Viewing Help on the Web
Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2
You can find product Help for the Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 operating systems on the Microsoft Web site. However, the site does not offer a separate set of topics for each version and each edition in that set of products. To reduce duplication and improve search efficiency, each topic in the product Help contains information about how a feature works across all versions and editions. In addition, each topic specifies any differences between versions and editions. If a topic does not specify any differences, the functionality that it describes is the same across all Windows Server 2003 operating systems.
In addition to differences between versions and editions, other differences can affect whether your server appears and functions exactly as the topics describe. For example, the steps to open an item in Control Panel vary slightly based on how a server is configured. The following list explains in more detail why Help topics on the Web might differ from what you see on a particular server:
Versions of Windows Server 2003
Different versions of Windows Server 2003 are available for installation on computers with different microprocessors, and not all features are available on all versions. For example, the x64-based versions of Windows Server 2003 have different sets of features than do the 32-bit and Itanium-based versions of Windows Server 2003. You can find out whether a particular feature is available on a particular version by reading the topics about that feature. For more information, see Accessing information about compatibility and Considerations for 64-bit drivers and software.
Editions of Windows Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 comprises multiple editions so that you can choose which sets of features best address your needs. For example, the feature set of Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, is optimized for a particular purpose, and several features that do not relate to that purpose are not available in that edition. Procedure topics state when the functionality that they describe are not available on all editions. For more information about feature availability on specific editions of Windows Server 2003, see the Microsoft Web site.
Service packs
Service packs also affect how a server appears and functions, and topics describe the changes that result from installing Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1). For more information about SP1, see Technical Overview of Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1) and Changes to Functionality in Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1.
Account permissions
You might not be able to perform certain tasks based on the permissions that have been granted to the account that you used to log on. For more information about account permissions, see User and computer accounts and Local user accounts.
User preference settings
Product Help for Windows Server 2003 documents functionality based on default settings for options such as menu styles and file locations. If these settings have been changed, you might need to follow a slightly different set of steps than those presented in Help topics. For more information about user preference settings, see Settings saved in a user profile and Setting environment variables.
See Also
Concepts
Roadmap to Help and Information
Access Windows Help
Server scalability