Windows XP Step-by-Step Installation Instructions
These steps are for a clean install of XP. Read this article for steps on upgrading
your current system to XP.
First, you're going to need to change your BIOS boot order to boot from CD-ROM.
Once you do this you'll then be able to boot your computer from the Installation CD.
After changing the boot order in BIOS, save the changes, and then reboot your
computer. Make sure your Installation CD is in your CD-ROM. If it is you'll be
prompted to press your space bar to directly boot from CD-ROM emulation. Press
your space bar as soon as you see this message.
Wait a few minutes while the installation begins to copy the preliminary setup files
to your computer. After this completes you'll be ready to start directing the install
process.
You will be asked if you want to perform a new installation, repair an existing
installation, or quit. In this case, you will be performing a new install. Press the
correct key to perform a new installation.
Read the terms of the end user license agreement, and press F8 to agree.
The next phase of the installation is real similar to that of Windows 2000. So, if
you're familiar with the Windows 2000 installation process this should be a cinch.
Basically, you need to decide which partition of your hard drive you will install
Windows XP on. You will have the opportunity to create and/or delete partitions or
just allocate the available disk space to one partition. However, try to keep your
partitions within reasonable size.
We recommend using multiple partitions of 4-8GB, preferably on more than one hard
drive. This will help you back up your data and optimize system performance later on
down the road. Once you have figured out which partition XP will be installed on it's
time to format it.
Choose to format the partition to either FAT32 or NTFS (recommended for single OS
install). You'll also see two additional choices to perform a quick format of each
option. Stick with doing a full format of either option instead. After you've
determined which option is right for you, press the correct key to format the
partition.
This would be a good time to take a break and come back in a few minutes. The
setup program will automatically start copying files after the partition is formatted.
From this point on, you're going to see each and every file name that's being copied
over to your hard drive appear in the lower left corner. As the file names go from A
to Z, the installation completion percentage will increase.
Choose the region and language.
Type in your name and organization.
Enter your product license key.
Name the computer, and enter an Admin password. Don't forget to write down your
Administrator password. After the installation is complete it would be extremely
wise to create a password restore disk in the event you forget your Administrator
password someday.
Enter the correct date and time.
Choose your network settings. Leave on automatic if you use a dhcp server to assign
IP addresses. If you have static IP address for broadband access, enter the settings
that your ISP has provided you.
Choose workgroup or domain name.
Register this copy of Windows XP if you've installed all the current hardware on your
machine. Otherwise, wait until you've finished installing any additional hardware so
you don't have to activate your copy of XP again.
Add users that will sign on to this computer.
Log in, and update drivers.
Driver install
XP found drivers for all of the hardware in our test machines, with the exception of a
wireless network adapter that was added. Update all drivers that had updates
available for download.
It takes about 30 minutes to perform this installation. After that, you will be a few
personalized settings away from getting started on your XP-experience. With a little
use, the GUI even starts to grow on you.
XP Animations
You can turn off window animation ("exploding" windows), displayed when you play
around with minimizing/maximizing open windows. This makes navigating Windows
95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP a lot quicker, especially if you don't have a fast video
controller, or if you got tired of seeing it all the time (like I did). :)
To do this, run Regedit (or Regedt32) and go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER | Control Panel | Desktop | WindowMetrics
or if you are the only user of your Windows computer go to:
HKEY_USERS | .Default | Control Panel | Desktop | WindowMetrics
Right-click on an empty spot in the right hand pane. Select New -> String [REG_SZ]
Value. Name it MinAnimate. Click OK. Double-click on "MinAnimate" and type 0 to
turn OFF window animation or 1 to turn it ON. Click OK. Close the Registry Editor and
restart Windows. Done.
TweakUI, the famous Microsoft Power Toy [110 KB, free, unsupported] can also turn
off animated windows.
Just remove the check mark from the "Window Animation" box under the General
tab.
Minimum system requirements
. PC with 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended;
233-MHz minimum required;* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, AMD
K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
. 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum
supported; may limit performance and some features)
. 1.5 gigabyte (GB) of available hard disk space.
. Super VGA (800 × 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor
. CD-ROM or DVD drive
. Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
What is the difference between Home and Professional editions
The features of Windows XP Home and Pro are very similar. Most home users have
no need to the Professional version. Windows XP Pro has support for multiple
processors and an encrypted file system.
