Chapter 4 - Running Setup for Windows 2000 Server

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This chapter explains how to set up a Windows® 2000 Server. Before reading this chapter or running Setup, be sure to read Chapter 3, Planning Your Windows 2000 Server Installation. After planning your installation and making the decisions outlined in Chapter 3, you will be prepared to fill in the Setup dialog boxes and to begin to use the Configure Your Server program. Setup and Configure Your Server work together to help you get your servers up and running as easily as possible.

On This Page

Preparing Your System for an Upgrade
Preparing Your System for a New Installation
Starting Windows 2000 Setup
Planning for Unattended Setup
Entering Server Settings for a New Installation
Configuring Your Server

Sections to read if you are upgrading

Preparing Your System for an Upgrade

Starting Windows 2000 Setup for an Upgrade

Sections to read if you are performing a new installation

Preparing Your System for a New Installation

Starting Windows 2000 Setup for a New Installation

Entering Server Settings for a New Installation

Configuring Your Server

Preparing Your System for an Upgrade

There are a number of basic steps to take in preparing your system for upgrading to Windows 2000 Server: backing up files, uncompressing drives, disabling disk mirroring, disconnecting uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices, and reviewing the applications on your computer.

Backing Up Files

Before upgrading, it is recommended that you back up your current files. You can back up files to a disk, a tape drive, or another computer on your network.

Uncompressing the Drive

Uncompress any DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes before upgrading to Windows 2000. Do not upgrade to Windows 2000 on a compressed drive unless the drive was compressed with the NTFS file system compression feature.

Disabling Disk Mirroring

Before upgrading, if you have disk mirroring installed on your target computer, disable it before running Setup. You can re-enable disk mirroring after completing the installation.

Disconnecting UPS Devices

If you have an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to your target computer, disconnect the connecting serial cable before running Setup. Windows 2000 Setup attempts to automatically detect devices connected to serial ports, and UPS equipment can cause problems with the detection process.

Reviewing Applications

Before starting the Windows 2000 Server Setup program, be sure to read the applications section of Readme.doc (in the root directory of the Windows 2000 Server CD-ROM). Look for information regarding applications that need to be disabled or removed before running Setup.

For the most recent information on compatible and certified applications for Microsoft Windows 2000, see the Directory of Windows 2000 Applications Web site:

https://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techinfo/planning/default.asp

You can search this site for information on current applications and on applications specifically designed for Windows 2000.

Preparing Your System for a New Installation

There are a number of basic steps to take in preparing your system for a new installation of Windows 2000 Server: backing up files, uncompressing drives, disabling disk mirroring, and disconnecting uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices.

Backing Up Files

Before you perform a new installation of Windows 2000 Server, it is recommended that you back up your current files, unless the computer has no files, or the current operating system files have been damaged. You can back up files to a disk, a tape drive, or another computer on your network.

Uncompressing the Drive

Uncompress any DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes before installing Windows 2000. Do not install Windows 2000 on a compressed drive unless the drive was compressed with the NTFS file system compression feature.

Disabling Disk Mirroring

Before performing a new installation, if you have disk mirroring installed on your target computer, disable it before running Setup. You can re-enable disk mirroring after completing the installation.

Disconnecting UPS Devices

If you have an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to your target computer, disconnect the connecting serial cable before running Setup. Windows 2000 Setup attempts to automatically detect devices connected to serial ports, and UPS equipment can cause problems with the detection process.

Starting Windows 2000 Setup

How you start Setup depends on whether you are upgrading or performing a new installation, as described in the following sections. Setup works in several stages, prompting for information, copying files, and restarting. It might restart two or three times, depending on how Setup was started. Setup concludes with the Configure Your Server screen, which you can use to adjust the configuration for your specific needs. Full online Help is available when Configure Your Server appears (you can display Learn More items from Configure Your Server, or you can display Windows 2000 Help by clicking Start, and then clicking Help).

For important information that will help you make the initial choices offered by Setup, see Chapter 3, Planning Your Windows 2000 Server Installation. For information about unattended Setup and other options available when starting Setup, see Planning for Unattended Setup later in this chapter.

Providing a Mass Storage Driver or a HAL File

If you have a mass storage controller that requires a driver supplied by the manufacturer, or if you have a custom Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) file supplied by the manufacturer, you will need to provide the appropriate driver file or HAL file during Setup.

