<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
is	O
a	O
major	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
developed	O
by	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
oriented	O
towards	O
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
direct	O
successor	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
3.51	I-Device
,	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
to	O
manufacturing	O
on	O
July	O
31	O
,	O
1996	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
to	O
retail	O
on	O
August	O
24	O
,	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
primary	O
business-oriented	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
until	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Workstation	B-Device
,	O
server	B-Application
and	O
embedded	O
editions	O
were	O
sold	O
,	O
and	O
all	O
editions	O
feature	O
a	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
superseded	O
by	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
and	O
could	O
still	O
be	O
directly	O
upgraded	O
by	O
either	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
Professional	O
or	O
Windows	B-Device
Me	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mainstream	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Workstation	B-Device
ended	O
on	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2002	O
,	O
following	O
by	O
extended	O
support	O
ending	O
on	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Server	B-Application
mainstream	O
support	O
ended	O
on	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
2002	O
,	O
with	O
extended	O
support	O
ending	O
on	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
2004	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Embedded	O
mainstream	O
support	O
ended	O
on	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2003	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
extended	O
support	O
on	O
July	O
11	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Me	I-Device
ending	O
support	O
on	O
that	O
date	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
editions	O
were	O
succeeded	O
by	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
Professional	O
,	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
Server	B-Application
Family	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Embedded	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
is	O
the	O
last	O
public	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	O
for	O
the	O
Alpha	B-Device
,	O
MIPS	B-Device
,	O
and	O
PowerPC	B-Architecture
architectures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
successor	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
3.51	I-Device
,	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
introduced	O
the	O
user	O
interface	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
to	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
family	I-Device
,	O
including	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
shell	I-Application
,	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
(	O
known	O
as	O
Windows	B-Protocol
NT	I-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
at	O
the	O
time	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
"	O
My	O
"	O
nomenclature	O
for	O
shell	O
folders	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
includes	O
most	O
components	O
introduced	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internally	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
was	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Shell	B-Device
Update	I-Device
Release	I-Device
(	O
SUR	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
many	O
administrative	O
tools	O
,	O
notably	O
User	O
Manager	O
for	O
Domains	O
,	O
Server	B-Application
Manager	O
and	O
Domain	O
Name	O
Service	O
Manager	O
still	O
used	O
the	O
old	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interfaces	I-Application
,	O
the	O
Start	O
menu	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
separated	O
the	O
per-user	O
shortcuts	O
and	O
folders	O
from	O
the	O
shared	O
shortcuts	O
and	O
folders	O
by	O
a	O
separator	O
line	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
includes	O
some	O
enhancements	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
Plus	O
!	O
</s>
<s>
for	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
such	O
as	O
the	O
Space	B-Application
Cadet	I-Application
pinball	I-Application
table	O
,	O
font	O
smoothing	O
,	O
showing	O
window	O
contents	O
while	O
dragging	O
,	O
high-color	O
icons	O
and	O
stretching	O
the	O
wallpaper	O
to	O
fit	O
the	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
Desktop	O
Update	O
could	O
also	O
be	O
installed	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
to	O
update	O
the	O
shell	O
version	O
and	O
install	O
Task	O
Scheduler	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Resource	O
Kit	O
included	O
the	O
Desktop	O
Themes	O
utility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
is	O
a	O
preemptively	B-Operating_System
multitasked	I-Operating_System
,	O
32-bit	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
that	O
is	O
designed	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
either	O
uniprocessor	B-Operating_System
or	O
symmetric	B-Operating_System
multi-processor	I-Operating_System
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
is	O
the	O
last	O
major	O
release	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
Windows	O
to	O
support	O
the	O
Alpha	B-Device
,	O
MIPS	B-Device
or	O
PowerPC	B-Architecture
CPU	O
architectures	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
runs	O
solely	O
on	O
IA-32	B-Device
