SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
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Before you install Windows 2000 Server you should
ensure that your hardware meets the system requirements. These
may vary based on your system configuration and the edition
of Windows 2000 (i.e. Server,
Advanced Server, or Datacenter
Server)
| CPU |
133 MHz or higher processor
Symmetric Multiprocessing support |
| RAM |
128 MB minimum
supported
256 MB minimum recommended
4 GB maximum supported (8GB
maximum for Windows 2000 Advanced Server and 64 GB maximum
for Windows 2000 Datacenter Server) |
| Disk space |
2 GB with approximately 1 GB free space
available, 2 GB free space recommended. |
Other
requirements |
- NIC
- VGA-compatible or higher display adapter and monitor
- CD-ROM or DVD drive (not
required when installing over a network)
- Keyboard |
HCL
You should also ensure that you hardware is listed in the Hardware
Compatibility List, you can download the HCL in text file format
here.
When not all your hardware is on the HCL it does not necessarily
mean you cannot use it with Windows 2000, check the vendor's
web site if they have a 2000 driver for their device.
Multi-processor support
Windows 2000 Server supports Symmetric Multiprocessing with
a maximum of 4 CPUs.
Windows 2000 Advanced Server supports SMP with a maximum of
8 CPUs.
Windows 2000 Datacenter Server supports SMP with a maximum of
32 CPUs.
THE INSTALLATION
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A typical installation of Windows 2000 Server
from a CD-ROM consist of 4 stages described below:
1. Starting Setup Program
If your computer is able to boot from CD-rom, the easiest way
to start setup is to boot from the Windows 2000 Server installation
CD. During this stage, which is also known as the text-based
portion of setup, a mini Windows 2000 is loaded on the target
computer and starts the setup program. After accepting the license
agreement, setup prompts you to create or choose a partition
where Windows 2000 should be installed. If you choose to create
a new partition setup formats the new partition as either FAT32
or NTFS, depending on your choice.
If you need to install a third-party driver for the storage
device on which you want to install Windows 2000, you need press
F6 early in this stage when the corresponding message appears.
You will then be able to use a custom driver from a floppy disk.
If the target computer is not able to boot from CD-rom, or you
want more control over the setup process and parameters, you
can start setup manually using winnt32.exe or winnt.exe, both
described below. If you need to recreate the 4 Setup floppy
disks, use the makeboot utility located in
the Support folder on the Windows 2000 Server installation CD.
Winnt32.exe
Performs an installation of or upgrade to Windows 2000. You
can run winnt32.exe on Windows 9x, ME, NT, or 2000. The following
table lists and describes the available command-line parameters
for the winnt32.exe command:
| Parameter |
Purpose |
| /checkupgradeonly |
Checks your computer for upgrade compatibility
with Windows 2000. You can save the results in a file,
upgrade.txt in the system root by default. |
| /cmd:command_line |
Instructs Setup to carry out a specific
command before the final phase of Setup. This would occur
after your computer has restarted and after Setup has
collected the necessary configuration information, but
before Setup is complete. |
| /cmdcons |
Adds the Recovery Console to the startup
options. This option can only be used when Windows 2000
is already installed. |
| /copydir:FolderName |
Creates an additional folder within
the folder in which the Windows 2000 files are installed.
