| Installation Objectives |
|
1. Comparing Windows 95, Windows NTW4, Windows NTS4
2. Installation Requirements and checklist
3. Dual Booting
4. Removing NT from a Dual Boot Environment
5. Upgrading to Windows NT
6. Installing Windows NT (including setup switches)
7. Network Client Administrator
8. Customized and Automated Windows NT Installations (UNATTEND.TXT, UDF, SYSDIFF)
9. Who says Windows NT isn't Plug and Play?
| Installation Requirements |
|
HCL
NT Hardware Qualifier Disk (NTHQ)
- Create NTHQ disk:
- NT CD-ROM in CD-ROM
- \Support\ Hqtools\ Makedisk.bat
- Using the NTHQ
- Insert NTHQ disk in computer you want to test and reboot
- Dialog = yes
- Dialog = yes
- NTHQ runs. May the force be with you.
MINIMUM (NOT RECOMMENDED) Hardware
Requirements for Running Windows NT.
- CISC - Intel based
- 486 / 33 MHz (or faster) or Pentium-based system
- 12 MB of memory (RAM) for NT Workstation
- 16 MB of memory (RAM for NT Server
- AT THE VERY, VERY LEAST, 16 MB of memory (Microsoft)
recommended for both
- 125 MB of available hard disk space for NT Server
- 110 MB of available hard disk space for NT Workstation
- 3.5 disk drive
- CD-ROM drive or access to a CD-ROM over a computer network
- VGA or higher-resolution display adapter
- Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
- Note: El Torito does not require the computer to have floppy
disk because you can start computer from a bootable compact disk.
- RISC-based
- Alpha AXP, MIPS R4x00 or PowerPC processor
- 16 MB of memory; 24 MB (Microsoft) recommended
- 160 MB of available hard disk space for NT Server
- 110 MB of available hard disk space for NT Workstation
- CD-ROM drive or access to a CD-ROM over a computer network
- VGA or higher-resolution display adapter
- Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device.
Disk
space varies according to cluster size. GET REAL: At a minimum: Pentium
chip, 32 MB RAM, 1 gig hard disk, CD-ROM (you can't really use an ERD without it), mouse,
etc.
(Checklist) Details to Collect BEFORE doing an NT
Installation
- Computer name The name of the computer.
- Domain (get a computer account or have account (with
rights to do so handy)) or Workgroup name Name of the domain or workgroup in
which this computer will participate.
- Type of Server the computer is going to be
- NT Server ONLY.
- Device configuration settings and DRIVERS.
The configuration settings AND DRIVERS for each device in your computer
- Partitions The number, order, and size of
partitions, Compatibility with DOS fdisk?! when dual booting, etc.
- Name of the NT directory Name of the main NT system
directory. Default is \WINNT.
- Protocols Which protocol(s) you want to use
as well as settings
- Licensing Serial Number.
- Administrator password Initial password for
the Administrator account on local machine.
| Dual Booting |
|
Considerations
- Install NON-NT Operating System first
- Can dual boot with Windows NT 3.51, Windows 95, WFW, Windows
3.x, or DOS, or OS/2
- OS/2: "NT can also be installed in a
multiboot configuration with other OSs, but ease of installation and operation will vary.
It is shipped with its own version of a boot manager. When NT is installed onto OS/2
machine, OS/2 boot manager is disabled in favor of the NT boot manager. You can revert to
the OS/2 boot manager by setting active the OS/2 boot manager partition through Disk
Administrator. If change is made, OS/2 boot manager will be displayed. If DOS or Windows
is selected, NT boot manager is displayed."
- NT 3.51 If the configurations using
Windows NT Workstation 3.51 and Windows NT Workstation 4.0 are members of the same domain,
they must have different computer names. Installation of Windows NT Workstation 4.0 must
be done interactively, without using winnt /u or winnt32 command. If the shell preview is
installed on NT 3.51, the shell preview must be removed before upgrading to Windows NT 4.0
- Windows 95 BootMulti=1 must be set in
the Windows 95 MSDOS.SYS file in the root directory. "At the command prompt, switch
to the directory that contains the Windows NT source files, and then type winnt /w
Note: WINNT program is an MS-DOS-based application that creates the Windows NT Setup
startup files and copies the system files to the hard disk from the source files. The /w
switch allows WINNT to run under Windows. Using this switch also causes Windows NT Setup
to skip the CPU detection process and automatic restart at the end of Setup.You can also
include the /b switch to copy the required startup files for Setup so that you do not have
to create floppy disks for Setup."
