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Domain 2.0 Installation, Configuration and Upgrading This domain requires knowledge of installing, configuring and upgrading Windows 9x, and Windows 2000. This includes knowledge of system boot sequences and minimum hardware requirements.

2.1 Identify the procedures for installing Win 9x and Win 2000 for bringing the software to a basic operational level.

Installing Windows 98

You can run the Windows 98 Setup program (Setup.exe) from the:

Windows 95 user interface.
Windows 3.1x or Windows for Workgroups 3.1x user interface.
MS-DOS command prompt.

Upgrading Windows 95 Keeping Current Settings

With this method, you cannot change the installation directory or choose the Setup options such as Choosing Typical, Portable, Compact, or Custom Setup Options.
To start Windows 98 Setup from the Windows 95 user interface
 

Start Windows 95.

Close all programs, including any anti-virus programs.

Click Start, and then click Run.

Type d:\setup

The Windows 98 Setup Wizard starts.

Follow the instructions on the screen

Upgrading Windows 95 Changing Current Settings If your computer is running Windows 95 but you want to change its current settings, start Setup from MS-DOS. With this method, Setup displays dialog boxes that let you change or choose the following settings:
 

Installation directory

Components you want to install

User name and company

Computer name, description, and workgroup

Computer settings such as keyboard layout and language support

For a Clean installation of Windows 98 to a new hard disk drive or a reformatted hard disk you start Setup from MS-DOS
with a start up disk.

Installing Windows 2000

Minimum hardware requirements

• 133 MHz Pentium or higher microprocessor (or equivalent).
• 64 megabytes of RAM recommended minimum 32 MB of RAM is the minimum supported. 4 gigabytes (GB) of RAM is the maximum.
• 2 GB hard disk with 650 MB of free space.
• VGA or higher resolution monitor.

Clean Install

Using the Setup startup disks

• Insert Setup startup Disk 1.
• Start your computer. Setup starts automatically.
• Follow on screen instructions.

Using the CD

• If Windows automatically detects the CD, click Install Windows 2000.
• If Windows doesn't automatically detect the CD, start Setup from the Run command if you are in windows 9x.
• Type cd drive:\i386\winnt32.exe
• If you're using Windows 3.1 or the command prompt, type cd drive:\i386\winnt.exe
• Follow on screen instructions.

Dual-Boot Configuration

Windows 2000 supports dual booting with the following operating systems

• Windows NT 3.51, Windows NT 4.0
• Windows 95, Windows 98
• Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups 3.11
• MS-DOS
• OS/2

Start Up

Windows 9x Start Up Process

1) The ROM BIOS Bootstrap Process

• Power On Self-Test (POST) occurs
• The master boot record and partition table are read

2) The Master Boot Record and Boot Sector

The master boot record determines the location of the boot partition by reading the partition table located at the end of the master boot record. Once the location of the boot partition is determined, the master boot record passes control to the boot sector in that partition. The boot sector contains the disk boot program and a table of disk characteristics. The boot sector checks the BIOS Parameter Block (BPB) to find the location of the root directory, and then copies the Io.sys file from the root directory into memory.

3) The Io.sys File

• A minimal file allocation table (FAT) file system is loaded
• The MSDOS.SYS file is read
• The Starting Windows message is displayed
• The Logo.sys file is loaded and displays a startup image on the screen
• If the Drvspace.ini or Dblspace.ini file exists, the Drvspace.bin or Dblspace.bin file is loaded into memory
• The Io.sys file opens the System.dat file
• The Dblbuff.sys file is loaded if the "DoubleBuffer=1" is in the Msdos.sys file
• If you have multiple hardware profiles , the hardware profile you chose is loaded from the registry
• The Io.sys file processes the Config.sys file

4) Real-Mode Configuration

Some hardware devices and programs require that drivers or files be loaded in real-mode in order for them to work properly. To ensure backwards compatibility with these types of hardware devices or programs, Windows 95 processes the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files if they exist.

