Mike Meyers’ A+ Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Instructor’s ManualChapter 12
Chapter 12
Installing and Upgrading Windows
Learning Objectives
This lesson will help youunderstand the role of the operating system (OS) and the Windows installation process. By the end of this lesson, you should be able to do the following:
- Identify and explain the basic functions and features of an OS
- Install and upgrade Windows 2000 and Windows XP
- Troubleshoot installation problems
Discussion Point
Terminology
Windows 9x refers to Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me. These three operating systems have similarities since all were designed to be backward compatible with DOS and the Windows 3x environment and applications. Windows NT was actually designed before Windows 95, but it was not based on DOS and Windows 3x and did not have Plug and Plan (PnP)capabilities. Windows 2000, XP,and Vistaare based on Windows NT technology, without consideration for backward compatibility with earlier hardware or applications. Eachof these, however, incorporates PnP and other features from the Windows 9x line.
This chapter provides an overview or introduction to OSs and Windows. Three other chapters deal with Windows: Chapter 13 covers many of the details of Windows, Chapter 14 presents the command-line interface available in different versions of Windows, and Chapter 15 discusses maintaining and troubleshooting Windows.
Pre-test
1.What are the four primary operating systems in use today?
2.What are the two types of user interfaces?
3.What are the different Windows operating systems?
4.What are the different versions of Windows XP?
5.What is the minimum hardware required for Windows XP Professional?
Lecture Outline
Historical/Conceptual
I.Functions of the Operating System
A.The OS performs four basic functions:
1.Communicates with hardware and provides a way for other programs to communicate with hardware
2.Creates a user interface
3.Provides a structure for access to applications
4.Enables users to manipulate programs and data
B.Operating system traits
1.Works only with a particular type of processor
2.Starts running immediately after the PC finishes POST, and takes control until you reboot or turn off the computer
3.Allows applications to run; applications use application programming interfaces (APIs) to interact with operating system.
4.Flexible enough to allow new software or hardware to be installed
C.Communicating with hardware
1.Works with the System BIOS to deal with hardware devices
2.Bypasses the BIOS to talk directly to the hardware if necessary
3.Allows device drivers to be installed to communicate with hardware
4.Provides error handling or error notification
D.Creating a user interface
1.Shows the applications that are available
2.Provides access to programs
3.Saves and retrieves user data
E.Accessing and supporting programs
1.Starts programs and allows the application to take over the screen
2.Provides access to hardware for the application
3.Returns to user interface when the application shuts down
F.Organizing and manipulating programs and data
1.Provides a name or label for each program and individual piece of data
2.Provides a naming system for drives
3.Allows users to store data and programs in distinct groups
4.Allows users to manipulate data files and programs (copying, moving, deleting)
Essentials
G.Two basic kinds of operating systems:
1.Command-line interface is character-based or text-based and lets the user type commands directly to the OS; used by DOS, now obsolete as a standalone OS. The command-line interface is covered in Chapter 14.
2.Graphical user interface(GUI) lets users select icons or menus and buttons by using the mouse or other pointing device.
H.Today’s operating systems
1.Microsoft Windows
a)Windows includes a family of OSs created since the 1980s.
b)Corporate users:
1)NT 3.1, NT 4.0:Included NTFS.Limited hardware support
2)Windows 2000:Merged NT 4.0 security strengths with plug and play
3)Windows XP Professional: Common corporate desktop OS today
c)Home users:
1)Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me (all commonly referred to as Windows 9I): Windows 95 introduced PnP
2)Windows XP Home, Windows XP MediaCenter
d)Recently releasedWindows Vista.Includes versions for home users and corporate users.
e)Server products: Windows NT 4.0 Server, Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2003 Server
2.Apple Macintosh
a)Used GUI long before Windows
b)Proprietary computers (no Apple clones)
c)Macs now run on Intel CPUs
d)Uses BSD variant of UNIX
3.UNIX
a)Oldest most powerful OS
b)Estimated as many as 500 different clearly defined versions
c)Many OS concepts of today come from UNIX: hard drive volumes, tree-structured directories, and much more)
4.Linux
a)UNIX clone written by Linus Torvalds in 1990s
b)Totally free
c)Source code freely available:Uses GNU general public license (GPL)
d)Comes in Linux distributions (distros): Includes OS and applications
e)Distros include Fedora Core, Debian, Slackware, Ubuntu, SuSE
III.Installing and Upgrading Windows
A.Preparing for installation or upgrade overview
1.Identify hardware requirements.
