If you're running another
version of Windows with the AutoRun feature enabled, you can
just insert the Win2000 CD-ROM and and receive a pop-up
installation menu. (If AutoRun isn't enabled, you can open the
CD in My Computer and double-click the SETUP.EXE file to start
the upgrade installation.) Many people mistakenly believe it's
only possible to start an upgrade installation in this fashion,
but actually you can clean install a multiple-boot installation
in this manner too.
Upgrade setup, also known as
GUI mode installation, is both a little easier and a little
trickier than the "from scratch" NT-like Floppy or
CD-boot installation. Here's the key thing you need to know
about Upgrade Setup... It's best suited to two specific
installation outcomes:
The first outcome is an
upgrade installation, wherein you convert an existing Windows
95, 98 or Windows NT installation to Windows 2000. We've already
suggested you avoid upgrades, if possible. Still, GUI mode is
the easiest way to accomplish an upgrade installation if you're
not going to take our advice.
The second installation
outcome is a multiple-boot configuration, where Windows 2000
installs into a different directory or partition and leaves your
existing version of Windows intact. Win2000 can set up
dual-booting with either Win9x or NT 4.0. It can even configure
a three-way multiple boot with both earlier versions of Windows
if they're already installed on your PC using NT 4.0's dual-boot
configuration. And Win2000 does this automatically as part of
its setup process. Each time you start the PC, you'll be given
the choice of which version of Windows you want to boot.
To
Begin:
The first screen you will see is a pop-up installation
dialog for Win2000.
In order to avoid an upgrade
installation, the first thing you must do is click
"No" to the dialog that asks "Would you like to
upgrade to Windows 2000?" If an upgrade is your goal, click
"Yes" and follow the on-screen instructions.
If you clicked No to the
upgrade offer, the graphical setup panel will be revealed. Now
click the "Install Windows 2000" button. You'll be
asked where you want to upgrade your current Windows
installation, (this may be grayed out if you've got a
non-compatible version), or whether you'd prefer a new
installation of Win2000. Select that second choice to clean
install a multiple-boot version of Windows 2000. If you're
installing into the same drive partition as your current version
of Windows, be sure select a different directly into which to
copy the Win2000 files. (I recommend naming it \WIN2000, since
that's generally not already in existence.). Click Next to
advance to the next step.
Step
Two:
After the licensing agreement and the product key,
graphical setup displays three sets of options. The Language
Options button lets you choose which languages Win2000 should
support; most people should leave this alone. The Accessibility
Options let you turn on the Narrator or Magnifier features
during Setup, if you need them. The Advanced Options button is
the most important, and offers controls for the following
options:
Location
of Win2000 files
This designates where Windows 2000 will copy its setup
files... most probably your CD. Unless there's a specific
reason to make a change, leave this setting alone.
Windows
installation folder
This option is where you select (or create) the directory
into which Win2000 will be installed, such as D:\Windows or
C:\Win2000. Do not select the directory for your current version
of Windows, which might be C:\Windows or C:\WinNT.
Copy all
Setup files from the Setup CD to the hard drive
This setting places a copy of the setup files on your
hard drive, and probably should not be checked unless for
whatever reason you will not have CD-ROM access (or network
access if you're installing over a network) during setup.
Choose
the installation partition during setup
This is the most important option of them all, and it's
part of what makes the GUI mode installation a little tricky.
Unless you're performing an upgrade, you should always check
this option. (The choice will be given to you after Setup
reboots.) By default, Win2000 installs on the same drive as your
existing Windows installation, which may not work for you in all
cases. Although there's a huge debate surrounding this point and
I generally recommend installing Windows versions to separate
partitions whenever that's possible.
Once you've finished and press
OK, the machine will reboot. If you copied over files from the
CD-ROM to the hard drive, be sure to remove the CD-ROM to keep
the system from booting it accidentally.
Your are ready to move to the
next phase in the install:
Next:
Windows 2000 Setup
Back to Windows200
Install Guide
