Lesson 3: Troubleshooting Windows 2000 Professional Setup | MCSE Training Kit(c) Microsoft Windows 2000 Accelerated 2000

Your installation of Windows 2000 Professional should complete without any difficulty. However, there are some common problems that you might encounter during installation. They are discussed in this lesson.

After this lesson, you will be able to

Troubleshoot problems encountered during the setup of Windows 2000 Professional

Estimated lesson time: 5 minutes

Resolving Common Problems

Table 1.3 lists some common installation problems and offers solutions to resolve them.

Table 1.3 Troubleshooting Tips

Problem	Solution
Media errors	If you are installing from a CD-ROM, use a different CD-ROM. To request a replacement CD-ROM, contact Microsoft or your vendor.
Nonsupported CD-ROM drive	Replace the CD-ROM drive with one that is supported, or if that isn t possible, try another method of installing, such as installing over the network. Then, after you have completed the installation, you can add the adapter card driver for the CD-ROM drive if it is available.
Insufficient disk space	Use the Setup program to create a partition by using existing free space on the hard disk; or, delete and create partitions as needed to create a partition that is large enough for installation; or, reformat an existing partition to create more space.
Failure of dependency service to start	In the Windows 2000 Setup wizard, return to the Network Settings dialog box and verify that you installed the correct protocol and network adapter. Verify that the network adapter has the proper configuration settings, such as transceiver type, and that the local computer name is unique on the network.
Failure to connect to the domain controller	Verify that the server running the DNS Service and the domain controller are both running and online. If you can t locate a domain controller, install in a workgroup and then join the domain after installation. Verify that the domain name is correct. Verify that the network adapter card and protocol settings are set correctly. If you are reinstalling Windows 2000 Professional and using the same computer name, delete and then recreate the computer account.
Failure of Windows 2000 Professional to install or start	Verify that Windows 2000 Professional is detecting all of the hardware and that all of the hardware is on the hardware compatibility list (HCL).

Setup Logs

During setup, Windows 2000 Professional generates a number of log files. These logs contain information about the installation process that can help you resolve any problems that occur after the Setup program has finished running. Two of the logs are especially useful for troubleshooting. These are the action log and the error log.

Using the Action Log

The action log provides a description of the actions that Setup performs. These actions are recorded in chronological order, and they include such actions as copying files and creating registry entries. The action log also includes any entries that are written to the error log. The action log is stored in the file named Setupact.log.

Using the Error Log

The error log contains a description of any errors that occur during setup, along with an indication of the severity of each error. If errors occur, the log viewer shows the user the error log at the end of setup. The error log is stored in the file Setuperr.log.

Additional Logs

A number of additional logs are created during setup. These logs include the following:

windir\comsetup.log. This log outlines installation for Optional Component Manager and Com+ components.
windir\mmdet.log. As a detection log for multimedia devices, this log details port ranges for each device.
windir\setupapi.log. An entry is logged each time a line from an .INF file is implemented. If for some reason an error occurs, information is logged here to indicate the failure.
windir\debug\NetSetup.log. Activity for joining a domain or workgroup is logged here.

Lesson Summary

In this lesson, you learned about some common problems that you might encounter when installing Windows 2000 Professional. For example, bad media can cause installation problems, in which case you will have to get a new CD-ROM to be able to perform the installation. You might also encounter problems with your installation if your hardware isn't on the hardware compatibility list (HCL). If your CD-ROM drive isn't listed on the HCL, you can swap it out for a supported drive or install over the network and add the driver to support the CD-ROM drive if it's available.

If you failed to complete your preinstallation tasks and none of the partitions have enough room to install Windows 2000 Professional, you can create a new partition from unused space on the hard disk if the space is available; you can delete some existing partitions so that you can create one large enough to install Windows 2000 Professional; or you can format an existing partition to provide enough space to install Windows 2000 Professional.

You also learned some tips to try in case you can't connect to the domain controller. If you can't connect to the domain controller, you can complete the installation by joining the computer to a workgroup. After you have completed the installation and determined what is preventing you from connecting to the domain controller, you can join the computer to the domain.