Before You Install POSReady

  • Article

2/16/2009

Before you install Windows Embedded POSReady 2009, review this topic to help you become familiar with POSReady and to consider the best way to deploy it.

Minimum Hardware Requirements for POSReady

The hardware requirements for POSReady depend on whether you choose to use virtual memory or not. Windows manages virtual memory by using a paging file, which is automatically calculated as the computer's RAM multiplied by 1.5. You can adjust the paging file size after installation. The requirements are:

  • Minimum of 480 MB of free disk space without a paging file. Actual requirements will vary based on the system configuration and the applications and features that you choose to install. Additional available disk space might be required if you are installing over a network. For more information about how to install over a network, see Installing POSReady by Using Remote Deployment.

Note

You cannot install POSReady on a dynamic disk. You must either convert your disk to a basic disk or delete the volume and create a basic disk.

  • Minimum of 333 megahertz CPU clock speed.
  • Minimum of 64 MB of RAM (512 MB of RAM is recommended) with a paging file. If you are not using a paging file, POSReady requires a minimum of 512 MB of RAM.

What's on the POSReady DVD

The POSReady DVD contains the following:

  • POSReady core operating system (OS) files
  • Multilingual User Interface Pack (MUI) files for 32 languages
  • Companion applications

Choosing Your Installation Type

POSReady provides two installation types:

  • Interactive Installation, where you supply step-by-step information as the Setup Wizard displays steps on the screen.
  • Unattended Installation, where you supply information in an answer file so that Setup can run automatically. You should consider this installation type if you are installing POSReady with the same configuration on many computers. For more information about how to create an answer file for unattended Setup, see Creating a POSReady Answer File.

You can create an unattended answer file during an interactive installation by using a command-line switch. Command-line switches can also be used to create a log file for error-logging purposes. For more information, see POSReady Setup and the Command Line.

Information to Collect Before Installation

Before you install POSReady, collect information that will be required for both installation types. You are prompted to provide this information on Setup Wizard pages for interactive installations, or you must include it in your answer file for unattended installations.

  • If the computer requires third-party storage drivers, you must have them available before you can install POSReady. For more information about drivers, see Adding Drivers for Your POSReady Installation.
  • The product key, which is the 25-character code unique to your copy of POSReady.
  • The name of the user and the organization associated with the computer on which the product will be installed.
  • The name (if any) of the computer on which the product will be installed, and the password for the administrator. The password is required, and must include three of the following: uppercase characters, lowercase characters, numbers, or symbols. Password length must not exceed 95 characters.
  • The default language and standards to use for formatting currency, dates, and more. For more information about how to use a Multilingual User Interface Pack (MUI), see Installing the Multilingual User Interface Pack (MUI).
  • The geographical location and time zone of the computer on which the product will be installed.
  • The file system to use (NTFS is recommended).
  • The TCP/IP Settings, DNS server address, and WINS server for the computer on which the product will be installed (all three can be obtained automatically if the network supports queries for this information).
  • If the computer is part of a workgroup, you will need the workgroup name. If the computer is a member of a domain, you will need the domain name, and the user name and password of a user who has permission to add computers to the domain.

See Also

Tasks

Installing the Multilingual User Interface Pack (MUI)

Concepts

What's New in POSReady