Change The Taskbar Group Size
By default taskbar grouping will happen when you have three or more of the same
program windows open. We have found the registry key to change the settings so
that, if you prefer, Windows XP will wait till you open even more of the same
program windows before they start to group. Here is an overview of Taskbar
Grouping first:
Overview
The taskbar can become crowded with buttons when you are working with multiple
programs at the same time. For this reason, Windows provides a feature to help you
manage a large number of open documents and program items. The taskbar button
grouping feature works in two ways. First, taskbar buttons for documents opened by
the same program are always displayed in the same area of the taskbar so you can
find your documents easily.
Second, if you have many documents open in the same program, Windows combines
all the documents into one taskbar button that is labeled with the name of the
program. A triangle on the right side of the button indicates that many documents
are open in this program. The single button provides access to all the open
documents. To access one of the open documents, click the triangle on the taskbar
button, and then click a document name in the list. To act on all the open documents
at the same time, use the right-click menu. For example, right-clicking the triangle
gives you a menu that lets you close all the open documents.
The Tip
Click here to download the registry key to enable user defined grouping. It's
currently set at 3, if you want to change this number open the .reg file in notepad
and edit the line:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"TaskbarGroupSize"=dword:00000003
Change this to whatever number you wish explorer to group at. i.e. change it to
dword:00000008 if you wanted explorer to group on 8, or dword:00000005 if you
want explorer to group on 5. Save the file after editing to the number and then click
on the file you have edited. It will ask you if you want to enter this entry into the
registry, click yes. You will then be notified if the key has been added to your
registry correctly.
nstalling Windows XP with MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows
Millennium Edition
You must address file system compatibility to ensure a multi-booting configuration
with these earlier operating systems and Windows XP. Remember to install the
latest operating system last, otherwise important files may be overwritten.
Checklist Summary
To configure a computer containing Windows XP and Windows 9x or MS-DOS, review
the following guidelines:
On computers that contain MS-DOS and Windows XP:
. MS-DOS must be installed on a basic disk on a partition formatted with
FAT. If MS-DOS is not installed on the system partition, which is
almost always the first partition on the disk, the system partition must
also be formatted with FAT.
. Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed
for starting Windows XP could be overwritten.
On computers that contain Windows 95 and Windows XP:
. As in the case above, Windows 95 must be installed on a basic disk on
a partition formatted with FAT. (For Windows 95 OSR2, FAT32 may be
used.) If Windows 95 is not installed on the system partition, which is
almost always the first partition on the disk, the system partition must
also be formatted with FAT (or FAT32 for Windows 95 OSR2).
. Compressed DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes won’t be available
while you are running Windows XP. It is not necessary to uncompress
DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes that you will access only with
Windows 95.
. Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed
for starting Windows XP could be overwritten.
On computers that contain Windows 98 (or Windows Me) and Windows XP:
. As in the cases above, Windows 98 or Windows Me must be installed
on a basic disk on a partition formatted with FAT or FAT32. If
Windows 98 or Windows Me is not installed on the system partition,
which is almost always the first partition on the disk, the system
partition must also be formatted with FAT or FAT32.
. Compressed DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes won’t be available
while you are running Windows XP. It is not necessary to uncompress
DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes that you will access only with
Windows 98.
. Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed
for starting Windows XP could be overwritten.
What are the differences between using a domain or a workgroup in
Windows XP
Windows XP Professional operates and looks different depending on
whether you're a member of a domain or a workgroup. This table
provides an overview of the main differences.
Windows XP functions
On a
domain
In a
workgroup
NETWORKING
Part of a local area network (LAN)
YES
Part of a peer–to–peer network (for
small businesses)
YES
Part of a home network
YES
Computer account required
YES
GENERAL OPTIONS
.Welcome. screen available
YES
Fast User Switching available
YES
Password Backup and Restore Wizard
available
YES
New and classic Windows desktops
available
YES
YES
Guest account automatically included
YES
Internet and e–mail access
YES
YES
Dual Boot XP
A computer can be configured to let you choose between two or more operating
systems each time you restart the computer. With multibooting, you can choose
which operating system to run or specify a default OS if no selection is made during
the restart process.
Computers Containing Multiple Windows 2000 or Windows XP Partitions
Before installing Windows 2000 and Windows XP on the same machine, you need to
prepare your system with different partitions (a process that divides a hard disk into
separate sections that can be formatted for use by a file system. Partitions typically
have different drive letters such as C or D).
One OS per partition
It’s important to install each operating system on a different partition and install the
applications used with each operating system on the same partition as the OS. If an
application is used with two different operating systems, install it on two partitions.