For example use /copydir:i386\corpdrivers to have Setup
copy that folder to your newly installed computer, making
the new folder location systemroot\corpdrivers. Use /copydir
multiple times to create additional folders. |
| /copysource:FolderName
|
Creates a temporary additional folder
within the folder in which the Windows 2000 files are
installed and is deleted after Setup completes. For example
use /copysource:corpdrivers to have Setup copy that folder
to your newly installed computer, making the temporary
folder location systemroot\corpdrivers. Use /copysource
multiple times to create additional folders. |
| /debug[Level]:[FileName]
|
Creates a debug log at the level specified,
for example, /debug4:InstDbg.log. The default log file
is C:\systemroot\Winnt32.log, and the default debug level
is 2. Level 0 represents severe errors, 1 errors, 2 warnings,
3 information, and 4 detailed information for debugging. |
| /m:FolderName |
Instructs Setup to look for installation
files in this alternate location first, instead of using
the files from the default location. |
| /makelocalsource |
Instructs Setup to copy all installation
source files to your local hard disk. |
| /noreboot |
Instructs Setup to not restart the computer
after the file copy phase of Setup is completed so that
you can run another command. |
| /s:SourcePath |
Specifies the source location of the
Windows 2000 files. You can copy files simultaneously
from multiple servers, by using the /s:SourcePath option
multiple times (up to a maximum of eight) to specify different
source servers. |
| /syspart:DriveLetter |
Copies Setup startup files to the hard
disk and marks the disk as active. This disk can then
be installed into another computer. When you start that
computer, it automatically starts with the next phase
of Setup. You must always use the /tempdrive parameter
with the /syspart parameter. You can start Winnt32 with
the /syspart option on an x86-based computer running Windows
NT 4.0, 2000, or XP. The /syspart switch requires the
use of the /tempdrive switch. |
| /tempdrive:DriveLetter
|
Specifies a drive letter to place temporary
files. (note: for a clean installation, Windows 2000 will
also be installed on the specified partition.) |
| /unattend[num]:[answer_file] |
Specifies an
answer file for unattended installations, discussed in
detail below in "unattended installations"
Num is the number of seconds between the time that Setup
finishes copying the files and when it restarts your computer.
|
| /udf:id [,UDB_file] |
Specifies an UDB file for unattended
installations
Discussed below in "unattended installations" |
Winnt.exe
Performs an installation of or upgrade to Windows 2000. If you
have hardware that is compatible with Windows 2000, you can
run winnt.exe at a Windows 3.x or MS-DOS command prompt.
The following table lists and describes the available command-line
parameters for the winnt.exe command:
| Parameter |
Purpose |
| /s:SourcePath |
Specifies the source location of the
Windows 2000 files. The location must be a full path of
the form x:\[Path] or \\server\share[\Path]. |
| /t:TempDrive |
Directs Setup to place temporary files
on the specified drive and to install Windows 2000 on that
drive. If you do not specify a location, Setup attempts
to locate a drive for you. |
| /u:answer file |
Discussed below in "unattended
installation" |
| /udf:ID [,UDB_file]
|
Discussed below in "unattended
installation" |
| /r:folder |
Specifies an optional folder to be installed.
The folder remains after Setup finishes. |
| /rx:folder |
Specifies an optional folder to be
copied. The folder is deleted after Setup finishes. |
| /e:command |
Specifies a command to be carried out
just before the final phase of Setup. |
| /a |
Enables accessibility options. |
| /? |
Displays the parameters listed above. |
2. Setup Wizard
After Setup is started and the first stage of the installation
is complete, the computer is rebooted and the GUI portion, known
as the Setup Wizard, is started. This will start by prompting
you for Regional Settings to customize keyboard, language, and
locale settings. Information such as your Name and Organization,
Product Key, the Computer name, Administrator password and Time
and Date is also entered during this stage.
3. Installing Network components
The next stage is Installing Network components, which includes
detecting the NIC. Typically the following components are installed:
- Client for Microsoft Networks
- File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks
- TCP/IP protocol suite.
You must also choose to join a Domain or Workgroup during this
stage.
4. Completing the installation
During this final stage Setup copies the remaining files, configures
the computer, saves the settings, removes temporary installation
files and restarts the computer.
Distribution Share
Instead of installing from CD, you can also perform an installation
of Windows 2000 over the network. This means creating a network
share that contains the i386 folder from the Windows 2000 installation
CD, and running winnt.exe or winnt32.exe with the /s parameter
on the target computer to specify the network share.
If you want to install custom utils, drivers etc. create
an $OEM$ folder in the shared folder and place the appropriate
files you want to copy to the temp directory created during
stage 1 of setup. If you want to install any additional
files (for example, device drivers, programs, or component files),
create a $1 folder in the $OEM$ folder, this $1 folder maps
to %systemdrive% on the destination drive. For example,
you can also create an additional folder named Drivers in the
$1 folder that, in turn, contains
a NIC folder with drivers for the network adapter, in case of
an unattended installation, add the following entry to the answer
file, below the [Unattended] section:
OemPnPDriversPath = "Drivers\NIC"
UNATTANDED INSTALLATIONS
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There are several ways to perform an unattended
installation of Windows 2000. Unattended mean Setup will not
require any user input during the installation, although in
practice this is not always the case. But this allows you to
install multiple computers without actually sitting in front
of them.