- Windows
95 can't see NTFS and Windows NT can't see FAT32.
| Uninstalling Windows NT 4 from a Dual
Boot System |
|
NT does not have a specific uninstall utility:
- Back up all important files from any NTFS partitions.
- Remove NTFS partitions. A primary NTFS partition can be
deleted by DOS FDISK, but not logical drives in an extended partition. Use boot disks.
- Change the bootstrap routine. Use the command SYS C: from a
DOS disk to remove the
NT boot manager.
- Delete the following Windows NT Workstation directories and
files: \winnt, \program files, NTLDR, BOOT.INI, NTDETECT.COM, PAGEFILE.SYS, and
BOOTSECT.DOS
| Upgrading to Windows NT 4 |
|
Considerations
- Windows NT 3.51 to - install NT 4 to
upgrade to \Winnt351 folder. Use winnt32.exe. An upgrade installation replaces all NT
files, but it retains most of the:
- Registry settings
- SID
- Local User and group security accounts
- Network settings and configuration
- Desktop Environment ; custom program groups, control panel
preferences
- Preferences set for Accessories and Administrative tools
- Windows 95 to - An upgrade can be performed
on many OSs, including DOS, Windows 3.x, and Windows 95; HOWEVER: little to nothing from
DOS, Windows 3.x, and Windows 95 is migrated into NT
- The best
"upgrade" I know of is a fresh installation. The definition of
"upgrade" should be troubleshooting.
| Installing Windows NT |
|
WINNT.EXE
- WINNT.EXE: utility, which is a 16-bit application that will
function under DOS, Windows 3.x, Windows 95, and Windows NT.
- WINNT32.EXE: 32-bit version, for exclusive use within NT for
better performance. Used to upgrade Windows NT. Copies files to hard disk while Windows NT
3.51 server is still running.
WINNT and WINNT32 Setup Switches
| PARAMETER |
DESCRIPTION |
| /B |
does not use Boot floppies ; causes boot files to
be loaded on the system's hard drive rather than on floppies - starts installation ; YOU
MUST USE THIS SWITCH IF YOU PLAN TO DO THE INSTALL WITHOUT TOUCHING THE CD-ROM, AKA,
COPYING THE \I386 directory to the hard drive. |
| /C |
Skips Check for available space on
installation floppies |
| /F |
Copies Files from floppies without verifying
the copies. This command cannot be used with Winnt32.exe |
| /I:inf_file |
Specifies the file name for the setup information file.
Default is DOSNET.INF |
| /O |
Creates boot floppies and starts the installation |
| /X |
Prevents setup from making boot disks. Use this when you
have boot disks already. |
| /OX |
Creates boot floppy disks to use in floppy-based or CD-ROM
installations - does not start install |
| /R |
Specifies optional directory to be installed |
| /RX |
Specifies optional directory to be copied |
| /S:sourcepath |
Specifies the source of the Windows NT setup files. This
must be a fully qualified path in the form drive_letter:\path or
\\server_name\share\path. The current directory is the default source for the installation
files. |
| /T:drive |
Specifies drive in which to place the temporary setup
files. |
| /U:answer_file |
Specifies an unattended installation and lists the
optional script file. |
/UDF:id, [ UDF_file]
|
Specifies the identifier that is to be used to apply
sections of the UDF_file in place of the same section in the answer_file. If no UDF is
specified, the Setup program will prompt the user to insert a disk that contains a file
called $UNIQUE$.UDF. If a UDF is specified, Setup will look for the identifier in that
file. |
/W
|
From Windows 95 RK ; allows WINNT to run under Windows and
also causes the CPU detection process to be skipped. |
| /I |
Creates log file $Winnt.log - file lists any errors during
copy to temporary folder. This command cannot be used with Winnt32.exe |
Installing Windows NT when your CD-ROM is not on
HCL (not a good idea)
- boot to DOS and run Winnt.Exe /b from the installation
CD-ROM. The /B switch will install NT without any
floppies.
