Notepad. It has
WordPad facilities to format and print text, but Windows 95
lacks intermediate features such as
a spell checker and thesaurus.
Utility to create private use

characters as defined under
Private Character Editor Windows 3.1 East Asian editions
Unicode and various East Asian
encoding schemes
Client implementation of the

Remote Desktop Protocol; allows a
user to securely connect to a
computer running Terminal
Services (Remote Desktop on Windows XP, downloadable for
Remote Desktop Connection
Windows XP and Server 2003) and previous Windows versions
interact with a full desktop
environment on that machine,
including support for remoting of
printers, audio, and drives.
Allows a user to temporarily take

over a remote computer over a
Remote Assistance Windows XP
network or the internet to offer help
with and resolve issues
Allows a user to adjust settings

Mobility Center Windows Vista
related to mobile computing
Allows a user to input voice

Speech Recognition Windows Vista
commands
Web browser and FTP client. See

also: Internet Explorer versions,
Internet Explorer Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95
Features, History, Removal,
Browser Helper Objects
Allows users to create self-

IExpress extracting, self-installing INF Internet Explorer 6
installation-based packages
Account manager for Xbox Live

Xbox
user accounts and a screen Windows 8
(previously Xbox Games)
recording tool
Magnifier Screen enlargement app Windows 98
Windows Vista, older faxing and

Integrated faxing and image
Fax and Scan scanning applications were present in
scanning application
previous Windows versions


playing audio, playing video and
viewing images. In addition to being
a media player, Windows Media
Player includes the ability to rip Downloadable for Windows 95,
Windows Media Player music from, and copy music to Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98
compact discs, synchronize content
with a digital audio player (MP3
player) or other mobile devices, and
let users purchase or rent music
from a number of online music
stores.
Simple image viewer that can play

Photo Viewer Windows 7
a simple slideshow
Mail Email aggregator Windows Vista
Map viewer that allows users to

Maps look for locations, plan routes, and Windows 8
store offline maps
Designed to serve as a home-

entertainment hub, to be viewed
from a distance up to 3 meters (~10
feet) and controlled by specially
designed remote controls. Lets
users browse and view pictures,
videos, and music from local hard
drives, optical drives, and network
Media Center Windows XP Media Center Edition
locations, along with viewing,
recording and deferred-playing live
TV. Features an interactive TV
guide with scheduled recording
capabilities. Can also be used for
visualization of other information
(like sports scores) within the
interface.
Provides information about

computer performance and displays
Task Manager details about running applications, Windows 3.0
processes, network activity, logged-
in users, and system services
Utility for compacting rarely used

Disk Cleanup files and removing files that are no Windows 98
longer required
Screen-capture tool that allows for Experience Pack for Windows XP

Snipping Tool
taking screenshots (called snips) Tablet PC Edition 2005
Initially known as Windows Store, it

started as an app store for
Windows 8. In Windows 10, it
expanded into a broad digital
distribution platform for apps,
Microsoft Store
games, music, digital video and e- Windows 8
(previously Windows Store)
books. In 2017, it was renamed
Microsoft Store and started offering
hardware in United States, Canada

and United Kingdom.
Provide information from MSN web

MSN apps Windows 8
services
App that allows Windows users to

Alarms & Clock(pre Alarms) set alarms, stopwatches, timers, Windows 8
and view a world clock
Solitaire Collection Set of solitaire card games Windows 10
Windows Server components

Component Description Supported by
A set of technologies introduced with Windows 2000 that

allows administrators to assign enterprise-wide policies,
deploy apps to many computers, and apply critical updates
to an entire organization. Active Directory stores information
Windows 2000
and settings relating to an organization in a central,
Active Directory and later server
organized, accessible database. Networks can vary from a
versions
small installation with a few objects, to global-scale
directories with millions of objects.
Related topics: Domain controller, Flexible single master
operation
Provides centralized management of user and computer

settings in an Active Directory environment. Group policy can
control a target object's registry, NTFS security, audit and
security policy, software installation, logon/logoff scripts,
Windows 2000
Group Policy folder redirection, and Internet Explorer settings. Policy
and later
settings are stored in Group Policy Objects (GPOs), and may
be linked to one or more sites, domains or organizational
units.
Related topics: Administrative Templates
Internet Information Windows NT