• The Config.sys file loads drivers into memory. If the Config.sys file does not exist, the Io.sys file loads the following required drivers Ifshlp.sys, Himem.sys, and Setver.exe
• Windows reserves all global upper memory blocks (UMBs) for Windows 9x operating system use or for expanded memory support (EMS).
• The Autoexec.bat file loads files and terminate and stay resident (TSR) programs into memory

The Win.com File and the Windows 95 Environment

• After the Autoexec.bat file is processed, the Win.com file is run
• The Win.com file accesses the Vmm32.vxd file. If there is enough available RAM, the Vmm32.vxd file loads into memory, otherwise, it is accessed from the hard disk. This may result in a slower startup time. The Vmm32.vxd file is similar to the Win386.exe file used in earlier versions of Windows
• The real-mode virtual device driver loader checks for duplicate virtual device drivers (VxDs) in the Windows\System\Vmm32 folder and the Vmm32.vxd file. If a VxD exists in both the Windows\System\Vmm32 folder and the Vmm32.vxd file, the duplicate VxD is "marked" in the Vmm32.vxd file so that it is not loaded.
• The real-mode virtual device driver loader checks that all required VxDs loaded successfully. If not, it attempts to load the drivers again
• Once the real-mode virtual device driver loading is logged, driver initialization occurs. If there are any VxDs that require real-mode initialization, they begin their process in real-mode.
• Vmm32 switches the computer's processor from real-mode to protected- mode
• After all the static VxDs are loaded, the Krnl32.dll, Gdi.exe, User.exe, and Explorer.exe (the default Windows 95 shell) files are loaded.

Network Environment and Multi-User Profiles

The next step in the startup process is to load the network environment. Once this occurs, the user is prompted to log on to the network that is installed.

Windows 95 allows multiple users to save their custom desktop settings. When a user logs on to Windows 95, their desktop settings are loaded from the registry. If the user does not log on, the desktop configuration uses a default desktop.

Partition

Windows 9x

To partition a hard disk use Fdisk, this is an MS-DOS-based application that can be run from an MS-DOS command line or from within Windows 9x if partitioning an additional hard drive.

With Fdisk You can do the following:

1. Create a partition or logical drive.
2. Set the active partition.
3. Delete a partition or logical drive.
4. Display partition information.
5. Change Current Fixed Disk Drive ( only If the computer has two or more hard disks )

To create a primary MS-DOS partition

In the Fdisk Options screen, press 1, and then press ENTER. The Create DOS Partition Or Logical DOS Drive screen appears.

Press 1, and then press ENTER. The Create Primary DOS Partition screen appears.

If you want the partition to be the maximum size, press ENTER. Then insert a Startup Disk in drive a:, and press any key.

If you do not want the partition to be the maximum size, press n, and then press ENTER. Another Create Primary DOS Partition screen appears.

To specify the partition size you want, follow the instructions on-screen, and then press ENTER.

If you create the Primary partition to use the entire hard drive, press ESC twice to exit FDISK, then reboot the computer to the floppy disk.

If you enable large disk support, any drives created will be FAT32. You will have to use a boot disk created from the OS you used to partition the drive, as win 95/NT cannot read FAT32 partitions (win95 ORS 2 does support Fat32)

Fdisk is not needed with windows 2000 as Disk Management prepares hard disks.

Windows 2000

Disk Management, is a graphical tool for managing disks and volumes. It supports partitions, logical drives, new dynamic volumes, and remote disk management. To open Disk Management, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management. In the console tree under Storage, click Disk Management.

Format drive

Windows 9x

To format a hard disk drive with Windows 98 installed
In Windows Explorer, right-click the drive icon for that disk, and then click Format.

To format a hard disk drive using a Windows 98 Startup Disk

Make sure a Startup Disk is in drive a:. Then, at the command prompt, type the following: format c:

If you are formatting drive c:, copy system files to the hard disk by typing the following at the command prompt:

format c: /s

When the warning message appears, proceed with formatting by pressing Y. Then press ENTER.

When formatting is complete, type a volume label (if you want one), and then press ENTER.

Remove the floppy disks from all floppy disk drives, and restart the computer by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL.

Windows 2000

The format command creates a new root directory and file system for the disk. It can also check for bad areas on the disk, and it can delete all data on the disk. For Windows 2000 to be able to use a new disk, you must first use this command to format the disk.

You must have Administrator rights to format a hard disk.
When you use the format command to format a hard disk, Windows 2000 displays a message of the following form before attempting to format the hard disk:

WARNING, ALL DATA ON non removable DISK
DRIVE x: WILL BE LOST!
Proceed with Format (Y/N)?_

format volume [/fs:file-system] [/v:label] [/q]

volume:
Specifies the mount point, volume name, or drive letter of the drive you want to format.

/fs:file-system
Specifies the file system to use, FAT, FAT32, or NTFS. Floppy disks can use only the FAT file system.

