The following is a list of Microsoft Windows components.
Configuration and maintenance Component Description CommandIntroducedSettingsAllows users to change system settings, similar to the Control Panel, but has less options start ms-settings:Windows 8Control Panel Control Panel Allows users to view and change basic system settings and controls, such as adding hardware, adding and removing software, controlling user accounts, and changing accessibility options control.exe Windows 1.0 Device Manager Allows the user to display and control the hardware attached to the computer, and control what device drivers are used devmgmt.msc Windows 95 Windows Mobility Center Centralizes the most relevant information related to mobile computing mblctr.exe Windows Vista Security and Maintenance Centralizes and reports on the status of anti-virus, Automatic Updates, Windows Firewall, and other security-related components of the operating system Windows XP SP2Administrative Tools Microsoft Management Console Provides system administrators and advanced users with a flexible interface through which they may configure and monitor the system mmc.exe Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack Windows System Assessment Tool Built-in benchmarking tool that analyzes the different subsystems (graphics, memory, etc.), and uses the results to allow for comparison to other Windows Vista systems, and for software optimizations. It rates the computer's performance using the Windows Experience Index. winsat.exe Windows Vista System Restore Allows for the rolling back of system files, registry keys, installed apps, etc., to a previous state in the event of a system failure rstrui.exe Windows Me Windows Recovery Environment Helps diagnose and recover from serious errors which may prevent Windows from booting successfully, or restore the computer to a previous state using System Restore or a backup image shutdown /r /o Windows Vista Microsoft Drive Optimizer Rearranges files stored on a hard disk to occupy contiguous storage locations in order to optimize computer performance dfrgui.exe Windows 95, Windows 2000 Event Viewer Lets administrators and users view the event logs on a local or remote machine eventvwr.msc Windows NT 3.1 Resource Monitor(previously Reliability and Performance Monitor) Lets administrators view current system reliability and performance trends over time resmon.exe Windows Vista Logical Disk Manager Logical volume manager developed by Microsoft in conjunction with Veritas Software diskmgmt.msc Windows NT 4.0 (Separate Tool), Windows 2000 Registry Editor Allows users to browse and edit the Windows registry regedit.exe Windows 3.1 Windows Task Scheduler Allows users to script tasks for running during scheduled intervals taskschd.msc Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95Software installation and deployment Windows Update An online service providing updates such as service packs, critical updates and device drivers. A variation called Microsoft Update also provides software updates for other Microsoft products. control.exe update Windows 98 Windows Installer An engine for the management of software installation. Includes a GUI framework, automatic generation of the uninstallation sequence and deployment capabilities for corporate networks. msiexec.exe Office 2000 ClickOnce Technology for deploying .NET Framework-based software via web pages, with automatic update capabilities. Intended for per-user only applications. mage.exe and mageUI.exe .NET Framework 2.0
User interface Component DescriptionIntroducedAction CenterView notifications sent from apps and change common settingsWindows 10 Windows Command Prompt Text-based shell (command line interpreter) that provides a command line interface to the operating system Windows NT 3.1 PowerShell Command-line shell and scripting framework. Windows XP Windows Shell The most visible and recognizable aspect of Microsoft Windows. The shell provides the container inside of which the entire graphical user interface is presented, including the taskbar, the desktop, Windows Explorer, as well as many of the dialog boxes and interface controls. In Windows Vista, a new compositing glass-like user interface called Windows Aero has been shown. Windows 95 File Explorer(previously Windows Explorer) Provides an interface for accessing the file systems, launching applications, and performing common tasks such as viewing and printing pictures Windows 95 Windows Search Starting with Windows Vista, search is a tightly shell-integrated component of Windows. A downloadable Windows Desktop Search software is available for Windows XP and older versions. Windows Vista, downloadable for older versions Search Folders Virtual folders that retrieve items based on queries rather than hierarchical folder trees on disk. Windows Vista Special folders Folders which are presented to the user through an interface as an abstract concept, instead of an absolute path. This makes it possible for an application to locate where certain kinds of files can be found, regardless of what version or language of operating system is being used. See also Windows Shell namespace. Windows 95 Start menu Serves as the central launching point for applications. It provides a customizable, nested list of apps for the user to launch, as well as a list of most recently opened documents, a way to find files and get help, and access to the system settings. By default, the Start Button is visible at all times in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. Windows 95 Taskbar The application desktop bar which can be used to launch and monitor applications. Windows 95Task ViewDisplays all open windows and activities (via timeline) at a glance and switch between virtual desktops, starting in version 2004, users can now rename desktopsWindows 10 File associations Used to open a file with the appropriate app. Users can assign file associations uniquely to specific actions, known as verbs. Windows 1.0