2.Verify hardware and software compatibility.
3.Decide whether to perform a clean installation or an upgrade.
4.Determine how to back up and restore existing data, if necessary.
5.Select an installation method.
6.Determine how to partition the hard drive and what file system to use.
7.Determine your computer’s network role.
8.Decide on your computer’s language and locale settings.
9.Plan for post-installation tasks.
B.Identify hardware requirements
C.Verify hardware and software compatibility
1.Windows Marketplace (previously known as HCL)
a)Tested and verified to work with your OS
b)Products not listed may also be supported
D.Decide whether to perform a clean installation or an upgrade
1.Clean installation
a)Usually begins with empty hard disk
2.Upgrade installation
a)Keeps as many original settings and installed programs as possible
3.Multiboot
a)Allows the system to boot into multiple different OSs.For example, could boot into Windows 2000 today, and Windows XP or UNIX tomorrow.
4.Otherinstallation methods
a)Not only CD-ROM
b)Can be installed over the network
c)Imaging using tools such as Norton Ghost, PowerQuest’s Drive Image, or Acronis’s True Image
d)Remote Installation Services (proprietary to Microsoft)
5.Determine how to back up and restore existing data, if necessary.
a)If user data exists on the local system, back it up so that it can be restored after the installation or upgrade.
b)Data can be backed up to network drive, CD, DVD, or even removable USB drive.
6.Select an installation method
a)CD-ROM
b)Over the network
7.Determine how to partition the hard drive and what file system to use.
a)Use NTFS for most purposes.
b)If multiboot system and one of the OSs does not support NTFS, use FAT or FAT32 as required.
Discussion Point
If planning a multiboot installation (also commonly called dual-boot configuration), each OS must be installed on a separate partition.For example, if Windows 2000 is installed on the C: partition and you want to install Windows XP also, you must install it on another partition such as D: or E:. It can be one physical drive, but must be separate partitions.If this is not followed, both OSs will become corrupt after a few boots into each OS.
8.Determine your computer’s network role.
a)Standalone (non-network)
b)Workgroup (also known as peer-to-peer network)
c)Domain (central server exists)
9.Decide on your computer’s language and locale settings.
10.Plan for post-installation tasks
a)Install service packs, hotfixes, etc.
b)Update drivers.
c)Reconfigure settings such as network settings.
d)Install applications.
E.Perform the installation or upgrade.
1.Put the plan into action.
2.End User License Agreement (EULA) is displayed here.
3.Product key is needed here.Often misplaced in work environment.Not uncommon to write key onto CD.
F.Post-installation tasks
1.Identifying installation problems. Check the system out to see if everything is working as expected.
2.Patches, service packs, and updates
a)Patches are used for individual problems.
b)Service packs are compilation of patches.
c)Updates are available via Automatic Updates.
3.Upgrading drivers
a)Common to need updated drivers for new OS.
4.Restoring user data files (if applicable)
G.Installing or upgrading to Windows 2000 Professional
1.Windows 2000 hardware requirements
a)CPU: Mininum Pentium 133 MHz. Recommended PII 350 MHz.
b)Memory: Mininum 64 MB. Recommended 128 MB.
c)Hard Disk: Mininum 2GB with 650 MB free. Recommended 6.4GB with 2GB free.
d)Network: Mininum None. Recommended Modern NIC.
e)Display: Mininum VGA. Recommended SVGA 16-bit color.
f)Optical drive: Needed if booting from CD.
