Installing Windows 2000 Professional

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Before beginning Windows 2000 Professional Setup, decide whether to upgrade your current operating system or to install a fresh copy of Windows 2000 Professional. When you begin Setup from an earlier version of Windows, you are asked to choose between upgrading or installing a new copy of Windows 2000.

During an upgrade, Setup replaces the existing Windows operating system files, but preserves your existing user and application settings. Some applications might not be compatible with Windows 2000 and, therefore, might not function properly after an upgrade. Windows 2000 Professional upgrades from the following operating systems:

  • Microsoft Windows 95

  • Microsoft Windows 98

  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 3.51

  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0

You can choose to upgrade your existing operating system if:

  • You are already using a previous version of Windows that can be upgraded to Windows 2000 Professional.

  • You want to replace your existing operating system with Windows 2000 Professional.

During a clean installation of Windows 2000 Professional, Setup installs the operating system files in a new folder. If you are currently using an operating system that does not support an upgrade, such as Microsoft Windows 3.1 or OS/2, you must install a new copy of Windows 2000 Professional and then reinstall all your applications, as well as reset your personal preferences, such as application settings and Windows settings.

You need to perform a clean installation of Windows 2000 Professional if the following are true:

  • You have no operating system on your computer.

  • Your current operating system does not support an upgrade.

  • You have an existing operating system, but you dont want to keep your existing files or settings. That is, you want a clean installation.

  • You have more than one partition, and you want to have a multiple-boot configuration using both Windows 2000 Professional and your current operating system. For more information about planning a multiple-boot configuration, see Planning a Multiple-boot Configuration later in this chapter.