Miscellaneous Challenges

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This section covers some tasks (we like to call them "challenges") that you may need to perform with Windows 2000. If you don't find the task or problem you're looking for here, don't panic; check the Microsoft Windows 2000 Knowledge Base—the definitive source for information on problems with Windows 2000.

Adding a Processor to the System

Occasionally you might find yourself adding a second processor to a dualprocessor-capable system. The procedure for doing this is a little different in Windows 2000 than it was in Windows NT 4, so we'll walk you through it. Upgrading from a single-processor Windows 2000 system to a multiprocessor system is actually a fairly major change for Windows 2000, causing Windows 2000 to change its entire hardware abstraction layer (HAL). Thus, it is very important that you don't muck around when choosing a HAL. Stick with the one Windows picks, because if you choose an incompatible HAL, the only way to recover is to perform a clean install of Windows 2000. After installing your additional processor, use the following procedure to switch HALs from uniprocessor to multiprocessor:

  1. Open the Computer Management snap-in from the Administrative Tools folder on the Programs menu.
  2. Click Device Manager in the console tree.
  3. In the details pane, expand the Computer branch of the Device Manager tree, as shown in Figure 37-6.
  4. click to view at full size.

    Figure 37-6. The Computer Management console.

  5. Right-click the computer item (most likely ACPI Uniprocessor PC) and choose Properties from the shortcut menu.
  6. Click the Driver tab and then click Update Driver.
  7. Use the Update Device Driver Wizard to locate a more suitable HAL for the multiprocessor system. Note that if Windows 2000 doesn't find a different HAL, you should contact the system manufacturer for an updated HAL or system BIOS.

Uninstalling Windows 2000

Yes, there may be times when you want to uninstall Windows 2000. Perhaps you've had a system failure and performed a parallel installation, leaving you with an unwanted Windows 2000 installation. Or maybe you've decided that you'd rather have the raw power of MS-DOS 4 again. (If you have, get help—fast!) Whatever the reason, here's how to remove Windows 2000:

  1. Verify the location of Windows 2000 and how the hard disk is partitioned. (The Disk Management snap-in located in the Computer Management console will show the partition information.)
  2. Make sure that no valuable files are located in the %SystemRoot% or Program Files folders.
  3. Determine what you want to do with the partitions. If you will be using an operating system other than Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4 with Service Pack 4 or later, you'll need to repartition and reformat any NTFS partitions that you want to be able to access from that operating system.
  4. To completely remove Windows 2000 from the system, replace the Windows 2000 boot sector with that of the operating system you want to use. (See the operating system's manual. For MS-DOS or Windows 95/98, boot from a floppy and type sys c: at the command prompt. Windows NT users can use the emergency recovery process.)
  5. Alternately, you can leave the Windows 2000 boot sector intact and simply edit the Boot.ini file to remove the Windows 2000 installation you're uninstalling, set the default to the desired operating system, and optionally set the timeout to 0 to boot the default operating system without displaying the Boot menu.

  6. Delete the %SystemRoot% folder that the Windows 2000 installation was located in, as well as the Program Files, Documents and Settings (be careful with the data though!), Recycler, and System Volume Information folders, as desired, to free up disk space.
  7. Delete the following files in the root directory of the boot partition:
    • Pagefile.sys
    • Ntdetect.com
    • Ntbootdd.sys (if you're using a SCSI system)
    • Cmldr
    • Cdldr
    • Arcldr.exe
    • Arcsetup.exe
    • Boot.ini (Do not delete if you want to keep using Windows 2000's Boot menu.)
    • Ntldr (Do not delete if you want to keep using Windows 2000's Boot menu.)

CAUTION
Uninstalling Windows 2000 isn't a consumer-level process like that offered by some Microsoft operating systems in the past. If you've upgraded to Windows 2000, you're out of luck if you want to switch back to the old operating system. Fortunately, few of us will ever feel the need to uninstall Windows 2000, making the inconvenience manageable.



Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Administrator's Companion, Vol. 1
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Administrators Companion (IT-Administrators Companion)
ISBN: 1572318198
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2000
Pages: 366

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