Installing Windows 2000 Professional:
Requirements:

All hardware should appear on the Windows 2000 Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)

Windows 2000 Pro supports Symetric Multi-processing with max. two processors, and up to 4 GB of RAM.

Setup has four stages:

1.       Setup Program (text mode)- preps hard drive for following stages of install and copies files needed for running Setup Wizard. Requires reboot.

2.       Setup Wizard (graphical mode) - prompts for additional info such as product key, names, passwords, regional settings, etc.

3.       Install Windows Networking - detects adapter cards, installs networking components (Client for MS Networks, File & Printer Sharing for MS Networks), and installs TCP/IP protocol by default (other protocols can be installed later). Choose to join a workgroup or domain at this point (must be connected to network and provide credentials to join a domain).

4.       Setup Completion - installs Start Menu items, register's components, saves configuration, removes temporary files and system rebooted one final time.

Installing from CD-ROM:

• Setup disks are not required if your CD-ROM is bootable or you are upgrading a previous version
• To make boot floppies, type makeboot a: in the \bootdisk directory of your W2K CD.
• If installing using a MS-DOS or Win95/98 boot floppy, run winnt.exe from the i/386
• Setup will not prompt the user to specify the name of an installation folder unless you are performing an unattended installation or using winnt32 to perform a clean installation.

Installing over a Network:

• Create a distribution server which has a file share containing the contents of the /i386 directory
• 685 MB minimum plus 100 - 200 MB free hard drive space to hold temporary files
• Install a network client on the target computer or use a boot floppy that includes a network client. Run winnt.exe from file share on distribution server or winnt32.exe if upgrading.
• Clean installation is now possible with Windows 2000. NT 4 required a pre-existing FAT partition.

Command line switches for winnt.exe:

/e[:command]       Specifies a command that will be run at the end of  Stage 4 of setup

/r[:folder]                Specifies optional folder to be installed. Folder is not removed after installation

/rx[:folder]               Specifies optional folder to be copied. Folder is deleted after installation

/s[:sourcepath]     Specifies source location of Windows 2000 files. Can either be a full path or network share

/t[:tempdrive]         Specifies drive to hold temporary setup files

/u[:answer file]      Specifies unattended setup using answer file (requires /s)

/udf:id[,UDF_file]-Establishes ID that Setup uses to specify how a UDF file modifies an answer file

Unattended installations:

• Unattended installations rely on an answer file to provide information during setup process
• Answer files can be created manually using a text editor or by using the Setup Manager Wizard (SMW) (found in the Windows 2000 Resource Kit Deployment Tools).
• SMW allows for creation of a shared Distribution Folder and OEM Branding
• If you had a CD in drive D: and an unattended installation answer file named sales.txt in C:\, you could start your install with this command: D:\i386\winnt32 /s:d:\i386 /unattend:c:\sales.txt
• When doing a CD-based install of W2K Pro and are booting from CD, name your answer file WINNT.SIF and make sure it is on a floppy disk in your floppy drive. The serial # for the CD should be entered into the .SIF file to avoid a need for manual user input during the install.
• There are five levels of user interaction during unattended installs:

1.       Provide Defaults - Administrator supplies default answers and user only has to accept defaults or make changes where necessary.

2.       Fully Automated - Mainly used for Win2000 Professional desktop installs. No user input.

3.       Hide Pages - Users can only interact with setup where Administrator did not provide default information. Display of all other dialogs is suppressed.

4.       Read Only - Similar to above, but will display information to user without allowing interaction to pages where Administrator has provided default information.

5.       GUI Attended - Only used for automating the second stage of setup. All other stages require manual input.

Deploy Windows 2000 by using Remote Installation Services (RIS):

Overview:

Remote Installation Services (RIS) is used to lower the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of Windows by simplifying the process of installing new client workstations. Currently only Windows 2000 Professional clients can be installed using RIS.

RIS Server requirements:

• DHCP Server Service
• Active Directory
• DNS Server Service
• At least 2 GB of disk space. Hard disk must have at least two partitions, one for the Operating System and one for the images. Image partition must be formatted with NTFS. RIS packages cannot be installed on either the system or boot partitions. Also cannot be on an EFS volume or DFS shared folder.