/v:label
Specifies the volume label.

/q
You can speed up the formatting process by using the /q switch. Use this switch only if there are no bad sectors on your hard disk.

Loading drivers  

Windows 9x

Windows 9x automatically installs and configures most Plug and Play–compliant devices. For devices that are not automatically configured, the Add New Hardware Wizard, installs and configures legacy and Plug and Play devices that require installation information, such as the driver location.

For many devices, you must use Device Manager in the System option in Control Panel for configuration if you need to make manual changes.  

Windows 2000

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to configure a device using the Add/Remove Hardware wizard in Control Panel or Device Manager.

For a device to work properly with Windows 2000, software known as a device driver must be loaded onto the computer. Each device has its own unique device driver, which is typically supplied by the device manufacturer. However, some device drivers are included with Windows 2000.

You can configure devices using the Add/Remove Hardware wizard in Control Panel or the Device Manager.

If the device is Plug and Play, or it is a necessary startup device like the hard disk, this detection happens automatically. However, for some older devices, after you connect it to your computer, you may have to restart your computer. Windows 2000 then attempts to detect your new device.

If the device is not Plug and Play, you may have to use the Add/Remove Hardware wizard in Control Panel to tell Windows 2000 what type of device you are installing. After the device is detected, or you identify the device using the Add/Remove Hardware wizard, Windows 2000 may ask you to insert the Windows 2000 CD-ROM or the manufacturer's floppy disk so it can load the proper device drivers.

After the device drivers are loaded onto your system, Windows 2000 configures the properties and settings for the device. Although you can manually configure device properties and settings, you should let Windows 2000 do it. When you manually configure properties and settings, the settings become fixed, which means Windows 2000 cannot modify them in the future if a problem arises or there is a conflict with another device.

Run appropriate set up utility

Key files used for Windows 98 Setup

2.2 Identify steps to perform an operating system upgrade.

Upgrading Windows 95 to Windows 98

There are two methods for upgrading from Windows 95 to Windows 98. The method you choose depends on whether you want to retain the existing configuration settings on your computer.

Keeping Current Configuration Settings

With this method, Windows 98 is installed in the same directory as Windows 95. Windows 98 Setup will use the existing configuration information to set installation defaults and to set other configuration options. Windows 98 Setup migrates all Windows 95 folders and programs to Windows 98, so they appear on the Windows 98 Start menu. Windows 98 automatically migrates all the shortcuts you had under Windows 95.

• Start Windows 95.
• Close all programs, including any anti-virus programs.
• Insert the Windows 98 compact disc into your CD-ROM drive.
• On the Start menu, click Run.
• In the Open box, enter the location of the Windows 98 disc.
• Type d:\setup. Click OK.
• The Windows 98 Setup Wizard starts. Follow the on-screen instructions

Changing Current Configuration Settings

Before you begin, you should be prepared to provide the following information:

• Name of the installation directory (for example, c:\Win98).
• Network information, such as your computer name, workgroup, and computer description (if your computer is on a network).

When starting Setup from MS-DOS using either a network server or local CD-ROM drive, the real-mode network or CD-ROM drivers must be loaded. If the real-mode network drivers are running when you start Windows 98 Setup, the appropriate network client is installed automatically. Setup detects existing network components, installs the appropriate supporting software automatically, and adds the necessary network settings in the registry.

• Start your computer up and press F8 when the message, Starting Windows 95 appears. Then select Command Prompt Only. Or From Windows 95, click on Start, and click Shut Down. Then select Restart in MS-DOS mode.
• Insert the Windows 98 compact disc into the CD-ROM drive, and make it the active drive.
• Type setup
• After starting Setup from MS-DOS, Setup initializes and checks your system: It runs real-mode ScanDisk to check the hard disk for errors. Unlike the protected-mode version of ScanDisk, the real-mode counterpart cannot fix errors in long file names. ScanDisk does not perform a surface scan; therefore, the disk is not checked for physical errors.
• The setup wizard will run complete the following five steps of Windows 98 Set up
• Preparing to run Windows 98 Setup.
• Collecting information about your computer.
• Copying files to your computer.
• Restarting your computer.
• Setting up hardware and finalizing settings.

