Chapter 1 Installing a Windows Desktop Operating System MICROSOFT EXAM OBJECTIVES COVERED IN THIS CHAPTER: Perform and troubleshoot an attended installation of a Windows XP operating system. Answer end-user questions related to performing an attended installation of a Windows XP operating system. Troubleshoot and complete installations in which an installation does not start. Tasks include configuring the device boot order and ascertaining probable cause of the failure to start. Troubleshoot and complete installations in which an installation fails to complete. Tasks include reviewing setup log files and providing needed files. Perform postinstallation configuration. Tasks include customizing installations for individual users and applying service packs. Perform and troubleshoot an unattended installation of a Windows desktop operating system. Answer end-user questions related to performing an unattended installation of a Windows XP operating system. Tasks include starting an installation, answering questions asked by an end user during an installation, and performing postinstallation tasks. Configure a PC to boot to a network device and start installation of a Windows XP operating system. Tasks include configuring PXE-compliant network cards. Perform an installation by using unattended installation files. 4352.book Page 3 Friday, August 6, 2004 11:14 PMReproduced from the book MCDST: Microsoft Certified Desktop SupportTechnician Study Guide: Exams 70-271 and 70-272. Copyright 2004,Sybex. Reproduced by permission of Sybex,. 111 River Street, Hoboken,NJ 07030-5774. Written permission from Sybex is required for all other uses Upgrade from a previous version of Windows. Answer end-user questions related to upgrading from a previous version of Windows. Considerations include available upgrade paths and methods for transferring user state data. Verify hardware compatibility for upgrade. Considerations include minimum hardware and system resource requirements. Verify application compatibility for upgrade. Tasks include ascertaining which applications can and cannot run, and using the application compatibility tools. Migrate user state data from an existing PC to a new PC. Install a second instance of an operating system on a computer. 4352.book Page 4 Friday, August 6, 2004 11:14 PMA desktop support technician must have expert knowledge of the hardware and software components involved in installing an operating system and of how they work together at each stage of the installation process. This is because understanding how an operating system is installed is the first step toward understanding how to troubleshoot a failed installation. Your ability to quickly troubleshoot and repair a failed installation will be a key to keeping your customer (the end user) productive and happy.In this chapter, we will discuss the major types of operating system installations, the com-ponents involved in each of them, and how to quickly troubleshoot and repair a failed instal-lation. There are four main types of operating system installations: Attended An attended installation consists of a user or an administrator acquiring the oper-ating system software from a CD/DVD or a shared network source and beginning the installa-tion. In this case, the user or administrator monitors the entire installation, answering questions and filling in information where appropriate. This is sometimes referred to as “baby-sitting” the installation. This method takes a tremendous amount of time and may not be the best alterna-tive when many installations must be performed. Unattended One type of unattended installation makes use of special files called answer files and uniqueness database files to automate the installation of the operating system. Although it takes time and effort to create these files, it’s well worth it in the long run if you are installing an operating system on many computers. This method not only saves time but can also increase the consistency of the options and settings that are applied to the computers, since the answer file provides the answers to each of the computers. The relationship of the answer files to the uniqueness database files is a key element in this type of installation.Another type of unattended installation uses a Remote Installation Services (RIS) server that is installed and configured by the network administrator. With a properly configured RIS server, you can install new client operating systems through the network with the push of a button. Upgrade An upgrade installation is performed on a computer that currently has a Windows operating system installed and functional. The purpose of the upgrade is generally to take advantage of new features and functionality that the newer operating system offers by replacing the older operating system with the newer one. A chief concern in an upgrade installation is the compatibility of the current hardware and application software with the proposed new operat-ing system. Users are also primarily concerned that their settings and documents will be left intact. One disadvantage of an upgrade versus a new installation is that an upgrade might inad-vertently bring in software bugs that would have been fixed completely with a new installation. You should consider this issue when you are deciding whether to upgrade or perform a com-plete new installation. 4352.book Page 5 Friday, August 6, 2004 11:14 PM6 Chapter 1 Installing a Windows Desktop Operating System Multiboot Like an upgrade, a multiboot installation is also performed on a computer that currently has a Windows operating system installed and functional. The difference between a multiboot and an upgrade is that the purpose of multiboot installation is to create other func-tional Windows operating systems on the same computer. Once a multiboot installation is suc-cessfully performed, a user will be able to choose which operating system to boot to at startup. The keys to creating a successful multiboot installation are the order in which the operating sys-tems are installed and the capability to install the second operating system without disturbing the first operating system.The rest of this chapter discusses the procedures and components involved with each major type of installation and their relation to troubleshooting a failed installation. Performing and Troubleshooting an Attended Installation of