Installation of Windows XP

• By Robert Cowart and Brian Knittel
• Dec 31, 2003
• Sample Chapter is provided courtesy of Que

This chapter is from the book
Platinum Edition Using Microsoft Windows XP

In this chapter

• Background
• Performing a Clean Installation
• Performing an Upgrade Installation
• Uninstalling a Windows XP Upgrade
• Product Activation
• Using Installation Switches
• Automated System Recovery

Background

After you've completed the work detailed in Chapter 2, "Installation Prep," you are finally ready to get down to the business of actually installing Windows XP Professional. With Windows XP, Microsoft has made the installation process fairly simple and foolproof, but it will be a bit of a difference to those who have never installed Windows NT or Windows 2000 before. As discussed in Chapter 1, "Introduction to Windows XP," Windows XP Professional acts like Windows 2000 on the inside, as it is built on the ever-stable Windows 2000 code-base, but it's friendlier and easier to get along with on the outside. With the exception of the activation process (which some folks find invasive or at best annoying) the installation procedure and related options benefit from Microsoft's friendly XP approach.

In this chapter, we'll be looking at four major areas concerning installation:

• Installing Windows XP Professional—Possible installation scenarios include clean installations and upgrade installations. Multi-booting Windows XP Professional is discussed extensively in Chapter 4.

• Uninstalling Windows XP Professional—A great feature previously unheard of in Windows—but it has limitations. We will look at uninstalling Windows XP Professional in depth.

• Understanding Microsoft Product Activation—A not too welcome addition to the Windows world, Product Activation has caused quite a stir. We will be taking an in-depth look into Product Activation, including how it works, what it does, and how it affects you.

• Setup switches—Powerful ways exist in which to modify and customize the behavior of the Windows XP Professional Setup routine. By using various switches and combinations of switches with the setup commands, winnt32.exe and winnt.exe, you truly can have it your way.

• Automated System Recovery—Although not properly part of installing and setting up a Windows XP Professional installation, ASR is a valuable and important part of Windows XP that should not be overlooked—the sooner you understand it the sooner you can make it work for you.

To learn more about installing Windows XP Professional by using unattended installation methods.