Upgrading Windows NT Workstation 4.0 to Windows 2000

To upgrade from Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0

You must uncompress any DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes before upgrading to Windows 2000

1. Start your current operating system, and then insert the Win 2000 CD.
2. If Windows automatically detects the CD and asks if you would like to upgrade your computer to Win 2000, click Yes. Otherwise, click Run. At the prompt, type d:\i386\winnt32.exe
3. Follow the instructions that appear

Replacing Windows 9x with Windows 2000

For a Clean Install of Win 2000

1. With your computer turned off, insert the Windows 2000 Setup startup Disk 1 into your floppy disk drive.
2. Start your computer, Setup starts automatically
3. Follow the instructions that appear  

Dual boot Windows 9x/Windows NT 4.0/2000

Windows 2000 supports multiple booting with MS-DOS, OS/2, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 3.51, and Windows NT 4.0.

If you intend to create a dual-boot system with Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000 as the only installed operating systems, you must ensure that you have installed Service Pack 4 for Windows NT 4.0. Windows 2000 will automatically upgrade any NTFS partitions it finds on your system to NTFS 5. Windows NT 4.0 requires Service Pack 4 to be able to read and write files on an NTFS 5 volume.

• Each operating system should be installed on a separate drive or disk partition.
• You should use a FAT file system for dual-boot configurations. Although using NTFS in a dual boot is supported, such a configuration introduces additional complexity into the choice of file systems.
• You cannot install both Windows 95 and Windows 98 in a multiple-boot configuration. Windows 98 is intended as an upgrade to Windows 95 and will try to use the same boot file.
• To set up a dual-boot configuration between MS-DOS or Windows 95 and Windows 2000, you should install Windows 2000 last. Otherwise, important files needed to start Windows 2000 could be overwritten.
• For a dual boot between Windows 98 and Windows 2000, it isn't necessary to install the operating systems in a particular order.
• For a dual boot of Windows 2000 with Windows 95 or MS-DOS, the primary partition must be formatted as FAT; for a dual boot with Windows 95 OSR2 or Windows 98, the primary partition must be formatted as FAT or FAT32, not NTFS.
• If you're upgrading a dual-boot computer, you can't gain access to NTFS partitions from any operating system other than Windows NT 4.0 with SP4.
• If you install Windows 2000 on a computer that dual boots OS/2 and MS-DOS, Windows 2000 Setup configures your system so you can dual boot between Windows 2000 and the operating system (MS-DOS or OS/2) you most recently used before running Windows 2000 Setup.
• Don't install Windows 2000 on a compressed drive unless the drive was compressed with the NTFS file system compression utility.
• Windows 95 or Windows 98 might reconfigure hardware settings the first time you use them, which can cause problems if you're dual booting with Windows 2000. So run these OS's first before installing 2000.
• If you want your programs to run on both operating systems on a dual-boot computer, you need to install them from within each operating system. You can't share programs across operating systems.

Steps for Dual Booting MS-DOS, Win 95/98, 2000

1. Create partitions for the different Operating Systems, for MS-DOS, 95 the primary partition must be formatted as FAT, and for 95 OSR2 or Win 98, the primary partition must be formatted as FAT or FAT32, not NTFS
2. Install these operating systems in the following order: MS-DOS, Windows 95 or Windows 98
3. Install Win 2000
4. After Set up is complete Win 2000 will present a boot menu with a choice of which installed OS you would like to boot.

Steps for Dual Booting NT 4, Win 2000

1. Reformat and repartition your hard drive if you have only one partition.
2. If you are installing Win 2000 with NT 4 on a partition using NTFS, you must have Service Pack 4 for NT 4 which contains updates that enable NT 4 to be able to read and write files on an NTFS 5 volume.
3. Install Windows NT 4
4. Install Windows 2000.

2.3 Identify the basic system boot sequences and boot methods, including the steps to create an emergency boot disk with utilities installed for Windows 9x, Windows NT, and Windows 2000.

Startup Process Windows 95/98

ROM BIOS Bootstrap Process

• POST Power On Self Test routines are run.
• The master boot record and partition table are read.
• The Plug and Play BIOS checks nonvolatile random access memory (RAM) for input/output (I/O) port addresses, interrupt request lines (IRQs), direct memory access (DMA) channels, and other settings needed to configure Plug and Play devices on the computer.
• All Plug and Play devices found by the Plug and Play BIOS are disabled.
• A map of used and unused resources is created.
• The Plug and Play devices are configured and re-enabled, one at a time.

If your computer does not have a Plug and Play BIOS, Plug and Play devices are initialized using their default settings when you start your computer.