- boot to MS-DOS, copy the \I386 directory from the CD-ROM to
your hard disk, and run Winnt.Exe /B from your hard disk
Notes on Text portion of
Installation
Setup finds an Unknown partition
- If installing on hard disk that contains stripe sets, volume
sets, or fault tolerance (disk mirroring, disk striping with parity) they appear in setup
as unknown. If you plan to reformat or partition unknown partition, make sure to back up
data BEFORE setup and then restore after installation.
Notes on GUI portion of
Installation
| Installing Windows NT Over the Network |
|
Windows NT Installation over the Network (assuming
you have a network connection)
- Copy NT setup Files to a Network Server (this is the
"distribution server")
- Use "xcopy /s" to copy (/s makes sure subfolders
are copied). If you use Explorer to copy, make sure "Show All Files" is enabled
because if it is not, hidden files will not be copied. "xcopy /e" might be a
better idea.
- Copy Drvlib folder (drivers)
- Logon to each of the computers and connect to network share
containing NT setup files.
- Run winnt.exe or winnt32.exe from the client.
- when you
use the winnt or winnt32 command, all the files needed to complete the installation are
copied over the network to a temporary directory. Next Setup continues as it would if you
were performing the installation from a local drive, going through first text mode setup,
and then GUI mode setup. In text mode setup, all the files required for installation are
copied from the temporary directory into the installation directory on the hard disk of
the target computer. Probably a good idea to use the /b switch :-)
- Server
based installation CANNOT be done on a RISC computer; however, it can be done on a RISC
computer as an upgrade or reinstallation.
| Network Client Administrator |
|
RL
World: biggest problem you will run into regarding over the network OS installations is
the amount of network traffic generated. In a large organization, it is political, so be
prepared. If you have autonomy over your network, more power to you! Consider the network
traffic it will generate and act accordingly. The most likely scenario you will be faced
with is: you do not have a network connection to install Windows NT over the network.
1. Make Network Installation Startup Disk
for:
- Windows NT Server
- Windows NT Workstation
- Windows 95 X
- Windows for Workgroups
- Network Client for MS-DOS 3.0 or later
is a
bootable MS-DOS system disk containing just enough network client software to connect to
the distribution server. You can use winnt command to install Windows NT over the network.
You can include the winnt command line in the Autoexec.bat file on the disk, so that
installation begins automatically when the computer is started with the Network
Installation Startup Disk in the drive.
Creating a Network Installation Startup Disk
- Make sure that the disk has been formatted using the MS-DOS
operating system. Insert disk in
drive A of a computer running the MS-DOS operating system.
- At the MS-DOS command prompt, type sys a: and then press
ENTER to copy the hidden
MS-DOS system files (Io.sys and Msdos.sys) and the MS-DOS command interpreter
(Command.com) to the network installation startup disk.
- On the Windows NT Server computer, double-click on the
Network Client Administrator
Utility in the Network Administration program group. Follow the directions displayed on
the screen to create a Network Installation Startup Disk.
Using the Network Installation Startup Disk
- Insert Network Installation Startup Disk in drive a: of
destination computer.
- Boot destination computer.
- When prompted for a username and password, supply the
username and password for an
account with permission to connect to the directory on the Windows NT Server computer
where Windows NT setup files are stored. When the computer displays a message about
creating a password list file, type "n" and press ENTER.
2. Make Installation Disk Set for:
- TCP/IP-32 for Windows for Workgroups
- Network Client for MS-DOS
- LAN Manager
3. Copy the client-based network administration
tools
- to share installation files for client based network admin
tools on the NTS CD.
- to copy installation files for client based network admin
tools to a new directory on a network hard disk and then share the files
4. View Remoteboot Client information
- Remoteboot Service - starts DOS or Windows PC over the
network. You cannot install remoteboot service on a client with Network Client
Administrator. Reference NTSRK Networking Guide
Customized
and Automated installations ... a word of .. experience (so far)-- forget
the Microsoft tools solution for automated installations. Learn what you have to to pass
the Workstation test, spend the money, and get a third party, add-on, disk imaging product
(one that generates unique SIDs). Buy "bulk quantity" of the same PCs with the
same hardware installed to make imaging an effective and fast solution. Save "the
brick" and use the brick for all your other machines. Your company will likely have a
standard software load (example: MS Office, Virus Scan program, IE, etc.), and it takes a
long, long time to install that load manually, every time, on every computer. With the
promise of plug and play for NT 5 -- why waste time doing it any other way?
