| Linux directory | Contents | Analogue in Windows 2000 and XP |
|---|---|---|
| / | All files and devices on the system, regardless of which drive they are on. (The following directories are subdirectories of this one.) | None |
| /bin | Essential user commands that all users have access to run | c:\windows |
| /boot | The Linux kernel and other files needed for the boot process | c:\windows\system32 |
| /dev | Devices, such as monitors and printers | None |
| /etc | System-wide configuration files | the Windows registry, under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE |
| /home | Personal files configuration files | c:\Documents and Settings\(individual users), the Windows registry under HKEY_USERS |
| /lib | Essential shared libraries (files which are used by many different programs) | Files ending in .dll in c:\windows\system32 |
| /media | Removable media, such as floppy disks, CD-ROMs, and USB flash drives. The location of this directory sometimes varies from one distribution to another--some, for example, might use /cdrom and /floppy. | Additional drive letters in My Computer |
| /opt | Extra applications; the use of this directory varies from one distribution to another. | c:\Program Files\(name of program) |
| /proc | Information on system resources, such as amount of free memory. | System Information tool, Windows Task Manager |
| /root | The administrative user's home directory. Don't confuse this with /, the root directory. | None |
| /sbin | Programs needed for system administration | c:\windows\system32 |
| /tmp | Temporary files | c:\windows\temp |
| /usr | Programs, libraries, documentation for everyday system operation | c:\program files\(name of program) |
| /var | Log files, incoming e-mail, and other files that tend to fluctuate in size. | None |