Master Boot Record and Boot Sector

• The master boot record (MBR) locates the boot partition by reading the partition table located at the end of the master boot record.
• The MBR then passes control to the boot sector in that partition, which contains the disk boot program.
• The boot sector copies the Io.sys file from the root directory into memory.

Io.sys File

• Minifile allocation table (FAT) file system is loaded.
• Msdos.sys file is read.
• Starting Windows 95 message is displayed.
• If you have multiple hardware profiles in Windows 95, you must choose a hardware configuration to use now.
• Logo.sys file is loaded and displays a startup image on the screen.
• If the Drvspace.ini or Dblspace.ini file exists, the Drvspace.bin or Dblspace.bin file is loaded into memory.
• Io.sys file checks the system registry files.
• Io.sys file opens the System.dat file.
• The Dblbuff.sys file is loaded if double buffering is enabled.
• If you have multiple hardware profiles in Windows 95, the hardware profile you selected earlier is loaded from the registry.
• Io.sys file processes the Config.sys file.

Real-Mode Configuration

Some hardware devices and programs require that drivers or files be loaded in real-mode in order for them to work properly. Config and Autoexec are only need for backward compatibility.

• Config.sys file loads drivers into memory. If the Config.sys file does not exist, the Io.sys file loads the following required drivers: Ifshlp.sys, Himem.sys, and Setver.exe
• Windows 95 reserves all global upper memory blocks (UMBs) for Windows 95 operating system use or for expanded memory support (EMS).
• Autoexec.bat file loads files and terminate and stay resident (TSR) programs into memory.

Win.com File and the Windows 95 Environment

• Win.com file is run.
• Win.com file accesses the Vmm32.vxd file and loads into memory.
• The real-mode virtual device driver loader checks for duplicate virtual device drivers (VxDs) in the Windows\System\Vmm32 folder and the Vmm32.vxd file. If a VxD exists in both the Windows\System\Vmm32 folder and the Vmm32.vxd file, the duplicate VxD is "marked" in the Vmm32.vxd file so that it is not loaded.
• The real-mode virtual device driver loader checks that all required VxDs loaded successfully. If not, it attempts to load the drivers again.
• Once the real-mode virtual device driver loading is logged, driver initialization occurs. If there are any VxDs that require real-mode initialization, they begin their process in real-mode.
• Vmm32 switches the computer's processor from real-mode to protected- mode.
• VxD initialization process occurs.
• After all the static VxDs are loaded, the Krnl32.dll, Gdi.exe, User.exe, and Explorer.exe files are loaded.

Network Environment and Multi-User Profiles

• The network environment is loaded.
• User is prompted to log on to the network
• Programs in the Startup group and the RunOnce registry key are run.
• After each program in the RunOnce registry key is started, the program is removed from the key.

Startup Process Windows NT/2000

Steps prior to boot sequence

• POST Power On Self Test routines are run.
• The boot device is located, and the MBR (Master Boot Record) is loaded into memory, and locates the active partition boot sector, and loads it into memory.
• From the boot sector NTLDR is loaded into memory.

Boot Sequence

• NTLDR switches the processor from real mode into 32 bit flat memory mode.
• NTLDR starts the minifile system drivers, either FAT, FAT 32 (2000 only) or NTFS.
• NTLDR reads the BOOT.INI file, and displays the Boot Loader Menu. If you have a dual boot system and choose an OS other than Windows NT NTLDR will load BOOTSECT.DOS and pass control to it for booting.
• If Windows NT/2000 is selected, NTLDR will run NTDETECT.COM which scans the computers hardware and passes this information back to NTLDR.
• NTLDR then loads NTOSKRNL.EXE, HALL.DLL, and the SYSTEM hive.

Kernel Load Phase

• NTLDR starts NTOSKRNL.EXE
• The HAL (hardware abstraction layer) is loaded, which hides the physical hardware from applications.
• The SYSTEM hive, is loaded and scanned for device drivers, and services that should be loaded. These are organized into groups They are loaded into memory but not initialized yet, in the order in which they appear in the ServiceGroupOrder subkey of the registry.

Kernel Initialization Phase

In this phase the screen is blue, and initializes the kernel and the drivers that were loaded during the kernel load phase.

• The kernel is initialized.
• SYSTEM hive is scanned again to determine which drivers should be loaded, then they are initialized.

