Upgrading to Windows 2000 Server from Windows NT

For existing Windows NT servers or clients, upgrading to Windows 2000 Server or Advanced Server is by far the easiest path. Doing so allows you to preserve all of the settings and, when upgrading the PDC, it allows you to preserve the domain and all of its user accounts and resources. Performing a clean installation (covered extensively in Chapter 5) is also an option, but it is unnecessary unless you are running a server operating system other than Windows NT 3.51 or Windows NT 4. (Servers running earlier versions of Windows NT are usually better off upgrading to 3.51 or 4 first and then upgrading to Windows 2000, rather than performing a clean install.)

Similarly, setting up a dual boot is not recommended unless you have some need to use the existing Windows NT server or client configuration part of the time. Dual booting between Windows NT 4 and Windows 2000 has a number of limitations; for more information, see "Dual-Boot Considerations" in Chapter 5.

To upgrade to Windows 2000 Advanced Server with the Windows 2000 Advanced Server upgrade CD-ROM, you need to be running Windows NT 4 Enterprise Edition. If you have the full version of Windows 2000 Advanced Server, intended for new computers, you can upgrade from any of the following products:

• Windows NT 4 Enterprise Edition
• Windows NT 4 Terminal Server
• Windows NT 4 Server
• Windows NT 3.51 Server

After you've planned the domain upgrade and prepared the computer (as discussed earlier in this chapter), you're ready to begin the upgrade. If you're upgrading a PDC, synchronize with the domain's BDCs one last time before you start the upgrade.

Close all open programs and disable all virus protection programs, and then insert the Windows 2000 CD-ROM. The Microsoft Windows 2000 CD dialog box appears if you have CD-ROM AutoPlay (Auto Insert Notification) enabled. (If this is not enabled, open the i386 folder on the CD-ROM and double-click Winnt32.exe.) The dialog box asks if you want to upgrade the version of Windows. Click Yes to start Setup, and then follow these steps to upgrade to Windows 2000:

1. Select the Upgrade To Windows 2000 option, and then click Next. This upgrades the computer to Windows 2000 while keeping the settings and programs intact.
2. Read through the licensing agreement, select the I Accept This Agreement option, and then click Next.
3. If Setup finds hardware that isn't compatible with Windows 2000, it lists it in the next screen. Select the incompatible hardware and click Have Disk to provide updated Windows 2000 drivers for the device, and then click Next. At this point, Setup reboots, installs Windows 2000, and then reboots into the now upgraded operating system.
4. If you are upgrading a PDC or BDC, the Active Directory Installation Wizard starts. See Chapter 11 for information on how to use this wizard to install Active Directory and a DNS server if you want to deploy both services on the domain controller (a good idea).