Here is a description of feature enhancements in the next version of Windows, currently named Memphis. At the end is an application form to be a beta tester. Through increased design and testing for accessibility, this operating system will hopefully be more usable than predecessors at the outset by people with disabilities, particularly blind persons. ---------- Memphis Beta 1 Release - Feature Overview New Feature Description Enhance Reliability and Performance Disk Defragmenter The new Disk Defragmenter Optimization Optimization Wizard Wizard uses the process of disk defragmentation to increase the speed with which your most frequently used applications run. To accomplish this the wizard creates a log file which identifies your most commonly used programs. Once this log file has been created, it can be used by the disk defragmenter to store the files associated with your most commonly run programs (the files will be stored contiguously on the hard disk). Placing all of the files associated with a given application in the same location on your hard disk will optimize the speed with which your application runs. Memphis HelpDesk Memphis HelpDesk is the first step in resolving a technical support issue. It links you to local and Internet resources, including Online Help, Troubleshooting Wizards, the Microsoft Knowledge Base, the Microsoft Technical Support for Windows Home Page, Windows Update Manager, and the Memphis Web-based Bug Reporting Tool. You can launch Windows Tune-Up Wizard from the System Tool group off the Start Menu. Windows System Update Windows System Update helps you ensure you are using the latest drivers and file systems available. It is a new Web-based service (ActiveX control) that scans your system to determine what hardware and software you have installed, then compares that information to a back-end database to determine whether there are newer drivers or system files available. If there are newer drivers or system files, the service can automatically install the drivers. This process is completely configurable allowing the user to choose which updated drivers/system files to download, or simply downloads the drivers requiring no user interaction. There is even a "rollback" feature which can remove a driver which has been automatically installed via Windows System Update. System File Checker System File Checker is a new utility which Utility provides an easy way to verify that the Memphis Beta 1 System Files (*.dll, *.com, *.vxd, *.drv, *.ocx, *.inf, *.hlp, etc.) have not been modified or corrupted. The utility also provides an easy mechanism for restoring the original versions of system files which have changed. System File Checker will be extremely valuable in helping users and support personnel track changes (file corruption, application installation, application removal, accidental deleting of files, etc.) made to Memphis Beta 1 systems and restore original files in the event a change causes a conflict. Windows Tune-Up Wizard The Windows Tune-Up Wizard was designed to make the PC more self-maintainable. The Wizard schedules tune-up jobs to be run automatically on a regular basis. You can launch the Wizard from the Start menu, or off of the Programs, Accessories, and System Tools. System Troubleshooter System Troubleshooter (Tshoot.exe) automates the routine troubleshooting steps used by support personnel and users when diagnosing issues with the Windows configuration. Microsoft System Memphis now contains a centralized system Information Utility information utility that gathers system configuration information for technical support. This tool is comprised of a collection of ActiveX controls, each responsible for collecting and displaying a certain category of system information in the right frame of MSInfo. A Support Engineer can guide the user experiencing an issue to MSInfo to facilitate the information gathering process. New Dr. Watson Utility Memphis Beta 1 includes an enhanced version of the Dr. Watson utility. With Dr. Watson enabled, when a software fault occurs (general protection fault, hang, etc.), Dr. Watson will intercept it and indicate what software faulted and why. In addition, Dr. Watson collects detailed information about the state of your system at the time the fault occurred. It logs this information to disk, and can display it on screen to assist administrative and product support personnel in determining the cause of the fault. New Backup Utility This new backup applet supports SCSI tape devices and makes backing up your data easier and faster. Automatic ScanDisk After Memphis Beta 1 has been enhanced to run Improper Shutdown ScanDisk automatically in the event the operating system is shut down improperly or your hard disk suffers a hard error. This addition will go along way to help people ensure their hard drives are in proper working order, free of lost clusters, cross-linked files, etc. Setup Enhancements Several enhancements have been made to the Memphis Beta 1 setup program in an effort to decrease setup time while increasing setup reliability. New Accessibility Tools Memphis includes two new accessibility tools including - the Accessibility Configuration Wizard which helps people adapt Windows' options to their needs and preferences, and a low-end screen magnifier which helps people with moderate vision impairments and those working on unfamiliar machines. Faster Shutdown The time it takes to shutdown the system has been dramatically reduced in Memphis. Make Computing More Entertaining Broadcast Services Broadcast Services represent architectural enhancements in Memphis which allow users to receive TCP/IP packets which have been "injected" into a broadcasting signal. With the addition of a tuner board, a Memphis-based machine will be capable of receiving video and digital data that has been "injected" into traditional broadcast services. This allows Memphis users to receive Internet content, enhanced television shows, and other digital content right on their PC, without tying up existing phone lines. Support for New Generation One of the major goals of Memphis Beta 1 of Hardware is to provide complete support for users to take advantage of the array of innovations which have occurred in computer hardware over the last few years. Some of the major