Steps for setting up RIS Server:

• Install Remote Installation Services using Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Windows
• Start the RIS Setup Wizard by running risetup. Specify the Remote Installation Folder Location. For Initial Settings, choose Do not respond to any client requests (default setting - RIS Server must be authorized first). Specify the location of the W2K Professional source files for building the initial CD-based image. Designate a folder inside the RIS folder where the CD image will be stored. Provide a friendly text name for the CD-based image.
• Setup Wizard creates the folder structure, copies needed source files to the server, creates the initial CD-based W2K Professional image in its designated folder along with the default answer file (Ristandard.sif), and starts the RIS services on the server.
• Server must now be authorized. Open Administrative Tools > DHCP. Right-click DHCP in the console tree and choose Manage authorized servers. When dialog appears, click Authorize and enter name or IP of the RIS server (user must be a member of the Enterprise Admins group to do this).
• You may now configure your RIS Server to respond to client requests.
• Assign users/groups that will be performing RIS Installations permissions to Create Computer Objects in Active Directory.
• The Client Computer Naming Format is defined through Active Directory Users & Computers. Right-click the RIS Server and click Properties > Remote Install > Advanced Settings > New Clients. Choose a pre-defined format or create a custom one. Variables are: %Username (user logon name), %First (user first name), %Last (user last name), %# (incremental number), %MAC (NIC hardware address)
• Associate an answer file (.SIF) with your image.

Creating a RIPrep Image:

• Procure a Source Computer and install Windows 2000 Professional. Configure all components and settings for your desired client configuration keeping everything on a single partition (RIPrep Wizard can only image a single partition).
• Install your applications and configure them. Do not install unnecessary applications - remember that RIS requires Active Directory which can be used to publish or assign software as needed using Group Policy.
• As you created and configured the system using the Administrator profile, you will need to copy your configuration to the Default User profile so that your custom settings will not be lost.
• To launch the RIPrep Wizard, click Start > Run and type the following into the Open box: \\RISServerName\reminst\admin\i386\riprep.exe. Provide the name of the RIS Server where the image will be stored, the folder that will hold the image and a friendly text description.

RIS Client requirements:

• Client machine must meet minimum hardware requirements for Windows 2000 Professional and must use the same Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL).
• Must have a network adapter that meets the Pre-boot Execution Environment standard (PXE) version 99c and higher or a 3 1/2" floppy drive and PCI network adapter supported by the RIS Startup Disk utility's list of supported adaptors.

Troubleshooting Remote Installations:

• If computer displays a BootP message but doesn't display the DHCP message, check to see if it can obtain an IP address. If it cannot, make sure a DHCP server is online, is authorized, has a valid IP address scope and that the DHCP packets are being routed (you may need to install a DHCP relay agent if your DHCP server is located on a different network segment than the RIS client
• Computer displays the DHCP message but does not display the Boot Information Negotiations Layer (BINL) message. Make sure the RIS server is online and authorized and that DHCP packets are being routed.
• BINL message is displayed but system is unable to connect to RIS server. Try restarting the NetPC Boot Service Manager (BINLSVC) on the RIS Server.
• If the Client cannot connect to RIS Server using the Startup disk check to make sure you used the right network adapter driver in rbfg.exe.
• If the installation options you expected are not available, there may be Group Policy conflicts. Check to make sure another Group Policy Object did not take precedence over your own.

Other considerations:

• You cannot create RIPrep images on a server unless it already has an existing CD-based image.
• The Remote Boot Floppy Generator utility (rbfg.exe) only works on Windows 2000 systems. To create boot floppies, click Start > Run and then type:
  \\RISServerName\reminst\admin\i386\rbfg.exe and click OK
• The answer file (.SIF) supports the new [RemoteInstall] section. Setting the repartition parameter to yes causes the install to delete all partitions on the client computer and reformat the drive with one NTFS partition.
• Pre-staging images using the GUID of PXE-based workstations prevents unauthorized users from illegally installing Windows 2000 onto their systems.
• The MAC address of the network adapter can be entered into the GUID field and padded with zeros.

Working with SYSDIFF:

• Used for installing applications, usually in conjuction with an unattended installation. SYSDIFF allows you to take a snapshot of your machine's original state, install applications, and then package all of these changes into a single file which can be applied to other machines.
• Install your baseline system first. Then take a snapshot of it before installing any applications. Syntax is: sysdiff /snap snap_file
• Next install desired applications on target system. Use the SYSDIFF tool to create a difference file. Syntax is: sysdiff /diff snap_file diff_file
• You can now apply your difference file to the target system(s). Syntax is: sysdif /apply \\setupserver\w2k\diff_file

System preparation tool (SYSPREP.EXE):

• Removes the unique elements of a fully installed computer system so that it can be duplicated using imaging software such as Ghost or Drive Image Pro. Avoids the NT4 problem of duplicated SIDS , computer names etc. Installers can use sysprep to provide and answer file for "imaged" installations.
• Must be extracted from DEPLOY.CAB in the \support\tools folder on the Windows 2000 Professional CD-ROM.
• Adds a mini-setup wizard to the image file which is run the first time the computer it is applied to is started. Guides user through re-entering user specific data. This process can be automated by providing a script file.
• Use Setup Manager Wizard (SMW) to create a SYSPREP.INF file. SMW creates a SYSPREP folder in the root of the drive image and places sysprep.inf in this folder. The mini-setup wizard checks for this file when it runs.
• Specifying a CMDLINES.TXT file in your SYSPREP.INF file allows an administrator to run commands or programs during the mini-Setup portion of SYSPREP.
• Available switches for sysprep.exe are: /quiet (runs without user interaction), /pnp (forces Setup to detect PnP devices), /reboot (restarts computer), and /nosidgen (will not regenerate SID on target computer).