Placing each operating system in a separate partition ensures that it will not
overwrite crucial files used by the other OS.
Install Latest OS Last
In general, you should install the most recent OS last—after you have installed all
other operating systems on the target computer. In this case, you should install
Windows 2000 and then install Windows XP.
Unique Computer Name
You can set up a computer so that it has multiple installations of Windows XP on
multiple partitions. However, you must use a different computer name for each
installation if the computer participates in a Windows 2000 Server domain. Because
a unique security identifier (SID) is used for each installation of Windows XP on a
domain, the computer name for each installation must be unique—even for multiple
installations on the same computer.
Checklist Summary
To configure a computer containing Windows 2000 and Windows XP, review the
following guidelines:
Install each operating system on a separate drive or disk partition.
Install Windows XP after you have installed Windows 2000.
When you perform a new installation of Windows XP (as opposed to an upgrade), by
default, the installation is placed on a partition on which no other operating system
is located. You can specify a different partition during Setup.
Don’t install Windows XP on a compressed drive unless the drive was compressed
with the NTFS file system compression feature.
On any partition where you perform a new installation of Windows XP (as opposed
to an upgrade), you will need to re-install any programs, such as word processing or
e-mail software, after Setup is complete.
Install the programs used by each operating system on the partition with that
system. If you want your programs to run with multiple operating systems, you need
to install separate copies of the programs in each of the operating system
partitions.
If the computer is on a Windows 2000 Server domain, each installation of Windows
XP on that computer must have a different computer name.
Computers Containing Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP
Setting up a computer to run Windows XP as well as an earlier operating system
such as Windows NT Workstation 4.0 requires addressing compatibility issues
among different file systems: NTFS, FAT, and FAT32.
Normally, NTFS is the recommended file system because it supports important
features, including the Active Directory™ service and domain-based security.
However, using NTFS as the only file system on a computer that contains both
Windows XP and Windows NT is not recommended. On these computers, a FAT or
FAT32 partition containing the Windows NT 4.0 operating system ensures that when
started with Windows NT 4.0, the computer will have access to needed files. In
addition, if Windows NT is not installed on the system partition, which is almost
always the first partition on the disk, it is recommended that the system partition
also be formatted with FAT. This is because earlier operating systems, with one
exception, can't access a partition if it uses the latest version of NTFS. The one
exception is Windows NT version 4.0 with Service Pack 4 or later, which has access
to partitions with the latest version of NTFS, but with some limitations.
Even the latest Service Pack does not provide access to files using the new features
in NTFS. Windows NT 4.0 cannot access files that have been stored using NTFS
features that did not exist when Windows NT 4.0 was released. For example, a file
that uses the new encryption feature won’t be readable when the computer is
started with Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, which was released before the encryption
feature existed.
Note: If you set up a computer so that it starts with Windows NT 3.51 or earlier on a
FAT partition, and Windows XP on an NTFS partition, when that computer starts with
Windows NT 3.51, the NTFS partition will not be visible.
Checklist Summary
To configure a computer containing Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP, review the
following guidelines:
As explained above, using NTFS as the only file system on a computer containing
both Windows XP and Windows NT is not recommended.
Make sure that Windows NT 4.0 has been updated with the latest released Service
Pack available for download before installing Windows XP.
Install each operating system on a separate drive or disk partition.
When you perform a new installation of Windows XP (as opposed to an upgrade), by
default, the installation is placed on a partition on which no other operating system
is located. You can specify a different partition during Setup.
Don’t install Windows XP on a compressed drive unless the drive was compressed
with the NTFS file system compression feature.
On any partition where you perform a new installation of Windows XP (as opposed
to an upgrade), you will need to re-install any programs, such as word processing or
email software, after Setup is complete.
Install the programs used by each operating system on the partition with that
system. If you want your programs to run with multiple operating systems, you need
to install separate copies of the programs in each of the operating system
partitions.
If the computer is on a Windows NT Server or Windows 2000 Server domain, each
installation of Windows XP on that computer must have a different computer name.
Computers Containing MS-DOS or Windows 9x and Windows XP
As explained above you need to address file system compatibility to ensure a
multibooting configuration with these earlier operating systems and Windows XP.
Remember to install the latest operating system last otherwise important files may
be overwritten.
Checklist Summary
To configure a computer containing Windows XP and Windows 9x or MS-DOS, review
the following guidelines:
On computers that contain MS-DOS and Windows XP:
MS-DOS must be installed on a basic disk on a partition formatted with FAT. If MS-
DOS is not installed on the system partition, which is almost always the first
partition on the disk, the system partition must also be formatted with FAT.
Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed for starting
Windows XP could be overwritten.
On computers that contain Windows 95 and Windows XP:
As in the case above, Windows 95 must be installed on a basic disk on a partition
formatted with FAT. (For Windows 95 OSR2, FAT32 may be used.) If Windows 95 is
not installed on the system partition, which is almost always the first partition on
the disk, the system partition must also be formatted with FAT (or FAT32 for
Windows 95 OSR2).
Compressed DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes won’t be available while you are
running Windows XP. It is not necessary to uncompress DriveSpace or DoubleSpace
volumes that you will access only with Windows 95.
Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed for starting
Windows XP could be overwritten.
On computers that contain Windows 98 (or Windows ME) and Windows XP:
As in the cases above, Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition (ME) must be
installed on a basic disk on a partition formatted with FAT or FAT32. If Windows 98
or Windows ME is not installed on the system partition, which is almost always the
first partition on the disk, the system partition must also be formatted with FAT or
FAT32.
Compressed DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes won’t be available while you are
running Windows XP. It is not necessary to uncompress DriveSpace or DoubleSpace
volumes that you will access only with Windows 98.
Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed for starting
Windows XP could be overwritten.
Installation and How to :
The order of installation is critical if you want a successful multiboot installation. In
general terms, install non–Microsoft operating systems and earlier versions of the
Windows operating system first. This would mean installing UNIX or Linux operating
systems first; then Windows 95 or Windows 98 or Windows Me; then Windows NT;
and finally, Windows 2000 and/or Windows XP. (In the unlikely event that you’re
installing MS–DOS, you can install that either before or after UNIX– or Linux–based
operating systems, and generally I’d opt for before.) It’s also important to
understand that, without using a third–party product to help out, you can’t install
non-Microsoft operating systems, or Windows 95 and Windows 98 on the same
computer, and that you can install only a single version of Windows95/98/Me. But
you can install as many different versions of Windows NT and later versions of the
Windows operating system as you have available logical drives, with the sole caveat
that you must install all Windows NT versions before you install any Windows 2000
or Windows XP versions.
Let’s take a typical installation. Our target computer must be able to boot into
Windows 98, Windows NT 4 Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows
XP Professional. We have a 2–GB partition to hold our programs and the whole thing
must fit on a single 10–GB hard drive. No problem. First, we partition the hard drive
into two partitions: a 2–GB primary partition, and an 8-GB extended partition using
FDisk. In the extended partition, we’ll create four logical volumes—D, E, F and G—to
hold our remaining operating systems and our programs.
After the disk is partitioned, format the primary partition using the FAT16 file
system and install Windows 98 on it. So far so good. Now, format your D drive with
FAT16 as well. Eventually, you’ll install your programs on D drive.
Next, install Windows NT 4 Workstation. You will install this on any of the logical
volumes not already used (either E drive, F drive or G drive) and choose NTFS as
your file system. Leave D drive alone, because your applications go there where
they’re visible to all operating systems. When you install Windows NT, it recognizes
that you already have Windows 98 on the computer. Then it automatically sets up
for dual booting between Windows 98 and Windows NT by creating a boot.ini file,
which creates a menu of available operating systems. After you have Windows NT 4
installed, immediately apply Service Pack 6, before you install Windows 2000.
Finally, install Windows 2000 and Windows XP, each in its own logical volume.
Again, choose NTFS as the file system. As you install them, they are automatically
added to the boot.ini file on your C drive, which lets you choose operating systems at
start up.
Make XP boot even Faster
Microsoft has chosen a completely different path for XP and it's boot features by
trying to incorporate as much support for newer fastboot BIOSes that are on most
current motherboards. They built XP in such a way as to make it able to take
advantage of features in these new BIOSes, and one of the coolest things is a small
application called bootvis. bootvis.
Bootvis watches everything that loads at boot time, from the moment the OS begins
to load just after POST (Power On Self-Test) to the moment you get to a usable
Desktop. Some programs, most notably Norton AntiVirus 2002, suck up valuable
seconds before you can actually DO anything even though you're at the Desktop.
bootvis generates a trace file that you load and can then "see" a visual
representation of what's happening. Every file, driver, hard drive read/write, etc., is
recorded. You can then use bootvis to optimize the loading of files during the boot
sequence. bootvis will rearrange the ways these very files are stored on the hard
drive, thereby improving the boot time dramatically.
These steps are for a clean install of XP. Read this article for steps on upgrading
your current system to XP.