only	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
remained	O
in	O
use	O
by	O
businesses	O
for	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
years	O
,	O
despite	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
many	O
efforts	O
to	O
get	O
customers	O
to	O
upgrade	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
and	O
newer	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
the	O
last	O
release	O
in	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
family	I-Device
to	O
be	O
branded	O
as	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
although	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
carried	O
the	O
designation	O
"	O
Built	O
on	O
NT	O
Technology	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
chief	O
enhancement	O
has	O
been	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
shell	O
,	O
there	O
are	O
several	O
major	O
performance	O
,	O
scalability	O
and	O
feature	O
improvements	O
to	O
the	O
core	O
architecture	O
,	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
,	O
USER32	O
,	O
COM	B-Application
and	O
MSRPC	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
also	O
introduced	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
system	O
policies	O
and	O
the	O
System	B-Device
Policy	I-Device
Editor	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
server	B-Application
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
include	O
Internet	B-Application
Information	I-Application
Services	I-Application
2.0	O
,	O
Microsoft	B-Operating_System
FrontPage	I-Operating_System
1.1	O
,	O
NetShow	B-Device
Services	I-Device
,	O
Remote	B-Device
Access	I-Device
Service	I-Device
(	O
which	O
includes	O
a	O
PPTP	B-Protocol
server	B-Application
for	O
VPN	O
functionality	O
)	O
and	O
Multi-Protocol	O
Routing	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
new	O
administrative	O
wizards	O
and	O
a	O
lite	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Network	B-Protocol
Monitor	I-Protocol
utility	O
shipped	O
with	O
System	B-Protocol
Management	I-Protocol
Server	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Enterprise	O
edition	O
introduced	O
Microsoft	B-Operating_System
Cluster	I-Operating_System
Server	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
significant	O
difference	O
from	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
is	O
that	O
the	O
Graphics	B-Operating_System
Device	I-Operating_System
Interface	I-Operating_System
(	O
GDI	O
)	O
is	O
moved	O
into	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
mode	O
rather	O
than	O
being	O
in	O
user	B-Operating_System
mode	I-Operating_System
in	O
the	O
CSRSS	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
eliminated	O
a	O
process-to-process	O
context	O
switch	O
in	O
calling	O
GDI	O
functions	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
a	O
significant	O
performance	O
improvement	O
over	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
3.51	I-Device
,	O
particularly	O
in	O
the	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
also	O
mandated	O
that	O
graphics	O
and	O
printer	O
drivers	O
had	O
to	O
run	O
in	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
mode	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
potential	O
stability	O
issues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
was	O
the	O
first	O
release	O
of	O
Microsoft	O
Windows	O
to	O
include	O
DirectX	B-Application
as	O
standard	O
—	O
version	O
2	O
shipped	O
with	O
the	O
initial	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
,	O
and	O
version	O
3	O
was	O
included	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Service	O
Pack	O
3	O
in	O
mid-1997	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
advanced	O
hardware	O
accelerated	O
Direct3D	O
and	O
DirectSound	O
multimedia	O
features	O
were	O
never	O
available	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
versions	O
of	O
DirectX	B-Application
were	O
not	O
released	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
OpenGL	B-Application
was	O
supported	O
;	O
it	O
was	O
used	O
by	O
Quake	B-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
Unreal	B-Operating_System
Tournament	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
releases	O
of	O
4.0	O
,	O
numerous	O
stability	O
issues	O
did	O
occur	O
as	O
graphics	O
and	O
printer	O
vendors	O
had	O
to	O
change	O
their	O
drivers	O
to	O
be	O
compatible	O
with	O
the	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
mode	O
interfaces	O
exported	O
by	O
GDI	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
change	O
to	O
move	O
the	O
GDI	O
to	O
run	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
process	O
context	O
as	O
its	O
caller	O
was	O
prompted	O
by	O
complaints	O
from	O
NT	O
Workstation	B-Device
users	O
about	O
real-time	O
graphics	O
performance	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
change	O
put	O
a	O
considerable	O
onus	O
on	O
hardware	O
manufacturers	O
to	O
update	O
device	O
drivers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
also	O
included	O
a	O
new	O
Windows	O
Task	O
Manager	O
utility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
included	O
the	O
Task	O
List	O
utility	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
only	O
shows	O
applications	O
currently	O
on	O
the	O
desktop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
monitor	O
CPU	O
and	O
memory	O
usage	O
,	O
users	O
were	O
forced	O
to	O
use	O
Performance	B-Device
Monitor	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Internet	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
2	I-Protocol
was	O
bundled	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
installation	O
