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Some pics gathered over time when having done some research regarding this version of Windows 2000..
The Sak201 add-on-pack, which states:-
"You must already have a valid license for server, Advanced Server or Windows Power" ""AND"" a valid license for the server appliance kit"
The help files in the sak states Windows Powered CD as a separate CD from the Server & Advanced CD's, & the SAK CD as an entirely seperate CD..
The service packs look for CD tags specifically for Powered, the service pack has files that a setup CD would have if it were being installed clean, on a new / empty hard drive, like txtsetup.sif, prodspec.ini etc. etc..
Another fact people keep stating, is that Powered is merely Win2000 modified by the Sakit..
Sakit 1 was Beta in July 2000, Sakit 2.0 was beta in February 2001, Powered was already out whilst Sakit 1 was Beta..
Releasing an operating system as a final prepared on beta code of sakit, is not going to happen.
Edit:- Edited spelling, grammar & info.
Last edited by _Ken_ on Mon Nov 26, 2018 6:30 pm, edited 13 times in total.
I do have an ISO of Windows Powered, that has files dated 2003, and appears untouched, however there's so far been no way to verify whether or not the ISO is genuine. Certainly you did provide evidence that Powered CD's existed, so the whole "Powered was just Advanced Server with the SAK" story has been thrown out of the window, but the question remains whether or not the Windows Powered ISO I have (*NOT* the XISO version) is legitimate, and where to get a genuine one if it's not.
There was another post here by an old member (seems like it got deleted) stating that Nas was Windows Powered, it's not, Nas is made by using the Sak on any Win2000 server build "OR" Windows Powered...
As seen in the Sak help files or on MS's own sight..
Preparing a Windows Powered NAS Server Appliance Master Operating System Image for Manufacturing
If you are preparing your Network Attached Storage (NAS) appliance for manufacturing, you will be most interested in the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) pre-install kit sections of the help documentation. The following instructions lead you through the preparations for manufacturing NAS.
Prerequisites
Hardware platform that is identical to what will be manufactured Windows 2000 Server, Advanced Server, or Windows® Powered CD<-- These are the operating system options used to make the Web or Nas operating system image.
Most recent Windows 2000 service pack CD
Windows 2000 OEM pre-install kit CD
OEM-specific Product Identification (PID)
Server Appliance Kit 2.0 CD
Microsoft® Services for UNIX CD
Microsoft® Service for Netware CD (optional)
Did another half hours research, Found Nas2Sp1a on Dells sight for one of their NAS units, what Operating Systems does the download link state it supports..
-------------------------------------------------------
Proving that Windows Powered is not just NAS, it is a separate SKU branch of windows 2000, whether you accept it or not makes no difference to the facts..
The fact being that the service packs look for specific CD ID tags in a folder containing a Windows 2000 installation when slipstreaming the service pack, & Powered, like the other 4 SKU's of windows 2000, has it's own unique CD ID tag.
Bottom line, Windows 2000 has 5 SKU's.
IBM Nas 200, is built using Windows Powered as the operating system base..
Or 326.
HP SAK 2.01 Sp1a
Whilst searching Microsofts sight for Powered related info, found an article relating to Whistler Embedded Beta 1.
IE6 converts 'Windows Powered' to Windows 2000 Advanced Server
I have a PowerApp.Web 100 with a copy of 'Windows Powered' OS installed.
Having just upgraded to the latest SP for IE (IE6) I was surprised to see that the 'identity' of the software changed.
Originally the Login and Shut down screens had the 'Windows Powered' logo's on together with the side writing on the Taskbar.
Since the upgrade to IE6 these have now reverted to the 'Win2K AS' versions.
I know that this won't cause the OS any problems, but what about the COA that I have stuck on the top of the appliance? It's for 'Windows Powered' not for 'Windows 2000 AS' Am I still legal?
Is there a fix than can be run to correct this? I tried to uninstall IE6 and the problem corrected the logo's back to their original Win Powered ones.
