2 © 2004, Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. IT Essentials I v. 3 Module 6 Windows NT/2000 Operating Systems

Module 6 Windows NT/2000 Operating Systems 6.1 – Windows 9x Contrasts 6.2 – System Tools 6.3 – Overview of the Installation Process 6.4 – Installing the Windows 2000 OS 6.5 – Special Installations

Windows 9x Contrasts

NTFS versus FAT Some of the biggest differences between operating systems are the Windows NT File System (NTFS) and File Allocation Table (FAT) file systems. Files are stored in clusters. The size of the clusters is determined by the size of the partitions made on the hard disk.

NTFS versus FAT The FAT32 file system was designed to support hard drives up to 2048 GB. The FAT32 file system also solved the problem of limited cluster size as well. This shows the utilization of disk space with different cluster sizes. This combined with the ability to recognize partitions larger than 2 GB made the FAT32 file system an obvious evolution of the DOS file system.

NTFS versus FAT The Windows NT File System (NTFS) was designed with the idea that the file system needs to be capable of managing global and enterprise level operating systems. NTFS supports all Windows NT/2000/XP operating systems. With NTFS, share rights can also be set that operate on shared folders in combination with file and folder permissions. FAT only supports share rights.

NTFS versus FAT The NTFS file system was designed so that it will be able to map disks up to sizes that will not even be seen in the next 20 years. High Performance File System (HPFS) is a seldom used and much more obscure type of file system. The OS/2 software that uses this file system is still in use today. HPFS used physical sectors. Overall system performance increased as a result of this file system but it lacked the necessary tools and security that NTFS would provide.

Security and Permissions File and directory permissions are used to specify which users and groups can gain access to files and folders and what they can do with the contents of the file or folder. Assigning permissions on files and directories is a means of providing security.

Security and Permissions Access Control List (ACL) is a tool that provides the administrator with a list of files that a user has access to as well as the type of access that they have been granted. For every file and folder in an NTFS volume there is an ACL. Another security feature included with the Windows 2000/XP operating systems is encryption. This provides administrators with the means to apply encryption to a file or folder that only the person who encrypted the file can view. Microsoft has included a compression tool that enables space to be saved by compressing files and folders.

Windows 2000 Boot Process The boot process for Windows 2000 is different from Windows 9x. The Windows 2000 boot process occurs in five stages: –The preboot sequence –The boot sequence –The kernel load –The kernel initialization –The logon process

Plug-and-Play and Drivers The goal of plug-and-play is to create a computer whose hardware and software work together to automatically configure devices and assign resources, while allowing for hardware changes and additions without the need for large-scale resource assignment tweaking. Device drivers are programs that tell the operating system how to control specific devices. They act as an interface between the operating system and the device, which allows them to recognize and communicate with each other.

System Tools

Administrative Tools The Administrative Tools utility is a powerful Windows NT/2000/XP System Tool that enables the administrator to control just about everything related to the local computer. From this utility, permission to log on to the computer can be controlled by creating Local User accounts. In the Windows 9x environment there is no such thing as a local user. Anyone who turns on the computer will have access to it. There is no way to keep track of who is using the computer or who is allowed to use the computer.

Administrative Tools The Disk Management utility allows the administrator to control and manipulate the computer hard drives. There are two types of disks that are available in Windows 2000 and XP, basic disks and dynamic disks.

Administrative Tools A basic disk is a physical disk that contains primary partitions, extended partitions, or logical drives. A basic disk can contain up to four primary partitions, or up to three primary partitions and one extended partition, for a maximum of four partitions.

Administrative Tools One of the main reasons to have a disk management tool is to use multidisk volumes. When using Dynamic Disk Storage, multidisk volumes are referred to as hard disk space. This is because the hard drives are no longer dealt with as if they were one complete disk divided by partitions, but rather as multidisk volumes.

Administrative Tools This shows the process of upgrading a basic disk to a dynamic disk –Open the Computer Management screen as shown –Expand the Storage folder and select Disk Management

Administrative Tools Right-click on disk that need to be upgraded The Upgrade to Dynamic Disk window displays as shown. Select the disk to upgrade as shown.

Administrative Tools Press Upgrade. Press OK to reboot and complete the dynamic disk upgrade. Once the system has rebooted, go to the Computer Management screen to confirm that the disk has been upgraded.

Administrative Tools There are close to 40 security options that are available to increase the effective security on a computer. One option is to set the number of days to prompt the user to change their password. Double-click on Prompt User to change password before expire.

Windows 2000 Registry The purpose of the registry is as a database of configuration settings in Windows 95/98/NT/2000. T The main component of the registry is the hardware installed on the computer. It is also includes device drivers, installed applications, and network adapter card settings. The registry contains a vast amount of data and is critical to how the system operates. There are six main components that access the registry and store data: –Device drivers, Setup programs, Setup programs, Windows NT kernel, NTDETECT.COM, Hardware profile

Windows 2000 Registry Navigating and editing the registry can be done manually using the REGEDT32.EXE. When this command is typed an interface will be displayed that will have the registry subtrees window allowing a search through all of the registry values.