Providing a Mass Storage Driver During Setup

If you have a mass storage controller (such as a SCSI, RAID, or Fibre Channel adapter) for your hard disk, make sure the controller is on the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) that was released with the software, that is, Hcl.txt in the Support folder on the Windows 2000 Server CD-ROM. This file (as contrasted with the updated HCL at https://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx) lists only the devices for which drivers are included on the Windows 2000 Server CD-ROM. If your controller is not listed in the HCL on the CD-ROM, but the manufacturer has supplied a separate driver file for use with Windows 2000, locate the floppy disk containing the file before beginning Setup. During the early part of Setup, a line at the bottom of the screen will prompt you to press F6. Further prompts will guide you in supplying the driver file to Setup so that it can gain access to the mass storage controller.

If you are not sure if your mass storage controller is supported, you can try running Setup. If the controller is not supported, an error message will indicate a problem with an inaccessible boot device.

Using a Custom Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) File

If you have a custom Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) file supplied by your computer manufacturer, before beginning Setup, locate the floppy disk or other medium containing the file. During the early part of Setup, a line at the bottom of the screen will prompt you to press F6: at this time press F5 (not F6). After you press F5, follow the prompts provided. This will allow you to include your HAL file in the Setup process.

Starting Windows 2000 Setup for an Upgrade

If you are upgrading to Windows 2000, you can start Setup from the CD-ROM or from a network. For information about the versions of Windows NT from which you can upgrade, see the section about upgrading in Chapter 3, Planning Your Windows 2000 Server Installation.

For information about starting Setup for a new installation, see Starting Windows 2000 Setup for a New Installation later in this chapter. For information about unattended Setup and other options available when starting Setup, see Planning for Unattended Setup later in this chapter.

To start an upgrade from the CD-ROM 

  1. Insert the CD-ROM in the drive, and wait for Setup to display a dialog box.

  2. Follow the Setup instructions.

To start an upgrade from a network 

  1. On a network server, share the installation files, either by inserting the CD-ROM and sharing the CD-ROM drive, or by copying the files from the I386 folder on the CD-ROM to a shared folder.

  2. On the computer on which you want to install Windows 2000, connect to the shared Setup files:

    • If you are sharing the CD-ROM drive, connect to the shared drive and change to the I386 folder.

    • If you are sharing a folder, connect to that folder.

  3. Run Winnt32.exe.

  4. Follow the Setup instructions.

Starting Windows 2000 Setup for a New Installation

The sections that follow, Starting a New Installation from a CD-ROM and Starting a New Installation from a Network, tell how to start Setup for a new installation. For information about starting Setup for an upgrade, see the previous section. For information about the differences between an upgrade and a new installation, see Chapter 3, Planning Your Windows 2000 Server Installation.

For information about unattended Setup and other options available when starting Setup, see Planning for Unattended Setup later in this chapter.

Starting a New Installation from a CD-ROM

If you use the Microsoft Windows 2000 CD-ROM for running Setup, you have several options for starting Setup.

Note If you are running Setup on a computer running Windows 3.x or MS-DOS, for best efficiency, use disk caching. Otherwise the Setup process (started from Winnt.exe) could take a long time. The usual way to enable disk caching on a computer running Windows 3.x or MS-DOS is to use SMARTDrive. For information about SMARTDrive, see the documentation for WINDOWS 3.x or MS-DOS.

To start Setup from the CD-ROM on a computer running MS-DOS 

  1. Insert the CD-ROM in the drive.

  2. At the command prompt, type

    d**:** 

    where d is the drive letter of the CD-ROM drive.

  3. Type

    cd i386 

  4. Type

    winnt 

  5. Follow the Setup instructions.

To start Setup from the CD-ROM on a computer running Windows 3.x 

  1. Using File Manager, change to the CD-ROM drive.

  2. Change to the I386 folder.

  3. Double-click Winnt.exe.

  4. Follow the Setup instructions.

To start Setup from the CD-ROM on a computer running Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 3.51 or 4.0, or Windows 2000 

  1. Insert the CD-ROM in the drive, and wait for Setup to display a dialog box.

  2. Follow the Setup instructions.

Another way of using the CD-ROM requires that your computer be able to start from the CD-ROM. This method applies only if you want to perform a new installation, not an upgrade. Using this method, you can perform an installation on a computer that does not have an operating system, although you can also use this method on computers that have operating systems.

To start Setup and perform a new installation by starting the computer from the CD-ROM 

  1. With the computer turned off, insert the CD-ROM in the drive.

  2. Start the computer and wait for Setup to display a dialog box.

  3. Follow the Setup instructions.

Starting a New Installation from a Network

To install Windows 2000 from a network, you share the files either directly from the CD-ROM or copy them to a shared folder. Then you start the appropriate program to run Setup.

