1. Plug and Play
2. Windows Setup
3. User Level versus Share Level Security
4. User Profiles
5. Policy Files
6. Printers
7. Video
8. Utilities
9. Registry
10. Rings
11. Virtual Machines
12. Internals
13. File systems
14. Dial-Up Networking
15. TCP/IP
16. Networking – General
17. Networking – Netware
18. Networking – Microsoft
19. Windows 95 vs. Windows 3.x
20. Windows 95 vs. Windows NT Workstation
21. Windows 95 – General
22. Hardware
23. Exchange/Fax
24. Memory
25. Log Files

Plug and Play

• You need 3 things: Plug and Play bios, P&P OS, and P&P Hardware
• Hardware Tree: Built by BUS enumerators. RAM record of all devices on system
• Bus Enumerator: Driver based on BUS (i.e. SCSI, IDE). Allows unique and constant ID of each device on system
• Windows will auto-detect which BUS enumerators are in effect
• Hardware tree is displayed as the device manager (stored in hkey_local_machine)
• Plug and Play OS requires: Configuration Mgr., Hardware Tree, BUS Enumerator, Resource Arbitrators
• Plug and Play Device drivers must: Register with configuration mgr., wait for resources (device) before becoming active, and respond to dynamic config (not jumper-laden)
• P&P finds legacy cards by checking specific I/O ports and memory addresses.
• Legacy cards can only be found by setup and “Add New Hardware”

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Windows Setup

• Minimum Hardware requirements for 95

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User Profiles

• Windows NT Server: Kept in user’s home directory
• NetWare: Kept in user’s mail directory
• Profiles are checked for automatically when logging in and passwords are enabled
• For profiles, you need a 32 bit client
• You need to enable profiles in Control Panel – Passwords
• Primary Login must have the user’s profile in it
• Can modify desktop settings, start menu, program groups
• For mandatory profiles, the USER.MAN file must be placed in the MAIL directory for NetWare

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Policy Files

• User Profiles must be enabled
• Policies can be kept locally or on a server
• They must be somewhere everyone can reach
• Must be on NETLOGON share on PDC and replicated (in case you log onto BDC) ( 95 automatically downloads them)
• In Policy Editor: Radio Box Clear is None, Grey is no change, and checked is enabled
• In NetWare must be located in SYS:PUBLIC (95 automatically downloads them

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Windows 95 Printing

• Windows 95 prints faster than 3.1 because of EMF spooling
• 95 provide ICM (Image Color Matching) to provide color consistency. Before the apps had to do it, now apps are designed to use 95’s color codes…
• 95 supports Postscript 2
• 95 supports bi-directional printing
• 95 printing is based on two drivers: Postscript and Universal (UNIDRV.DLL)
• Bi-directional printing needs bi-directional printer, IEEE1284 cable, and bi-directional port
• To support older print jobs, 95 will map an LPT to a print queue
• To despool print jobs when connected to NetWare: MSPSRV.EXE
• To set up point and print for NetWare, you must set up network printer, point it to Novell queue, and keep the driver in a publicly accessible area.
• In NT the driver is automatically kept on the server.
• Network Printing Architecture

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Video

• 95 cannot change display settings for different profiles
• You need at least VGA
• Drivers very similar to printers (one main drivers, with vendor-specific minidrivers)
• Users DIBs (Device independent bitmap). Means a 256 color bitmap will display on a 16 color monitor
• Very rare to have video lock 95. 95 usually would fallback to VGA
• VDD: created when a VM needs to access video

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Utilities

• Scandisk: Fixes cross-linked files, lost clusters, bad sectors, etc
• Defrag: Will speed up computer
• Remote Administration: Contains Net Watcher, System Monitor, File System Administration
• Briefcase is good for many users on a network using one file.
• When dialing in, briefcase will automatically try to sync with briefcase docs elsewhere.
• Backup can backup to tapes, floppies, and network locations.
• 95 Backup does not support SCSI tape drives
• DriveSpace 2.0 (comes with 95) has a max of 512MB
• DriveSpace 3.0 (comes with MS Plus) has a max of 2GB

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Registry

• HKEY_USERS: user.dat Has settings for every user that has logged on the system
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE: system.dat Has info for every device ever set up on that machine
• HKEY_DYN_DATA: Current settings for some devices and performance monitoring. Has no file association
• HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG: Alias for subway of local_machine
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER: Alias for subkey of current_user
• HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT: Under local_machine. For file association.
• Registry entries have three properties: Name, Data type (binary, string, DWORD), and value

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Rings

• The x86 model defines four rings (0-3)
• Each ring has a differing priority (0 highest, with 3 lowest)
• Win95 uses only Ring 0 (System Mode) and Ring 3 (User Mode)
• Processor protects code in different rings from harming each other (Ring 3 apps cannot harm important ring 0 processor stuff)
• Ring 0 processes are protected from each other by the processor
• Rings 3 process are protected from one another by the OS

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Virtual machines

• MSDOS programs have their own virtual machines
• 16bit (Win3.1) and 32bit apps run in the same virtual machine
• Because it has its’ own virtual machine, if MSDOS program crashes, then it effects only itself