| Unattend.txt, UDF, SYSDIFF (Customized
and Automated Windows NT Installations) |
|
The Bottom Line:
- Unattend.txt - create one for each hardware
platform. Unattend.txt can basically
provide all responses for an installation on ONE machine; however, when you are doing
multiple machines: "Unattend.txt is the 'source code' and UDF is the (individual
settings / user and machine specific) 'compiler.'" SETUPMGR.EXE utility (located in the
\support\deptools\platform type directory) can be used to create this file. The Setup
Manager uses a three-tabbed (General, Networking, and Advanced) GUI interface to simplify
the process of creating the UNATTEND.TXT file.
Sample
Syntax: "WINNT /S:d:\i386 /U:c:\unattend.txt" /S is required to define the
source of the distribution files when /U is used.
- UDF (Uniqueness Database Files) - for
automated installation on multiple machines with different configurations. Only one UDF is
needed for multiple machines to provide user specific or computer specific information.
UDF is created by hand using a text editor. It begins with a section that defines IDs for
each computer and what sections of UNATTEND.TXT need modification for this specific
computer.
Sample
Syntax on each defined machine, but alter the ID value to match that of the computer:
"WINNT /S:d:\i386 /U:c:\unattend.txt /UDF:ID1,udfsales.txt"
- SYSDIFF is used to record the differences
between a normal (or default) installation of
NT and an installation of NT that has been customized and has had additional applications
added. You would? use SYSDIFF to install additional software and that's all I have to say
about SYSDIFF!
| Who says NT isn't Plug and Play? |
|
Source: "Readme.wri" from Windows
NT System 32 Folder. Read the file for more detailed information about this.
"Installation of Plug and Play ISA (PnP ISA) devices
under Windows NT version 4.0 requires an enabler driver that recognizes how to locate and
configure those devices. The driver, PNPISA.SYS, is in the \Drvlib folder on the Windows
NT version 4.0 compact disc. The enabler does not contain complete Windows 95 Plug and
Play support. For example, the enabler does not dynamically allocate resources for PnP ISA
devices. It does, however, enable a user interface (UI) that allows you to manually select
system resources that do not conflict with other devices in the system."
When the system boots with the enabler driver (PNPISA.SYS)
installed, the enabler locates all PnP ISA devices in the computer and enables those
devices for which you have selected resources. Any new devices are recognized, so that
drivers for the devices can be installed when you log onto the computer as a user with
administrative privilege. At logon, Windows NT displays a New Hardware Found dialog
box for each new device it locates.
Installing PNPISA.SYS if not Enabled
- Insert the Windows NT version 4.0 compact disc into the
CD-ROM drive.
- In the Windows NT Explorer, switch to the CD-ROM drive.
- Go to the \DRVLIB\PNPISA\<platform> directory
(where <platform> is either "X86", "MIPS",
"ALPHA", or "PPC", depending on your computer’s platform).
- Right-click PNPISA.INF, and click Install.
Note Some PnP ISA cards contain multiple functions. In
this case, a dialog box will be displayed for each function on the card.
Options When New Hardware is found
- Windows NT default driver - if Windows NT has a
driver that is compatible with your device, this selection will be enabled. If you do not
have a vendor-supplied driver for the device, and this option is available, you should
select it.
- Driver from disk provided by hardware manufacturer - If
you have a disk that contains a driver for your device, select this option.
- Do not install a driver (Windows NT will not prompt you
again) Select this option only if you do not have a driver for the device. This keeps
Windows NT from displaying the New Hardware Found dialog box for the device in the
future. Warning: If you choose "Do not install a driver
(Windows NT will not prompt you again)," you will need to go through the procedure as
described in the 'readme.wri' file to install the card when you do find the drivers. But
you wouldn't choose this option because you're smart enough not to install hardware
without having the drivers for it on Windows NT. Right? :-)
Disabling PNPISA.SYS
- Double-click the Devices icon in Control Panel.
- Select PnP ISA Enabler Driver and click Startup.
- Click Disabled and then click OK."