of	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
4	I-Protocol
on	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
(	O
Service	O
Pack	O
3	O
or	O
later	O
)	O
gave	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Active	O
Desktop	O
and	O
browser	O
integration	O
into	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
,	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	O
Desktop	O
Update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
upgraded	O
NTVDM	O
's	O
x86	O
emulation	O
in	O
the	O
RISC	B-Architecture
versions	O
from	O
286	B-General_Concept
to	O
486	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Sysprep	O
was	O
introduced	O
as	O
a	O
deployment	O
tool	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
,	O
like	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
before	O
it	O
and	O
versions	O
after	O
it	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
fully	O
32-bit	O
OS	O
,	O
while	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
is	O
a	O
16/32	O
-bit	O
hybrid	B-Operating_System
OS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
providing	O
much	O
greater	O
stability	O
than	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
was	O
less	O
flexible	O
from	O
a	O
desktop	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Much	O
of	O
the	O
stability	O
was	O
gained	O
through	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
protected	O
memory	O
and	O
the	O
hardware	B-Operating_System
abstraction	I-Operating_System
layer	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
trade-off	O
was	O
that	O
NT	O
required	O
much	O
more	O
memory	O
(	O
32	O
MB	O
for	O
normal	O
desktop	O
use	O
,	O
128	O
MB	O
or	O
more	O
for	O
heavy	O
3D	O
applications	O
)	O
in	O
comparison	O
to	O
consumer	O
targeted	O
products	O
such	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
nearly	O
all	O
programs	O
written	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
run	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
,	O
many	O
3D	O
games	O
would	O
not	O
,	O
partly	O
because	O
of	O
limited	O
DirectX	B-Application
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
spite	O
of	O
shipping	O
a	O
year	O
later	O
than	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
,	O
by	O
default	O
there	O
is	O
no	O
Legacy	B-Device
Plug	I-Device
and	I-Device
Play	I-Device
support	O
and	O
no	O
Device	O
Manager	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
,	O
which	O
greatly	O
simplifies	O
installation	O
of	O
hardware	O
devices	O
(	O
although	O
limited	O
support	O
could	O
be	O
installed	O
later	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
introduced	O
an	O
application	B-Application
programming	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
API	B-Application
)	O
for	O
defragmentation	B-Application
,	O
there	O
was	O
no	O
built-in	O
defragmentation	B-Application
utility	O
,	O
unlike	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
lacked	O
USB	B-Protocol
support	O
,	O
a	O
preliminary	O
version	O
of	O
which	O
would	O
be	O
added	O
to	O
OEM	O
editions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
in	O
OSR	O
2.1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
difference	O
between	O
the	O
NT	O
family	O
and	O
9x	O
family	O
would	O
remain	O
until	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
in	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
that	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
APIs	B-Application
—	O
such	O
as	O
OpenGL	B-Application
and	O
DirectX	B-Application
—	O
had	O
matured	O
sufficiently	O
to	O
be	O
more	O
efficient	O
to	O
write	O
for	O
common	O
PC	O
hardware	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
hardware	O
itself	O
had	O
become	O
powerful	O
enough	O
to	O
handle	O
the	O
API	B-Application
processing	O
overhead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
maximum	O
amount	O
of	O
supported	O
physical	O
random-access	B-Architecture
memory	I-Architecture
(	O
RAM	B-Architecture
)	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
is	O
4GB	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
the	O
maximum	O
possible	O
for	O
a	O
32-bit	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
that	O
does	O
not	O
support	O
PAE	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
comparison	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
fails	O
to	O
boot	B-Operating_System
on	O
computers	O
with	O
more	O
than	O
approximately	O
480MB	O
of	O
memory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
,	O
however	O
,	O
can	O
only	O
run	O
on	O
x86	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Server	B-Application
was	O
included	O
in	O
versions	O
4.0	O
and	O
4.5	O
of	O
BackOffice	B-General_Concept
Small	I-General_Concept
Business	I-General_Concept
Server	I-General_Concept
suite	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Workstation	B-Device
was	O
designed	O
for	O
use	O
as	O
the	O
general	O
business	O
desktop	B-General_Concept
operating	I-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Server	B-Application
,	O
released	O
in	O
1996	O
,	O
was	O
designed	O
for	O
small-scale	O
business	O
server	B-Application
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Server	B-Application
,	O
Enterprise	O
Edition	O
,	O
released	O
in	O
1997	O
,	O
is	O
the	O
precursor	O
to	O
the	O
Enterprise	O
line	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	O
server	B-Application
family	O
(	O
Advanced	O
Server	B-Application
in	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Enterprise	B-Application
Server	I-Application
was	O
designed	O
for	O
high-demand	O
,	O
high-traffic	O
networks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Server	B-Application
