Let’s continue from where we left off, shall we? In the last blog, we discussed the journey of Windows 95, and then Windows 98. Approximately two years after launching the Upgraded version of Windows 95 stable version. With the turn of the millennium, the OS giant Windows released its latest OS in February 2000, Windows NT 5.0. However, like its previous version, the Windows was again associated with the year of its launch, and was termed as Windows 2000.
It was an instant hit, with successful deployment on Workstation markets as well as on the servers. The features that made this new DOS based OS among the masses were:
- Active Directory: It was very useful and replaced NT 4.0 from existence. The use of Active Directory was to check the password submitted by a user when it logs into a system. Once the password is verified, then AD decided the kind of system privileges been given to the user, depending upon the User id, password.
- Windows Server Domain Model: It was built to connect multiple systems/machines together. IT was an added and the most preferred feature when establishing multiple Pcs together forming a workweb or for creating a Local area Network.
- Terminal service: It was previously available too but only when a user bought NT4. However, with Windows 2000, it was incorporated in all the editions.
Not just this, a lot of advancements were made in the existing Windows 98 features before they were added to Windows 2000. They were
All these advancements led to smooth installation and uninterrupted functioning of modern high definition and popular games of that time.
Fun fact:
- Windows 2000 was the last OS that worked on NT kernel without an activation key.
- Although, the initial release of Windows 2000 was intended for workstations, but later upgradation of Windows 95 and 98 into Windows 2000 became available as well.
Windows did not intend to repeat the same mistake they did in 1998, and therefore, launched 4 editions of Windows 2000 after stringent tests and evaluation. The edition of Windows 2000 was:
- Windows 2000 Professional
- Windows 2000 Server
- Windows 2000 Advanced Server
- Windows 2000 Datacenter Server