H.Installing or upgrading to Windows XP Professional
2.Upgrade paths
a)Can upgrade from Windows 98, Me, NT 4.0, Windows 2000 Pro, and XP Home
3.XP hardware requirements
a)CPU: Mininum Intel or AMD 233 MHz. Recommended Intel or AMD 300 MHz.
b)Memory: Mininum 64 MB. Recommended 256 MB.
c)Hard Disk: Mininum 1.5GB free. Recommended 4GB free.
d)Network:Mininum None. Recommended Modern NIC.
e)Display:DirectX version 8 support with at least 800×600 resolution.
f)Optical drive: Needed if booting from CD.
4.Hardware and software compatibility
a)Upgrade Advisor
1.Included on CD.Can be downloaded for free.
2.Can be run separately, or as part of install.
5.Booting into Windows XP Setup:May need to set the BIOS to boot from CD.
6.Registration versus activation
a)Registration gives Microsoft user information.
b).Mandatory activation within 30 Days of Installation.If not activated, will stop working.
7.Activation mechanics
a)With Internet connection, fully automated
b)Product key combined with 50-digit value that identifies your computer components.Creates a 42-digit product activation code.
c)If done via phone, you must read or enter the 42-digit activation code.
I.Upgrading issues for Windows 2000 and Windows XP
1.Can upgrade directly to Windows 2000 Professional from Windows 95/98 (not Me) and NT Workstation
2.Some Windows 9x programs might not run under Windows 2000/XP.
3.Third-party disk compression applications are not supported on 2000/XP.
4.Third-party power management applications are likely to cause problems with 2000/XP.
J.Extra preparation before the install
1.Check out Windows Marketplace.Run Winnt.exe with the /CHECKUPGRADEONLY switch.
2.Have up-to-date backup of data.
3.Perform a “spring cleaning” of data.
4.Perform a disk scan and defrag.
5.Uncompress all files, folders, and drives.
6.Perform a virus scan and then remove or disable virus checking.
7.Disable virus checking in CMOS.
8.Worst case, you may need to do a clean install anyway.
K.The Windows 2000/XP clean install process
1.Text mode
a)Setup screen
b)Partition screen
c)Choose file system.
2.Graphical mode
a)Enter product key.
b)Enter computer name and administrator password.
c)Choose network settings.
d)Wait for completion.
L.Automating the install
1.Scripting installations with Setup Manager
a)Allows creation of text files used for unattended installations
b)Can be created for many different types of operating systems
c)Can be fully automated or partially automated
2.Disk cloning
a)Problem: Creates complete image including items that should be unique such as SID
b)Solution: Ghostwalker or NewSID
3.Sysprep: Can be used to sanitize several items that should be unique (such as computer name in addition to SID)
IV.Troubleshooting Installation Problems
- Text mode errors
1.No boot device present when booting off the startup disk.
a)Replace startup disk.
b)Set CMOS to boot off of CD.
2.Windows Setup requires xxxx amount of available drive space.
a)Verify C: is formatted and accessible.
b)Verify enough space is available for OS.
3.Not ready error on optical drive.
a)May be able to wait for drive to catch up: press R.
b)May need new disc or faster drive.
4.A stop error (Blue Screen of Death) after reboot at the end of text mode
a)Usually points to hardware incompatibility
- Graphical mode errors
1.Hardware detection errors
a)If non-critical hardware, can install driver later
2.Can’t read CAB files
a)Cabinet (CAB) files are Microsoft compressed files.
b)Try copying all files to hard drive from i386 directory on CD.
C.Lockups during install
1.Smart recovery, repair install
a)Unplug system, plug it back in, and restart installation.
b)System will restart from where it ended.
2.Optical drive, hard drive: clean or replace
3.Log files
a)Setuplog.txt tracks installation process.
b)SetupAPIlog.txt tracks hardware installation.
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