Services Load Phase

The services load phase starts the Session Manager SMSS.EXE. It will run the programs listed in its BootExecute Registry entry, as well as starting the required subsystems.

Win 32 Subsystem Start Phase

When the 32 Subsystem Starts it automatically starts WINLOGON.EXE which starts the Local Security Authority LSASS.EXE and displays Ctrl+Alt+Delete logon dialog.

Next the The Service Controller (Screg.exe) will check the Registry for services that are marked to load automatically and will load them.

User Logon

The Boot is not considered good until a user logs on successfully

Startup disk

You can create a start up disk during set up, or later by opening Add/Remove Programs in control panel, select Start Disk tab in both Windows 95/98.

Windows 95 Startup Disk

Files that are copied to the Windows 95 Startup Disk

• attrib.exe File attribute utility
• command.com Core operating system file
• drvspace.bin Disk compression utility
• ebd.sys Utility for the startup disk
• edit.com Text editor
• fdisk.exe Disk partition utility
• format.com Disk format utility
• io.sys Core operating system file
• msdos.sys Core operating system file
• regedit.exe Real-mode Registry Editor
• scandisk.exe Disk status and repair utility
• scandisk.ini Disk status utility configuration file
• sys.com System transfer utility

Windows 98 Startup Disk

You can also create the disk from the DOS command line.

• cd windows\command
• bootdisk a:

Startup disks created with previous versions of Windows are not compatible with Windows 98.

The following items have been added to the Windows 98 Startup Disk, that were not included on Windows 95 Startup Disk.

• Startup Menu
• Real-Mode IDE CD-ROM support
• Real-Mode SCSI CD-ROM support
• Edb.cab file
• RAMDrive
• New extract command: Ext.exe

Contents of the Windows 98 Startup Disk

• Aspi2dos.sys Real-mode Adaptec CD-ROM driver.
• Aspi4dos.sys Real-mode Adaptec CD-ROM driver.
• Aspi8dos.sys Real-mode Adaptec CD-ROM driver.
• Aspi8u2dos.sys Real-mode Adaptec CD-ROM driver.
• Aspicd.sys Real-mode Adaptec CD-ROM driver.
• Autoexec.bat
• Btcdrom.sys Mylex/BusLogic CD-ROM driver.
• Btdosm.sys Mylex/BusLogic CD-ROM driver.
• Command.com
• Config.sys Loads the device drivers.
• Edb.cab Cabinet file containing extract utilities.
• Ebd.sys A file that identifies the disk as a Windows 98 startup disk.
• Extract to expand the Ebd.cab file.
• Fdisk.exe Disk partition tool.
• Findramd.exe Utility to find the RAM drive during startup.
• Flashpt.sys Mylex/BusLogic CD-ROM driver.
• Himem.sys XMS Memory Manager.
• Io.sys System boot file.
• Msdos.sys Boot option information.
• Mode.com Lets you change display parameters such as number columns.
• Oakcdrom.sys Generic device driver for ATAPI CD-ROM drives.
• Ramdrive.sys Creates a Ramdrive during startup.
• Readme.txt
• Setramd.bat Searches for first available drive to be a Ramdrive.
• Sys.com System transfer tool.

The Edb.cab file contains several utilities

• Attrib.exe Add or remove file attributes.
• Chkdsk.exe Simpler and smaller disk status tool.
• Debug.exe Debug utility.
• Edit.com Real-mode emergency text editor.
• Ext.exe File extract utility.
• Format.com Disk format tool.
• Help.bat Launches the readme.txt for the startup disk.
• Help.txt Text document with information for troubleshooting Windows 98 when it fails to set up correctly, third-party disk partitioning software, and diagnostic tools.
• Mscdex.exe Microsoft CD-ROM file extension for MS-DOS.
• Restart.com Restart your computer.
• Scandisk.exe Disk status tool.
• Scandisk.ini Disk status tool configuration file.
• Sys.com System transfer tool.
• Uninstal.exe Tool for removing Windows 98

Windows NT

To create setup disks

You will need four blank, formatted, 1.44-MB floppy disks. Label them Setup Disk One, Setup Disk Two, and Setup Boot Disk.