Setup Manager
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The Setup Manager (setupmgr.exe) can be primarily
used to create or modify answer files. Once you start the Setup
Manager a wizard will take you through all the steps involved,
this is a bit similar to going through a regular Setup. Although
answer files can be created manually using a simple text editor,
the Setup Manager provides a graphical interface allowing you
to easily create complex answer files, with for example additional
commands which run other installation and configuration scripts
when setup is finished. Besides creating the default unattend.txt
answer files, you can also use the Setup Manager to create answer
files for Sysprep and RIS installations. When a regular unattend.txt
answer file is created you can also have Setup Manager create
a distribution folder with the installation files, additional
files (applications, drivers, etc.) can be installed in the
same folder.
The Setupmgr.exe file must be extracted from the DEPLOY.CAB
file located in the \Support\Tools folder on the 2000 installation
CD. Before you enter the the information (answers) you would
normally enter during the installation process, you have to
select the User Interaction Level. You can choose from 5 different
options:
| Provide
Defaults |
During the installation the user will
see the answers provided in the answer file as defaults,
the user can accept or change them. |
| Fully Automated |
Fully automated installation. |
| Hide Pages |
During the installation the user will
see the answers provided in the answer file as defaults.
Pages which answers are completely provided by the answer
file are hidden,the user cannot accept or change those.
|
| Read Only |
During the installation the user will
see the answers provided in the answer file as defaults,
but cannot change them. |
| GUI Attended |
This automates only the text-based stage
of the installation, the user will have to enter the answers
starting from the Setup Wizard. |
At some point during the wizard you need to
provide the computer name, if you specify multiple names Setup
Manager will also create Uniqueness Database (UDB) files. The
computer or user specific values in the .udf file can be used
to override the values provided in the answer file.
If you want to perform an unattended installation from the command
prompt on Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, or 2000, use Winnt32.exe,
otherwise use winnt.exe. For example to perform an unattended
installation on a computer named 2000client1 using unattend.txt
as the answer file and overriding some of the answers with 2000client1
specific values in the unnattend.udf file use the following
command
winnt32 /unattend:unattend.txt /udf:2000client1,unattend.udf
or
winnt /u:unattend.txt /udf:2000client1,unattend.udf
You can also use the /unattend parameter without specifying
an answer file to upgrade Windows 98, ME, NT 4.0, or 2000 in
unattended mode and take all user settings from the 'previous'
installation.
If you use the /udf parameter and do not specify an UDB_file,
Setup will prompt to insert a disk that contains the $Unique$.udb
file.
When you want to perform an unattended installation by booting
from a CD-ROM, you need to rename the answer file to winnt.sif
(default is unnattend.txt) and copy it to a floppy disk. When
Setup is started it looks for the winnt.sif file on the floppy
disk and uses it for the unattended installation.
Using answer files in combination with winnt32, winnt, or the
CD rom/winnt.sif combination is used for standardized deployment
of Windows 2000 Server in situations where the target clients
have many different hardware configurations.
Here's a sample part of an answer file:
[Data]
UnattendedInstall=Yes
MSDosInitiated=No
AutoPartition=1
[Unattended]
UnattendMode = FullUnattended
TargetPath = Win2000
FileSystem = LeaveAlone
OemPreinstall = No
OemSkipEula = Yes [GuiUnattended]
TimeZone = "YourTimeZone"
OemSkipWelcome = 1
OemSkipRegional = 1
[UserData]
ComputerName = *
ProductKey = "Your product key"
[SetupMgr]
ComputerName0=2000client1
ComputerName1=2000client2
[Display]
BitsPerPel = 16
XResolution = 800
YResolution = 600
VRefresh = 60
[Components]
iis_common = On
iis_inetmgr = Off
iis_www = Off
iis_ftp = Off
iis_doc = Off
Fp_extensions = On
Indexsrv_system = On
Accessopt = On
Calc = On
Charmap = On
Chat = Off
Clipbook = On
Deskpaper = On
Dialer = On
[Networking]
InstallDefaultComponents=Yes
[Identification]
JoinDomain = TEcorp.net
DomainAdmin = Administrator
DomainAdminPassword = XEkdf7834H
[Proxy]
HTTP_Proxy_Server = proxysrv12:80
Use_Same_Proxy = 1
[GuiRunOnce]
Command0=c:\task1.bat
Here's an example of a simple .udf
file, which can be used with the answer file above:
;SetupMgrTag
[UniqueIds]
1=UserData
2=UserData
[1:UserData]
ComputerName=2000server1
[2:UserData]
ComputerName=2000server2
System
Preparation Tool
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The System Preparation Tool (sysprep.exe) is
used to assist in performing a large deployment of Windows 2000
on clients with identical hardware configurations. This process
is fairly simple:
First Windows 2000 Server is installed and completely configured
on a master disk. Next an image of the client is created using
sysprep.exe, remember that only a single partition can be imaged.