Web server
Services family
File systems
Component Description Supported by
The original file systems used

with MS-DOS. The standard file
FAT12, FAT16 All versions
systems used with Windows 1.0
through Windows 95.
Extensions to FAT supporting

larger disk sizes. The standard
FAT32 Windows 95 OSR2 and later versions
file system for Windows 98 and
ME.
Standard file system of Windows

NT; supports security via access
control lists, as well as file system
journaling and file-system
metadata. Windows 2000 added

support for reparse points

(making NTFS junction points and
Single instance storage possible),
Hard links, file compression, and
Sparse files. Encryption of data is
provided by Encrypting File
System. Symbolic links and
NTFS transactioning of file operations Windows NT (all versions)
via Transactional NTFS are
features new to Windows Vista.
Although Windows 9x operating
systems cannot read or write
NTFS formatted disks, they can
access the data over a network if
it is shared by a computer running
Windows NT.
The predominant file system for

CD-ROM and DVD-ROM media.
Windows includes support for MS-DOS and Windows 9x via extensions,
ISO 9660 (CDFS) Joliet extensions and the ISO such as MSCDEX.EXE (Microsoft CDROM
9660:1999 standard. ISO Extension), natively in Windows NT
9660:1999 is supported since
Windows XP.
A file system for storing files on

optical media. It is an
implementation of the ISO/IEC
13346 standard (also known as
Universal Disk Format Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP,
ECMA-167). It is considered to be
(UDF) Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista
a replacement of ISO 9660.
Successive versions of Windows
have supported newer versions of
UDF.
High-Performance File system,

used on OS/2 computers. Read
and write capability in Windows
95 (where it also listed network
computer NTFS-formatted drives
Windows 95 (Read/write), Windows 98,
as "HPFS", even though it had no
HPFS Windows NT (read), 3.1/3.51
direct NTFS capabilities). HPFS
(read/write/boot)
write support was dropped in
Windows NT 4.0 and Windows
98, and dropped altogether
shortly before the release of
Windows 2000.
A newer file system, based on

NTFS. This system adds built-in
integrity checking and removes
ReFS Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1
the need for chkdsk, among other
features. The maximum partition
size is 1 YB.
Core components
Component Acronym Description
Windows kernel (Windows NT)
The Windows kernel image. Provides the kernel and executive

Ntoskrnl.exe layers of the kernel architecture, and is responsible for services such
as hardware virtualization, process and memory management, etc.
Provides and handles the interaction between software and

hal.dll HAL
hardware via the Hardware Abstraction Layer.
This application provides kernel operations to apps in the Win32

kernel32.dll
mode, like memory management, I/Os, process creation, etc.
Core processes (Windows NT)
A counter which measures how much idle capacity the CPU has at
any given time. The process runs in the background and monitors
System idle process SIP
processing bandwidth, occupied memory and the Windows virtual
paging file.
Performs several critical boot-time operations, such as the creation

of environment variables, starting CSRSS, and performing file-copy
Session Manager operations that were queued up from before the system was booted
SMSS
Subsystem (pending file rename operations). During system operation, it
handles Windows File Protection and the creation of logon sessions
via Winlogon.
Client/Server Runtime User-mode side of the Win32 subsystem. Provides the capability for
CSRSS
Subsystem applications to use the Windows API.
Local Security Authority Responsible for enforcing the security policy on the system. Verifies
LSASS
Subsystem Service users logging on to the computer and creates security tokens.
Responsible for handling the secure attention key, loading the user
profile on logon, and optionally locking the computer when a
Winlogon screensaver is running. On Windows NT systems prior to Windows
Vista, Winlogon is also responsible for loading GINA libraries which
are responsible collecting logon credentials from the user.
A generic host process name for services that run from dynamic-link
libraries (DLLs). Several Svchost processes are typically present on
Svchost.exe
a Windows machine, each running in a different security context,
depending on what privileges the contained services require.
An abstraction layer that allows legacy code to operate on more