When official documentation supports the fact that Windows Powered was its own release, I think it's time to realize that it was, in fact, a separate SKU with hardware-specific bits and pieces tied to it. I've always assumed that BA didn't have a real copy of Windows Powered, as it seems that it was a form of Windows Embedded that never saw the light of day aside from shipping on specific hardware devices, like the aforementioned Dell NAS200.
I assume that Windows Powered was the "Windows Embedded" SKU, seeing as it was an appliance-specific build of NT5.0.
16 years of BA experience; I refurbish old electronics, and archive diskettes with a KryoFlux. My posting history is 16 years of educated speculation and autism.
Though Microsoft have stated that Powered was a part of the embedded line..
Personally, I believe it was purely built as a rebranded Enterprise OS line to use on whatever device it was tailored for using the Sakit, would seem odd having portable devices or web / nas server & whatnot branded as Advanced Server, stripped down or not, so Microsoft made provisions in the 2000 code to unlock the alternate sku which simply changed the branding to suit the device it was installed on, A Windows Powered Device, a marketing strategy they adopted at that time.
At the end of the day, Pro, Server, Advanced Server & Datacenter were all built on the same code, just different operating system sku's unlocked based on predetermined defaults set in inf files, setupreg hive & a pidgen.dll to validate the key being used for the sku that was set in the registry during the installation phase, Powered's no different..
In fact, Microsoft themselves have stated during the developing stages of Datacenter, that it was branched from the Enterprise line, the same as Powered was, I'll dig the articles up that state such & post them here when I find them..
Went looking for the Windows Powered cars Microsoft was using during their time marketing Powered, found something I didn't expect to find.. Check this out, if I was still a collector, I'd definitely be buying this.. Here's one of the cars, Iv'e got more research folders buried in backups somewhere with more pics & facts from before this place started up..
_Ken_ wrote:Personally, I believe it was purely built as a rebranded Enterprise OS line
That statement may be closer to the mark than what I'd realized when I made it.
I downloaded Service Pack 4 & did a little more research on the files responsible for determining the ProductSuite / SKU during the initial phase of the setup, Enterprise to Powered is simply a one byte switch in one file to display the Powered bitmaps over the server variants.
Pro, Server, Embedded & SBS are all determined by defaults set in inf files, the top end suite however (Enterprise,DataCenter & Powered) is also set in the setup registry hive.
Pro, Server, & Embedded:
Datacenter:
Enterprise:
Powered:
In disassembling the file responsible for the setting ProductSuite / SKU in the registry during the initial setup phase, was a little surprised at what else I found listed in it: - 'personal' under Server Appliance, remnants from whistler source..??
It would also seem this was released in English language only, I downloaded service packs in 6 of the most common languages besides English, none had the files needed to update Windows Powered.
Seems even hotfixes are powered specific as well, you wouldn't think so if it were just a server build altered by the Sakit..
Starting with the release of the next version of Windows CE for palm-size PCs, code-named Rapier, Microsoft will stop cobranding devices with the Windows CE moniker. Instead, devices such as Hewlett-Packard's Jornada 420 and Casio's Casioppeia 100 will be promoted as Windows Powered, along with every other device running on Windows CE.
Meanwhile, larger devices, such as those resembling scaled down notebooks or "clamshell" devices, will be largely relegated to so-called vertical markets. Vertical markets are typically a range of product lines that span a given category.
A wide range of appliances and devices based on Windows CE will eventually be rebranded as Windows Powered, Holden said, including larger sub-notebook devices and smart cards. The operating system will still be referred to as Windows CE in discussions with developers, manufacturers and the industry at large, he said.
"What is important here is Windows affinity--the attributes that the customer understands. There is synergy between the full PC, but it's been optimized," he said.
By de-emphasizing "CE," which never actually stood for anything anyway, and focusing on "Windows Powered," Microsoft also hopes to unify all devices and computers capable of running on its upcoming Windows 2000 server operating system and accessing Microsoft databases of corporate information.
Under Microsoft's vision, Windows CE-based devices will simply be one more thin client for server computers based on Windows 2000, its upcoming corporate operating system, due out February 17. As Windows 2000 populates the business market, the thinking goes, small devices, notebooks and computers capable of accessing databases of corporate and personal information will suddenly become much more compelling.