Windows 2000 Registry HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG – Contains data on the active hardware profile that is selected during the boot process. This information is used to configure settings such as the device drivers to load and the display resolution to use. HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT – Contains software configuration data of all the software that is installed on the computer.

Windows 2000 Registry HKEY_CURRENT_USER – Contains data about the current user that is logged into the computer. Retrieves a copy of each user account that is used to log on to the computer and stores it in the registry. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE – Contains all configuration data for the local computer, including hardware and operating system data such as bus type, system memory, device drivers, and startup control data.

Startup Menu and Safe Mode One advanced startup feature that is available for troubleshooting purposes is Safe Mode startup. If the computer will not start normally, use the Safe Mode advanced startup option. Enter Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key during the operating system selection phase. This will display a screen with advanced options for booting Windows 2000.

The ERD and Recovery Console for Windows 2000 The emergency repair disk (ERD) allows the reinstallation of any service packs that were loaded since the original installation as well as copy files from the CD-ROM of the corrupted files on the hard disk.

The ERD and Recovery Console for Windows 2000 The Windows 2000 Recovery Console is a command line interface that can be used to perform a variety of troubleshooting and recovery tasks: –starting and stopping services –reading and writing data on a local drive (including drives that are formatted with the NTFS file system) –formatting hard disks. Once the Recovery Console is started, the commands from the command line can be used to remove, replace, or copy corrupt files.

Overview of the Installation Process

Differences Between Windows 2000 and 9x installation The installation process of Windows 9x and 2000 are different. These differences are because of the added security and file system feature that is present in the Windows 2000 operating system.

Hardware Requirements Windows 2000 is a much more robust operating system and has many more features than the 9x operating system. When installing one of the 9x operating systems, the hard drive must be partitioned with either the fdisk.exe utility or with a third party utility like Partition Magic. Windows 2000 provides an easy way to prepare the hard drive for OS installation. The administrator can take an unformatted, unpartitioned hard drive and begin installing Windows 2000.

Hardware Requirements Device drivers play an important role in any operating system whether it is Windows 9x or If the computer does not have the proper device drivers, the system will not run or sometimes will not even boot up. The main advantage that Windows 2000 has, when compared with Windows 9x, is the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL). The HAL is a library of hardware drivers that operate between the operating system and hardware that is installed on the system. The HAL enables Windows 2000 to work with many different types of processors from different manufactures.

Windows 2000 Features One option when installing Windows 2000 is whether to add the computer to a domain or workgroup. If the computer is to be added to the domain, an account will have to be made for the computer in the domain. Another important feature to keep in mind when doing Windows 2000 installations is the Client Access License (CAL).

Installing the Windows 2000 OS

Requirements for Installing Windows 2000 Microsoft has a tool call the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) that can be used before installing Windows 2000 to verify that the hardware will actually work with Windows HCL can be viewed by opening the HCL.TXT file in the Support folder on the Windows 2000 Professional CD-ROM.

Understanding the Steps in Windows 2000 Installation There are four main steps in the Windows 2000 installation process. The first step of the installation process begins by preparing the hard drive for the other stages of installation by copying the files that are needed to run the setup wizard. The Setup Wizard begins the installation process and installs the security features and configures the system devices.

Understanding the Steps in Windows 2000 Installation After gathering information about the computer, the Windows 2000 setup program automatically installs the network software. Once the networking components have been installed, the Setup wizard copies additional files to configure Windows 2000 Professional. The Setup program continues with the last step in the installation process.

Windows 2000 Setup Options The Portable installation installs the options that might be needed with a portable computer. The Compact installation is used when installing Windows 2000 on a computer with a limited amount of hard drive space. The Custom installation is used if customized selections for the device configurations are needed.

Special Installations

Upgrading from Windows NT Workstation 4 to Windows 2000 While doing the upgrade, computers that are still waiting for their upgrade and are running Windows NT 4.0 will be able to connect and communicate with the Windows 2000 computers. During the upgrade process the Windows 2000 setup utility will replace the existing files with Windows 2000 files. It should be verified that the computers meet the hardware compatibility requirements in order to upgrade directly to Windows Cover the 11 step upgrade process.

Upgrading Windows 9x with Windows 2000 The process for upgrading Windows 9x to Windows 2000 is similar to the process of upgrading Windows NT 4.0 to The hardware compatibility list tool should be used to make sure the computers that are to be upgraded will work with the Windows 2000 operating system.

Dual Boot Windows 9x/ Windows NT 4/Windows2000 Windows 2000 can be set up to dual boot with Windows 98 operating systems. To dual boot the system, do a fresh install of Windows 98 before installing Windows If the system is set up as dual boot, none of the applications that are installed in the other operating system partition can be used. Microsoft recommends that if the computer is set up to dual boot with Windows 98 and 2000, both partitions be formatted with the FAT file system.