Windows on Windows and modern versions of Windows; typically this means running 16-bit
WoW
WOW64 Windows applications on 32-bit Windows, and 32-bit applications on
64-bit Windows.
Allows MS-DOS apps to run on Intel 80386 or higher computers

when there is already another operating system running and
Virtual DOS machine NTVDM
controlling the hardware. Introduced in Windows 2.1; not available in
any 64-bit edition of Windows.
System startup (Windows NT)
The boot loader; performs basic system initialization options such as

loading the hardware abstraction layer and boot-time device drivers,
NTLDR, IA64ldr, Winload prior to passing control to the Windows kernel. In versions prior to
Vista, NTLDR and IA64ldr also display menus to the user if multiple
operating systems are defined in boot.ini, or if F8 is pressed.
Provides the means for administrators to perform a limited range of

Recovery Console tasks using a command line interface, primarily to aid in recovering
from situations where Windows does not boot successfully.
Used during the boot process to detect basic hardware components

ntdetect.com
that may be required during the boot process
In Windows Vista and later operating systems, displays boot menus

Windows Boot Manager to the user if multiple operating systems are configured in the
system's Boot Configuration Data.
Graphical subsystem
The compositing manager introduced in Windows Vista that handles

Desktop Window Manager DWM compositing and manages special effects on screen objects in a
graphical user interface
The kernel graphics component for representing graphical objects

Graphics Device Interface GDI/GDI+ and transmitting them to output devices such as monitors and
printers
The Windows USER component provides core user interface,

Windows USER
messaging and visual elements
Services
This list is not all-inclusive.
Display name Service key name Description Introduced
Network
Active Directory Service NTDS Authentication Windows 2000 Server
Management
Sends
administrative
alerts over the
Alerter service Alerter network to client Windows NT
computers,
administrators
and users
Provides support
for plugins that
allow network
protocols to pass
Application Layer
ALG through Windows Windows 2000
Gateway service
Firewall and work
behind Internet
Connection
Sharing
Processes
application
compatibility
Application Experience service
cache requests
for applications as
they launch[1]
Processes
requests to
enumerate, install,

and remove
Application Management AppMgmt applications that Windows 2000
are installed on
the computer or
deployed through
an organization's
network
Transfers files
between
machines using
idle network
bandwidth. Used
by Windows
Update, Windows
Background Intelligent Server Update
BITS Windows XP
Transfer Service Services, and
Systems
Management
Server to deliver
software updates
to clients, as well
as by Windows
Messenger.
Crawls
neighboring
computers on the
network and
locates shared
resources. One of
the computers
Computer Browser Browser Windows for Workgroups
acts as the Master
Browser and
supplies this
information to
other computers
designated as
browsers.[2]
Used to track links

to files on NTFS
volumes.
Windows uses
these services to
Distributed Link Tracking TrkWks, TrkSrv Windows 2000
find linked files if
they are renamed
or moved (locally
or to another
machine).[3]
Allows
transactional
components to be
configured
through COM+ by
coordinating
transactions that
are distributed
across multiple
Distributed Transaction Windows 2000 and later
MSDTC computers and/or
Coordinator NT-based

resource
managers, such
as databases,
message queues,
file systems, and
other transaction–
based resource
managers.[4]
Resolves and
caches domain
DNS Client DNSCache names (e.g. Windows 2000
“en.wikipedia.org”)
to IP addresses
Stores and
retrieves events
that can be
Event Log EventLog Windows NT
viewed in the
event viewer. Part
of services.exe.[5]
Provides EAP
Extensible Authentication Protocol EAPHost authentication to Windows 2000
connecting clients
Indexes contents
and properties of
files on local and
remote
computers; Windows 2000 and later
Indexing Service CISVC
provides rapid NT-based
access to files
through flexible
querying
language.[6]
For compatibility;
when a service-
displayed user
interface is
Interactive Services Detection UI0Detect Windows Vista
detected, it gives
the user an option
to switch to
Session0 to see it
When enabled, it
allows other
computers on the
local network to Windows 2000;[7] Windows
Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) SharedAccess
access an internet Vista onward[8]
connection that is
available to the
host computer
Manages network
configurations and
information, and
Network Location Awareness NLA Windows XP
notifies
applications of
changes