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Internals

• Win95 kernel is 100% 32bit.
• When a 16 bit apps needs to access the kernel, it will use the 16bit Mutex. Only one apps can access the Mutex at once. If a 16bit app crashes, all other 16 bit programs will be on hold until that hold on the Mutex is freed up.
• 16bit programs calling the 32bit kernel is called thunking
• The kernel is responsible for the basic OS (managing virtual memory, task scheduling, file I/O)
• Because of a separate message queue, a hung 32 bit apps will not effect other 32 bit apps
• Win95 has three core components: Kernel, User (things like input devices (i.e. input devices and system.dlls), and GDI
• GDI: Graphical Device Interface: handles display of all graphics on screen
• User Functions: Mouse, Keyboard, Sound cards. Many still 16bit for compatibility.
• Programs do not have beginnings and ends. They send out messages that create events
• Every tasks (called a thread) has its’ own message queue
• 32 bit apps are preemptively multitasked (Each has its own thread)
• 16bit apps are cooperatively multitasked (share threads) (Because of Mutex need)
• Because MSDOS apps sometimes cannot be tricked into thinking they are the only program running (how 95 does it) they sometimes need to be run in MSDOS mode.
• When entering real mode, all other apps stop because the processor actually goes into real mode (just like the good ole DOS days)
• GPFs can be caused by three things: Requesting a memory address already used, trying to access hardware directly, or failing to communicate with a failing driver.

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File Systems

• Installable File Systems Manager (IFSMGR): Allows multiple file systems on one computer (Including networking clients). Manages all file systems
• VFAT is like FAT, but it is 32-bit and supports things like long files names
• VFAT is installed by default and cannot be disabled.
• Unicode: Encoding scheme that enables long file names
• Long File Names can take a minimum of two file names. One for the short name and 1 each for each 13 characters of the long file name.
• There is a limit of 512 files per directory (this includes subdirectories).
• File names can have up to 255 characters
• Paths can have up to 260 characters

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Dial-Up Networking

• Dial-Up Networking supports compression only with PPP
• Internet connections without DHCP require: Subnet mask, gateway, address
• Install SLIP from WIN95CDROM\admin\apptools\slip
• Dial-Up Networking supports TCP/IP, IPX, NetBEUI (Not DecNET)
• Support for three types of communication: PPP, SLIP, RAS

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TCP/IP

• Class B is 255.255.0.0
• Masks are to separate Network ID from Host ID
• If not WINS server or DNS is available, you can use LMHOSTS file

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Networking – General

• Win95 supports unlimited UNC connections
• 95 will auto-connect (with both NetWare and MS 32bit clients) if connection is dropped.
• To enable remote administration of a computer you need to check off “enable remote admin” in the passwords area of control panel, you must be user-level, remote admin privileges must be had by network administrator.
• System Monitor: Monitor performance of remote computer. Remote registry service must be enabled.
• Remote Registry: Enable user-level security and remote administration in passwords of control panel.
• Net Watcher: Manage file system of a remote computer
• Win95 can support only 1 real-mode network client at a time
• To run Banyan, you must set up using custom setup and add Banyan Token-ring as the network client.
• By default, 95 install NetBEUI and IPX (it’s weird but NT actually likes this – NWLINK)

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Networking – NetWare

• Microsoft Client for Netware cannot be installed if VLMs are detected
• SAP advertising must be enabled to allow NETX and VLM clients to access 95 resources (shares and printers).
• If NetWare is security provider, then user-lever security should be used
• WHOAMI, a network identifier, can be found by right clicking on Network Neighborhood
• You need Novell’s 32 bit client if you want

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Networking – Microsoft

• Description of a computer can be up to 48 characters, no commas can be used
• Follow a share name with a $ to make it invisible
• Keep workgroups under 50 computers for the reason of network speed

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Windows 95 vs. Windows 3.x

• Win95 does not use DOS interrupts
• Win95 does not have a PIF editor

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Windows 95 – General

• VSHARE has built in support
• Move a file – hold SHIFT and drag
• Copy a file – hold CTRL and drag
• Service Shipped with 95

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Hardware

• Logging the modem activity: Control panel – modem – connection – advanced. File is modemlog.txt
• If Suspend is on START menu, then Advanced Power Management is installed.
• To enable Advanced Power Management: Control panel – power - always show Suspend on start menu
• 32 bit PCMCIA support is not enabled by default

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Exchange/Fax

• The difference between a fax and an e-mail is the format of the address
• A copy of the Exchange executable is downloaded every time a connection is made using Dial-Up Networking
• The Exchange executable runs for 20 seconds after shutdown
• You cannot fax from QuickView.
• When setting up a fax modem within Exchange, you can share it so that others can use it.
• You can set up a workgroup postoffice when no other mail server is present. All users must have access to this shared directory and no others outside the workgroup can access it.

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Memory

• Windows 95 core components and shared DLL's run in the 2GB-3GB. This makes them accessible to all applications
• 2GB-4GB : 32 bit apps
• 2GB – 3GB : 16 bits apps and Win95 shared DLL's
• 3GB – 4GB : Ring 0

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