"So many people have wondered why they continue to hit this hammer, even though it hasn't met early projections," said David Thor, an analyst with Sherwood Research. "What's 'wagging the dog' of their world is that they've come to realize that every copy of a Windows client is Windows 2000 server enabled."
Windows® Embedded for Thin Clients White Paper
Abstract
Microsoft ® Windows ® Powered thin clients are purpose-optimized devices that are based on the
Windows Embedded family of operating systems, which include Windows CE and Windows XP
Embedded. Windows Powered thin clients are key components in server-based computing solutions
where line-of-business (LOB) applications are deployed via the Terminal Services functionality in the
Windows 2000 Server family or via Web-based services.
Microsoft Windows 2000 Terminal Services is an integral part of Windows 2000 technology that
delivers the familiarity and ease-of-use associated with the Windows graphical user interface through a
server-based computing mode.
This white paper is written for those business decision makers and IT professionals who are
evaluating the deployment of an end-to-end server-based computing solution that incorporates
Windows Powered thin clients
Signed, Sealed and Delivered: Pocket PC 2002 Devices Land in Stores Everywhere
Device Manufacturers, Developers and Customers Join Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer To Showcase New Windows-Powered Pocket PC 2002-Based Products
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 4, 2001 — With over 100 hardware and software vendors waiting in the wings to demonstrate their new Microsoft® Windows® Powered Pocket PC-based solutions, Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer took the stage at The Concourse to announce widespread retail availability of Pocket PC 2002-based devices. Simultaneous events in San Francisco and London drew together more than 1,000 Pocket PC hardware and software vendors, customers and fans excited about the new features and benefits delivered in Pocket PC 2002.
"Pocket PC 2002 makes a great mobile platform even better," Ballmer said. "With a stylish new interface and exciting new features, Pocket PC 2002 offers users more ways to communicate with friends and co-workers and really makes the Pocket PC an essential business tool."
Battler wrote:I do have an ISO of Windows Powered, that has files dated 2003, and appears untouched, however there's so far been no way to verify whether or not the ISO is genuine. Certainly you did provide evidence that Powered CD's existed, so the whole "Powered was just Advanced Server with the SAK" story has been thrown out of the window, but the question remains whether or not the Windows Powered ISO I have (*NOT* the XISO version) is legitimate, and where to get a genuine one if it's not.
What is the name of the ISO and/or CD label? It can be either proved or disproved just by what it's called.
Battler wrote:I do have an ISO of Windows Powered, that has files dated 2003, and appears untouched, however there's so far been no way to verify whether or not the ISO is genuine. Certainly you did provide evidence that Powered CD's existed, so the whole "Powered was just Advanced Server with the SAK" story has been thrown out of the window, but the question remains whether or not the Windows Powered ISO I have (*NOT* the XISO version) is legitimate, and where to get a genuine one if it's not.
What is the name of the ISO and/or CD label? It can be either proved or disproved just by what it's called.
From discoveries I've made regarding certain aspects of iso names over the years, I'm convinced the label of that ISO, along with many others, are purely made up by the person involved with the slipstreaming of the service pack or whatever other utilities like sakit & whatever has been added to the CD.
It'll mean taking a fair few screenshots of genuine CD's contents, & the naming of some of what's in the CD's that always correspond with the CD's label itself to prove it.
Unfortunately I'm supposed to be 7 hours away for work already & i'm still here playing catchup with work.
If I'm still here on the weekend I'll make the screens & post the findings, something that I find hard to believe that nobody to this day has yet noticed / discovered, & is undeniable when the evidence is what it is.
_Ken_ wrote:In disassembling the file responsible for the setting ProductSuite / SKU in the registry during the initial setup phase, was a little surprised at what else I found listed in it: - 'personal' under Server Appliance, remnants from whistler source..??
Windows OS found some 2000 beta3 stuff in 2462 ia64:
But what's more interesting are these lil banners in msgina:
Strange thing is that these Windows 2000 Personal banners don't fit into the timeline at all, let alone "64-Bit" ones. Antitrust documents from February 1998 mention Neptune as the successor to both Windows 98 and NT5 and the rebrand didn't take place until October. Why would they make login banners for an SKU they didn't even plan to ship?