Collects routing
information of
active network
interfaces, shares
Network Store Interface Service NSIS this with other Windows XP
services and
notifies
applications of
changes
Uses the NTLM
MS-CHAP
protocol to
encapsulate and
negotiate options
in order to provide
NTLM Security Support Provider NTLMSSP Windows NT
signed and sealed
communication.
Deprecated now
in favor of
Kerberos
authentication.
Resolves domain
names using Peer
Peer Name Resolution Protocol PNRPSvc Windows XP
Name Resolution
Protocol
Enables
autodetection and
Plug and Play PlugPlay Windows 2000
configuration of
hardware
Manages printer
devices and
Windows Print spooler Spooler moves files into Windows 95, Windows NT
memory for
printing
Provides Remote
Procedure Call
features via
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) RpcSs Windows NT family
remotely
accessible Named
Pipes
API and server

software that
enables
applications to
administer the
Routing and Remote Access routing and
RRAS Windows 2000
Service remote-access
service
capabilities of the
operating system,
to function as a
network router.
Allows users to
run apps with a
different account

than the one they

logged in with.
Secondary Logon SecLogon Allows non-
administrative
accounts to
perform
administrative
tasks.[9]
Manages user
Security Accounts Manager SamSs account security Windows NT family
information
Monitors system
events, such as
network, power,
logon, logoff,
terminal services
session
System Event Notification Service SENS Windows 2000
connection and
disconnection,
and delivers these
to applications
and other system
components.[10]
Monitors file
usage patterns
and boosts
Superfetch SysMain system speed by Windows Vista
caching frequently
accessed files to
RAM[11]
Lets users setup

Microsoft Plus! for Windows
Task Scheduler Schedule and schedule
95
automated tasks
Enables support
for NetBIOS over
TCP/IP (NetBT)
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper LmHosts Windows NT family
service and
NetBIOS name
resolution
Creates multiple
versions of files
that change. The
ability to store
Volume Shadow Copy VSS Windows XP
persistent
snapshots was
added in Windows
Server 2003.[12]
Manages audio
devices for
Windows Audio AudioSrv Windows-based Windows XP
apps. Controls all
audio functions.
Generates error
logs and reports

errors. On
Windows Error Reporting WERSvc Windows Vista Windows XP
and later, it
notifies of
solutions.
Blocks
unauthorized
network
Windows Firewall MpsSvc Windows Vista
connections to
and from the
computer
Provides a simple
firewall feature
which was
introduced in
Windows XP. It
Windows Firewall(née Internet also shares the
SharedAccess
internet on the Windows XP only[14][15]
Connection Sharing)
local network, if
the internet
connection
sharing feature is
turned on.[13]
Handles scanner
Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) STISvc and camera Windows ME
inputs
Synchronizes the
system time with
external time
servers. From
Windows Time W32Time Windows Server Windows 2000
2003 forward, full
and compliant
NTP support is
provided.[16]
Provides updates
for the operating
Windows Update WUAUServ system and its Windows XP
installed
components
Configures and
WZCSvc (XP), Windows XP, Server 2003
Wireless Zero Configuration manages 802.11
WLANSvc only
wireless adapters
Allows users to
send pop-up
Windows Messenger service Messenger messages to Windows NT family
other computers
over the network
Enables
Windows-based
apps to create
WebClient[17] and interact with
Windows XP
Internet-based
files

DirectX
Direct3D
DirectDraw
DirectInput
DirectMusic
DirectPlay
DirectShow
DirectSound
DirectX Media Objects
DirectX plugin
DirectX Video Acceleration
Networking
Administrative share
Distributed File System
My Network Places (formerly Network Neighborhood)
Network Access Protection
Remote Installation Services
Server Message Block
Windows Rights Management Services
Scripting and command-line

