Installation of Windows 2000

Introduction to installation  

• There are a number of steps involved in the installation  of windows 2000 that is broken up in to two components, the real mode  and the GUI mode . The real mode copies the installation files  to the hard drive  and configure filing system type and size. The GUI mode obtains user , system and regional settings from you and the allows you to login once the installation is completed.

• Microsoft has provided the user with a number of different ways that windows 2000 can be installed. These methods include; manual , unattended, and several different methods of performing mass installation  that can save a lot of installation time if used appropriately.

Key Topics

Pre-Installation Hardware  Check list Installation Filing  System Hardware  Requirements Domain  or Workgroup Computer Account Upgrading to Professional Clean Installation

Windows NT  upgrade WINNT switch options Answer file Setup manager Using RIS  server RIP Wizard Sysprep  Utility Installation process

 

Pre-Installation Hardware  Check List

• Ensure that your computer components meet the minimum hardware requirements.

• Check that all the system hardware is listed on the Hardware  Compatibility List.

• Installing Windows 2000  professional requires a minimum of 650MB of storage space preferably 1GB.

Installation Filing  System

• Always attempt to install windows 2000 on an NTFS  partition unless you want a dual boot  system with another operating system .

• Windows 2000  supports compressed  NTFS  drives but not compressed FAT drives which need to be decompressed prior to the installation .

 

Pre-Installation check list  on a Network

• Determine the name of the workgroup  or domain you need to join and the Domain  Name Server (DNS ) of the domain.

• Determine the name of your computer

• Ensure that the domain administrator  has created an account for your computer on the domain.

Pre-Installation on Domains

• Define the password  for the local administrator  of your professional system.

• Ensure that the Domain  Name Server (DNS ) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP ) are operative on the domain you will be joining.

Pre-Installation check list

• Backup  all files  prior to the installation .

• If the system is being upgraded then you must disable any disk mirroring on your system prior to the installation .

• If your system is connected to a Uninterruptible Power  Supply (UPS ), it must be disconnected prior to the installation .

• Run an anti-virus  program to ensure no boot sector viruses exist on the system, which could cause an installation  failure prior to the installation.

Hardware  Requirement

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hardware  Compatibility List (HCL )

• Microsoft lists all of the devices  it found compatible with Windows 2000  in the latest version of the Microsoft Hardware  Compatibility List (HCL ) that you should check prior to installing your hardware.

• Microsoft Compatibility List Web page is www.Microsoft.com/hcl/ and see the HCL .TXT file or check the file on the installation  CD .

Domains and Workgroups

• Windows 2000  Professional supports joining a workgroup  or a domain environment.

• Computers can either create a workgroup  or join an existing workgroup during the installation  process of windows Professional.

Computer Account

• The computer account must be created for all the computers joining the domain prior to them attempting to join by the domain administrator .

• Computers can join the domain during their installation  without having a prior account on the domain only if the domain administrator  is installing that particular computer.

Upgrading To Professional

• Windows NT4 and windows 98 can be upgraded to windows professional directly.

• Other previous versions of windows can be upgraded to windows 98 or Windows NT  and then to windows professional.

• Upgrading provides you with the opportunity of maintaining previous user profiles  and applications  with little change.

Upgrade disadvantages

• Sometimes it may be disadvantageous to upgrade due to the fact that:

• The applications  may not be compatible with windows professional and cause problems after the upgrade including Dynamic Link Libraries (DLL ) file problems.

• More disk space may be required for the upgrade to take place.

• In third stage upgrades there may exist lots of orphan files .

• The upgrade process will take longer than a flat installation  due to file conflicts and application compatibility issues, which need to be resolved.

CHECKUPGRADEONLY

• The windows professional CD  has also provided you with a compatibility tool which checks the upgrade ability of your environment and produces a report which can be used to map your installation  route.

• You can run

• WINNT32 /CHECKUPGRADEONLY .

• Or download CHKUPGRD.EXE  from the Internet  and run the program to receive the same report.

Windows 98 Upgrade

• Windows 9x is not the preferred route for upgrading to windows 2000 because

• Its registry  structure is different and so applications  designed for windows 98 may not work in professional.

• The drivers  used in windows 98 are nearly all completely different from that of windows 2000.

• The kind of problems faced include:

• Registry data is stored in different locations

• There exists within the application operating system  specific calls and different files  are stored for different applications  due to the change in the core of the operating system.

