DOCUMENT:Q132748 02-FEB-2002 [crossnet] TITLE :Choosing a Workstation OS: Windows 95/Windows NT Workstation PRODUCT :Windows for Workgroups and Windows NT Networking Issues PROD/VER:WINDOWS:95; winnt:3.51 OPER/SYS: KEYWORDS:win95 ====================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The information in this article applies to: - Microsoft Windows 95 - Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 3.51 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY ======= Both Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation 3.51 are designed to deliver a common set of capabilities - great application support, ease of use, connectivity, and manageability. Both products provide a platform for a new generation of Win32-based applications that provide new features and greater performance and reliability than today's Win16-based applications. When choosing the right operating system to deploy for your corporation, consider the needs of the users: - Users doing mobile computing should use Windows 95 for the plug & play, power management, and the Windows 95 Briefcase feature. - Developers, engineers, and other technical computer users, should choose Windows NT Workstation. If you have the hardware to support Windows NT, and all your applications and devices are supported, choose Windows NT Workstation. If you have older hardware, older applications, and older devices, choose Windows 95. You can plan for the future by making all new hardware purchases compatible with Windows NT Workstation. MORE INFORMATION ================ Mobile Users ------------ 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. These users should use Windows 95. Developers and Technical Users ------------------------------ Developers, engineers, scientific researchers, statisticians, and other technical users often run processing-intensive applications, while also using business productivity applications. Today, many of these users must have both a UNIX-based workstation and a PC on their desk to get their job done. Windows NT Workstation can save costs by meeting their demands for greater processing power while also running Windows-based personal and business productivity applications on the same system. Windows NT Workstation provides the performance of a leading-edge workstation or mini- computer at a fraction of the cost, with its support for symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) and its portability to different high-performance platforms like those based on Alpha AXP, PowerPC, or MIPS-based CPUs. Business Desktop ---------------- For the business desktop, examine the business problem you're trying to solve. To determine if Windows NT Workstation is compatible with your existing hardware and software, answer the following three questions: 1. Do your current systems have the resources (minimum 12 MB RAM, 90 MB hard drive space) required to run Windows NT Workstation? If not, do you have the budget to upgrade these systems to run Windows NT Workstation? You should weight this cost against the extra reliability and protection features you get with Windows NT Workstation. If you can not afford to upgrade your systems today, you should deploy Windows 95. 2. Are there Windows NT Workstation drivers for the devices you have in place, including video cards, drive controllers, proprietary 3270 devices, and network interface cards? The Windows NT Hardware Compatibility List can be used to determine if drivers are available for these devices. 3. Are your applications compatible with Windows NT Workstation? Are you running applications that require an MS-DOS or Windows device driver or SR, and have these been ported to Windows NT Workstation? If the answer to each of the above questions is yes, then you should deploy Windows NT Workstation. In the areas that require the higher level of compatibility, you should deploy Windows 95. Do you need the additional application and system protection features offered by Windows NT Workstation? In some situations, the business cost from a disruption in service caused by an application bringing down another application or the system can be very high. Windows NT Workstation can help minimize these costs by running Win16 applications in separate address space (often referred to as separate virtual machines) so that if one Win16 application fails, all of the other applications will continue to run. Win32-based applications running on both platforms provide greater reliability through use of separate memory address areas, multiple asynchronous message queues, and structured exception handling. Windows NT provides an additional level of protection for the system by completely separating operating system and application code. Windows NT Workstation can also be configured to automatically restart if the system goes down. If the value of these additional protection features offered by Windows NT Workstation is greater than the value of the higher level of compatibility offered by Windows 95, choose Windows NT Workstation. Do you require the data security features offered by Windows NT Workstation? Both Windows 95 and Windows NT Workstation can help prevent naive users from damaging their system configuration. Beyond this, the Windows NT File System (NTFS) can be configured to restrict access to systems and data. This prevents malicious users from deleting system files or damaging line- of-business applications. With these features, a Windows NT desktop system can even be shared by multiple users and still maintain security for all files on