Batch file
CHKDSK
Cmd.exe
ComSpec
Ipconfig
Net
Net Send
Netdom.exe: Windows Domain Manager
Netsh
Netstat
QBasic
Regsvr32
Robocopy
Win32 console
Windows Script Host
Windows PowerShell
XCOPY
Kernel
Commit charge

Kernel Transaction Manager

Win32 Thread Information Block
.NET Framework
Assembly
CLI Languages
Metadata
.NET Remoting
ADO.NET
ASP.NET
Base Class Library
Common Intermediate Language
Common Language Infrastructure
Common Language Runtime
Common Type System
Virtual Execution System
Windows CardSpace
Windows Communication Foundation
Windows Forms
Windows Presentation Foundation
Windows Workflow Foundation
Security

Windows 7
Professional,
Policy-based component that enables or disables execution of software Enterprise and
AppLocker
based on rules such as location, properties and digital signature Ultimate editions
Windows Server
2008 R2
Windows Vista
BitLocker Enterprise and
Disk encryption software, designed to protect data by providing encryption for
Drive Ultimate editions,
entire volumes
Encryption Windows Server
2008
Data
Security feature that is intended to prevent an application or service from Windows XP
Execution
executing code from a non-executable memory region Service Pack 2
Prevention
Encrypting
File File system driver that provides file system-level encryption Windows 2000
System
Security
Account Database stored as a registry file Windows NT 3.1
Manager
Utility that encrypts the hashed password information in a SAM database Windows NT 4.0
SYSKEY
using a 128-bit encryption key Service Pack 3
User Technology and security infrastructure utility that aims to improve the security Windows Vista,
Account of Microsoft Windows by limiting application software to standard user Windows Server
Control privileges until an administrator authorizes an increase 2008
Utility designed to block unauthorized access while permitting authorized

Windows Windows XP
communications. An earlier edition known as Internet Connection Firewall that
Firewall Service Pack 2
was disabled by default was included with the original Windows XP release.
Downloadable for
Windows Security utility to prevent, remove and quarantine malware (viruses, Trojan Windows XP and
Defender horses, etc.) Windows Server
2003
Windows
Resource Protects Registry keys and folders in addition to critical system files Windows Vista
Protection
Deprecated components and apps

Last OS
Component Description Category Introduced Superseded by
included
Plus! 95 for
3D Pinball Pinball game Game Windows XP N/A
Windows 95
Streaming
ActiveMovie media API Windows 95 Windows ME DirectShow
technology
Personal Personal Outlook Express,

Cardfile information organizer Windows 1.0 Windows ME Windows Mail, or

manager Windows Live Mail
Chess Titans Chess game Game Windows Vista Windows 7 N/A
Disk
Data
DriveSpace compression MS-DOS Windows ME N/A
compression
utility
Windows DVD DVD authoring

Video Windows Vista Windows 7 N/A
Maker software
File manager
File Manager File manager Windows 3.0 Windows ME Windows Explorer
app
Microsoft Solitaire
FreeCell FreeCell game Game Win32s Windows 7
Collection
Version of the
Windows for
Hearts game
Hearts Game Workgroups Windows 7 N/A
using Black
3.11
Lady scoring
Online and
Help and offline
Support reference Utility Windows ME Windows 8.1 Tips app
Center manual for
troubleshooting.
Communication
utility based on
HyperTerminal a low end Communication Windows 95 Windows XP N/A
version of
HyperACCESS
Version of the
Windows
Hold 'Em Texas hold 'em Game Windows Vista N/A
Vista
game
Video game in
a combination
Hover! of bumper cars Game Windows 95 Windows 95 N/A
and capture the
flag
Game where
the user tries to Windows XP
Windows
InkBall get colored Game Tablet PC N/A
Vista
balls into the Edition
correct holes
Version of the
Mahjong
Mahjong Game Windows Vista Windows 7 Microsoft Mahjong
Titans
solitaire game
Outlook Express,
Internet Mail E-mail and
E-mail Windows 95 Windows 95 Windows Mail, or
and News news client
Windows Live Mail
Microsoft
Version of the
Entertainment Microsoft
Minesweeper minesweeper Game Windows 7
Pack, Windows Minesweeper
game
3.1
An app that can

play media files

Media Control and record
sound by API Windows 3.0 Windows ME N/A
Interface
passing
commands as
strings.
Windows 3.0 Windows Media

