2.0 Operating Systems


Unless otherwise noted, operating systems referred to within include Microsoft Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, XP Home, XP MediaCenter, Windows Vista Home, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate.


2.2 Differentiate between Windows Operating System directory structures (Windows 2000, XP and Vista)

  • User file locations

    This illustrates the location for different user items between the Windows 2000/XP and Vista/7 operating systems:

    Folder location in
    Windows 2000/XP
      New location in
    Windows Vista/7
    \Documents and Settings

    \Users
    \Documents and Settings
    \user name\My Documents



    \Users\user name\Documents
    \Documents and Settings
    \user name\My Documents\My Pictures



    \Users\user name\Pictures
    \Documents and Settings
    \user name\My Documents\My Music



    \Users\user name\Music
    \Documents and Settings
    \user name\My Documents\My Videos



    \Users\user name\Videos
    \Documents and Settings
    \user name\Desktop



    \Users\user name\Desktop
    \Documents and Settings
    \user name\Local Settings
    \Users\user name
    \AppData\Local


  • System file locations

    The system files for the Windows 2000 and later operating systems are located in the following paths:

    On 32-bit Windows editions, 16-bit libraries and executables are installed in the %windir%\System directory, and 32-bit libraries and executables are installed in the %windir%\System32 directory.

    On 64-bit Windows editions, the %windir%\System32 directory is reserved for 64-bit applications, while 32-bit libraries and executables are installed in the %windir%\SysWOW64 directory.

    WOW64 (Windows on Windows64) is the x86 emulator that allows 32-bit Windows-based applications to run seamlessly on 64-bit Windows.

    64-bit Windows does not support running 16-bit Windows-based applications.

    Please note the default Windows environment variable (%windir%) :

    • In Windows 2000 is \WINNT
    • In Windows XP is \WINDOWS
    • In Windows Vista and Windows 7 is \Windows


  • Fonts

    The font files for the Windows 2000 and later operating systems are located in the following paths:

    • In Windows 2000 is \WINNT\fonts
    • In Windows XP is \WINDOWS\Fonts
    • In Windows Vista and Windows 7 is \Windows\Fonts


  • Temporary files

    Temporary files for the Windows 2000 and later operating systems are located in the following paths:

    • In Windows 2000 is \WINNT\Temp
    • In Windows XP is \WINDOWS\Temp
    • In Windows Vista and Windows 7 is \Windows\Temp


  • Program files

    Program files for the Windows 2000 and later operating systems are located in the following paths:

    • In Windows 2000 is \Program Files
    • In Windows XP is \Program Files
    • In Windows Vista and Windows 7 is \Program Files


  • Offline files and folders

    Offline files and folders for the Windows 2000 and later operating systems are located in the following paths:

    • In Windows 2000 is \WINNT\CSC
    • In Windows XP is \WINDOWS\CSC
    • In Windows Vista and Windows 7 is \Windows\CSC



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