Description of the Platform Update for Windows Server 2008 and the Platform Update for Windows Vista

The Platform Update for Windows Server 2008 and the Platform Update for Windows Vista are collections of runtime libraries that make it easy for developers to target a wider customer base.

Notes about the Platform Update for Windows Server 2008

• All the updated technologies in the Platform Update for Windows Server 2008 are already included in Windows Server 2008 R2. The Platform Update for Windows Server 2008 is not required for Windows Server 2008 R2.
• To apply the Platform Update for Windows Server 2008, you must have Windows Server 2008 Service Pack 2 installed.

Notes about the Platform Update for Windows Vista

• All the updated technologies in the Platform Update for Windows Vista are already included in Windows 7. The Platform Update for Windows Vista is not required for Windows 7.
• To apply the Platform Update for Windows Vista, you must have Windows Vista Service Pack 2 installed.

Windows Server 2008

The Platform Update for Windows Server 2008 contains the following updated technologies:

• Windows Graphics, Imaging, and XPS Library
  
  The Windows Graphics, Imaging, and XPS Library enables developers to take advantage of the advancements in modern graphics technologies for gaming, multimedia, imaging, and printing applications. The new features include
  • Updates to DirectX to support hardware acceleration for 2D, 3D, and text-based scenarios
  • DirectCompute for hardware-accelerated parallel computing scenarios
  • XPS Library for document printing scenarios
  For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  971512  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971512/ ) Description of the Windows Graphics, Imaging, and XPS Library
• Windows Automation API
  
  The Windows Automation API enables accessibility tools and test automations to access the Windows user interface in a consistent way across operating system versions. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  971513  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971513/ ) Description of Windows Automation API
  For more information about the Windows Automation API, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd561932.aspx (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd561932.aspx)
• Windows Ribbon and Animation Manager Library
  
  The Windows Ribbon and Animation Manager Library contains the Windows Ribbon API, a command framework that enables developers to quickly and easily create rich ribbon experiences in their applications, and the Windows Animation Manager API, an animation framework for managing the scheduling and execution of user interface element animations. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  960362  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/960362/ ) Description of Windows Ribbon and Animation Manager Library
  For more information about the Windows Ribbon API, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd371191(VS.85).aspx (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd371191(VS.85).aspx)
  For more information about the Windows Animation Manager API, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd371981(VS.85).aspx (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd371981(VS.85).aspx)

Windows Vista

The Platform Update for Windows Vista contains the following updated technologies:

• Windows Graphics, Imaging, and XPS Library
  
  The Windows Graphics, Imaging, and XPS Library enables developers to take advantage of the advancements in modern graphics technologies for gaming, multimedia, imaging, and printing applications. The new features include
  • Updates to DirectX to support hardware acceleration for 2D, 3D, and text-based scenarios
  • DirectCompute for hardware-accelerated parallel computing scenarios
  • XPS Library for document printing scenarios
  For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  971512  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971512/ ) Description of the Windows Graphics, Imaging, and XPS Library
• Windows Automation API
  
  The Windows Automation API enables accessibility tools and test automations to access the Windows user interface in a consistent way across operating system versions. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  971513  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971513/ ) Description of Windows Automation API
  For more information about the Windows Automation API, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd561932.aspx (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd561932.aspx)
• Windows Portable Devices Platform
  
  The Windows Portable Devices Platform supplies the infrastructure to standardize data transfers between an application and a portable device, such as a mobile phone, a digital camera, or a portable media player. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  971514  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/971514/ ) Description of Windows Portable Devices
  For more information about Windows Portable Devices, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd388998(VS.85).aspx (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd388998(VS.85).aspx)
• Windows Ribbon and Animation Manager Library
  
  The Windows Ribbon and Animation Manager Library contains the following features:
  • Windows Ribbon API, a command framework that enables developers to quickly and easily create rich ribbon experiences in their applications
  • Windows Animation Manager API, an animation framework for managing the scheduling and execution of user interface element animations
  For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
  960362  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/960362/ ) Description of Windows Ribbon and Animation Manager Library
  For more information about the Windows Ribbon API, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd371191(VS.85).aspx (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd371191(VS.85).aspx)
  For more information about the Windows Animation Manager API, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd371981(VS.85).aspx (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd371981(VS.85).aspx)

How to obtain the Platform Updates for Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista

Windows Update

The Platform Update for Windows Server 2008 and the Platform Update for Windows Vista can be downloaded from Windows Update. To obtain these updates, follow these steps:

1. Click Start
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   , click All Programs, and then click Windows Update.
2. In the navigation pane, click Check for updates.
3. When updates are found, click View available updates.
4. Select the update package that you want, and then click Install.