Digital media
Media Player Media player Multimedia Windows XP Player or Movies &
player app
Extensions TV
Microsoft Calendaring Personal Windows Calendar or

Windows 1.0 Windows 3.1
Calendar app organizer Windows Live Mail
Tool that
provides
detailed
Microsoft technical Plus! 95 for Microsoft System
Diagnostics MS-DOS
Diagnostics information Windows 95 Information
about user's
software and
hardware
Windows Fax and

Microsoft Fax Faxing app Fax Windows 95 Windows XP
Scan
Documentation
browser that
Windows Help used a Online help Windows 3.0 Windows XP Microsoft Help
proprietary
format
Downloadable Windows XP, Backup and Restore,

Built-in backup
NTBackup Backup for Windows Windows Windows Server
app
NT 4.0 Server 2003 Backup
Outlook Internet Windows Mail or

E-mail client E-mail Windows XP
Express Explorer 4 Windows Live Mail
Shell composed
of a task-
oriented
graphical user
Program interface,
GUI Windows 3.0 Windows XP Windows Explorer
Manager consisting of
icons (shortcuts
for apps)
arranged into
app groups.
Educational
game for
children,
teaching
Purble Place Game Windows Vista Windows 7 N/A
pattern
recognition,
shapes, and
colors
Microsoft Edge
Reader e-book reader e-book reader Windows 8 Windows 10 (PDF), XPS Viewer
(XPS), Photos (TIFF)

Version of Internet Reversi only

Reversi Game Windows 1.0 Windows 3.0 on Windows ME and
Reversi.
Windows XP
Klondike Microsoft Solitaire

Solitaire Game Windows 3.0 Windows 7
Solitaire game Collection
Spider Spider Solitaire Microsoft Plus! Microsoft Solitaire

Game Windows 7
Solitaire game 98 Collection
Utility that
allows users to
scan for and
System File Windows Windows Resource
restore Security Windows 98
Checker Server 2003 Protection
corruptions in
Windows
system files
Puzzle game in
which the
player controls
Windows
Tinker a robot through Game Windows Vista N/A
Vista
various mazes
and obstacle
courses
Video for Multimedia

API Windows 3.1 Windows 95 DirectShow
Windows framework
List of contacts
Windows Contacts,
Windows that can be Contact Internet
Windows XP People, or Windows
Address Book shared by manager Explorer 3
Live Mail
multiple apps
Windows Widget engine

Desktop for Microsoft User interface Windows Vista Windows 7 Live tiles
Gadgets Gadgets
Sub-system in
the operating
system, aims to
Windows ME
Windows File prevent apps Windows Resource
Security as System File Windows XP
Protection from replacing Protection
Protection
critical
Windows
system files.
Notetaking
application that
Windows XP General
Windows allows for the Windows 10
Accessories Tablet PC improvements in Ink
Journal creation of Threshold 2
Edition API
handwritten
notes
Internet Mail and

Windows
E-mail client E-mail Windows 95 Windows 95 News, Windows Mail,
Messaging
or Windows Live Mail
Instant Windows XP,

Windows Internet Windows Live
messaging Windows XP Windows
Messenger messaging Messenger or Skype
client Server 2003
Windows Non-linear Windows Windows Live Movie

Movie Maker video editing Video Windows ME Vista Maker

software
Video
Windows Web Windows 95 Windows Meeting
conferencing Windows XP
NetMeeting conference OSR2 Space
client
Windows Live Photo