Applications and utilities Component DescriptionIntroduced Easy Transfer Used to transfer many files at once from one computer to another Windows Vista Contacts Keeps a single list of contacts that can be shared by multiple apps Windows Vista Camera Allows the user to take pictures or record video Windows 8 Calculator Calculation application Windows 1.0 Calendar Calendaring application Windows Vista Character Map Utility to view and search characters in a font, copy them to the clipboard and view their Windows Alt keycodes and Unicode names Windows 3.1 Cortana Digital personal assistant Windows 10 Version 1507 EdgeWeb browser Windows 10 Version 1507 Feedback HubPlatform for exchanging communication with Windows Insiders and developersWindows 10 Version 1607 Groove Music(previously Xbox Music) Digital media player and media library application that is used for playing audio. In addition to being a media player, Groove includes the ability to copy music to compact discs, synchronize content with a digital audio player (MP3 player) or other mobile devices, and let users purchase or rent music from the Windows Store. Windows 8 Movies & TV(previously Xbox Video) Digital media player and media library application that is used for playing video. In addition to being a media player, Movies & TV lets users purchase or rent movies and TV episodes from the Windows Store. Windows 8 OneDrive(previously SkyDrive) Freemium cloud storage folder and sync service Windows 8 Microsoft OneNote Integrated note-taking app, based on the Microsoft Office product of the same name Windows 8 On-Screen Keyboard (osk.exe) Virtual keyboard Paint 3D Simple graphics painting app Windows 10 Version 1703 Photos Simple image viewer Windows 8 Steps Recorder(called Problem Steps Recorder in Windows 7) Utility that allows the user to capture steps they took to reproduce a problem Windows 7 Windows To Go Utility to create bootable versions of Windows 8 and above Windows 8 Notepad Simple text editor Windows 1.0 Narrator Screen reader utility that reads dialog boxes and window controls in a number of the more basic applications for Windows Windows 2000 Sound Recorder Simple audio recording app that can record from a microphone or headset, and save the results in WAVE format and Windows Media Audio format in some Windows versions Windows 3.0 Multimedia Extensions Skype Messaging and calling service Windows 8.1, downloadable for previous versions Sticky Notes Tool for jotting notes on the desktop Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Private Character Editor Utility to create private use characters as defined under Unicode and various East Asian encoding schemes Windows 3.1 East Asian editions Remote Desktop Connection Client implementation of the Remote Desktop Protocol; allows a user to securely connect to a computer running Terminal Services (Remote Desktop on Windows XP and Server 2003) and interact with a full desktop environment on that machine, including support for remoting of printers, audio, and drives. Windows XP, downloadable for previous Windows versions Remote Assistance Allows a user to temporarily take over a remote computer over a network or the internet to offer help with and resolve issues Windows XP Mobility Center Allows a user to adjust settings related to mobile computing Windows Vista Speech Recognition Allows a user to input voice commands Windows Vista IExpress Allows users to create self-extracting, self-installing INF installation-based packages Internet Explorer 6 Xbox Console Companion(previously Xbox and Xbox Games) Account manager for Xbox Live user accounts and a screen recording tool Windows 8Xbox Game BarProvides an overlay for compatible games allowing for screen capture, chatting over the Xbox network, showing the frame rate of games, and playing music via SpotifyWindows 10 May 2019 Update (Version 1903) Magnifier Screen enlargement app Windows 98 Fax and Scan Integrated faxing and image scanning application Windows Vista, older faxing and scanning applications were present in previous Windows versions Photo Viewer Simple image viewer that can play a simple slideshow Windows XP Mail Email aggregator Windows Vista Maps Map viewer that allows users to look for locations, and plan routes Windows 8 Media Center Designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub, to be viewed from a distance up to 3 meters (~10 feet) and controlled by specially designed remote controls. Lets users browse and view pictures, videos, and music from local hard drives, optical drives, and network locations, along with viewing, recording and deferred-playing live TV. Features an interactive TV guide with scheduled recording capabilities. Can also be used for visualization of other information (like sports scores) within the interface Windows XP Media Center Edition Task Manager Provides information about computer performance and displays details about running applications, processes, network activity, logged-in users, and system services Windows 3.0 Disk Cleanup Utility for compacting rarely used files and removing files that are no longer required Windows 98 Snipping Tool Screen-capture tool that allows for taking screenshots (called snips) Experience Pack for Windows XP Tablet PC EditionMicrosoft Store(previously Windows Store)Initially known as Windows Store, it started as an app store for Windows 8. In Windows 10, it expanded into a broad digital distribution platform for apps, games, music, digital video and e-books. In 2017, it was renamed Microsoft Store and started offering hardware in United States, Canada and United Kingdom.Windows 8 MSN apps Provide information from MSN web services Windows 8 Alarms & Clock(previously Alarms) App that allows Windows users to set alarms, stopwatches, timers, and view a world clock Windows 8Windows Security(previously Windows Defender Security Center)AntivirusWindows 10 Version 1703 Solitaire Collection Set of solitaire card games Windows 10 Version 1507, downloadable for Windows 8.x
Windows Server components