Installing and Configuring Operating Systems

Install Microsoft Windows
In this lesson, you will install and configure operating systems. The fundamental installation method is to install the operating system from scratch. In this topic, you will perform a fresh installation of Microsoft Windows.
Being able to perform a fresh installation of Windows can be important if you have built a custom computer system from scratch, if the system you purchased from a vendor did not have the correct system installed, or if you are completely redeploying existing hardware from one purpose to another. The skills and information in this topic will help you plan and perform a fresh installation properly whatever your technical and business requirements might be.
Windows System Requirements
Before installation, you must make sure that your hardware meets or exceeds the minimum requirements for the version of Windows you will install.
Mac OS System Requirements

The system requirements for Mac OS X Tiger are:

• ●  A Macintosh computer with a PowerPC G3, G4, or G5 processor.
  
• ●  Built-in FireWire support.
  
• ●  A built-in display or a display connected to an Apple-supplied video card supported by your computer.
  
• ●  A DVD drive for installation.
  
• ●  256 MB of RAM.
  
• ●  3 GB of available hard disk space minimum; 4 GB to install all developer tools.
  Linux System Requirements
  The hardware requirements for installing Linux will depend upon the distribution of Linux you choose. Linux is a portable operating system, and there are versions available for many differ- ent processor types, including Intel x86 and Pentium; Itanium; DEC Alpha; Sun Sparc; Motorola; and others. In general, a basic installation of Linux on a workstation might require as little as 16 or 32 MB of memory and 250 MB of disk space, but you might need several gigabytes of disk space for complete installations including all utilities.
  
  Hardware Compatibility
  
  You should check all your hardware to ensure that it is compatible with the version of Win- dows you plan to install. Microsoft tests and verifies hardware devices for different versions of Windows and maintains the results in the Windows Marketplace Tested Products List. For Windows XP Professional, you can also run the Microsoft Windows Upgrade Advisor from the product compact disc to generate compatibility reports.
  
  Macintosh Hardware Compatibility
  If your Macintosh computer meets the minimum requirements for Mac OS installation, the hardware should all be compatible with the operating system. You can verify that your hard- ware is supported by checking the list at http://www.apple.com/macosx/upgrade/ requirements.html.
  Linux Hardware Compatibility
  Because Linux is a portable operating system, it is compatible with a wide range of hardware. You will need to check with the vendor or provider of your Linux distribution to verify if your particular system hardware is supported by that distribution.
  One web resource you can use to research general Linux hardware support is the Linux Hard- ware Compatibility HOWTO site at www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Hardware-HOWTO. You can find additional Linux hardware compatibility lists at www.linux-drivers.org.
  Installation Methods
  You can choose any of several methods to install Windows operating systems.
  

  Installation Method
  Local installation source
  Network installation source
  

  Description
  You can launch the Setup program by booting the computer from a local installation CD-ROM.
  
  You can launch the Setup program by connecting to a shared network folder that contains the installation source files and running the installation program file manually. In this case, you will need another operating system with net- working capability already installed on the computer, or you will need bootable media such as a floppy disk, USB drive, or CD-ROM drive, with network connection software included. 
  

Installation Method
Unattended installation
System imaging

Description
You can automate an installation of Windows so that it requires limited or no user intervention. An unattended installation requires you to create an answer file, which is a text file that provides configuration information to the Windows Setup program. Microsoft provides a utility called the Setup Man- ager Wizard that can assist you in creating answer files as well as a batch file that includes the correct Setup command syntax. There are some advanced customization settings you can only implement by using unat- tended installation.
For general information about unattended installations, see the article “Over- view of Unattended Installation” at technet.microsoft.com.
A computer image is a file containing a sector-by-sector replica of a comput- er’s hard disk that can be replicated onto the hard disks of one or more other computers. The image contains the operating system software, such as Win- dows XP Professional, and also the applications, files, desktop settings, and user preferences from a single computer. Imaging provides a rapid way to deploy standardized computer installations. To use system imaging to install Windows, you will need:

• ●  A reference computer to provide a baseline configuration for other computers. The contents of the reference computer are stored in the com- puter image.
  
• ●  A third-party disk imaging application, such as PowerQuest Drive Image Pro or Symantec Ghost, to create the image itself.
  
• ●  A software distribution point to store the image. This can be a network share point, or removable media, such as a CD-ROM.
  
• ●  Target computers, the new or existing computers on which you deploy an image. Target computers must have the same disk controller type and mass-storage device driver as the reference computer. For example, if the reference computer has a small computer system interface (SCSI) control- ler with a non-generic driver, then the target computer must have a SCSI controller and use the same driver.
  To use imaging to install Windows systems, follow the instructions in your drive imaging software’s documentation.
  
  Installation Options
  There are various options you can choose during Windows operating system installation.
  

  Option
  Disk and file system preparation
  Regional and date and time settings
  Computer name Network configuration
  Workgroup or domain membership
  Internet connection method
  Local user accounts
  

  Description
  You can set up and format one or more disk partitions during installation. If you make an entire disk one partition, you cannot repartition the disk later without either reinstalling the operating system or using a third-party tool. NTFS is the recommended Windows file system because it is well-suited to today’s large partition sizes and provides security and enables file compres- sion and encryption.
  You can set the date and time for your locale and select the appropriate regional settings, such as the appropriate local display format for currency.
  You can give the computer a descriptive name of up to 15 characters. The Setup program might suggest a default name for you.
  You can decide how you want to configure networking settings for the computer. You can accept a Typical configuration or you can configure Cus- tom settings that are appropriate to your environment.
  Domains and workgroups are two different organizational and security models for Windows networking. Domains require a specially-configured Windows Server computer called a domain controller and are most often used in corpo- rate environments with centralized administration. Workgroups are unstructured named collections of individual computers and are usually deployed in homes and small offices.
  You can indicate whether the computer will connect to the Internet using the local network connection or if it will connect to an account from an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
  For Windows XP, if you are installing into a workgroup, you can create local user accounts during installation. You can create additional local users and groups after installation.
  For Windows 2000, if you are installing into a workgroup, you can set logon options for local users. You can configure the system to require each user to log on individually, or you can configure it to log on automatically as a spe- cific user whenever the computer boots.
  

  

  Default Administrator Account
  
  In addition to the local user accounts you create during or after installation, there is a default user account named Administrator on all Windows XP and Windows 2000 systems. If you are installing Windows XP Professional or Windows 2000 Professional, you can assign this default account a password during the installation process. On all Windows systems, you can use this account to log on and administer the system if there is not another suitable administrative account available.
  
  Windows Update
  
  After you have installed Windows, you should obtain the latest updates for that version from Microsoft Windows Update website. The appearance and functionality of the website will be customized for the particular version of Windows you are using, but the updates will fall gen- erally into one of three categories: critical updates, including Service Packs and security- related system patches; optional software updates that provide new tools and functionality; and optional hardware updates such as new device drivers.
  
  Service Packs and Patches
  Patches are targeted operating system updates that Microsoft releases on an as-needed basis to provide enhancements to the operating system or to address security or performance issues. Service Packs are comprehensive updates that generally include all prior patches and updates, but which can also include important new features and functions.
  Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA)
  
  Every time you access the Microsoft site, it goes through a process of validating your installation. If Microsoft deems the install to be invalid, you will not be able to proceed with updates and will be instructed to contact Microsoft.