When users first look at Microsoft® Windows NT™, they notice the familiar Windows 3.x interface. But what is visible to users is only a small part of Windows NT — a host of powerful features lie beneath the surface.
Windows NT is a preemptive, multitasking operating system based on a 32-bit design. It includes security and networking services as fundamental components of the base operating system. Windows NT also provides compatibility with many other operating systems, file systems, and networks. This operating system runs on both complex instruction set computing (CISC) and reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors. Windows NT also supports high-performance computing by providing kernel support for computers that have symmetric multiprocessor configurations.
Windows NT only looks familiar. This chapter describes the powerful features under the graphical user interface. It provides an overview by introducing the Windows NT components and showing how they interrelate. Other chapters in this book provide the details, explaining more about particular components such as the Windows NT security model, integrated networking features and connectivity options, Windows NT file systems, the printing system, and the Registry.