Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs
Developer
Microsoft
Website Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs
Releases
Release date 8 July 2006[citation needed]
Current version 5.1.2600.5512 Service Pack 3 (SP3) (2008-10-07; 182 days ago) (info)
Source model Shared source
License Microsoft EULA
Kernel type Hybrid kernel
Platform support x86
Support status
Current
Further reading

Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs ("WinFLP") is a thin client operating system from Microsoft, based on Windows XP Embedded, but optimized for older, less powerful hardware. It was released on 8 July 2006. Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs is not a full-fledged general purpose operating system. It includes only certain functionality for local workloads such as security, management, document viewing related tasks and the .NET Framework. It is designed to work as a client-server solution with RDP clients or other third party clients such as Citrix ICA.

Contents

[edit] History

WinFLP was originally announced with codenames "Eiger" and "Mönch" (names of mountains in the Swiss Alps) in mid-2005.

The RTM version of Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs was released on 8 July 2006.

[edit] Technical specifications

[edit] Features

Microsoft positions WinFLP as an operating system that provides basic computing services on older hardware, while still providing core management features of more recent Windows releases, such as Windows Firewall, Group Policy, Automatic Updates, and other management services. However, it is not considered to be a general-purpose OS by Microsoft.[1]

Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs is a Windows XP Embedded derivative and, as such, is optimized for legacy PCs. It requires significantly fewer system resources than the fully-featured Windows XP.[2]

WinFLP supports most Windows XP/2000 applications and drivers. It also features basic networking, extended peripheral support, DirectX, and the ability to launch the remote desktop clients from compact discs. In addition, WinFLP offers support for local applications, as well as those hosted on a remote server using Remote Desktop. It can be installed on a local hard drive, or configured to run on a diskless workstation.

The installer for WinFLP uses an image-based installation system similar to Vista's installer.

[edit] Advantages

In addition to giving better performance on older machines, the reduced number of files increases boot speed, and the reduced number of services also improves security, and responsiveness. People with old hardware unable to run an updated version of Windows XP usefully (and who therefore have been using an un-updated version of Windows) have the opportunity to use Windows without the security issues which come with using an operating system without the latest security fixes.

[edit] Issues and limitations

Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs, as the name suggests, has a smaller feature set than a full Windows XP install. For example, some software, such as Outlook Express, is unavailable, even with a full install. Some system tools are also excluded from WinFLP,[3] however, these utilities are rarely used by end users, and are generally replaceable with free tools (or potentially with files from a full XP install). In addition, the operating system does not include full support for terminal-based connections. Some software packages, such as Adobe CS4, also do not work.[4]

[edit] Software

Windows FLP does not normally include several applications, such as Solitaire and other games, or MSPaint, but does include the Calculator, Wordpad and Notepad.

[edit] Availability

Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs is exclusively available to Software Assurance customers, as it is designed to be an inexpensive upgrade option for corporations that have a number of Windows 9x computers, but lack the hardware necessary to support the latest Windows. It is not available through retail or OEM channels.

On October 7, 2008, Service Pack 3 for the Windows XP series was made available for WinFLP. The same package services Windows Embedded for Point of Service.[5]

[edit] Hardware requirements

Despite being optimized for older PCs, the hardware requirements are similar to Windows XP, although perhaps more realistic. This also ignores the fact that this compares the original 2001 release of Windows XP with an SP2 equivalent of WinFLP, and that this version includes the .NET framework.

Technical minimum Recommended minimum
Processor 233 MHz Pentium class processor 300 MHz Pentium class processor
RAM 64 MB 128 MB
Free hard drive space 610 MB 1 GB
Display 800 x 600 display resolution

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Personal tools