,	O
Enterprise	O
Edition	O
includes	O
Service	O
Pack	O
3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Enterprise	O
Edition	O
saw	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
boot	B-Operating_System
flag	O
,	O
which	O
changed	O
the	O
default	O
virtual	O
address	O
space	O
mapping	O
from	O
2	O
GB	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
and	O
2	O
GB	O
user	B-Operating_System
space	I-Operating_System
to	O
1	O
GB	O
kernel	B-Operating_System
and	O
3	O
GB	O
userland	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
version	O
also	O
sees	O
the	O
first	O
introduction	O
of	O
cluster	B-Operating_System
service	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Terminal	O
Server	B-Application
Edition	O
,	O
released	O
in	O
1998	O
,	O
allows	O
the	O
users	O
to	O
log	O
on	O
remotely	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
same	O
functionality	O
was	O
called	O
Terminal	B-Protocol
Services	I-Protocol
in	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
and	O
later	O
server	B-Application
releases	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
powers	O
the	O
Remote	B-Protocol
Desktop	I-Protocol
feature	O
that	O
first	O
appeared	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
and	O
later	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Terminal	O
Server	B-Application
Edition	O
,	O
like	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Server	B-Application
,	O
Enterprise	O
Edition	O
,	O
includes	O
Service	O
Pack	O
3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Embedded	O
(	O
abbreviated	O
NTe	O
)	O
is	O
an	O
edition	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
that	O
was	O
aimed	O
at	O
computer-powered	O
major	O
appliances	O
,	O
vending	O
machines	O
,	O
ATMs	O
and	O
other	O
devices	O
that	O
cannot	O
be	O
considered	O
general-purpose	O
computers	O
per	O
se	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
same	O
system	O
as	O
the	O
standard	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
,	O
but	O
it	O
comes	O
packaged	O
in	O
a	O
database	O
of	O
components	O
and	O
dependencies	B-Application
,	O
from	O
which	O
a	O
developer	O
can	O
choose	O
individual	O
components	O
to	O
build	O
customized	O
setup	O
CDs	B-Device
and	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
boot	B-Operating_System
images	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Embedded	O
includes	O
Service	O
Pack	O
5	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
succeeded	O
by	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Embedded	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
ended	O
mainstream	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Embedded	O
on	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2003	O
,	O
and	O
received	O
three	O
years	O
of	O
extended	O
support	O
,	O
which	O
means	O
that	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Embedded	O
ended	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
day	O
support	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Me	I-Device
ended	O
on	O
July	O
11	O
,	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
Option	O
Pack	O
was	O
available	O
as	O
a	O
free-bundled	O
CD	B-Device
starting	O
around	O
1998	O
,	O
which	O
included	O
IIS	B-Application
4.0	O
with	O
Active	B-General_Concept
Server	I-General_Concept
Pages	I-General_Concept
,	O
FrontPage	O
Server	B-Application
Extensions	O
,	O
Certificate	O
Server	B-Application
,	O
MTS	B-Operating_System
,	O
MSMQ	B-Application
,	O
CDONTS	B-Device
,	O
Internet	O
Authentication	O
Service	O
(	O
IAS	O
)	O
,	O
Indexing	O
Service	O
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Management	I-Application
Console	I-Application
1.0	O
,	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Site	I-Application
Server	I-Application
,	O
SMTP	O
and	O
NNTP	O
services	O
and	O
other	O
new	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
Distributed	B-Protocol
File	I-Protocol
System	I-Protocol
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
NT	I-Protocol
Load	I-Protocol
Balancing	I-Protocol
Service	I-Protocol
(	O
WLBS	O
)	O
were	O
delivered	O
as	O
addons	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
Server	I-Device
4.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Routing	B-Library
and	I-Library
Remote	I-Library
Access	I-Library
Service	I-Library
was	O
also	O
a	O
downloadable	O
feature	O
which	O
replaced	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
'	O
s	O
separate	O
RAS	O
and	O
Multi-Protocol	O
Routing	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
version	O
of	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
to	O
be	O
compatible	O
with	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
is	O
Office	B-Operating_System
XP	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similarly	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
6.4	I-Device
(	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
1999	O
)	O
and	O
DirectX	B-Application
3.0a	O
(	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
December	O
1996	O
)	O
are	O
the	O
last	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	B-Device
Media	I-Device
Player	I-Device
and	O
DirectX	B-Application
available	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
versions	O
of	O
.NET	B-Application
Framework	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Installer	I-Application
available	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
are	O
.NET	B-Application
Framework	I-Application
1.1	O
(	O
released	O
in	O
April	O
2003	O
)	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Installer	I-Application
2.0	O
(	O
released	O
in	O
September	O
2001	O