Windows Image Windows
Photo Windows Vista Gallery or Microsoft
Photo Gallery organizer Vista
Photos
Windows Photo
Gallery, Windows Fax
Windows and Scan, Windows
Picture and Image viewer Photo Windows XP Windows XP Live Photo Gallery,
Fax Viewer Windows Photo
Viewer, or Microsoft
Photos
Windows Simple word Word Windows NT

Windows 1.0 WordPad
Write processor processor 3.51
APIs
ClearType
Media Foundation
Windows Driver Foundation
Windows Imaging Component
Windows Management Instrumentation
Miscellaneous (to be categorized)

ActiveSync
Compatibility Appraiser collects telemetry information.[18]
DMRC (Device Metadata Retrieval Client) interfaces to metadata about devices from Windows 7 onwards.[19]
I/O technologies
Macro Recorder
Microsoft Agent
Prefetcher
ReadyBoost
Sync Center
Text Services Framework
Universal Audio Architecture
Windows Color System
Windows Diagnostic Infrastructure (WDI)[20]
Windows Mobile Device Center
Windows Rally
Windows Registry
Windows Speech Recognition
XML Paper Specification

See also
List of Microsoft topics
List of Unix daemons
References
1. "System Services" (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd349799%28v=ws.10%29.aspx).
technet.microsoft.com. Microsoft. 2014. Retrieved 2014-09-02. "The Application Experience service
(AELookupSvc) is a part of the Application Compatibility Administrator. It processes application compatibility
lookup requests for applications as they are started, provides support for Windows Server 2008 and Windows
Vista–based computers running apps in compatibility mode, reports on compatibility issues, and automatically
applies software updates to apps."
2. Description of the Microsoft Computer Browser Service (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/188001)
3. "Distributed Link Tracking on Windows-based domain controllers" (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/312403).
Microsoft. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
4. "Distributed Transaction Coordinator (MSDTC)" (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa940166.aspx).
Microsoft. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
5. "Event Log" (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa939451.aspx). Microsoft. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
6. "What is Indexing Service?" (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms689718.aspx). Microsoft. Retrieved
2008-06-27.
7. "Windows 2000 Professional and Server Service Pack 4 Services Configuration by Black Viper" (http://www.black
viper.com/WIN2K/servicecfg.htm), notice that the service is listed on this page. Retrieved April 2013
8. "Windows Firewall" (http://www.blackviper.com/windows-services/windows-firewall/). Retrieved April 2013
9. "Secondary Logon (Run As): Starting Programs and Tools in Local Administrative Context" (http://support.microso
ft.com/kb/225035). Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
10. "System Event Notification Service" (http://www.theeldergeek.com/system_event_notification.htm). The Elder
Geek. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
11. "Myth Busted: Why Disabling SuperFetch on Vista and Windows 7 Is a Bad Idea" (http://blog.tune-up.com/myth-b
uster/myth-busted-why-disabling-superfetch-on-vista-and-windows-7-is-a-bad-idea/), retrieved April 2013
12. "What Is Volume Shadow Copy Service?: Data Recovery" (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc757854.a
spx). Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
13. [1] (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa940309%28v=WinEmbedded.5%29.aspx) "Windows
Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)"], Retrieved April 2013
14. "Windows 2000 Professional and Server Service Pack 4 Services Configuration by Black Viper" (http://www.black
viper.com/WIN2K/servicecfg.htm), Notice the absence of the service on this page. Retrieved April 2013
15. "Windows Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)" (http://www.blackviper.com/windows-services/windows-fire
wallinternet-connection-sharing-ics/), Notice that XP is the operating system listed. Retrieved April 2013
16. "How Windows Time Service Works: Windows Time Service" (https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc77301
3.aspx). Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
17. Minasi, Mark; Layfield, Rhonda; Justice, Lisa (2006). Mastering Windows Server 2003: upgrade edition for SP1
and R2 (https://books.google.com/books?id=aAUJAQAAMAAJ) (12 ed.). John Wiley & Sons. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-
470-05645-5. Retrieved 2010-07-21. "There is also a client piece for WebDAV built into XP, 2003, R2, and Vista,
called the WebClient Service."
18. Leonhard, Woody (2015-04-20). "KB 2952664 triggers daily telemetry run in Windows 7 -- and may be snooping
on users: Microsoft bills the 'compatibility update' as way to ease the upgrade process to Windows 10 -- but it's
on users: Microsoft bills the 'compatibility update' as way to ease the upgrade process to Windows 10 -- but it's
collecting data daily" (http://www.infoworld.com/article/2911609/operating-systems/kb-2952664-compatibility-upda
te-for-win7-triggers-unexpected-daily-telemetry-run-may-be-snooping.html). Operating Systems. InfoWorld.
InfoWorld, Inc. Retrieved 2016-08-23. "The Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser task
runs %windir%\system32\rundll32.exe appraiser.dll,DoScheduledTelemetryRun with the description 'Collects
program telemetry information if opted-in to the Microsoft Customer Experience Improvement Program.'"
19. Compare: Tulloch, Mitch; Northrup, Tony; Honeycutt, Jerry; Wilson, Ed (2010). Windows 7 Resource Kit (https://b
ooks.google.com/books?redir_esc=y&id=f-opAQAAMAAJ). Windows 7 Resource Kit, Microsoft Corporation. 1.
Microsoft Press. p. 708. Retrieved 2016-08-18. "The DMRC [(Device Metadata Retrieval Client)] checks the
computer's local metadata cache and metadata store for metadata that applies to the device."
20. Solomon, David A.; Russinovich, Mark E.; Ionescu, Alex (2009). Windows Internals (https://books.google.com/bo
oks?id=WZdCAwAAQBAJ). Developer Reference (5 ed.). Microsoft Press. ISBN 9780735637962. Retrieved
2016-10-24. "The Windows Diagnostic Infrastructure (WDI) helps to detect, diagnose, and resolve common
problem scenarios with minimal user intervention."
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title=List_of_Microsoft_Windows_components&oldid=818261263"
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List of Microsoft Windows Components - Wikipedia

