Preinstallation Tasks Identify hardware requirements. Determine whether your hardware is on the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). Determine disk partitioning. Choose a file system. Determine whether your computer will join a workgroup or a domain. Complete a checklist.

Hardware Requirements

Hardware Compatibility List List of supported devices Tested drivers supplied for devices on HCL \Support\HCL.txt or http://www.microsoft.com

Disk Partitions Setup checks for an available partition. If the hard disk is unpartitioned, create and size the Microsoft Windows 2000 partition. If the hard disk has an existing partition that is large enough, you can use that existing partition. If the hard disk has an existing partition, you can delete it and create a suitable partition.

File Systems

Licensing Client Access License (CAL) Per Seat—CALs assigned to client computers Per Server—CALs assigned to a server

Domain or Workgroup Membership

Preinstallation Checklist Verify that components meet the minimum hardware requirements. Verify that all hardware is listed on the HCL. Verify that the hard disk has a minimum of 650 MB of free space. Select the appropriate file system. Determine the name of the domain or workgroup. For a domain, create or verify the computer account in the domain. Determine a password for the administrator account.

The Setup Program

Running the Setup Program Boot from the installation CD-ROM or from the first Setup boot disk.

Steps in Setup Program

Running Setup Wizard The Setup wizard is the GUI-based portion of Setup. The Setup wizard helps you customize information.

Installing Windows Networking Components Setup detects and configures any network adapter cards. Setup copies files to allow your computer to connect. You supply the name of the workgroup or domain. Setup installs and configures the Windows networking components.

Completing the Installation

Preparing for a Network Installation

Creating a Distribution Server Log on to the server as Administrator. Copy the files from the /i386 folder into a folder on the server. Share the folder with appropriate permissions.

Performing an Installation over the Network

Modifying the Setup Process Use switches to modify how Winnt.exe runs the Setup program. Use switches to modify how Winnt32.exe runs the Setup program.

Troubleshooting Windows 2000 Installations Windows 2000 provides troubleshooters, or troubleshooting wizards, to help you fix most problems.