First, you're going to need to change your BIOS boot order to boot from CD-ROM.
Once you do this you'll then be able to boot your computer from the Installation CD.
After changing the boot order in BIOS, save the changes, and then reboot your
computer. Make sure your Installation CD is in your CD-ROM. If it is you'll be
prompted to press your space bar to directly boot from CD-ROM emulation. Press
your space bar as soon as you see this message.
Wait a few minutes while the installation begins to copy the preliminary setup files
to your computer. After this completes you'll be ready to start directing the install
process.
You will be asked if you want to perform a new installation, repair an existing
installation, or quit. In this case, you will be performing a new install. Press the
correct key to perform a new installation.
Read the terms of the end user license agreement, and press F8 to agree.
The next phase of the installation is real similar to that of Windows 2000. So, if
you're familiar with the Windows 2000 installation process this should be a cinch.
Basically, you need to decide which partition of your hard drive you will install
Windows XP on. You will have the opportunity to create and/or delete partitions or
just allocate the available disk space to one partition. However, try to keep your
partitions within reasonable size.
We recommend using multiple partitions of 4-8GB, preferably on more than one hard
drive. This will help you back up your data and optimize system performance later on
down the road. Once you have figured out which partition XP will be installed on it's
time to format it.
Choose to format the partition to either FAT32 or NTFS (recommended for single OS
install). You'll also see two additional choices to perform a quick format of each
option. Stick with doing a full format of either option instead. After you've
determined which option is right for you, press the correct key to format the
partition.
This would be a good time to take a break and come back in a few minutes. The
setup program will automatically start copying files after the partition is formatted.
From this point on, you're going to see each and every file name that's being copied
over to your hard drive appear in the lower left corner. As the file names go from A
to Z, the installation completion percentage will increase.
Choose the region and language.
Type in your name and organization.
Enter your product license key.
Name the computer, and enter an Admin password. Don't forget to write down your
Administrator password. After the installation is complete it would be extremely
wise to create a password restore disk in the event you forget your Administrator
password someday.
Enter the correct date and time.
Choose your network settings. Leave on automatic if you use a dhcp server to assign
IP addresses. If you have static IP address for broadband access, enter the settings
that your ISP has provided you.
Choose workgroup or domain name.
Register this copy of Windows XP if you've installed all the current hardware on your
machine. Otherwise, wait until you've finished installing any additional hardware so
you don't have to activate your copy of XP again.
Add users that will sign on to this computer.
Log in, and update drivers.
Driver install
XP found drivers for all of the hardware in our test machines, with the exception of a
wireless network adapter that was added. Update all drivers that had updates
available for download.
It takes about 30 minutes to perform this installation. After that, you will be a few
personalized settings away from getting started on your XP-experience. With a little
use, the GUI even starts to grow on you.
XP Animations
You can turn off window animation ("exploding" windows), displayed when you play
around with minimizing/maximizing open windows. This makes navigating Windows
95/98/ME/NT4/2000/XP a lot quicker, especially if you don't have a fast video
controller, or if you got tired of seeing it all the time (like I did). :)
To do this, run Regedit (or Regedt32) and go to:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER | Control Panel | Desktop | WindowMetrics
or if you are the only user of your Windows computer go to:
HKEY_USERS | .Default | Control Panel | Desktop | WindowMetrics
Right-click on an empty spot in the right hand pane. Select New -> String [REG_SZ]
Value. Name it MinAnimate. Click OK. Double-click on "MinAnimate" and type 0 to
turn OFF window animation or 1 to turn it ON. Click OK. Close the Registry Editor and
restart Windows. Done.
TweakUI, the famous Microsoft Power Toy [110 KB, free, unsupported] can also turn
off animated windows.
Just remove the check mark from the "Window Animation" box under the General
tab.
Minimum system requirements
. PC with 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended;
233-MHz minimum required;* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, AMD
K6/Athlon/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended
. 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum
supported; may limit performance and some features)
. 1.5 gigabyte (GB) of available hard disk space.
. Super VGA (800 × 600) or higher resolution video adapter and monitor
. CD-ROM or DVD drive
. Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
What is the difference between Home and Professional editions
The features of Windows XP Home and Pro are very similar. Most home users have
no need to the Professional version. Windows XP Pro has support for multiple
processors and an encrypted file system.
