The following is a list of Microsoft Windows components.

Configuration and maintenance

User interface

Applications and utilities

Windows Server components

File systems

Core components

Services

This list is not all-inclusive.

DirectX Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces (APIs) for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with "Direc ...

* Direct3D * DirectDraw * DirectInput *

DirectMusic DirectMusic is a deprecated component of the Microsoft DirectX API that allows music and sound effects to be composed and played and provides flexible interactive control over the way they are played. Architecturally, DirectMusic is a high-level set ...

* DirectPlay * DirectShow *

DirectSound DirectSound is a deprecated software component of the Microsoft DirectX library for the Windows operating system, superseded by XAudio2. It provides a low-latency interface to sound card drivers written for Windows 95 through Windows XP and c ...

* DirectX Media Objects *

DirectX plugin In computer music and professional audio creation, a DirectX plugin is a software processing component that can be loaded as a plugin into ''host applications'' to allow real-time processing, audio effects, mixing audio or act as virtual synthesi ...

* DirectX Video Acceleration

Networking

Administrative share Administrative shares are hidden network shares created by Windows NT family of operating systems that allow system administrators to have remote access to every disk volume on a network-connected system. These shares may not be permanently delete ...

* Distributed File System *

My Network Places My Network Places (formerly Network Neighborhood) is the network browser feature in Windows Explorer. It was first introduced in Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0 and was renamed My Network Places in Windows 2000 and later. My Network Places maint ...

(formerly Network Neighborhood) *

Network Access Protection Network Access Protection (NAP) is a Microsoft technology for controlling network access of a computer, based on its health. With NAP, system administrators of an organization can define policies for system health requirements. Examples of system h ...

Remote Installation Services RIS, Remote Installation Services is a Microsoft-supplied server that allows PXE BIOS-enabled computers to remotely execute boot environment variables. These variables are likely computers that are on a company's (or that company's client's) netwo ...

* Server Message Block * Windows Rights Management Services

Scripting and command-line

* Batch file * CHKDSK * Cmd.exe * ComSpec * Ipconfig * Net / Net Send * Netdom.exe: Windows Domain Manager * Netsh * Netstat * QBasic * Regsvr32 * Robocopy *

Win32 console Windows Console is the infrastructure for console applications in Microsoft Windows. An instance of a Windows Console has a screen buffer and an input buffer. It allows console apps to run inside a window or in hardware text mode (so as to o ...

* Windows Script Host *

Windows PowerShell PowerShell is a task automation and configuration management program from Microsoft, consisting of a command-line shell and the associated scripting language. Initially a Windows component only, known as Windows PowerShell, it was made open-s ...

* XCOPY

Kernel

Commit charge In computing, commit charge is a term used in Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing indust ...

* Kernel Transaction Manager * Win32 Thread Information Block

.NET Framework The .NET Framework (pronounced as "''dot net"'') is a proprietary software framework developed by Microsoft that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It was the predominant implementation of the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) until bein ...

Assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

* CLI Languages * Metadata *

.NET Remoting .NET Remoting is a Microsoft application programming interface (API) for interprocess communication released in 2002 with the 1.0 version of .NET Framework. It is one in a series of Microsoft technologies that began in 1990 with the first version ...

* ADO.NET * ASP.NET *

Base Class Library The Standard Libraries is a set of libraries included in the Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) in order to encapsulate many common functions, such as file reading and writing, XML document manipulation, exception handling, application global ...

* Common Intermediate Language *

Common Language Infrastructure The Common Language Infrastructure (CLI) is an open specification and technical standard originally developed by Microsoft and standardized by ISO/ IEC (ISO/IEC 23271) and Ecma International (ECMA 335) that describes executable code and a ...

Common Language Runtime The Common Language Runtime (CLR), the virtual machine component of Microsoft .NET Framework, manages the execution of .NET programs. Just-in-time compilation converts the managed code (compiled intermediate language code) into machine instruc ...

* Common Type System * Virtual Execution System * Windows CardSpace * Windows Communication Foundation *

Windows Forms Windows Forms (WinForms) is a free and open-source graphical (GUI) class library included as a part of Microsoft .NET, .NET Framework or Mono Framework, providing a platform to write client applications for desktop, laptop, and tablet PCs. Wh ...

Windows Presentation Foundation Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) is a free and open-source graphical subsystem (similar to WinForms) originally developed by Microsoft for rendering user interfaces in Windows-based applications. WPF, previously known as "Avalon", was init ...

Windows Workflow Foundation Windows Workflow Foundation (WF) is a Microsoft technology that provides an API, an in-process workflow engine, and a rehostable designer to implement long-running processes as workflows within .NET applications. The latest version of WF was ...

Security

Deprecated components and apps

APIs

* ClearType * Media Foundation * Windows Driver Foundation * Windows Imaging Component * Windows Management Instrumentation

Miscellaneous (to be categorized)

* ActiveSync * Compatibility Appraiser collects telemetry information. * DMRC (Device Metadata Retrieval Client) interfaces to metadata about devices from Windows 7 onwards. * I/O technologies * Macro Recorder * Microsoft Agent * Prefetcher * ReadyBoost * Sync Center *

Text Services Framework The Text Services Framework (TSF) is a COM framework and API in Windows XP and later Windows operating systems that supports advanced text input and text processing. The Language Bar is the core user interface for Text Services Framework. Overvie ...

Universal Audio Architecture Universal Audio Architecture (UAA) is an initiative unveiled in 2002 by Microsoft to standardize the hardware and class driver architecture for audio devices in modern Microsoft Windows operating systems. Three classes of audio devices are support ...

* Windows Color System * Windows Diagnostic Infrastructure (WDI) * Windows Mobile Device Center *

Windows Rally Windows Rally is a set of technologies from Microsoft intended to simplify the setup and maintenance of wired and wireless network-connected devices. They aim to increase reliability and security of connectivity for users who connect the devices ...

Windows Registry The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database that stores low-level settings for the Microsoft Windows operating system and for applications that opt to use the registry. The kernel, device drivers, services, Security Accounts Manager, and u ...

Windows Speech Recognition Windows Speech Recognition (WSR) is speech recognition developed by Microsoft for Windows Vista that enables voice commands to control the desktop user interface; dictate text in electronic documents and email; navigate websites; perform key ...

* XML Paper Specification

References

{{Microsoft Windows components

Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ...

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