1.3 - CompTIA A+ Core 2

1.3a - An Overview of Windows: Professor Messer

Windows 10 editions

Home

• Windows 10 Home: Windows version designed for end-users. Includes OneDrive/Microsoft account integration, Cortana, and Windows Defender.

Pro

• Windows 10 Pro: Windows version designed for business/enterprise use. Includes standard Home features, along with RDP capabilities, full disk encryption (FDE) via BitLocker, and Group Policy Management for creating Windows domains.

Pro for Workstations

• Windows 10 Pro for Workstations: Windows version designed for high-end desktops (up to 4 CPUs), and includes 2TB of RAM, ReFS (Resilient File System) support.

Enterprise

• Windows 10 Enterprise: Windows version designed for very large organizations. Includes volume licensing, AppLocker (controls what applications run/desktop application management), BranchCache (caches files remotely instead of over a WAN), and granular UX control to control what Windows 10 features end users can view.

Windows 11 editions

• Released on October 5, 2021, as an upgrade to Windows 10.

• No support for 32-bit/x86 CPUs.

• Includes a New Start menu and new taskbar widgets

• Integrates Microsoft Teams

• Includes touch-based integration

• Includes Windows Copilot (AI assistant).

Home

• Windows 11 Home: Windows 11 version designed for end-users. Includes OneDrive/Microsoft account integration, Cortana, and Windows Defender, and includes a consumer version of FDE (via BitLocker). BitLocker recovery information is stored in the user’s Microsoft Account.

Pro

• Windows 11 Pro: Windows 11 version designed for business use. Integrates with Active Directory, uses full disk encryption via BitLocker, supports RDP, and integrates virtualization via Microsoft Hyper-V.

Enterprise

• Windows 11 Enterprise: Windows 11 version used for very large company deployments. Includes volume licensing, server features, mobile device management (MDM), mobile application management (MAM), and ReFS support.

N versions

• Windows editions for Europe - results of antitrust investigations by the European Commission

• N = Not with Windows Media Player or other Windows multimedia utilities.

• Multimedia features can be added via the Media Feature Pack for N edition

  • Settings → Apps → Optional features → Add an optional feature → Media Feature Pack

1.3b - Windows Features: Professor Messer

Feature differences

Domain vs. workgroup

• Windows workgroups: Each individual device on a network is managed as a standalone system - every device is a peer. Used for home networks.

• Windows domains (Active Directory): Use a centralized server for authentication, administration, and device access. Supports thousands of devices over many networks.

Desktop styles/user interface

• Work desktops: Standardized UI with limited customization and features (e.g., not being able to install/remove applications). Relevant files are likely kept in the same place.

• Home desktops: Flexible UI - can be customized to meet user preferences (e.g., background photos, colors, text sizing).

Availability of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)

• Remote Desktop Protocol: Allows a client to connect/interact with a remote RDP host.

• RDP client: Software that connects to an RDP service - available for almost any operating system.

• RDP host: A server or computer that is running the RDP service, enabling multiple users to access the system's resources remotely.

• Remote Desktop Service: Allows the RDP client access to the RDP host - available in Windows 10 and 11 Pro/Enterprise.

Random-access memory (RAM) supports limitations

• Windows 10 Home: 4GB (x86 CPUs), 128GB (x64 CPUs)

• Windows 10 Pro: 4GB (x86 CPUs), 2TB (x64 CPUs)

• Windows 10 Enterprise: 4GB (x86 CPUs), 6TB (x64 CPUs)

• Windows 11 Home: 128GB (x64 only)

• Windows 11 Pro: 2TB (x64 only)

• Windows 11 Enterprise: 6TB (x64 only)

BitLocker/EFS

• Both BitLocker and EFS provide confidentiality for important data.

• Encrypting File System (EFS): Allows encryption for individual files and folders - built into the NTFS file system.

• BitLocker: Windows feature that enables full disk encryption (FDE) - everything on the drive is encrypted, including the OS. Available for all Windows editions.

gpedit.msc

• gpedit.msc (Group Policy Editor): A Windows utility used to edit the local group policy for the OS.

• gpmc.msc (Group Policy Management Console): A Windows utility integrated with Active Directory - used for business/enterprise GPO management.