It sounds like we need to find one of those servers, untouched and/or not previously reinstalled with different media to see what Powered truly is. Start searching eBay
This machine, unfortunately, has been wiped and currently doesn't have an OS on it, however, I find it interesting that on the tag for the product key it shows that the OS was Win2000 NAS 2.0 which I assume is one of many names for Powered at the time.
On Dell's website, this machine ONLY shows Powered as an option for an operating system (other than DOS ofc) telling us that Powered was definitely an OS in some sort of way.
This first BIOS revision on Dell's website (A01) is from about 2002.
EDIT 2: I looked up documentation for the PowerVault 770N and this is what it says.
I'll continue looking on eBay for one that actually has Powered still on it.
Gabe
"Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations." - Steve Jobs
I wouldn't get too carried away looking only for Nas server though, remember it can be built using either Server, Advanced Server or Windows Powered as the base operating system.
Not sure why the person in this posting capture below is spreading the info that he is..
Especially with his opening statement, & his reference to embedded in his quoted posting below it.
YRM "anything" FPP_EN denotes a service pack 3 level of whatever is associated with the label.
EG:
YRM "P" FPP_EN is service pack 3 of Pro.
YRM "S" FPP_EN is service pack 3 of Server
YRM "A" FPP_EN is service pack 3 of Advanced Server
so
YRM "W" FPP_EN would be service pack 3 of Windows Powered, released in may of 2000, OK, bit of a timeline discrepancy there.
The "FPP" part of the ISO is used in 2 circumstances, Retail & MSDN releases of operating systems.
Everything I find listed in the tacktech screen below I find to be correct, though there would be 2 exceptions, DataCenter & Powered, which were released at Sp1 level of code, & retained the non service pack ISO label, which I will prove in another thread when I've finished sourcing the CD's & making the screens
gabegriggs1 wrote:It sounds like we need to find one of those servers, untouched and/or not previously reinstalled with different media to see what Powered truly is. Start searching eBay
I'll continue looking on eBay for one that actually has Powered still on it.
Gabe
You might want to hang off looking specifically for the Dell 725n, being a NAS server, looks like it may indeed be made with Windows 2000 Server as it's base operating system, not Windows Powered..
Seems I may have finally got to the bottom of what this version of Windows 2000 really is after disassembling setup routine files & registry hives, I was in disbelief at first though kept on digging, then when it started to look as though my findings were undeniable, I did a web search for windows product suites, not really expecting to find too much though wondered if someone else may have drawn the same conclusion, & ended up confirming what I'd found through my own research..
It turns out that the evidence points to Windows Powered as being the precursor to "Windows Blade / Web Server" prior to Windows 2003 Web Server, the routines for switching the resources to showing the Powered resources are the same routines for 2003 Blade/Web server.
The hard coded switch is in Setupreg.hive,Setupdd, when loading & comparing every entry from Win2000 to Win2003, seems to be the same switch that unlocks the SKU's
I've taken a screen of the link above to point out the switches in the post, remembering that the numbers shown here are hexidecimal, so a number that appears to be a shift to the left, is really a shift to the right..
So 0x0400 for Blade & 0x0002 for Enterprise, Blade would go to the right of the Enterprise code in the hive..
I've taken screens of the hives & numbered the areas that switch the SKU's during install time, numbers 9, 13 & 14 are the main switches in the Windows 2000 range numbers either side of that are for later operating systems, though with or without number 9 works.
Small Business Server: character 13: #21 - 2 = Small business restricted, 1 = Small business.
----------
Enterprise: Character 13: #02 - "Enterprise"..
-------------
Windows Powered / Blade / Web Server: Character 13: #02 = branch of "Enterprise", Character 14: #04 - "Blade", though in later Blade builds, the Enterprise tie-in is missing, no "02" character 13..