Overcoming Upgrade Problems

• You may be able to overcome the application problems by either:

• Reinstalling the application after the upgrade

• Use migration DDL for the application not upgraded

• Install a comparable application, which meets the windows 2000 requirement.

 

Windows NT  Upgrade

• Windows 2000  professional finds a far easier ride when upgraded from Windows NT  because it has certain structural core similarities to the NT workstation.

• If you are upgrading from Windows NT  and your filing system is NTFS , windows will automatically upgrade the filing system to NTFS 5.

Similarities Between Windows NT  4 And Windows 2000

• These core similarities include:

• Similar security structure and NTFS

• Similar core structure  such as kernel and registry

• The supporting file systems are similar due to core similarities.

• The system device drivers  are similar due to core similarities.

Upgrading Windows NT  3X

• Upgrading from windows 3.51 requires that the networking features of the operating system  be enabled prior to the upgrade.

• Upgrading from Windows NT  3X requires that it must be performed in phases to Windows NT 3.51, service pack  5 to be installed and then upgrading to windows professional.

Clean Installation

• Performing a clean installing will either result in a multi-operating system  boot environment or the loss of the previous operating system.

• The installation  process will become more complete, predictable, and time consuming with the assurance that the installation will ultimately complete without serious problems.

Disadvantage to Clean Installation

• The downside to clean installation  is that user permissions  and profiles will have to be reestablished and applications  will need to be installed from scratch.

Windows 2000  Installation from DOS

• Can use the 4-setup disks to boot in DOS  and load enough drivers  to access the Installation CD  and then continue installation .

• You can type WINNT.EXE over DOS  and Windows 3x to begin the clean installation .

Windows 2000  Installation from Windows

• You can type WINNT32.EXE over Windows 9x Windows NT  3.51/4 to upgrade to the Windows Professional  operating system .

• WINNT32.EXE is a faster method of installing windows professional then WINNT.EXE because it has no 16-bit  components to install.

WINNT syntax

·        WINNT[/s[:sourcepath]] [/t[:tempdrive]] [/u[:answer file]] [/udf:id[,UDF _file]] [/r:folder] [/r[x]:folder] [/e:command] [/a] 

WINNT and WINNT32  Switch Options

• WINNT and WINNT32 option and details if required.

 

 

WINNT32 syntax

·        Winnt32 [/s[:sourcepath]] [/tempdrive:drive_letter] [/unattend[num]:[answer_file]] [/copydir:folder_name] [/copysource:folder_name] [/cmd:command_line] [/debug[level]:[filename]] [/udf:id[,UDF _file]] [/syspart:drive_letter] [/checkupgradeonly] [/cmdcons] [/m:folder_name] [/makelocalsource] [/noreboot] 

WINNT32 Switch Options

 

 

Unattended Installation

• There exists several different ways of installing windows professional remotely.

• These installation  methods include using the RIS  server, using the unattended installation files , Sysprep , RIPrep  etc.

Answer File

• Answers are text files  with a .TXT extension containing responses to the questions that are asked during the installation  of windows 2000.

• Answer files  contain section headers, keys, and values formulated to respond to a set of installation  questions.

• You can either generate an answer file by using the template Unattend.txt file and changing it or using the setup manager.

Setup Manager

• The Setup manager  is available in the installation  CD  inside the Support\Tools\Deploy.cab folder can be used to automatically generate the answer file by asking you a series of question and also generating a distribution folder \W2Kdist on the server network  share.

The Winnt.sif  File

• You could also perform the installation  locally on a single machine which has an bootable CD -ROM  drive and an answer file.

• The windows 2000 installation  CD  must be placed in the CD-ROM  drive and the unattended installation file containing all the keys and values must be named Winnt.sif  and placed on a floppy in the A: drive.

Remote Installation Servers (RIS )

• Windows 2000  can be installed using Remote Installation Service (RIS ) on an active directory  server.

• The RIS  server is used predominantly in situations where you are performing mass installations on identical hardware or a clean installation  on a corrupted system.

Using RIS  Server

• RIS  servers require that a DHCP  should be present for its functionality, allowing remote boot clients to contact the RIS server for the remote installation .

• RIS  must be installed on a server that has access to active directory  allowing it to locate clients of the RIS server for the installation .

• DNS  servers are also used by RIS  servers to locate remote clients within the active directory .

RIPrep  Wizard

• When installing windows professional on systems with identical hardware, one can generate images of the operating system  and applications  installed on one standard computer and deploy these images using RIPrep  among all the computers requiring the operating system installed.