hardware standards supported by Memphis Beta 1 include: Universal Serial Bus (USB), IEEE 1394, Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP), Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI), and Digital Video Disc (DVD). Display Setting Display Setting Enhancements provide Enhancements support for dynamically changing screen resolution and color depth. Adapter refresh rate can also be set with most newer display driver chipsets. Memphis Beta 1 also includes the display enhancements previously available in Microsoft Plus!. (Microsoft Plus! is an add-on pack for Windows 95 which provided several minor operating system enhancements.) The enhancements with Memphis Beta 1 include: full window drag, font smoothing, wallpaper stretching, large icons, and hi-color icons. ActiveMovie™ ActiveMovie is a new media-streaming architecture for Windows that delivers high-quality video playback while exposing an extensible set of interfaces upon which multimedia applications and tools can be built. ActiveMovie enables playback of popular media types including MPEG audio, .WAV audio, MPEG video, AVI video, and Apple QuickTime video. Support for Intel MMX Provides support for third parties to Processors build software that exploits the Intel Pentium Multimedia Extensions (MMX) for fast audio and video support on the next generation of Intel Pentium processor. Improve Ease-of-Use FAT32 FAT32 is an improved version of the FAT file system that allows disks over two gigabytes to be formatted as a single drive. FAT32 also uses smaller clusters than FAT drives, resulting in a more efficient use of space on large disks. FAT32 Conversion Utility For added flexibility, Memphis Beta 1 includes a graphical FAT32 conversion utility, which can quickly and safely convert a hard drive from the original version of FAT to FAT32. Power Management Memphis Beta 1 includes built-in support Improvements for Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI). ACPI is an open industry specification proposed by Intel, Microsoft, and Toshiba which defines hardware interfaces that allow for standard power management functionality throughout a PC system. In addition to ACPI support, Memphis Beta 1 includes support for the Advanced Power Management (APM) 1.2 extensions including: Disk spindown, PCMCIA modem power down, and resume on ring. Also supported are new power management "schemes". Multiple Display Support Multiple Display Support allows you to use multiple monitors and/or multiple graphics adapters on a single PC. The ability to have your work environment displayed on multiple monitors can be extremely beneficial in many areas including: desktop publishing, Web development, video editing, and gaming environments. Remote Access Server Memphis Beta 1 includes all of the components necessary to enable your desktop to act as a dial-up server. This allows dial-up clients to remotely connect to a Memphis Beta 1 machine for local resource access or connecting to an IPX/SPX and/or NetBEUI network. PCMCIA Enhancements There have been several enhancements to Memphis Beta 1 with respect to PCMCIA technology including: * Support for PC Card32 (Cardbus): Cardbus brings 32-bit performance to the small PC Card form factor. It enables notebooks to implement high-bandwidth applications like video capture and 100Mbps networking. * Support for PC Cards that operate at 3.3 Volts: This enables hardware manufacturers to lower the power consumption of their devices by using 3.3V rather than 5V. * Support for Multifunction PC Cards: Allows two or more functions (such as LAN and Modem, or SCSI and sound) on a single physical PC Card. Supporting Multifunction Cards helps decrease the cost-per-function of PC Cards, and makes better use of the precious number of slots on most PCs permitting more functions per PC. Built-In Support for Memphis Beta 1 includes support for IrDA, Infrared Data Association the Infrared Data Association standard for (IrDA) 3.0 wireless connectivity. IrDA support enables Memphis Beta 1 users to easily connect to peripheral devices or other PCs without using connecting cables. This driver set provides infrared-equipped laptop or desktop computers with the capability of networking, transferring files, and printing wirelessly with other IrDA-compatible infrared devices. Integrate the Internet Integrated Internet Shell With the Integrated Internet Shell included with Memphis Beta 1, Internet access becomes a seamless part of the user interface. Users will no longer have to learn multiple applications - one to look at their local information, perhaps another to look at their network, and unquestionably another to use the Internet or intranet. With the Integrated Internet Shell, Memphis Beta 1 unifies this process into one utility to universally view local, network, intranet, and Internet data, so you can get to the information you need faster and easier. Dial-Up Networking The Dial-Up Networking included with Improvements (Including Memphis Beta 1 has been updated to Multilink Channel support: Dial-up scripting (which can Aggregation) automate the process of connecting to bulletin boards and online services); Dial-Up Networking user interface enhancements to simplify setting up and using dial-up connections; and support for Multilink Channel Aggregation which enables users to combine all available dial-up lines to achieve higher transfer speeds. For example, you can combine two or more ISDN lines to achieve speeds of up to 128K, or combine two or more standard modem lines. This can provide dramatic performance improvements when dialing into the Internet or corporate network. Advanced Internet Browsing Memphis Beta 1 provides the easiest, Functionality fastest, and most entertaining way to browse the Web. This is done via: * Advanced browsing capabilities such as AutoComplete, enhanced Web searching, improved favorites, navigation history on the Forward/Back buttons, and improved printing. * Support for all major Internet standards including HTML, Java, ActiveX, JavaScript, VisualBasic Scripting, and major security standards. * Improved performance with Dynamic HTML, a just-in-time Java compiler, and basic code "tuning". Personalized Internet When users are asked the biggest problem Information Delivery they have with the World Wide