Upgrading from a previous version of Windows:

• Run winnt32.exe to upgrade from a previous version of Windows.
• Windows 2000 will upgrade and preserve settings from the following operating systems: Windows 95 and 98 (all versions), Windows NT Workstation 3.51 and 4.0, and Windows NT 3.1 or 3.5 (must be upgraded to NT 3.51 or 4.0 first, then Professional).
• Upgrade installations from a network file share are not supported in Windows 2000 (this *can* be done, but only by using SMS). You must either do a CD-based upgrade or perform a clean installation of Windows 2000 and re-install needed applications.
• Because of registry and program differences between Win95/98 and 2000, upgrade packs (or migration DLLs) might be needed. Setup checks for these in the \i386\Win9xmig folder on the Windows 2000 CD-ROM or in a user specified location.
• Run winnt32 /checkupgradeonly to check for compatible hardware and software. Generates a report indicating which system components are Windows 2000 compatible. Same as running the chkupgrd.exe utility from Microsoft's site.
• All operating system files associated with Windows 95/98 will be deleted after an upgrade.

Troubleshooting failed installations:

Common errors:

Log files created during Setup:

Implementing and Conducting Administration of Resources:

Choosing a file system:

• NTFS provides optimum security and reliability through it's ability to lock down individual files and folders on a user by user basis. Advanced features such as disk compression, disk quotas and encryption make it the file system recommended by 9 out of 10 MCSEs. (KB# Q244600)
• FAT and FAT32 are only used for dual-booting between Windows 2000 and another operating system (like DOS 6.22, Win 3.1 or Win 95/98). (KB# Q184006)
• Existing NT 4.0 NTFS system parition will be upgraded to Windows 2000 NTFS automatically. If you wish to dual-boot between NT4.0 and 2000 you must first install Service Pack 4 on the NT4.0 machine. This will allow it to read the upgraded NTFS partition, but advanced features such as EFS and Disk Quotas will be disabled. (KB# Q197056 & Q184299)
• Use convert.exe to convert a FAT or FAT32 file system to NTFS. NTFS partitions cannot be converted to FAT or FAT32 - the partition must be deleted and recreated as FAT or FAT32 (KB# Q156560 & Q214579)
• You cannot convert a FAT partition to FAT32 using convert.exe. (KB# Q197627)

NTFS file and folder permissions: (KB#S Q183090, Q244600)

File attributes when copying/moving within a partition or between partitions:  

Miscellaneous:

• NTFS in Windows 2000 (version 5) features enhancements not found in Windows NT 4.0 version 4). Reparse Points, Encrypting File System (EFS), Disk Quotas, Volume Mount Points, SID Searching, Bulk ACL Checking, and Sparse File Support. (KB# Q183090)
• Volume Mount Points allow new volumes to be added to the file system without needing to assign a drive letter to it. Instead of mounting a CD-ROM as drive E:, it can be mounted and accessed under an existing drive (e.g., C:\CD-ROM). As Volume Mount Points are based on Reparse Points, they are only available under NTFS5 using Dynamic Volumes.
• NTFS4 stored ACLs on each file. With bulk ACL checking, NTFS5 uses unique ACLs only once even if ten objects share it. NTFS can also perform a volume wide scan for files using the owner's SID (SID Searching). Both functions require installation of the Indexing Service.
• Sparse File Support prevents files containing large consecutive areas of zero bits from being allocated corresponding physical space on the drive and improves system performance.
• NTFS partitions can be defragmented in Windows 2000 (as can FAT and FAT32 partitions). Use Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter.
• Local security access can be set on a NTFS volume.
• Files moved from an NTFS partition to a FAT partition do not retain their attributes or security descriptors, but will retain their long filenames.
• Permissions are cumulative, except for No Access, which overrides anything.
• File permissions override the permissions of its parent folder.
• Anytime a new file is created, the file will inherit permissions from the target folder.
• The cacls.exe utility is used to modify NTFS volume permissions. (KB# Q237701)

Windows File Protection Feature (WFP): (KB# Q222193)

• New to Windows 2000 - prevents the replacement of certain monitored system files (important DLLs and EXEs in the %systemroot%\system32 directory).
• Uses file signatures and code signing to verify if protected system files are the Microsoft versions.
• WFP does not generate signatures of any type.
• Critical DLLs are restored from the %systemroot%\system32\dllcache directory. Default maximum size for Professional is 50MB. This can be increased by editing the Registry. (KB# Q229656)

Local and network print devices:

• Windows 2000 Professional supports the following printer ports: Line Printer (LPT), COM, USB, IEEE 1394, and network attached devices.
• Print services can only be provided for Windows and UNIX clients on Windows 2000 Professional (KB# Q124734)- Windows 2000 Server is required to support Apple and Novell clients.
• Windows 2000 Professional automatically downloads the printer drivers for clients running Win2000, WinNT 4, WinNT 3.51 and Windows 95/98. (KB# Q142667)
• Internet Printing is a new feature in Windows 2000. You have the option of entering the URL where your printer is located. The print server must be a Windows 2000 Server running Internet Information Server or a Windows 2000 Professional system running Personal Web Server - all shared printers can be viewed at: http://servername/printers
• Print Pooling allows two or more identical printers to be installed as one logical printer.
• Print Priority is set by creating multiple logical printers for one physical printer and assigning different priorities to each. Priority ranges from 1, the lowest (default) to 99, the highest.
• Enabling "Availability" option allows Administrator to specify the hours the printer is available.
• Use Separater Pages to separate print jobs at a shared printer. A template for the separater page can be created and saved in the %systemroot%\system32 directory with a .SEP file extension. (KB# Q102712)
• You can select Restart in the printer's menu to reprint a document. This is useful when a document is printing and the printer jams. Resume can be selected to start printing where you left off.
• You can change the directory containing the print spooler in the advanced server properties for the printer. (KB# Q123747)
• To remedy a stalled spooler, you will need to stop and restart the spooler services in the Services applet in Administrative Tools in the Control Panel. (KB# Q240683 &
• Use the fixprnsv.exe command-line utility to resolve printer incompatibility issues. (KB# Q247196)

Managing file systems: (KB# Q222189)

Windows 2000 supports both Basic and Dynamic storage. In basic storage you divide a hard disk into partitions. Windows 2000 recognizes primary and extended partitions. A disk initialized for  basic storage is called a Basic disk. It can contain primary partitions, extended partitions and logical drives. Basic volumes cannot be created on dynamic disks. Basic volumes should be used when dual-booting between Windows 2000 and DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 95/98 and all version of Windows NT. (KB# Q175761)

Dynamic storage (Windows 2000 only) allows you to create a single partition that includes the entire hard disk. A disk initialized for dynamic storage is called a Dynamic disk. Dynamic disks are divided into volumes which can include portions of one, or many, disks. These can be resized without needing to restart the operating system. (KB# Q225551)

There are three volume types:

• Simple volume - contains space from a single disk
• Spanned volume - contains space from multiple disks (maximum of 32). First fills one volume before going to the next. If a volume in a spanned set fails, all data in the spanned volume set is lost. Performance is degraded as disks in spanned volume set are read sequentially.
• Striped set- contains free space from multiple disks (maximum of 32) in one logical drive. Increases performance by reading/writing data from all disks at the same rate. If a disk in a stripe set fails, all data is lost.

Dynamic Volume States:

Dynamic Volume Limitations:

• Cannot be directly accessed by DOS, Win95/98 or any versions of Windows NT if you are dual-booting as they do not use the traditional disk organization scheme of partitions and logical volumes. MBR on dynamic disks contains a pointer to disk configuration data stored in the last 1 MB of space at the end of the disk. (KB# Q197738)
• Dynamic volumes which were upgraded from basic disk partitons cannot be extended, especially the system volume which holds hardware-specific files required to start Windows 2000 and the boot volume. Volumes created after the disk was upgraded to dynamic can be extended. (KB# Q222188)
• When installing Windows 2000, if a dynamic volume is created from unallocated space on a dynamic disk, Windows 2000 cannot be installed on that volume. (KB# Q216341)
• Not supported on portable computers or removable media. (KB# Q232463)
• A boot disk that has been converted from basic to dynamic cannot be converted back to basic. (KB# Q217226)

Translation of terms between Basic and Dynamic Disks:

There is NO fault-tolerance with Windows 2000 Professional. Fault-tolerance (RAID levels 1 and 5) are only available in the Windows 2000 Server family. (KB# Q113932)

To manage disks on a remote computer you must create a custom console focused on another computer. Choose Start > Run and type mmc. Press Enter. On console menu click Add/Remove Snap-in. Click Add. Click Disk Management then click Add. When Choose Computer dialog box appears choose the remote system.

Windows 2000 now supports disk-based quotas. Quotas can be set on NTFS volumes, but not on FAT or FAT32 volumes. Quotas cannot be set on individual folders within a NTFS partition. (KB# Q183322)

Disk information is now stored on the physical disk itself, facilitating moving hard drives between systems. As managing disk numbering can become quite complex, the dmtool.exe utility has been provided. (KB# Q222470)

When using the Disk Management Snap-in Tool:

• Whenever you add a new disk in a computer it is added as Basic Storage