To install Windows 2000 from a network 

  1. On a network server, share the installation files, either by inserting the CD-ROM and sharing the CD-ROM drive, or by copying the files from the I386 folder on the CD-ROM to a shared folder.

  2. On the computer on which you want to install Windows 2000, connect to the shared Setup files:

    • If you are sharing the CD-ROM drive, connect to the shared drive and change to the I386 folder.

    • If you are sharing a folder, connect to that folder.

  3. Find and run the appropriate file on the I386 folder of the CD-ROM or in the shared folder:

    • From a computer running MS-DOS or Windows 3.x, run Winnt.exe.

    • From a computer running Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 3.51, Windows NT 4.0, or a version of Windows 2000, run Winnt32.exe.

  4. Follow the Setup instructions.

Starting a New Installation from Floppy Disks

The following method applies only if you want to perform a new installation, not an upgrade. Using this method, you can perform an installation on a computer that does not have an operating system, although you can also use this method on computers that have operating systems.

To start Setup for a new installation by starting the computer from floppy disks 

  1. Locate both the Windows 2000 Setup floppy disks and the Windows 2000 CD-ROM.

  2. With your computer turned off, insert the first Setup disk into drive A of your computer.

  3. Turn on your computer.

  4. Follow the Setup instructions.

You can create a set of floppy disks by using the Makeboot utility in the Bootdisk folder of the Windows 2000 Setup CD-ROM. You can create the Setup disks from a computer running any version of Windows or MS-DOS.

You will need four blank, formatted, 3.5-inch, 1.44-MB floppy disks. Label them Setup Disk One, Setup Disk Two, Setup Disk Three, and Setup Disk Four.

To create Setup disks 

  1. Insert a blank, formatted, 3.5-inch, 1.44-MB disk into the floppy disk drive.

  2. Insert the Windows 2000 CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive.

  3. Click Start, and then click Run.

  4. In the Open box, type d:\bootdisk\makeboot a: (where d: is the drive letter assigned to your CD-ROM drive), and then click OK.

  5. Follow the screen prompts.

Planning for Unattended Setup

This section provides general information about unattended Setup. For detailed instructions on running unattended Setup (also called automated installation), see the Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit, Deployment Planning Guide.

To simplify the process of setting up Windows 2000 on multiple computers, you can run Setup unattended. To do this, you create and use an answer file, a customized script that answers the Setup questions automatically. Then you run Setup from the command line with the appropriate options for unattended Setup.

The command used for starting unattended Setup is the same as for interactive Setup:

  • For starting unattended Setup on a computer running MS-DOS or Windows 3.x, use Winnt.exe (with appropriate options).

  • For starting unattended Setup on a computer running Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95, or Windows 98, use Winnt32.exe (with appropriate options).

To learn about unattended Setup, see the following sources:

  • For detailed instructions on running unattended Setup (also called automated installation), see the Windows 2000 Server Resource Kit, Deployment Planning Guide.

  • To view the command options available for Winnt.exe, on a computer running Windows 3.x or MS-DOS, insert the Windows 2000 Setup CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive and display the command prompt. Then change to the CD-ROM drive, change to the I386 directory, and type

    winnt /?

  • To view the command options available for Winnt32.exe, on a computer running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT, insert the Windows 2000 Setup CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive and display the command prompt (click Start, click Run, and then type cmd). Then change to the CD-ROM drive, change to the I386 directory, and type

    winnt32 /?

Entering Server Settings for a New Installation

If you are upgrading, you can skip this section, because Setup will use your previous settings.

After you start Setup, a process begins in which necessary Setup files are copied to the disk. During this process, Setup displays dialog boxes you can use to select various options. The system will restart two or three times, depending on your method of installation.

The following sections outline the items you will be specifying as you run Setup. Before working with these sections, see Chapter 3, Planning Your Windows 2000 Server Installation for important background information about issues such as partitions, file system choices, and the handling of TCP/IP name resolution. You can modify settings after running Setup by using Configure Your Server or other configuration tools.

Note If you have a mass storage controller (such as a SCSI, RAID, or Fibre Channel adapter) for your hard disk, see Providing a Mass Storage Driver During Setup earlier in this chapter.If you have specialized hardware requiring a custom Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) file supplied by your computer manufacturer, see Using a Custom Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) File earlier in this chapter.