• The RIPrep  wizard prepares the image and copies it on the RIS  server to deploy on the required installation  clients.

 

RIPrep  Limitations

• The standard machine used for generating the image cannot have multiple partitions.

• RIPrep  Can only be used on the windows 2000 professional installation .

• The destination disk must be the same size or  larger than the source used to create the image

• The destination system must have the same Hardware  Abstract Layer (HAL ) as the source System.

• A CD -based image of the RIPrep  source with the same version and language  must be placed on the RIS  server.

Sysprep  Requirements

• You can also perform mass installations on identical hardware or hardware with identical HAL  by installing the professional operating system  and all applications  on a standard Hardware .

Sysprep  Utility

• Run the Sysprep  utility to remove all the unique features of that installation  on the network  such as computer name , domain name, the serial identification  SID  number of the installation.

Sysprep  Image Copying

• Use a third party disk imaging and duplication program such as Ghost to generate as many copies of the installation  as required for the target computers.

Mini Setup Wizard

• Once the duplicated hard drives are placed on the target computers, the systems will each go through a mini setup process resulting with each system becoming unique on the network .

Installation Process

• Source file copy

• All Installation files  are copied to a $WIN_NT$.~LS  folder on the local hard drive  prior to installation .

• Text Mode

• Answer questions during installation  in DOS  mode including: -

o        Licensing agreement acceptance, F8 to agree

o        Installation partition choice , create partitions, delete partitions, and choose installing partition

o        filing system used., convert  to NTFS  or leave current filing system.

• GUI Mode

• The GUI mode  has three main phases which are gathering information , installing networking and completing the setup process.          

Installation GUI Mode Gathering Information

• Gathering information  involving: -

• Regional Settings  (location, language  etc)

• Personalize your software  (Name who windows 2000is registered to and your organization)

• Licensing Mode  (per server or per seat option on a server)

• Computer Name and local Administrator password  (computer name  up to 15 characters, password up to 127 characters.)

• Optional Component Manager  (select additional components of windows to install and customize your installation )

• Date and Time settings (set date, time, and time zone  etc)

Installation GUI Mode Networking

• You can choose to go for typical (default settings) or custom settings which allows you to set the following:-

• Client (client for a Microsoft network  or Netware network)

• Services (install the optional services  of file and print sharing , SAP agent, QoS packet scheduler etc).

• Protocol (Install TCP /IP , IPX /SPX, NetBEUI , Apple talk DLC  etc).

GUI Mode Completing Setup Process

• This component of the installation  does not require any user interaction and includes:-

• Copying files  (copies the remainder of the files in the installation  directory ).

• Computer configuration (creates startup  menu, setup print services , setup admin account, registers DLL ’s etc.)

• Saving Configuration (set Boot.ini file, saves the registry  setup, creates repair folder)

• Removing temporary files  (removes the $WIN_NT$.~LS  folder from the drive).

   

Exercise (Installing Windows 2000  Professional)

You can run the installation  from windows 98 , from DOS , or directly from the installation CD If you want to run the installation  from windows 98 you should change directories to I386  on the installation CD  and then type WINNT32.EXE If you want to run the installation  from DOS , you must change drive to the CDROM  drive, then change your directory  to the I386  directory, and then type WINNT.EXE followed by enter Alternatively you could use the four-startup  disks to begin the installation . The screen you will see informs you of continuing installation  by pressing enter, pressing R to repair windows and pressing F3 to exit the installation. Press enter to continue View the licensing agreement, use the page down key to read  the whole agreement and then press F8 to accept. You will now have to select the partition to install windows 2000. You can use an existing partition or create a new partition and then press enter to continue. If windows 2000 will be your only operating system  it is recommended that you use the default NTFS  partition. The system will now format  the newly created filing system and copies the installation  files  to the hard drive  and then inform you of an impending reboot. Make sure the CDROM  or the floppy is removed before the reboot. The CD  can be replaced after the boot up . The next stage in the installation  process is the hardware detection  process and the installation of all required drivers . You can now setup language , regional settings and, user locale and keyboard  layout pressing next on each selection. You can now personalize your system by inputting your name and your organization name. Now enter the product CD  key and press next Now enter the computer name  and administrator  password . If a modem exist, it must be configured, and the telephone settings must be set. Confirm the date and time displayed is correct or change the values. make sure the automatically adjust clock for daylight savings changes is selected. Configure your network  settings, choose typical network components installed and not custom, and then press next. In the Select to join a workgroup  or domain screen, choose the default workgroup option with the name workgroup and then click on next The setup will now start installing windows components, finalize settings which include registering components, adding chosen startup  menu components, and saving the required settings. Finally click on the finish option and remove the CDROM  from the system. After the system restart press Alt-Ctrl-del to login to the system.

