Summary

In this chapter, you learned how to install Windows XP Professional. We covered the following

topics:

_ The design goals of Windows XP Professional, which include taking the best features of

Windows 98, Windows Me, and Windows 2000 Professional, providing a wide range

of support for hardware, making the operating system easy to use, and lowering the cost of

ownership.

_ Installation preparation, which begins with making sure that your computer meets the minimum

system requirements and that all of your hardware is on the Hardware Compatibility

List (HCL). Then you need to decide whether you will perform a clean install or an upgrade.

Finally, you should plan which options you will select during installation. Options include

methods of partitioning your disk space, selecting a file system, whether the computer

will be installed as part of a workgroup or a domain, and your language and locale

settings.

_ The methods you can use for installation, which include using the distribution files on the

Windows XP Professional CD or using files that have been copied to a network share point.

_ How to install Windows XP Professional, which proceeds in four main installation phases:

information collection, installation preparation, Windows installation, and installation

finalization.

_ The post-installation update and product activation feature. Post-installation updates are

used to ensure that you have the latest files. Product activation is used to complete the

Windows XP licensing process.

_ How to troubleshoot installation problems. Common errors are caused by media problems,

lack of disk space or memory, and hardware problems. Other common errors include an

improperly configured Boot.ini file or using non-supported hard drives. You can view

Setup log files to check for problems that occurred during the installation.

_ Information about supporting dual-boot or multi-boot environments. Dual-booting and

multi-booting allow you to boot to a choice of two or more operating systems.