Web, the number one response is getting the information they need. Memphis Beta 1 addresses this problem by providing a mechanism to automatically select and schedule downloads of the information you care about. This enables you to see what has changed on a Web site without physically visiting the site and even allows you to view the site when you are not connected to the Web. Suite of Tools for Memphis Beta 1 also contains rich tools Internet Communication for online communication including: * Outlook™ Express, a full featured email and news reading client. * Microsoft NetMeeting™, a complete Internet conferencing solution providing standards-based audio, data, and video conferencing functionality. * Personal Web Server (and the Web Publishing Wizard), which provides an easy way to publish Web pages on intranets or the Internet. Client Support for The Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol Point-to-Point Tunneling (PPTP) provides a way to use public data Protocol (PPTP) networks, such as the Internet, to create virtual private networks connecting client PCs with servers. PPTP offers protocol encapsulation to support multiple protocols via TCP/IP connections and data encryption for privacy, making it safer to send information over non-secure networks. This technology extends the Dial-Up Networking capability by enabling remote access and securely extending private networks across the Internet without needing to change the client software. Online Services Folder The Memphis Beta 1 desktop contains an Online Services Folder with links to America Online (AOL), AT&T WorldNet, CompuServe 3.0, and Prodigy clients. When you click the link to the client, a setup program starts that automatically registers you with that Internet Service Provider. Increase Manageability and Other Business-Related Features Win32+ Driver Model (WDM) The Win32 Driver Model (WDM) is an all new, common driver model for Windows 95 and Windows NT+ . WDM will enable some common types of devices using USB and IEEE 1394 to have a single driver for both operating systems. The WDM has been implemented by adding selected NT Kernel services into Memphis Beta 1 via a special virtual device driver (NTKERN.VXD). This allows Memphis Beta 1 to maintain full legacy device driver support while adding support for new WDM drivers. Windows System Update Windows System Update, part of the "Zero Administration" initiative for Windows, helps you ensure your users are using the latest drivers and file systems available. It is a new Web-based service (ActiveX control) that scans a userFs system to determine what hardware and software they have installed, then compares that information to a back-end database to determine whether there are newer drivers or system files available. If there are newer drivers or system files, the service can automatically install the drivers. This process is completely configurable allowing the user to choose which updated drivers/system files to download, or simply downloads the drivers requiring no user interaction. There is even a "rollback" feature which can remove a driver which has been automatically installed via Windows System Update. Windows Scripting Host Memphis Beta 1 supports direct script execution from the user interface or the command line (a script is simply a series of commands that can be automatically executed). This support is provided via the Windows Scripting Host (WSH) and allows administrators and/or users to save time by automating many user interface actions such as creating a shortcut, connecting to a network server, disconnecting from a network server, etc. The WSH is extremely flexible with built-in support for VisualBasic+ scripts, Java scripts, and a language independent architecture which will allow other software companies to build ActiveX™ scripting engines for languages such as Perl, TCL, REXX, and Python. Distributed Component The Component Object Model (COM) allows Object Model (DCOM) software developers to create component applications. Now, Distributed COM (DCOM) in Memphis Beta 1 (and Windows NT 4.0) provides the infrastructure that allows DCOM applications (the technology formally known as Network OLE) to communicate across networks without needing to redevelop applications. Client Support for NetWare Memphis Beta 1 includes Client Services Directory Services (NDS) for NetWare that support Novell NetWare Directory Services (NDS). This enables Memphis Beta 1 users to log on to Novell NetWare 4.x servers running NDS to access files and print resources. This service provides the key features that Novell users need, such as: NDS authentication, ability to browse NDS resources, ability to print to NDS print queues, and full support for processing NetWare login scripts, NDS property pages, and NDS passwords. 32-bit Data Link Control The Data Link Control (DLC) protocol is (DLC) used primarily to access IBM mainframe and IBM AS/400 computers. The 32-bit DLC protocol software built-in to Memphis Beta 1 enables a network administrator to add support for 32-bit and 16-bit DLC programs. To apply to become a beta tester for Memphis, please e-mail the request to betareq@microsoft.com, put Memphis Beta Tester Application as the subject field and include the following information in the text of the message: * Name * Company name * Physical address (no P.O. Boxes) * Phone number * Fax number * Internet e-mail address * Specify that you are applying to beta test Memphis. * Complete description of the hardware configuration you use including computer, monitor, graphics cards, memory cards, add-on cards, and any peripheral devices such as printers, plotters and modems. * Complete description of the software operating environment you use, including current operating systems, networks, and memory-resident software. * Reasons why you want to be a beta tester, including experience you have using the product and any previous experience you have in doing beta testing. * Developers should include a request for any related Software Development Kits (SDKs). Please note: Application for the Memphis beta program does not guarantee acceptance. You will be notified if you are chosen. Due to the high volume of requests we receive, status checks cannot be done on an individual basis. ---------- End of Document