This image can be duplicated to other disks using third-party
disk duplication software. A duplicate of the master disk is
placed in the target machine and when this computer boots a
mini-setup will be performed and a new SID is generated. You
can use the Setup Manager Wizard to create a mini-answer file
named sysprep.inf. This file must be placed in the Sysprep folder
on the root where Windows is installed or saved to a floppy
disk, and inserted at the beginning of Mini-Setup. (Click here
for more information about using Sysprep with sysprep.inf.)
The Sysprep.exe file must be extracted from the DEPLOY.CAB file
located in the \Support\Tools folder on the 2000 installation
CD and supports the following parameters:
| Parameter |
Purpose |
| pnp |
force Plug and Play enumeration on next
restart |
| quiet |
run in Silent mode, with no dialog boxes |
| nosidgen |
do not regenerate security ID on restart
(this is useful for creating a backup image of a client) |
| reboot |
automatically restart when the Sysprep.exe
tool is finished |
UPGRADING TO WINDOWS 2000
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If you are running NT 3.51 or NT 4 server,
you can upgrade directly to Windows 2000 and retain settings,
applications, groups, users and permissions.
If you want to upgrade from Windows NT 3.5 you need to upgrade
to Windows NT 3.51 or NT 4.0 first. Only
the Windows NT 4.0 Server Enterprise Edition can be upgraded
to Windows 2000 Advanced Server. If Windows NT 4.0 Terminal
Server services is installed it will be replaced by Windows
2000 Terminal Services.
Run winnt32.exe with the /checkupgrade only parameter to check
if the target machine meets the minimum system requirements.
You can save the results in a file, upgrade.txt in the system
root by default. The results will be stored in a file
named Winnt32.log. You can
also run the Chkupgrd.exe utility to produce the same results.
Windows 2000 cannot be upgraded
from a Network Distribution share, instead, copy the i386 folder
to local disk first and start Winnt32.exe from the hard disk.
SERVICE PACKS
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Once in a while Microsoft releases a Service Pack, a combination
of all previous updates and hot-fixes and some new ones. A service
pack is installed using the command:
update.exe
To uninstall a service pack, change to the %systemroot%\$NtservicepackUninstall$\spuninst
folder and type: spuninst.exe
If you install systems over the network using a distribution
share, you can update these original installation files to include
the Service Pack files by using a feature called slipstreaming:
update.exe -s:distributionshare
TROUBLESHOOTING INSTALLATIONS
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Installations of Windows 2000 Server can fail
partly or completely for many different reasons. Some common
causes and possible solutions are listed in the following table:
| Media errors |
Check/clean the CD-ROM drive and the
installation CD. |
| SCSI disk not detected |
Install the drivers by pressing F6 during
the text mode portion of setup. |
| Failure of dependency service
to start |
Verify network settings
(adapter and protocol details).
This is almost always network related. |
| Not able to connect to
a domain controller |
- Verify that the domain
name is correct.
- Verify that the
DNS server and the domain controller are online.
- Verify that the
network adapter card and protocol settings are set correctly.
- If you are reinstalling Windows 2000 and using the same
computer name, delete and then recreate the computer account.
- Or join a workgroup
first, to finish setup. |
Windows Setup creates several log files during the installation
listed in the following table:
| SETUPACT.LOG |
Keeps a record of all actions performed
during setup. |
| SETUPERR.LOG |
Keeps a record of errors that occurred
during setup and their severity. The information in this
file will be displayed at the end of setup if any errors
occurred. |
| %windir%\COMSETUP.LOG |
COM+ components |
| %windir%\SETUPAPI.LOG |
Keeps a record of each processed line
from an .inf file and related errors. |
| %windir%\debug\NETSETUP.LOG |
Logs the process of joining a domain
or workgroup. |
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