Installing Windows 2000 Professional

Ensure that the hardware on the target computer meets the minimum requirements mentioned earlier and that the individual components are listed in the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). This list is available on the Windows 2000 Professional operating system CD (which contains the devices that were compliant with Windows 2000 Professional at the time of shipping) or, for the most up-to-date information, see the HCL link on the Web Resources page at https://windows.microsoft.com/windows2000/reskit/webresources .

If you have hardware devices that are not listed in the HCL, check with the manufacturer of the device to see if an updated driver is available.

You can also check for potential incompatible hardware and software by using the Check Upgrade or Check Upgrade only mode that can be run as a switch with winnt32.exe. The Check Upgrade mode provides a report prior to installing Windows 2000 so that you can install Windows 2000–compliant drivers or remove unsupported applications or devices.

Hardware Compatibility List

The Windows 2000 Professional Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) is a list of hardware devices that have successfully passed the Hardware Compatibility Tests (HCT). Installing Windows 2000 on a computer that has hardware that is not listed in the HCL might cause the installation to fail.

Note

Windows 2000 Professional supports only those items listed on the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). If your device is not listed on the HCL, it might still function, but it is not supported. For devices that do not function under Windows 2000 Professional, you must contact the hardware manufacturer and ask if there is a Windows 2000 compatible driver for the device in question. If you have a program that uses 16-bit drivers, you will have to install 32-bit Windows 2000–compatible drivers from the manufacturer to ensure functionality with Windows 2000 Professional after the upgrade or installation. A copy of the HCL, which lists supported components at the time of shipping, resides on the Windows 2000 Professional operating system CD. It can also be found by means of the Hardware Compatibility List link on the Web Resources page at: https://windows.microsoft.com/windows2000/reskit/webresources .

Using Check Upgrade Only Mode

The Setup procedure for Windows 2000 Professional includes a Check Upgrade Only mode, which can be used to test the upgrade prior to a real upgrade. This produces a report that flags potential problems that might be encountered during the actual upgrade, such as hardware compatibility issues or software that might otherwise not be migrated during the upgrade. Figure 4.1 shows the Windows 2000 Check Upgrade tool.

Figure 4.1 Check Upgrade Tool

• The format used from Windows 95 and Windows 98 is Winnt32 /checkupgradeonly . The report is saved to %windir%\upgrade.txt . You can change this location if you want.

• The format used from Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and 3.51 is also Winnt32 /checkupgradeonly . The report is saved to %windir%\win32.log.

On Windows 95 and Windows 98, the Check Upgrade Only mode also supports scripting that allows compatibility data to be stored from each computer to a central location for later analysis.

The Upgrade Report is a summary of potential hardware and software upgrade issues. The entries in the report include:

• MS-DOS Configuration . Entries in Autoexec.bat and Config.sys that are incompatible with Windows 2000. These entries might be associated with older hardware and software that is incompatible with Windows 2000. It also suggests that more technical information is provided in the Setupact.log file, located in the Windows folder.

• Plug and Play Hardware . Hardware that might not be supported by Windows 2000 without additional files. The report refers the administrator to the Windows Hardware Compatibility List (HCL).

• Software Incompatible with Windows 2000 . Upgrade packs are required for some programs because they do not support Windows 2000, or because they can introduce problems with Windows 2000 Control Panel. Before upgrading to Windows 2000, gain disk space by using Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel to remove programs not being used.

• Software to Reinstall . Upgrade packs are recommended for programs because they use different files and settings in Windows 2000. If an upgrade cannot be obtained, remove the program before upgrading by using Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel. After upgrading to Windows 2000 Professional, reinstall or upgrade the program.

The Upgrade Report also displays links to Microsoft Windows 2000 Web sites, including the Hardware Compatibility List, and Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel where appropriate.

The last screen also contains Save As and Print buttons. If you click the Next button, the program uninstalls itself from memory, and verification is finished.

Incompatibility Preventing an Upgrade

If an incompatibility prevents the upgrade from continuing, a wizard appears to inform the user. The user can view details about the incompatibility, if available. Unless the incompatible application has support for fixing the problem by means of the HaveDisk button, the user must exit the upgrade and fix the problem before rerunning Winnt32.

Incompatibility Warning During an Upgrade

If the incompatibility does not prevent a successful upgrade to Windows 2000, the user is warned that this application might not function correctly with Windows 2000. Even so, the user can continue with the upgrade. The Have Disk button is also supported in this case.

For more information about hardware compatibility issues and Windows 2000, see the Windows 2000 Professional Upgrade link on the Web Resources page at: https://windows.microsoft.com/windows2000/reskit/webresources or https://www.microsoft.com/hcl/ .