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Configuration and maintenance

Allows users to view and change

Allows the user to display and

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Microsoft_Windows_components#Services Pagina 1 van 25

Device Manager control the hardware attached to Windows 95

Centralizes the most relevant

Centralizes and reports on the

Provides system administrators

Built-in benchmarking tool that

Allows for the rolling back of

Helps diagnose and recover from

Rearranges files stored on a hard

Lets administrators and users

Resource Monitor Lets administrators view current

Logical volume manager

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Microsoft_Windows_components#Services Pagina 2 van 25

Registry Editor Allows users to browse and edit Windows 3.1

Allows users to script tasks for

Software installation and deployment

An online service providing

An engine for the management of

Technology for deploying .NET

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Microsoft_Windows_components#Services Pagina 3 van 25

Component Description Introduced

Windows PowerShell Command-line shell and scripting framework. Windows XP

The most visible and recognizable aspect of Microsoft

Provides an interface for accessing the file systems,

Starting with Windows Vista, search is a tightly shell-

Folders which are presented to the user through an

Serves as the central launching point for applications. It

The application desktop bar which is used to launch and

Used to open a file with the appropriate app. Users can

Applications and utilities

Used to transfer many files at once

Keeps a single list of contacts that

Calculator Calculation application Windows 1.0

Calendar Calendaring application Windows Vista

Utility to view and search

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Windows Alt keycodes and Unicode

Cortana Digital personal assistant Windows 10

Edge Web browser Windows 10

Platform for exchanging

Digital media player and media

Digital media player and media

OneDrive Freemium cloud storage folder and

Integrated note-taking app, based

On-Screen Keyboard (osk.exe) Virtual keyboard

Paint Simple graphics painting app Windows 1.0

Paint 3D Simple graphics painting app Windows 10 version 1703

Photos Simple image viewer Windows 8

Utility to create bootable versions of

Notepad Simple text editor Windows 1.0

Screen reader utility that reads

Simple audio recording app that

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Microsoft_Windows_components#Services Pagina 5 van 25

Windows 8.1, downloadable for

Text-based shell (command line

Simple word processor that is more

Utility to create private use

Client implementation of the

Allows a user to temporarily take