Chapter 1. Introduction to Microsoft Windows XP Professional Administration

Microsoft Windows XP Professional is designed primarily for workstations and network clients. The operating system is a direct replacement for Microsoft Windows NT 4 Workstation and Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional. A focus on client-related tasks sets Windows XP Professional apart from the server versions of the operating system and, accordingly, Windows XP Professional supports a limited set of services while retaining excellent user support facilities.

In this book, you’ll learn about these user support facilities and how to manage the administration of systems running Windows XP Professional. Although the focus of this book is on Windows XP Professional, the tips and techniques you learn can easily be applied to installations of Microsoft Windows .NET Server, especially if those server installations are being used by support staff rather than as actual servers with dedicated network roles. (In this book, “Windows XP” refers to Windows XP Professional unless otherwise indicated.)