-------------
Whistler Personal: Character 14: #02 - "Personal". <--- I set this in a Pro ISO, tried to install it, go's into continuous reboot loop after file copy routine, missing functions to complete transaction, no errors at all, I'd have to look at a setup/setupapi.log to see what's going on
----------------
Web Server 2003:
-----------------
Small Business Server 2003:
-----------------
Setupdd.sys Product Suite Options.
---------------- 2000 Sp4: ------------------------------------------ Whistler 2467, first appearance of blade switch:
Neptune:
The SKU for Neptune was "Consumer", swapped for Personal in Whistler & Win2000, though I'm still baffled at the personal SKU listing in the Windows 2000 code from Sp1.
In looking for Registry hives to reference, I noticed that XP Embedded has 2 cab files inside the repository folder, a large 380 odd mb cab that has the OS installation, & a smaller one that appears to be the latest version of Sakit 2 I could find, has some interesting images in it, definitely indicates Powered as just being nothing more than a baseline OS with generic Powered branding to differentiate it from being just a server or desktop OS..
EDIT:
So I decided to test what Geoff Chappell wrote in that article I linked above, changed the Powered hex entry from 0204 to 0404:
And after install got this as the ProductOptions in the registry:
Some resources pulled from an early 2003 Web Server CD, resources that were not in DataCenter, Enterprise, STD Server or Small Business Server within the same version builds, just Web Server only..
------------------------------
After a little more research I just realized the yellow square with the flag in it on the left of the Powered text, has been a part of the Windows Embedded theme for a number of years & products..
I've collected all the logos for future reference:
Yet the opinion of many here is that all listed below are operating systems separate from others in the same OS family, except the last one..(Though nobody knew of the existence of the first one til it was posted here)
Been hot on the trail to find the Sakit 1.0, this is as close as I got today, clicking that download link downloaded the 2.01 unfortunately..
I set out to test the Product Suite options in Windows 2000 by modifying the setup hive files, to see if the system information program in windows identified the operating system set by the hives..
I used Windows 2000 Pro as the baseline operating system..
When the video starts, it was set as "Terminal Server" in the hives, only the ProductSuite in the Product Options in the registry showed it as being Terminal Server..
At the 52 second mark, a new video starts, showing an installation where the hives were set to install Windows 2000 Personal, again the only place it showed as being that version of windows was in the ProductSuite in the Product Options in the registry..
At the one minute 42 second mark, a new video is shown where Windows Powered was set in the setup hives, though no enterprise tie-in was set in the setupreg, just the Blade switch in the hive..
In this instance the ProductSuite in the Product Options string in the registry and System Information both showed the installation as being Windows Powered, regardless of the fact that professional was the baseline operating system, and no server association was set in any of the setup routine..
It would definitely seem that at some point in time, a home SKU was appearing within updates for Windows 2000.
When checking the the contents of the inf files responsible for service pack & patches, there was a short period of time (Between Sp2 to 3 - Mid to late 2001) when "Home" with an "IH" tag was included with the updates, then suddenly no longer appeared.
Whistlers Home / Personal CD ID tags were "IC" from the start, never "IH"
Last edited by _Ken_ on Mon Dec 17, 2018 11:11 am, edited 6 times in total.
AlphaBeta wrote:
But what's more interesting are these lil banners in msgina:
Strange thing is that these Windows 2000 Personal banners don't fit into the timeline at all, let alone "64-Bit" ones. Antitrust documents from February 1998 mention Neptune as the successor to both Windows 98 and NT5 and the rebrand didn't take place until October. Why would they make login banners for an SKU they didn't even plan to ship?
If you're curious, here are the banners in action (this is using a modified MSGINA. This is NOT a build of 2000 Personal so don't freak out):
I downloaded the alleged Windows Powered ISO used in YouTube user EverythingEpan's installation tutorial.
The volume label is also W2KPOW_EN.
Files dated 2002-07-22 at 07:00, whilst folders dated 2002-09-03 between 12:37 to 12:45, which indicates this to be an SP3 slipstream. Putting this into nLite produces this:
nLite can recognize Professional, Server and Advanced Server, but doesn't recognize other variants. I wonder if anyone else's copies are also unidentifiable by nLite.
What is the name of the application software guaranteed to make your computer faster?