• Insert disk into the floppy disk drive
• Insert the Windows NT CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive
• From Windows 9x click Start, and then click Run
• Type cd drive:\i386\winnt /ox
• From Windows NT click Start, Type cd drive:\i386\winnt /ox
• Follow the screen prompts

Windows 2000

To create setup disks

You will need four blank, formatted, 1.44-MB floppy disks. Label them Setup Disk One, Setup Disk Two, Setup Disk Three, and Setup Disk Four

• Insert disk into the floppy disk drive
• Insert the Windows 2000 CD-ROM
• Click Start, and then click Run
• Type d:\bootdisk\makeboot a:
• Follow the screen prompts

You can also create these setup disks from the DOS command line.

Safe Mode

Windows automatically initiates Safe Mode if it detects that system startup failed , or if the registry is corrupted.

Safe Mode bypasses startup files, including the registry, Config.sys, Autoexec.bat, and the [Boot] and [386Enh] sections of System.ini, and provides you with access to the Windows configuration files. You can make any necessary configuration changes, and then restart Windows normally.

Windows in Safe Mode, only the mouse, keyboard, and standard VGA device drivers are loaded.

Safe Mode With Networking is not supported in Windows 98.

Safe Mode Command Prompt Only loads the Command.com and DoubleSpace or DriveSpace files (if present). It does not load Himem.sys, Ifshlp.sys, or Windows .

Step-by-Step Confirmation allows you to specify which commands and drivers the system should process by confirming each line of the startup files.

Safe Mode and Windows 2000

Options

• Safe Mode - Starts Windows 2000 using only basic files and drivers (mouse, except serial mice; monitor; keyboard; mass storage; base video; default system services; and no network connections).
• Safe mode with Networking - Starts Windows 2000 using only basic files and drivers, plus network connections.
• Safe Mode with Command Prompt - Starts Windows 2000 using only basic files and drivers. After logging on, the command prompt is displayed instead of the Windows desktop.
• Enable Boot Logging - Starts Windows 2000 while logging all the drivers and services that were loaded (or not loaded) by the system to a file. This file is called ntbtlog.txt and it is located in the windir directory. Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, and Safe Mode with Command Prompt add to the boot log a list of all the drivers and services that are loaded. The boot log is useful in determining the exact cause of system startup problems.
• Enable VGA Mode - Starts Windows 2000 using the basic VGA driver. The basic video driver is always used when you start Windows 2000 in Safe Mode (either Safe Mode, Safe Mode with Networking, or Safe Mode with Command Prompt).
• Last Known Good Configuration - Starts Windows 2000 using the registry information that Windows saved at the last shutdown. Use only in cases of incorrect configuration. Last known good configuration does not solve problems caused by corrupted or missing drivers or files. Also, any changes made since the last successful startup will be lost.
• Debugging Mode - Starts Windows 2000 while sending debug information through a serial cable to another computer.

MS-DOS mode

Order of execution for MS-DOS:

• IO.SYS
• MSDOS.SYS
• CONFIG.SYS
• COMMAND.COM
• AUTOEXEC.BAT

NTLDR (NT Loader), BOOT.INI

Ntldr is the operating system loader. Ntldr must be in the root directory. Boot.ini is the file that Ntldr reads in order to know what options and timeout to present.

Ntldr reads the boot.in file, and displays the the operating systems Boot Menu. If Windows NT/2000 is selected, NTLDR will run NTDETECT.COM.  If another OS is selected, NTLDR will load and run BOOTSECT.DOS, and pass control to it.

Boot.ini is a hidden, read-only text file stored in the root of the system partition.There are two sections to the boot.ini, boot loader section and operating systems section.

The boot loader section contains two parts.

• timeout = number
  • The number following timeout is the seconds that the boot menu will display before starting the boot proccess. The default is 30.
• default = option
  • After a time out, this option tells Ntldr which of the menu items to use to continue booting
• operating systems section contains a list of operating systems to boot. Which includes the path and a description for the OS's.

Files required to boot

Windows 95/98

Windows NT/2000

Creating emergency repair disk (ERD)

Windows 2000

• Open Backup
• On the Tools menu, click Create an Emergency Repair Disk
• Follow the instructions that appear on your screen

To restore your settings from the ERD, you need your Windows 2000 CD, the Windows 2000 Setup disks, and the ERD. During the restoration process.

2.4 Identify procedures for loading/adding and configuring application device drivers, and the necessary software for certain devices.

Windows 9x Plug and Play and Windows 2000

Plug and Play is an independent set of computer architecture specifications that hardware manufacturers use to produce computer devices that can be configured with no user intervention. When you install a device, you do not need to know its Plug and Play requirements, because they will be set automatically.