Change The Taskbar Group Size
By default taskbar grouping will happen when you have three or more of the same
program windows open. We have found the registry key to change the settings so
that, if you prefer, Windows XP will wait till you open even more of the same
program windows before they start to group. Here is an overview of Taskbar
Grouping first:
Overview
The taskbar can become crowded with buttons when you are working with multiple
programs at the same time. For this reason, Windows provides a feature to help you
manage a large number of open documents and program items. The taskbar button
grouping feature works in two ways. First, taskbar buttons for documents opened by
the same program are always displayed in the same area of the taskbar so you can
find your documents easily.
Second, if you have many documents open in the same program, Windows combines
all the documents into one taskbar button that is labeled with the name of the
program. A triangle on the right side of the button indicates that many documents
are open in this program. The single button provides access to all the open
documents. To access one of the open documents, click the triangle on the taskbar
button, and then click a document name in the list. To act on all the open documents
at the same time, use the right-click menu. For example, right-clicking the triangle
gives you a menu that lets you close all the open documents.
The Tip
Click here to download the registry key to enable user defined grouping. It's
currently set at 3, if you want to change this number open the .reg file in notepad
and edit the line:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced]
"TaskbarGroupSize"=dword:00000003
Change this to whatever number you wish explorer to group at. i.e. change it to
dword:00000008 if you wanted explorer to group on 8, or dword:00000005 if you
want explorer to group on 5. Save the file after editing to the number and then click
on the file you have edited. It will ask you if you want to enter this entry into the
registry, click yes. You will then be notified if the key has been added to your
registry correctly.
nstalling Windows XP with MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows
Millennium Edition
You must address file system compatibility to ensure a multi-booting configuration
with these earlier operating systems and Windows XP. Remember to install the
latest operating system last, otherwise important files may be overwritten.
Checklist Summary
To configure a computer containing Windows XP and Windows 9x or MS-DOS, review
the following guidelines:
On computers that contain MS-DOS and Windows XP:
. MS-DOS must be installed on a basic disk on a partition formatted with
FAT. If MS-DOS is not installed on the system partition, which is
almost always the first partition on the disk, the system partition must
also be formatted with FAT.
. Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed
for starting Windows XP could be overwritten.
On computers that contain Windows 95 and Windows XP:
. As in the case above, Windows 95 must be installed on a basic disk on
a partition formatted with FAT. (For Windows 95 OSR2, FAT32 may be
used.) If Windows 95 is not installed on the system partition, which is
almost always the first partition on the disk, the system partition must
also be formatted with FAT (or FAT32 for Windows 95 OSR2).
. Compressed DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes won’t be available
while you are running Windows XP. It is not necessary to uncompress
DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes that you will access only with
Windows 95.
. Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed
for starting Windows XP could be overwritten.
On computers that contain Windows 98 (or Windows Me) and Windows XP:
. As in the cases above, Windows 98 or Windows Me must be installed
on a basic disk on a partition formatted with FAT or FAT32. If
Windows 98 or Windows Me is not installed on the system partition,
which is almost always the first partition on the disk, the system
partition must also be formatted with FAT or FAT32.
. Compressed DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes won’t be available
while you are running Windows XP. It is not necessary to uncompress
DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes that you will access only with
Windows 98.
. Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed
for starting Windows XP could be overwritten.
What are the differences between using a domain or a workgroup in
Windows XP
Windows XP Professional operates and looks different depending on
whether you're a member of a domain or a workgroup. This table
provides an overview of the main differences.
Windows XP functions
On a
domain
In a
workgroup
NETWORKING
Part of a local area network (LAN)
YES
Part of a peer–to–peer network (for
small businesses)
YES
Part of a home network
YES
Computer account required
YES
GENERAL OPTIONS
.Welcome. screen available
YES
Fast User Switching available
YES
Password Backup and Restore Wizard
available
YES
New and classic Windows desktops
available
YES
YES
Guest account automatically included
YES
Internet and e–mail access
YES
YES
Dual Boot XP
A computer can be configured to let you choose between two or more operating
systems each time you restart the computer. With multibooting, you can choose
which operating system to run or specify a default OS if no selection is made during
the restart process.
Computers Containing Multiple Windows 2000 or Windows XP Partitions
Before installing Windows 2000 and Windows XP on the same machine, you need to
prepare your system with different partitions (a process that divides a hard disk into
separate sections that can be formatted for use by a file system. Partitions typically
have different drive letters such as C or D).
One OS per partition
It’s important to install each operating system on a different partition and install the
applications used with each operating system on the same partition as the OS. If an
application is used with two different operating systems, install it on two partitions.
Placing each operating system in a separate partition ensures that it will not
overwrite crucial files used by the other OS.
