1. MCDST 70-271: Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System Chapter 2: Attended and Unattended Installations and Troubleshooting

2. Guide to MCDST 70-2712 Objectives Understand how to perform an attended install of Windows XP Professional Troubleshoot attended installation issues Work with important setup and advanced installation options

3. Guide to MCDST 70-2713 Objectives (continued) Troubleshoot unattended installation issues Work with WINNT and WINNT32 Understand service packs and hot fixes

4. Guide to MCDST 70-2714 Windows XP Professional Setup: Step by Step Assumptions –Your computer’s hardware is Hardware Compatibility List (HCL)-compliant –Your computer has no pre-existing operating systems installed –You have the six setup floppies

5. Guide to MCDST 70-2715 Windows XP Professional Setup: Step by Step (continued) Assumptions (continued) –You will select the default or typical settings for this installation –You will be a member of an existing domain –The connecting network offers Internet access to clients

6. Guide to MCDST 70-2716 Troubleshooting Installation Problems Troubleshooting―best practices 1.Determine what has changed or what is different about environment, system, or situation 2.Eliminate unlikely or impossible causes to leave only likely and probable causes 3.Identify and implement a solution based on identified causes

7. Guide to MCDST 70-2717 Troubleshooting Installation Problems (continued) Troubleshooting―best practices (continued) 4.Test the solution for completeness 5.Remove or rollback unsuccessful solutions 6.Repeat Steps 3 through 5 as needed

8. Guide to MCDST 70-2718 Troubleshooting Installation Problems (continued) Installation errors –GUI setup freeze –Media errors –Domain controller communication difficulties –Stop message errors or halting on the blue screen –Hardware problems

9. Guide to MCDST 70-2719 Using Log Files Log files that can be examined for clues regarding cause of installation failures –setuplog.txt and setupapi.log –Setuperr.log –setupact.log –PNPlog.txt

10. Guide to MCDST 70-27110 Working with HAL Any changes to core hardware components of your computer may require you to repair or replace your hardware access list (HAL) Actions that may cause HAL to no longer function properly: –Installing additional CPUs –Replacing the motherboard –Upgrading the motherboard’s BIOS –Changing the type of physical RAM installed –Reconfiguring the motherboard (via CMOS)

11. Guide to MCDST 70-27111 Working with HAL (continued) If there is significant alteration, a STOP error occurs –To recover, start the system from the Windows XP Professional CD and select Repair the Installation

12. Guide to MCDST 70-27112 Using the Upgrade Installation Upgrade installation may be performed if any of the following is true –System responds poorly to other troubleshooting techniques –It is not possible to boot into Safe Mode –Malfunctioning driver or software upgrade cannot be removed –Registry is corrupted –There has been a significant change to core hardware components

13. Guide to MCDST 70-27113 Last Resort―Restarting the Installation Process If troubleshooting efforts fail or you don’t have time to pursue other options, easiest way to repair a system is to restart the entire installation process –Re-verify that hardware is compatible –Perform a clean install of Windows XP

14. Guide to MCDST 70-27114 Last Resort―Restarting the Installation Process (continued) Keep in mind, this activity will result in complete and total loss of all configuration settings and any installed applications If the host partition is destroyed or re-formatted, any personal data stored there will be lost as well

15. Guide to MCDST 70-27115 Unattended, Advanced, and Customized Installation Options Answer file –Used to provide the responses to all the setup prompts Unattended Installations –Often preferred in multiple installations –To initiate, execute WINNT with the /U and /S options, or WINNT32 with the /UNATTEND and /S options

16. Guide to MCDST 70-27116 Using the Setup Manager Wizard Tool used to create UNATTEND.TXT files Available through the Windows XP Professional Support Tools Setup Wizard Can create a variety of installation scripts once launched, including: –Uninstall scripts –SYSPREP installation scripts

17. Guide to MCDST 70-27117 Creating and Using UDFs Can create a UDF in a text editor such as EDIT or Notepad When finished, save UDF as a text file and store it on disk It’s often helpful to name UDFs for the people using them –Such files are likely to be customized for individuals

18. Guide to MCDST 70-27118 Using Remote Installation Service (RIS) Used to push installations over a network to a client Can install Windows XP on clients that have a DHCP PXE-based remote boot ROM Requires that DHCP, DNS, and Active Directory be present and active on a domain

19. Guide to MCDST 70-27119 Using Remote Installation Service (RIS) (continued) RIS can be used: –To install only the basic OS –For deployment of systems that have necessary applications installed and critical settings configured Remote Installation Preparation (RIPrep) –Utility used to create RIS distributable images of a fully configured prototype computer

20. Guide to MCDST 70-27120 Using SYSPREP System duplication tool used to prepare a hard drive for duplication Useful when installing Windows XP onto multiple similar systems Enables Windows XP and installed applications to be deployed quickly on multiple computers

21. Guide to MCDST 70-27121 Using SYSPREP (continued) Can be used with these command-line parameters: –audit –quiet –nosidgen –pnp –reboot –forceshutdown

22. Guide to MCDST 70-27122 Troubleshooting Unattended Installations Answer files―problems –Setup routine is unable to access the answer file –Answer file contains errors Disk images installation failure due either to: –Failed disk image copy from the source to the destination system –Misconfiguration of the source system –Hardware issue on the destination system

23. Guide to MCDST 70-27123 RIS If failing –Check that PXE-compliant NIC is properly installed and connected to network –If a non-PXE NIC is used, be sure the RIS-boot disk is properly constructed –Verify that RIS client target is compliant with the minimum hardware requirements

24. Guide to MCDST 70-27124 WINNT AND WINNT32 WINNT –16-bit setup tool –Designed to be launched from DOS and operating systems that rely on DOS WINNT32 –32-bit setup tool –Designed to be launched from 32-bit operating systems –Designed for standard and automated installations

25. Guide to MCDST 70-27125 Applying Service Packs and Hot Fixes Service pack –Corrects, replaces, or hides the deficiencies of the original product, preceding service packs, or hot fixes Hot fix –Similar to a service pack –Addresses a single problem, or a small number of problems –May not be fully tested

26. Guide to MCDST 70-27126 Applying Service Packs and Hot Fixes (Continued) Points to remember –Service packs are cumulative –Make a backup of your system before applying any type of patch –Make sure you have retrieved a patch for the correct CPU type and language version –Always read the readme file and Knowledge Base documents

27. Guide to MCDST 70-27127 Applying Service Packs and Hot Fixes (Continued) Points to remember –Make a complete backup of the Registry –Export the disk configuration data from Disk Administrator –Disconnect all current users, exit all applications, and temporarily stop all unneeded services before installing any service pack or patch

28. Guide to MCDST 70-27128 Summary Troubleshooting installation problems includes handling GUI setup freezes, media errors, domain controller communication difficulties, STOP errors Unattended, advanced, and customized installation options include answer files, uniqueness, database files, SYSPREP

29. Guide to MCDST 70-27129 Summary (continued) Troubleshooting unattended installations includes correcting answer files, rebuilding disk images, re-configuring RIS The two setup command line tools are WINNT and WINNT32 Once Windows XP Professional is installed apply service packs, hot fixes, and other updates