the system. In addition, Windows NT Workstation is currently in the evaluation phase for the government C2 level security specification. If the value of these additional security features offered by Windows NT Workstation is greater than the value of the higher level of compatibility offered by Windows 95, choose Windows NT Workstation. Overall, Windows 95 is the best choice where you need to leverage your investment in your existing infrastructure by using your existing applications and devices as you make a steady transition to Win32-based applications and more capable hardware. In other cases where the highest levels of protection for applications, system and data are required to meet your business needs, Windows NT Workstation is the best choice. Similarities of Windows NT Workstation and Windows 95 ----------------------------------------------------- The following table summarizes features that the products share. Feature differences that exist today, but will be resolved in the future, are noted as "Future Release". Windows NT Product Feature Windows 95 Workstation ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Application Support - Win32 API for application development, OLE Yes Yes for linking data across applications - Preemptive multitasking of Win32 Yes Yes applications - Runs the majority of Win16 applications Yes Yes - Multimedia APIs (DibEngine, Direct Draw, Yes Future DirectSound, Direct Input, Reality Lab 3D Release graphics libraries) - OpenGL graphics libraries for 3D graphics Future Yes Release Ease of Use - Auto-detection and configuration of Yes Yes hardware during installation - Next-generation Windows User Interface Yes Future Release - Plug and Play technology that lets you add Yes Future hardware automatically and dynamically Release reconfigure the system Connectivity - LAN connectivity and peer-to-peer Yes Yes networking, with all popular protocols including TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, DLC and NetBEUI - Open networking architecture provides Yes Yes choice of clients, transports and drivers and extensibility for support of third party networking applications - Built-in Remote Access services Yes Yes - Built-in universal inbox providing Yes Future email and fax Release - Built-in MSN online service Yes Future client software Release Manageability - Open system management architecture Yes Yes provides infrastructure for third party system management solutions - Supports existing and emerging system Yes Yes management standards (SNMP, DMI) - System Policies to provide centralized Yes Future control over desktop configuration Release - User profiles to provide consistent Yes Yes configuration for roving users or different users sharing a single system - Remote monitoring of system performance Yes Yes System and Peripheral Support - Fully exploits 386DX, 486, and Pentium Yes Yes platforms - Disk compression Yes Yes (VFAT) (NTFS) - Dynamic PCMCIA support (you don't have Yes Static today, to reboot system to add a device) Yes in Future Release Support and Service - Quick Fix Engineering teams to solve Yes Yes critical problems at specific sites - Regular Service Pack releases to Yes Yes provide new drivers, component updates, and problem fixes Differences between Windows NT Workstation and Windows 95 --------------------------------------------------------- The following table summarizes differences between the two products that will continue over time. Product Feature Windows 95 Windows NT Workstation ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Application Support - System Resource Capacity Greatly Unlimited expanded - Runs MS-DOS applications Yes Most (see note below) - Runs IBM Presentation Manager No Yes (through 1.3) & POSIX 1003.1 applications Application and Data Protection - Preemptive multitasking for Win16 No Yes applications - System completely protected from No Yes errant Win16 and Win32 applications - NTFS file system provides complete No Yes protection of files on a stand-alone system (Files, folders, and applications can be made "invisible" to specific users) - Has automatic recovery from a system No Yes failure System and Peripheral Requirements and Support - Runs MS-DOS device drivers Yes No - Runs Win16 device drivers Yes No - Minimum recommended RAM 8 MB 12 MB - Typical disk space requirement 40 MB 90 MB - Runs on PowerPC, MIPS, and DEC Alpha No Yes AXP-based RISC systems - Supports multi-processor configurations No Yes for scaleable performance without changing operating system or applications NOTE: Windows NT Workstation requires 12 MB RAM 486 or greater, or compatible RISC-based system. Also, certain categories of applications that try to directly access hardware will not work on Windows NT Workstation because they compromise security or system robustness (for example, applications that try to directly access hardware, some MS-DOS games requiring specialized hardware access, and old MS-DOS and Windows device drivers [including VxDs]). Additional query words: prodnt 3.50 legacy megabytes megabyte virtual device driver microsoft network winnt vs nt windows ====================================================================== Keywords : win95 Technology : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNT351search kbWinNTW351search kbWinNTW351 kbWin95search kbZNotKeyword3 Version : WINDOWS:95; winnt:3.51 ============================================================================= THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. 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