Questions

 

1. Which is the minimum hardware requirement of Windows Professional? (Choose all that apply)

1. It need a Pentium  I/133 processor

2. It need a Pentium  I/200 processor

3. It needs 650MB hard drive

4. It needs 32 MB  of RAM

5. It need 64 MB  of RAM

2. What needs to be performed before the installation  of server? (Choose all that apply)

1. Backup  all personal data

2. Disable a mirror set in an upgrade

3. Disconnect the UPS

4. Disable the strip set

5. Run the anti-virus  program

3. What needs to be performed before the installation  of server? (Choose all that apply)

1. Determine the name of the workgroup

2. Ensure your DHCP  is up and running

3. Determine your computer name

4. Ensure your computer accounts exits on the domain

5. Ensure the DNS  server is up and running

4. Which operating system  can be upgraded directly to windows professional? (Choose all that apply)

1. Windows NT  3.51

2. Windows 95

3. Windows NT4

4. Windows 98

5. WFW

5. What are the options to check if windows operating system  is up gradable to windows 2000? (Choose all that apply)

1. Windows /upgrade

2. WINNT32/Checkupgardeonly

3. WINNT/ Checkupgardeonly

4. WINNT32/Checkupgarde

5. CHKUPGRD.EXE

6. What are the similarities of windows NT4 and Windows 2000? (Choose all that apply)

1. Support Security

2. Support NTFS

3. Similar core Structure

4. Similar registry

5. Support for FAT32

7. What are the advantages of upgrading WindowsNT4? (Choose all that apply)

1. All user profiles  will be upgraded

2. The SAM  will be upgraded

3. All applications  will be upgraded

4. No orphan files  will exist

5. The upgrade process is fast and easy

8. What are the switches of the WINNT command? (Choose all that apply)

1. /OS

2. /OX

3. /U

4. /I

5. /UP

9. What are the switches of the WINNT command? (Choose all that apply)

1. /B

2. /OI

3. /UB

4. /S

5. /U

10. What are the switches of the WINNT 32 command? (Choose all that apply)

1. /CMD

2. /OP

3. /Unattended

4. /M

5. /Noreboot

11. What are the different ways of performing an unattended installation? (Choose all that apply)

1. Using RIS  server

2. Using VIP server

3. Using Sysprep

4. Using Syspart

5. Using RIPrep

12. What are the features of the unattended installation? (Choose all that apply)

1. We and use the Winnt.sif  file on a floppy disk

2. You can use the installation  CD

3. You can use the setup manager to create the unattended installation  disk

4. We need the VIP server

5. The Winnt.sif  file is a text file

13. What are the requirements for a RIS  server to functions? (Choose all that apply)

1. There must exist a DHCP  server

2. There must exist a RIP server

3. All the computer being installed must have the same HAL

4. We can only perform the installation  windows professional

5. We can perform the installation  of all the windows platforms

14. What are the features of the Sysprep  utility? (Choose all that apply)

1. It is designed for mass installation

2. It is designed for individual installations

3. It will remove all the unique features of the installation

4. You can use a third party hard drive  duplication utility with it

5. It makes each computer unique on the network  by using the minisetup

15. Which part of the installation  allows you to decide which partition to install windows

1. The GUI mode

2. The protected mode

3. The real mode

4. Near the end of the installation

5. At the beginning of the installation

16. What are the features of the WIN_NT$.~LS file? (Choose all that apply)

1. Copied to the hard drive  at the beginning of the installation

2. Contains all compressed  installation  files

3. Contains all uncompressed installation  files

4. Contains only the GUI component of the installation

5. Deleted at the end of the installation

 

Answers

1.      A,C,D

2.      A,B,C,E

3.      B,C,D,E

4.      C,D

5.      C,E

6.      A,B,C,D

7.      A,B,C

8.      B,C,D

9.      A,D,E

10.  A,C,D,E

11.  A,C,E

12.  A,B,C,E

13.  A,C,D

14.  A,C,D,E

15.  C

16.  A,B,E