Installing Windows XP

Introduction

Suffield Academy has standardized on Windows XP Professional edition for use with all Windows-based workstations on the campus network.

This document describes how to install and configure Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 (the latest version, as of this writing). Later sections of the document also discuss installing the standard set of software used at Suffield Academy.

This document assumes a general familiarity with Windows concepts (such as the running installers, and using the Start Menu and System Tray). However, it assumes no system administration knowledge, so even first-time installers should have no trouble following the instructions.

Installation

Before You Start

These instructions assume installation onto a PC that has nothing of value on it. Following these instructions will erase everything that is currently installed on the PC. Do not perform the installation until you are sure everything of value has been backed up on the machine.

To complete the installation, you must have a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and network connection. The network should be connected during the entire installation.

You'll need to be a domain administrator to correctly join the machine to the network. If you do not have these priviledges, you will be able to install Windows, but you cannot join the machine to the network properly. Complete the installation and contact the Network Administrator for further assistance.

BIOS Settings

To install Windows XP, we must boot the PC off of the built-in CD-ROM drive. You should first try booting the machine with the installation CD in the drive. If the PC fails to boot off of the CD, you may need to modify the BIOS settings.

The BIOS settings can only be accessed immediately after the computer has been turned on. Usually, the computer prints a message telling you how to enter the BIOS setup utility. Often, this is done by pressing a special key: F1, F2, F12, and delete are common keys for this feature.

Once inside the BIOS setup, check for a setting related to boot order. Ensure that the computer is set to boot off CD-ROM first, and then off the internal hard drive.

Save your settings and follow the instructions below for booting the machine off of CD.

Booting

Put the Windows XP Professional CD into the CD-ROM drive and start up the computer.

The computer will print Press any key to boot from CD on the screen:

We want to do this, so strike a key on the keyboard as soon as you see this message (it will give up after a short time, so don't wait too long).
The screen will turn blue, and the Windows XP installer will start up. It takes a minute or so to load all of its files and bring up the main installer. You'll see a screen that says Welcome to Setup at the top.

Hit enter to continue to the next screen.
You'll be presented with a License Agreement. Sign your life away and press F8.

Partitioning

The setup program searches your hard drive for exising data. Because we've backed everything up on this computer (you did back everything up, right?), we're just going to erase the drive and start from scratch.
You'll see a listing of partitions on your computer. If all you see is the line Unpartitioned space, with no drive letters (such as C:), you may skip to the next step.
Otherwise, for each partition listed, you must highlight it and delete it. Use the arrow keys to highlight a drive letter (e.g., C:, D:, and so on):

Once you've highlighted a partition, press the D key.
The installer reminds you that there is already data on this parition.

Press enter to confirm.
The installer then asks you to confirm that you really want to delete this partition.

Press L to confirm. All data on this partition will be erased after this step, so make sure you've backed up all important files.
Repeat this procedure until there are no partitions remaining (the menu should only show a line that says Unpartitioned space.

Initializing the Disk

You should now have a screen that has one choice: the Unpartitioned space line on the partition menu:

Hit the enter key to use this entire drive for Windows XP.
The installer will ask you how you want to format the drive. You should the NTFS filesystem. If the computer is brand new, you may use the "Quick" version of the format. For older computers, or if you're unsure, you should use the regular formatting to ensure that the drive has no errors:

Select your choice and hit enter.
The computer will now format the drive in your computer. Depending on the size of the drive, the speed of your computer, and whether you opted for the "quick" format, this can take several minutes.

Waiting for Installation

Once the drive is initiallized, the installer will automatically begin copying files from the CD onto your computer. Again, depending on the speed of your computer and CD-ROM drive, this can take several minutes.

When the files have copied successfully, the computer will automatically restart.

You should leave the installation CD in the CD-ROM drive, however, you should take care not to boot off of the CD (do not press a key when the computer prompts you); let the computer start up off the hard drive.
The computer will start up Windows XP, and will start the second phase of installation. For the most part, you can simply sit back and let the installation complete on its own. We describe below the parts that require action by you.

Regional and Language Options

No customization is required, hit Next.

Personalize Your Software

Fill in the name of the person who will be using this computer. If it is a public machine that will be shared by several people, use Suffield Academy as the name.
You should enter Suffield Academy as the organization.

Product Activation Key

Here you must enter the 25-character product key for Windows. The key can be found in the software database, or on the installation media.

Computer Name and Administrator Password

For the computer name, you should enter a DNS hostname that describes this machine. For machines used by a single person, we use the -desktop format (e.g., jbogus-desktop). For shared machines, use a name that describes the machine (e.g., bookstore or art-lab-1).
Do not use spaces, underscores, or other punctuation in the name. Only use numbers, leters, and dashes for the name.
The installer may force you to shorten the name of the machine. That's fine; just make note of the new shortened name.
For the Administrator password, use one of the standard system passwords for the department or lab where the computer is being installed. Consult with the Network Administrator if you do not know which password to use.

Date and Time Settings

Set the proper date and time. Use (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) as the Time Zone. The Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes checkbox should be selected.

Networking Settings

Ensure that the computer has a network cable plugged into it, so it is ready to connect to the network.

Leave the Typical Settings radio button selected and click the Next button to proceed.

Workgroup or Computer Domain

On this screen, select the radio button titled Yes, make this computer a member of the following domain. In the text area below the label, enter SUFFIELDACADEMY. Click on the Next button.
A dialog box will appear asking for the username and password of a domain administrator.

Enter your network username and password.
If you do not have domain privileges, you will be told that you cannot join the computer to the domain:

Click No and try to add the computer to the domain again. Make sure that the computer is properly networked, and that the username and password have been typed correctly. Finally, make sure the username provided has Domain Admin rights. If you're not sure, contact the Network Administrator before proceeding.

Finishing Initialization

After the Workgroup Settings are complete, the computer will continue to initialize Windows, which may take 20 minutes to an hour. After the process is complete, the machine will automatically reboot. Once again, do not boot off the installation CD; let the computer start up off of the hard drive.

Network Identification Wizard

When the computer starts up again, a screen will appear that says Network Identification Wizard:

Click Next on the main screen.
A screen will appear asking you if you wish to add a user to this computer:

Find the radio button labeled Do not add a user at this time and select it. Click the Next button to continue.
Click the Finish button to complete the wizard.

Logging In

At this point, you should see the Windows XP login screen, which says Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete to begin:

You are now ready to log in and begin to set up the computer. Press Control, Alt, and Delete together to bring up the login screen.
Click the Options button to show full login options. Users will need the options later when they log in as a networked user.