You can install hot-pluggable Plug and Play–compliant devices simply by plugging in the device. For other devices, such as Plug and Play Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) cards, you must plug in or install a device while the computer is off and then turn the computer back on to initialize the device.

Windows 98 detects the presence of a Plug and Play–compliant device. This is known as enumerating the device. After enumeration, the device driver can be configured and then loaded dynamically, requiring little or no user input. Certain buses (for example, peripheral component interconnect [PCI] and Universal Serial Bus [USB]) are also automatically enumerated; these buses take full advantage of Plug and Play capability.

You can add some Plug and Play functionality by adding Plug and Play–compliant devices on legacy computers. Therefore, it is best to add Plug and Play–compliant devices on legacy computers rather than adding non–Plug and Play devices. To be able to use all Plug and Play features, however, your system must also include one of the following:
 

• An Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) BIOS.
• A Plug and Play BIOS (for Plug and Play devices on the system board).
• The Plug and Play–compliant hardware devices (including buses).

Identify the procedures for installing and launching typical Windows and non-Windows applications.

Windows 9x simplifies installing Win32-based applications by providing an Add/Remove Programs option in Control Panel. When you install an application using this option, Windows 98 does the following:
 

• Searches specified drives for files named Install or Setup.
• If an application setup file uses a name other than Install or Setup, you can start setup by double-clicking the application setup file’s icon in My Computer.
• Adds to the registry such information about the application as which parameters to use to run the application and which files to delete when removing the application from the computer.

To install an MS-DOS-based application by running its Setup.exe file. When you install the application, Windows 9x copies information about the application from Apps.inf to the application’s program information file (PIF). If the application was installed under an earlier version of Windows, Setup automatically moves its settings to the new Apps.inf. If there is no information about the application in Apps.inf, Windows 9x uses default settings instead, or you can manually set the properties.

Procedures for set up and configuring Windows printing subsystem.

Install Printers in Windows 9x

Plug and Play

For Plug and Play–compliant printers, all you need to do is plug the printer cable into a port, make sure the printer is turned on, and start Windows 9x. The printer reports its device ID to Windows 9x, which searches INF files to find the ID that matches the values reported by the printer. If an exact match is found, Windows 9x automatically installs the correct printer support. If an exact match is not found, but a compatible printer driver is found, Windows 9x displays a dialog box showing that the printer was found and that a compatible printer driver is available. You can then provide a disk containing a Windows 9x printer driver that is an exact match or ask Windows 9x to install the compatible driver it has found.

Add Printer Wizard

The Add Printer Wizard leads you though the process of setting up and configuring a printer. The only difference between installing a network printer and a local printer with the Add Printer Wizard is that you must specify the path to the network printer or browse to find its network location.

Remote Installation Using Point and Print

Point and Print allows users to install a printer over a network by providing printer driver information. Users can point to the printer, by using the Add Printer Wizard and browsing to or typing the path of the print server. By typing the path of the print server in the Run dialog box on the Start menu. By opening the print server’s print queue using Network Neighborhood or Windows Explorer.

Vendors Disk

Yon can also set up printers using the drivers supplied with the set up disk, provided with the printer or downloaded from the vendors web site.

Setting Default printer

Right-click the icon for the printer you want to use as the default printer, and then click Set As Default. If there is a check mark next to this command, the printer is set as the default printer.

Installing/Spool setting

• Open printers folder, right-click a printer icon, and then click Properties
• Click the Details tab, and then click Spool Settings
• Select Spool print jobs so program finishes printing faster, and then click one of the following options
• Click Start printing after last page is spooled if you want the return-to-application time to be faster. This requires more disk space and increases the total print time. The second rendering does not start until the entire file is written to the EMF file, decreasing the amount of work performed on the computer as you print, but increasing the disk space, because the entire file has to be written before the second rendering starts.
• Click Start Printing After Page Is Spooled if you want the second rendering to take place simultaneously with the writing of the EMF file. This reduces the total print time and disk space required, but it increases the return-to-application time.

Network printing (with help of LAN admin.)

The following are considerations for printing on a network:

• To share a printer on either Microsoft or NetWare networks, the print server must be running a 32-bit, protected-mode client, and file and printer sharing services must be enabled.
• With Point and Print, users can install a network printer if the print server has been configured with the correct printer drivers. You need to designate which network servers will function as print servers and configure them to store Point and Print.