)	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
last	O
version	O
of	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
supported	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
is	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
6	I-Application
with	I-Application
SP1	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
September	O
2002	O
(	O
Service	O
Pack	O
6a	O
is	O
required	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
was	O
succeeded	O
by	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
,	O
which	O
also	O
included	O
the	O
Windows	O
Desktop	O
Update	O
and	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
5	I-Protocol
by	O
default	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
could	O
be	O
directly	O
upgraded	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
Professional	I-Application
on	O
IA-32-based	O
systems	O
only	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
received	O
seven	O
service	O
packs	O
during	O
its	O
lifecycle	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
numerous	O
service	O
rollup	O
packages	O
and	O
option	O
packs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
the	O
first	O
service	O
pack	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
MIPS	B-Device
architecture	I-Device
,	O
Service	O
Pack	O
2	O
was	O
the	O
final	O
release	O
for	O
the	O
PowerPC	B-Architecture
architecture	O
,	O
and	O
Service	O
Pack	O
6	O
was	O
the	O
final	O
release	O
for	O
the	O
Alpha	B-Device
architecture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Service	O
Pack	O
6a	O
(	O
SP6a	O
)	O
is	O
the	O
last	O
released	O
service	O
pack	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Service	O
Pack	O
7	O
was	O
planned	O
at	O
one	O
stage	O
in	O
early	O
2001	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
became	O
the	O
Post	O
SP6a	O
Security	O
Rollup	O
and	O
not	O
a	O
full	O
service	O
pack	O
,	O
released	O
on	O
July	O
26	O
,	O
2001	O
,	O
16	O
months	O
following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
and	O
nearly	O
three	O
months	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
to	O
bug	O
fixes	O
,	O
the	O
service	O
packs	O
also	O
added	O
a	O
multitude	O
of	O
new	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
Ultra	O
DMA	O
mode	O
for	O
disk	O
drives	O
along	O
with	O
bus	O
mastering	O
,	O
newer	O
versions	O
of	O
Internet	B-Application
Information	I-Application
Services	I-Application
,	O
user	O
accounts	O
and	O
user	O
profile	O
improvements	O
,	O
smart	O
card	O
support	O
,	O
improved	O
symmetric	B-Operating_System
multiprocessing	I-Operating_System
(	O
SMP	O
)	O
scalability	O
,	O
clustering	O
capabilities	O
,	O
COM	B-Application
support	O
improvements	O
,	O
Event	O
Log	O
service	O
,	O
MS-CHAPv2	B-Algorithm
and	O
NTLMv2	O
,	O
SMB	B-Operating_System
packet	O
signing	O
,	O
Syskey	O
,	O
boot	B-Operating_System
improvements	O
,	O
WINS	B-Device
improvements	O
,	O
Routing	B-Library
and	I-Library
Remote	I-Library
Access	I-Library
Service	I-Library
(	O
RRAS	O
)	O
,	O
PPTP	B-Protocol
,	O
DCOM/HTTP	O
tunneling	O
improvements	O
,	O
IGMPv2	O
,	O
WMI	B-Library
,	O
Active	O
Accessibility	O
and	O
NTFS	B-Application
3.0	O
support	O
among	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
released	O
five	O
revisions	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Workstation	B-Device
and	O
Server	B-Application
Resource	O
Kit	O
(	O
original	O
release	O
plus	O
four	O
supplements	O
)	O
which	O
contained	O
a	O
large	O
number	O
of	O
tools	O
and	O
utilities	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
desktops.exe	O
which	O
allowed	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
have	O
multiple	O
desktops	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
third-party	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
stopped	O
providing	O
security	O
updates	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Workstation	B-Device
on	O
June	O
30	O
,	O
2004	O
,	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Server	B-Application
on	O
December	O
31	O
,	O
2004	O
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Embedded	O
on	O
July	O
11	O
,	O
2006	O
,	O
due	O
to	O
major	O
security	O
flaws	O
including	O
,	O
which	O
according	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
patched	O
without	O
significant	O
changes	O
to	O
the	O
core	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
the	O
security	O
bulletin	O
,	O
"	O
Due	O
to	O
the	O
fundamental	O
differences	O
between	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
and	O
its	O
successors	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
infeasible	O
to	O
rebuild	O
the	O
software	O
for	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
to	O
eliminate	O
the	O
vulnerability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
do	O
so	O
would	O
require	O
re-architecting	O
a	O
very	O
significant	O
amount	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
there	O
would	O
be	O
no	O
assurance	O
that	O
applications	O
designed	O
to	O
run	O
on	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
would	O
continue	O
to	O
operate	O
on	O
the	O
patched	O
system.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Between	O
June	O
2003	O
and	O
June	O
2007	O
,	O
127	O
security	O
flaws	O
were	O
identified	O
and	O
patched	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
Server	B-Application
,	O
many	O
of	O
which	O
may	O
also	O
affect	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Server	B-Application
;	O
however	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
does	O
not	O
test	O
security	O
bulletins	O
against	O
unsupported	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