Choosing or Creating a Partition for Windows 2000

During a new installation, a dialog box gives you the opportunity to create or specify a partition on which you want to install Windows 2000. You can create a partition from the unpartitioned space available, specify an existing partition, or delete an existing partition to create more unpartitioned disk space for the Windows 2000 partition. If you specify any action that will cause information to be erased, you will be prompted to confirm your choice.

For more information, see the section on planning partitions for new installations in Chapter 3, Planning Your Windows 2000 Server Installation.

Important If you delete an existing partition, you will cause any data on that partition to be erased.Performing a new installation of Windows 2000 on a partition that contains another operating system will cause that operating system to be overwritten.

Selecting Regional Options

Use this screen to customize language, locale, and accessibility settings. You can set up Windows 2000 to use multiple languages and regional options.

Personalizing Windows 2000 Server

Enter your name and, optionally, your organization.

Choosing a Licensing Mode

If you are installing, select your client licensing mode. For information about licensing modes, see Chapter 3, Planning Your Windows 2000 Server Installation. If you are unsure which mode to use, choose Per server** **since you can change once from Per server to Per seat at no cost.

Entering Your Computer Name

Enter a computer name. The recommended length for most languages is 15 characters or less. For languages that require more storage space per character, such as Chinese, Japanese, and Korean, the recommended length is 7 characters or less.

It is recommended that you use only Internet-standard characters in the computer name. The standard characters are the numbers 0 to 9, uppercase and lowercase letters from A to Z, and the hyphen (-) character.

If you are using the Microsoft DNS Service on your network, you can use a wider variety of characters, including Unicode characters and other nonstandard characters such as the ampersand (&). Using nonstandard characters might impact the interoperability of non-Microsoft software on your network. For more information about DNS, see the sections about TCP/IP in Chapter 3, Planning Your Windows 2000 Server Installation.

The maximum length for a computer name is 63 bytes. If the name is longer than 15 bytes (15 characters in most languages, 7 characters in some), pre-Windows 2000 computers will recognize this computer by the first 15 bytes of the name only. In addition, there are additional configuration steps for a name longer than 15 bytes. For more information, in Windows 2000 Help, see Domain and account naming and Allow a computer to use a different DNS name. To display Help, after running Setup, click Start, and then click Help.

If this computer will be part of a domain, you must choose a computer name different from any other computer in the domain. If this computer will be part of a domain and will use more than one operating system, you must use a different computer name with each of the operating systems installed. For example, if the computer name is FileServerNT when it is started with Windows NT Server 4.0, it would need to have a different name, perhaps FileServer2000, when it is started with Windows 2000 Server. This requirement also applies for a computer that will start between two different installations of Windows 2000.

Setting the Administrator Account Password

The Windows 2000 Setup program creates a user account on your computer called Administrator that has administrative privileges for managing your computer's overall configuration. The Administrator account is intended for the person who manages this computer. For security reasons, it is recommended that you specify a password for the Administrator account. Leaving Administrator Password blank indicates no password for the account.

The password can have up to 127 characters. For the strongest system security, use a password of at least 7 characters, and use a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and other characters such as *, ?, or $.

Important For security reasons, it is recommended that you assign a strong password to the Administrator account.

The password you type in Confirm Password must exactly match the password you type in Administrator Password. Take special care to remember and protect your password. After Setup is completed, for best security, change the name of the Administrator account (it cannot be deleted) and keep a strong password on the account at all times. For more information about security and the privileges held by the Administrator account and the Administrators group, see Windows 2000 Help. (You can display Help after Setup is complete by clicking Start, and then clicking Help.)

Choosing Your Windows 2000 Server Components

You can choose among certain components that will make up your Windows 2000 Server installation. For information about determining which components you need, see Chapter 3, Planning Your Windows 2000 Server Installation. Components often needed on networks using TCP/IP include DHCP, DNS, and WINS. To choose these components, during Setup, in the Windows 2000 Components dialog box, choose Networking Services, click Details, and choose the component or components you need.

If you complete Setup and then decide you need other components, you can add the necessary components later. To do this, after running Setup, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs. The Add/Remove Windows Components option appears on the left.

Setting the Date and Time

Set the date, time, and time zone, and choose whether the system should automatically adjust for daylight saving time.

Specifying Networking Settings

You can specify networking information (for TCP/IP or other protocols) during Setup, or you can use typical settings and then make any necessary changes to your networking configuration after installation, by using Configure Your Server or other management tools. (For information about using protocols other than TCP/IP, read the documentation for your network adapter.)

