Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs ("WinFLP") is a
thin client
In computer networking, a thin client is a simple (low-performance) computer that has been optimized for establishing a remote connection with a server-based computing environment. They are sometimes known as ''network computers'', or in th ...
release of the
Windows NT
Windows NT is a proprietary graphical operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems sc ...
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also in ...
developed by
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...
and optimized for older, less powerful
hardware. It was released on July 8, 2006, nearly two years after its
Windows XP SP2
Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was release to manufacturing, released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Wind ...
counterpart was released in August 2004, and is not marketed as a full-fledged general purpose operating system, although it is functionally able to perform most of the tasks generally associated with one. 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
Citrix Systems, Inc. is an American multinational cloud computing and virtualization technology company that provides server, application and desktop virtualization, networking, software as a service (SaaS), and cloud computing technologies. C ...
ICA. Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs reached
end of support on April 8, 2014 along with most other
Windows XP editions
Windows XP, which is the next version of Windows NT after Windows 2000 and the successor to the consumer-oriented Windows Me, has been released in several editions since its original release in 2001.
Windows XP is available in many languages. In ...
.
History
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs was originally announced with the
code name
A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in industrial c ...
"
Eiger
The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends a ...
" on 12 May 2005. ("
Mönch
The Mönch (, German: "monk") at is a mountain in the Bernese Alps, in Switzerland. Together with the Eiger and the Jungfrau, it forms a highly recognisable group of mountains, visible from far away.
The Mönch lies on the border between the ca ...
" was announced as a potential follow-up project at about the same time.) The name "Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs" appeared in a press release in September 2005, when it was introduced as "formerly code-named “Eiger”" and described as "an exclusive benefit to SA
/nowiki>Microsoft_Software_Assurance.html" ;"title="Microsoft_Software_Assurance.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Microsoft Software Assurance">/nowiki>Microsoft Software Assurance">Microsoft_Software_Assurance.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Microsoft Software Assurance">/nowiki>Microsoft Software Assurance/nowiki> customers".
A Gartner evaluation from April 2006 stated that:
The Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RTM), RTM version of Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs, which was released on July 8, 2006, was built from the Windows XP Service Pack 2
Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct upgrade to its predecessors, Windows 2000 for high-end and ...
codebase. The release was announced to the press on July 12, 2006.
Technical specifications
Microsoft positions Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs 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
Windows Firewall (officially called Microsoft Defender Firewall in Windows 10 version 2004 and later) is a firewall component of Microsoft Windows. It was first included in Windows XP SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP1. Before the release of Windows ...
, Group Policy
Group Policy is a feature of the Microsoft Windows NT family of operating systems (including Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2003+) that controls the working environment of user accounts and computer accounts. G ...
, Automatic Updates, and other management services. However, it is not considered to be a general-purpose operating system by Microsoft.
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs is a Windows XP Embedded
Windows XP, which is the next version of Windows NT after Windows 2000 and the successor to the consumer-oriented Windows Me, has been released in several editions since its original release in 2001.
Windows XP is available in many languages. In ...
derivative and, as such, it requires significantly fewer system resources than the fully featured Windows XP.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 "Direct", ...
, and the ability to launch the remote desktop clients from compact disc
The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...
s. In addition to local applications
Application may refer to:
Mathematics and computing
* Application software, computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks
** Application layer, an abstraction layer that specifies protocols and interface methods used in a c ...
, it offers support for those hosted on a remote server using Remote Desktop
In computing, the term remote desktop refers to a software- or operating system feature that allows a personal computer's desktop environment to be run remotely off of one system (usually a PC, but the concept applies equally to a server or a ...
.diskless workstation
A diskless node (or diskless workstation) is a workstation or personal computer without disk drives, which employs network booting to load its operating system from a server. (A computer may also be said to ''act as a diskless node'', if its disks ...
.
Hardware requirements
Despite being optimized for older PCs, hardware requirements for Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs are similar to Windows XP, although it is faster running on slower clock speeds than Windows XP.
Limitations
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs has a smaller feature set than Windows XP. For example, WinFLP does not include Paint
Paint is any pigmented liquid, liquefiable, or solid mastic composition that, after application to a substrate in a thin layer, converts to a solid film. It is most commonly used to protect, color, or provide texture. Paint can be made in many ...
, Outlook Express
Outlook Express, formerly known as Microsoft Internet Mail and News, is a discontinued email and news client included with Internet Explorer versions 3.0 through to 6.0. As such, it was bundled with several versions of Microsoft Windows, from ...
and Windows games such as Solitaire
Solitaire is any tabletop game which one can play by oneself, usually with cards, but also with dominoes. The term "solitaire" is also used for single-player games of concentration and skill using a set layout tiles, pegs or stones. These game ...
. Another limitation is the absence of the ''Compatibility'' tab in the ''Properties...'' dialog box for executable files.
Internet Explorer 8 (and 7) can be installed, but a hotfix is required for auto-complete to work in these newer versions of the browser.
Availability
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs was exclusively available to Microsoft Software Assurance
Microsoft Software Assurance (SA) is a Microsoft maintenance program aimed at business users who use Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, and other server and desktop applications. The core premise behind SA is to give users the ability to spread ...
customers, as it is designed to be an inexpensive upgrade option for corporations that have a number of Windows 9x
Windows 9x is a generic term referring to a series of Microsoft Windows computer operating systems produced from 1995 to 2000, which were based on the Windows 95 kernel and its underlying foundation of MS-DOS, both of which were updated in subs ...
computers, but lack the hardware necessary to support the latest Windows. It is not available through retail
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...
or OEM
An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...
channels.
On October 7, 2008, Service Pack 3 for Windows Embedded for Point of Service
Windows Embedded Industry, formerly Windows Embedded POSReady and Windows Embedded for Point of Service (WEPOS), is an operating system subfamily developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows Embedded family of products. Based on Windows NT, Wind ...
and Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs was made available.
References
External links
Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs
home page on Microsoft's official site (Archived)
Choosing the right Virtual OS: Windows XP vs. Windows FLP
Fixing null.sys on WinFLP
{{DEFAULTSORT:Windows Fundamentals For Legacy PCs
2006 software
Fundamentals
Fundamental may refer to:
* Foundation of reality
* Fundamental frequency, as in music or phonetics, often referred to as simply a "fundamental"
* Fundamentalism, the belief in, and usually the strict adherence to, the simple or "fundamental" idea ...
IA-32 operating systems