The virtual addressable storage is 4 gbyte and is managed by the Virtual Memory manager (VMM). The installation is possible from CD-ROM or over the network from a file server. Applications for Windows 9x are only supported restrictedly. The result is high compatibility, simplified administration, increased hardware support with over 7,000 devices, file administration and extended security functions. Beside the complete revision new features and many improvements are integrated. Threads or processes can choose between the available processors.
It is a multitasking, multiprocessing operating system and supports up to 2 processors of the x86 32- bit and 64 bit architecture with SMP. The update to this new operating system is possible from Windows 95, 98 and Windows NT 3.51, 4.0. Windows 2000 unites defined roughly the user-friendliness, pug & play and USB device support of Windows 98 and the safety and stability of the Windows NT family.
Microsoft stopped the development plans for the Windows 2000 32- bit of Alpha version after that. Compaq restricted the support to Windows NT 4.0 with service pack 6 and not higher at. Microsoft had planned to develop also a operating system version for the Alpha architecture, the plans were stopped after an announcement of Compaq. As a minimum requirement for the installation a Pentium processor, 32 mbyte main memory and 650 mbyte of free hard disk storage are needed. It is the desktop operating system of the new Windows 2000 platform for x86 architecture and be completed by the versions Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server. Windows 2000 Professional Operating System Microsoft released this new Windows version 5.0, Build 2195 in February 2000.