You can install Windows XP Professional over the network. This lesson discusses the similarities and differences between installing from a CD-ROM and installing over the network. The major difference is the location of the source files needed for installation. This lesson also lists the requirements for an over-the-network installation.
In a network installation, the Windows XP Professional installation files are located in a shared location on a network file server, which is called a distribution server. From the computer on which you want to install Windows XP Professional (the target computer), you connect to the distribution server and then run the Setup program.
Figure 2.6 shows the requirements for a network installation.
Figure 2.6 Requirements for a network installation
Installing Windows XP Professional requires you to do the following:
After you have created or located a distribution server, you can use the over-the-network installation method to concurrently install Windows XP Professional on multiple computers.
The Setup program copies the installation files to the target computer and creates the Setup boot disks. After Setup copies the installation files, you start the installation on the target computer by booting from the Setup boot disks. From this point, you install Windows XP Professional as you would from a CD-ROM.
Figure 2.7 shows the process for installing Windows XP Professional over the network.
Figure 2.7 Installing Windows XP Professional over the network
Installing Windows XP Professional over the network involves the following steps:
On the target computer, boot from a floppy disk that includes a network client or start another operating system that can be used to connect to the distribution server.
After you start the network client on the target computer, connect to the shared folder on the distribution server that contains the Windows XP Professional installation files.
WINNT.EXE and WINNT32.EXE reside in the shared folder on the distribution server.
Running WINNT.EXE or WINNT32.EXE from the shared folder does the following:
Setup restarts the local computer and begins installing Windows XP Professional.
You can modify an over-the-network installation by changing how WINNT.EXE runs Setup. Table 2.3 lists the switches you can use with WINNT.EXE and describes their functions.
Table 2.3 WINNT.EXE Switches
Switch | Function |
---|---|
/a | Enables accessibility options. |
/r[:folder] | Specifies an optional folder to be copied and saved. The folder remains after Setup finishes. |
/rx[:folder] | Specifies the optional folder to be copied. The folder is deleted after Setup finishes. |
/s[:sourcepath] | Specifies the source location of Windows XP Professional files. This must be a full path of the form x:\[path] or \\server\share\[path]. The default is the current folder location |
/t[:tempdrive] | Specifies a drive to contain temporary setup files and directs Setup to install Windows XP Professional on that drive. If you do not specify a drive, Setup attempts to locate the drive with the most available space. |
/u[:script_file] | Performs an unattended installation by using an optional script file. Unattended installations also require using the /s switch. The answer file provides answers to some or all of the prompts that the end user normally responds to during Setup. |
/udf:id[,UDF_file] | Indicates an identifier (id) that Setup uses to specify how a Uniqueness Database File (UDF) modifies an answer file. The /udf parameter overrides values in the answer file, and the identifier determines which values in the UDF file are used. If you do not specify a UDF_file, Setup prompts you to insert a disk that contains the $UNIQUE$.UDB file. |
You can modify an over-the-network installation by changing how WINNT32.EXE runs Setup. Table 2.4 lists the switches you can use with WINNT32.EXE and describes their functions.
Table 2.4 WINNT32.EXE Switches
Switch | Function |
---|---|
/checkupgradeonly | Checks your computer for upgrade compatibility for Windows XP Professional. If you use this option with unattend, no user input is required. Otherwise the results are displayed on the screen and you can save them under the filename you specify.
For more information about generating a compatibility report, see Lesson 4, "Upgrading Earlier Versions of Windows to WindowsXP Professional." |
/cmd:command_line | Specifies a specific command that Setup is to run. This command is run after the computer restarts and after Setup collects the necessary configuration information. |
/cmdcons | Copies to the hard disk the additional files necessary to load a command-line interface, the Recovery Console, which is used for repair and recovery. The Recovery Console is installed as a Startup option. You can use the Recovery Console to stop and start services and to access the local drive, including drives formatted with NTFS. You can use this option only after you install Windows XP Professional. |
/copydir:foldername | Creates an additional folder within the %systemroot% folder, which contains the Windows XP Professional system files. For example, if your source folder contains a folder called My_drivers, type /copydir:My_drivers to copy the My_drivers folder to your system folder. You can use the /copydir switch to create as many additional folders as you want. |
/copysource:foldername | Creates an additional folder within the %systemroot% folder. Setup deletes folders created with /copysource after installation is complete. |
/debug[level] [:file_name] | Creates a debug log at the specified level. By default, the debug log file is C:\WINNT32.LOG and the default level is 2. Includes the following levels:
Each level includes the level below it. |
/dudisable | Prevents Dynamic Update from running. Without Dynamic Updates, Setup runs only with the original Setup files. This option disables Dynamic Update even if you use an answer file and specify Dynamic Update options in that file. |
/dushare: pathname | Specifies a share on which you previously downloaded Dynamic Update files (updated files for use with Setup) from the Windows Update Web site. When run from your installation share and used with /prepareinstall, it prepares the updated files for use in network-based client installations. When used without /prepareinstall and run on a client, it specifies that the client installation will use the updated files on the share specified in pathname. |
/duprepare: pathname | Prepares an installation share for use with Dynamic Update files that you downloaded from the Windows Update Web site. You can use this share for installing Windows XP Professional for multiple clients (used only with /dushare). |
/m:foldername | Instructs Setup to copy replacement files from an alternate location. Directs Setup to look in the alternate location first and, if files are present, to use them instead of the files from the default location. |
/makelocalsource | Instructs Setup to copy all installation source files to the local hard disk. Use this switch when installing from a CD-ROM to provide installation files when the CD-ROM is not available later in the installation. |
/noreboot | Prevents Setup from restarting the computer after completing the file-copy phase. This allows you to execute another command. |
/s:sourcepath | Specifies the source location of Windows XP Professional installation files. To simultaneously copy files from multiple paths, use a separate /s switch for each source path. If you type multiple /s switches, the first location specified must be available or the installation will fail. You can use a maximum of eight /s switches. |
/syspart:[drive_letter] | Copies Setup startup files to a hard disk and marks the drive as active. You can then install the drive in another computer. When you start that computer, Setup starts at the next phase. Using /syspart requires the /tempdrive switch. You can use syspart on computers running Windows NT 4, Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, or Windows 2000 Server. You cannot use it on computers running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me. |
/tempdrive:drive_letter | Places temporary files on the specified drive and installs Windows XP Professional on that drive. |
/unattend [number]: [answer_file] | Performs an unattended installation. The answer file provides your custom specifications to Setup. If you don't specify an answer file, all user settings are taken from the previous installation. You can specify the number of seconds between the time that Setup finishes copying the files and when it restarts with number. You can specify the number of seconds only on computers running Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4, or Windows 2000 that are upgrading to a newer version of Windows XP Professional. |
/udf:id[,udb_file] | Indicates an identifier (id) that Setup uses to specify how a UDF modifies an answer file. The UDF file overrides values in the answer file, and the identifier determines which values in the UDF file are used. For example, /udf:RAS_user, OUR_COMPANY.UDF overrides settings that are specified for the RAS_user identifier in the OUR_COMPANY.UDF file. If you do not specify a UDF file, Setup prompts you to insert a disk that contains the $UNIQUE$.UDF file. |
The following questions will help you determine whether you have learned enough to move on to the next lesson. If you have difficulty answering these questions, review the material in this lesson before beginning the next lesson. The answers are in Appendix A, "Questions and Answers."