Install Latest OS Last
In general, you should install the most recent OS last—after you have installed all
other operating systems on the target computer. In this case, you should install
Windows 2000 and then install Windows XP.
Unique Computer Name
You can set up a computer so that it has multiple installations of Windows XP on
multiple partitions. However, you must use a different computer name for each
installation if the computer participates in a Windows 2000 Server domain. Because
a unique security identifier (SID) is used for each installation of Windows XP on a
domain, the computer name for each installation must be unique—even for multiple
installations on the same computer.
Checklist Summary
To configure a computer containing Windows 2000 and Windows XP, review the
following guidelines:
Install each operating system on a separate drive or disk partition.
Install Windows XP after you have installed Windows 2000.
When you perform a new installation of Windows XP (as opposed to an upgrade), by
default, the installation is placed on a partition on which no other operating system
is located. You can specify a different partition during Setup.
Don’t install Windows XP on a compressed drive unless the drive was compressed
with the NTFS file system compression feature.
On any partition where you perform a new installation of Windows XP (as opposed
to an upgrade), you will need to re-install any programs, such as word processing or
e-mail software, after Setup is complete.
Install the programs used by each operating system on the partition with that
system. If you want your programs to run with multiple operating systems, you need
to install separate copies of the programs in each of the operating system
partitions.
If the computer is on a Windows 2000 Server domain, each installation of Windows
XP on that computer must have a different computer name.
Computers Containing Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP
Setting up a computer to run Windows XP as well as an earlier operating system
such as Windows NT Workstation 4.0 requires addressing compatibility issues
among different file systems: NTFS, FAT, and FAT32.
Normally, NTFS is the recommended file system because it supports important
features, including the Active Directory™ service and domain-based security.
However, using NTFS as the only file system on a computer that contains both
Windows XP and Windows NT is not recommended. On these computers, a FAT or
FAT32 partition containing the Windows NT 4.0 operating system ensures that when
started with Windows NT 4.0, the computer will have access to needed files. In
addition, if Windows NT is not installed on the system partition, which is almost
always the first partition on the disk, it is recommended that the system partition
also be formatted with FAT. This is because earlier operating systems, with one
exception, can't access a partition if it uses the latest version of NTFS. The one
exception is Windows NT version 4.0 with Service Pack 4 or later, which has access
to partitions with the latest version of NTFS, but with some limitations.
Even the latest Service Pack does not provide access to files using the new features
in NTFS. Windows NT 4.0 cannot access files that have been stored using NTFS
features that did not exist when Windows NT 4.0 was released. For example, a file
that uses the new encryption feature won’t be readable when the computer is
started with Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, which was released before the encryption
feature existed.
Note: If you set up a computer so that it starts with Windows NT 3.51 or earlier on a
FAT partition, and Windows XP on an NTFS partition, when that computer starts with
Windows NT 3.51, the NTFS partition will not be visible.
Checklist Summary
To configure a computer containing Windows NT 4.0 and Windows XP, review the
following guidelines:
As explained above, using NTFS as the only file system on a computer containing
both Windows XP and Windows NT is not recommended.
Make sure that Windows NT 4.0 has been updated with the latest released Service
Pack available for download before installing Windows XP.
Install each operating system on a separate drive or disk partition.
When you perform a new installation of Windows XP (as opposed to an upgrade), by
default, the installation is placed on a partition on which no other operating system
is located. You can specify a different partition during Setup.
Don’t install Windows XP on a compressed drive unless the drive was compressed
with the NTFS file system compression feature.
On any partition where you perform a new installation of Windows XP (as opposed
to an upgrade), you will need to re-install any programs, such as word processing or
email software, after Setup is complete.
Install the programs used by each operating system on the partition with that
system. If you want your programs to run with multiple operating systems, you need
to install separate copies of the programs in each of the operating system
partitions.
If the computer is on a Windows NT Server or Windows 2000 Server domain, each
installation of Windows XP on that computer must have a different computer name.
Computers Containing MS-DOS or Windows 9x and Windows XP
As explained above you need to address file system compatibility to ensure a
multibooting configuration with these earlier operating systems and Windows XP.
Remember to install the latest operating system last otherwise important files may
be overwritten.
Checklist Summary
To configure a computer containing Windows XP and Windows 9x or MS-DOS, review
the following guidelines:
On computers that contain MS-DOS and Windows XP:
MS-DOS must be installed on a basic disk on a partition formatted with FAT. If MS-
DOS is not installed on the system partition, which is almost always the first
partition on the disk, the system partition must also be formatted with FAT.
Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed for starting
Windows XP could be overwritten.
On computers that contain Windows 95 and Windows XP:
As in the case above, Windows 95 must be installed on a basic disk on a partition
formatted with FAT. (For Windows 95 OSR2, FAT32 may be used.) If Windows 95 is
not installed on the system partition, which is almost always the first partition on
the disk, the system partition must also be formatted with FAT (or FAT32 for
Windows 95 OSR2).
Compressed DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes won’t be available while you are
running Windows XP. It is not necessary to uncompress DriveSpace or DoubleSpace
volumes that you will access only with Windows 95.
Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed for starting
Windows XP could be overwritten.
On computers that contain Windows 98 (or Windows ME) and Windows XP:
As in the cases above, Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition (ME) must be
installed on a basic disk on a partition formatted with FAT or FAT32. If Windows 98
or Windows ME is not installed on the system partition, which is almost always the
first partition on the disk, the system partition must also be formatted with FAT or
FAT32.
Compressed DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes won’t be available while you are
running Windows XP. It is not necessary to uncompress DriveSpace or DoubleSpace
volumes that you will access only with Windows 98.
Windows XP must be installed last. Otherwise important files needed for starting
Windows XP could be overwritten.
Installation and How to :
The order of installation is critical if you want a successful multiboot installation. In
general terms, install non–Microsoft operating systems and earlier versions of the
Windows operating system first. This would mean installing UNIX or Linux operating
systems first; then Windows 95 or Windows 98 or Windows Me; then Windows NT;
and finally, Windows 2000 and/or Windows XP. (In the unlikely event that you’re
installing MS–DOS, you can install that either before or after UNIX– or Linux–based
operating systems, and generally I’d opt for before.) It’s also important to
understand that, without using a third–party product to help out, you can’t install
non-Microsoft operating systems, or Windows 95 and Windows 98 on the same
computer, and that you can install only a single version of Windows95/98/Me. But
you can install as many different versions of Windows NT and later versions of the
Windows operating system as you have available logical drives, with the sole caveat
that you must install all Windows NT versions before you install any Windows 2000
or Windows XP versions.
Let’s take a typical installation. Our target computer must be able to boot into
Windows 98, Windows NT 4 Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows
XP Professional. We have a 2–GB partition to hold our programs and the whole thing
must fit on a single 10–GB hard drive. No problem. First, we partition the hard drive
into two partitions: a 2–GB primary partition, and an 8-GB extended partition using
FDisk. In the extended partition, we’ll create four logical volumes—D, E, F and G—to
hold our remaining operating systems and our programs.
After the disk is partitioned, format the primary partition using the FAT16 file
system and install Windows 98 on it. So far so good. Now, format your D drive with
FAT16 as well. Eventually, you’ll install your programs on D drive.
Next, install Windows NT 4 Workstation. You will install this on any of the logical
volumes not already used (either E drive, F drive or G drive) and choose NTFS as
your file system. Leave D drive alone, because your applications go there where
they’re visible to all operating systems. When you install Windows NT, it recognizes
that you already have Windows 98 on the computer. Then it automatically sets up
for dual booting between Windows 98 and Windows NT by creating a boot.ini file,
which creates a menu of available operating systems. After you have Windows NT 4
installed, immediately apply Service Pack 6, before you install Windows 2000.
Finally, install Windows 2000 and Windows XP, each in its own logical volume.
Again, choose NTFS as the file system. As you install them, they are automatically
added to the boot.ini file on your C drive, which lets you choose operating systems at
start up.
Make XP boot even Faster
Microsoft has chosen a completely different path for XP and it's boot features by
trying to incorporate as much support for newer fastboot BIOSes that are on most
current motherboards. They built XP in such a way as to make it able to take
advantage of features in these new BIOSes, and one of the coolest things is a small
application called bootvis. bootvis.
Bootvis watches everything that loads at boot time, from the moment the OS begins
to load just after POST (Power On Self-Test) to the moment you get to a usable
Desktop. Some programs, most notably Norton AntiVirus 2002, suck up valuable
seconds before you can actually DO anything even though you're at the Desktop.
bootvis generates a trace file that you load and can then "see" a visual
representation of what's happening. Every file, driver, hard drive read/write, etc., is
recorded. You can then use bootvis to optimize the loading of files during the boot
sequence. bootvis will rearrange the ways these very files are stored on the hard
drive, thereby improving the boot time dramatically.
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