Setup allows you three choices regarding IP addresses. For important background information about these choices, see the sections about TCP/IP in Chapter 3, Planning Your Windows 2000 Server Installation. To assign IP addresses, you can:

  • Use the Windows 2000 Server feature called Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) to automatically assign IP addresses. After finishing Setup, you can continue to use automatically-assigned addresses, or configure DHCP and/or static IP addresses. To display Help (which includes information about DHCP and static IP addresses), after running Setup, click Start, and then click Help.

  • Provide for IP addresses to be dynamically assigned in your domain, by installing and configuring DHCP on a server to which you assign a static IP address. If you are not familiar with DHCP or the possible choices for a static IP address and its associated subnet mask, it is recommended that you use APIPA, at least initially, as described in the previous paragraph.

  • Assign a static IP address to one or more servers. You must assign a server a static IP address if it will provide access to users on the Internet. For important information about obtaining an IP address, see the sections about TCP/IP in Chapter 3, Planning Your Windows 2000 Server Installation.

In addition, during Setup, you can provide the local server with the IP addresses of any DNS or WINS servers on your network.

To allow Windows 2000 Setup to assign or obtain an IP address 

  • In the Networking Settings dialog box in Setup, click Typical settings.

    Windows 2000 Setup checks to see if there is a DHCP server in your domain. If there is a DHCP server in your domain, the server provides the IP address. If there is no DHCP server in your domain, Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) assigns an IP address.

To specify a static local IP address and settings needed for DNS and WINS 

  1. In the Networking Settings dialog box in Setup, click Custom settings.

  2. In the Networking Components dialog box, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

  3. Click Properties.

  4. In the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box, click Use the following IP address.

  5. In IP address and Subnet mask, type the appropriate numbers (if appropriate, specify the Default gateway as well).

  6. Under Use the following DNS server addresses, type the address of a preferred DNS server and, optionally, an alternate DNS server.

    If the local server is the preferred or alternate DNS server, type the same IP address as assigned in the previous step.

  7. If you will use a WINS server, click Advanced, and then click the WINS tab of the Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog box to add the IP address of one or more WINS servers.

    If the local server is a WINS server, type the IP address assigned in step 5.

  8. Click OK in each dialog box, and continue with Setup.

Specifying the Workgroup or Domain Name

A domain is a grouping of accounts and network resources under a single domain name and administrative boundary. A workgroup is a more basic grouping, intended only to help users find such things as printers and shared folders within that group. You will need to choose between workgroup and domain, and then specify a name for your workgroup or domain. For more information, see Chapter 3, "Planning Your Windows 2000 Server Installation."

Configuring Your Server

When the Setup wizard completes the installation of Windows 2000, the computer restarts. Setup has now performed the basic installation. The Configure Your Server program, which will appear on the screen if you log on as the computers administrator, makes further configuration easy. At this point you can register your copy of Windows 2000 Server and configure your server.

Also at this point, you can start Windows 2000 Help by clicking Start, and then clicking Help. Use Windows 2000 Help and the Learn More items in Configure Your Server to guide you through the process of configuring your server.

If you have used Windows NT in the past, one of the features you might find useful in Windows 2000 Help is New ways to do familiar tasks, available from the initial Help page or through the Search tab in Help.

The following table provides details about the options available when you choose icons in Configure Your Server:

Icon

Name

Elements you can configure

 

Active Directory

User and group accounts and policies, server roles (in domains), permissions, and other elements that help you maintain security and track user information.

 

File Server

Shared folders and other shared network resources.

 

Print Server

Printers, printer queues, and other elements related to printing.

 

Web/Media Server

Web sites, multimedia sites, FTP sites, and other elements related to sharing information on an intranet or on the Internet. To use these services, you must install the appropriate components in Windows 2000 Server.

 

Networking

Network protocols, remote access, and routing. Includes DHCP and DNS (address and name-resolution services used with TCP/IP). Also includes a link to topics about WINS (another name-resolution service).

 

Application Server

Component Services and related support for applications distributed across a network; also includes Terminal Services.

 

Advanced

Resource Kit support tools and any optional components (such as Remote Installation Services) not installed during Windows 2000 Setup.

You can start Configure Your Server at any time by clicking Start, pointing to Programs, pointing to Administrative Tools, and then clicking Configure Your Server. Other configuration tools are also available from Administrative Tools.

For more information about any of the configuration options, you can display Windows 2000 Help by clicking Start, and then clicking Help.