CompTIA A_ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition - Michael Meyers [228]
Figure 14-6 Partitioning text screen
Figure 14-7 Choosing NTFS
Setup now formats the drive and copies some basic installation files to the newly formatted partition, displaying another progress bar. Go get a book to read while you wait.
After it completes copying the base set of files to the hard drive, your computer reboots, and the graphical mode of Windows setup begins. This is where 2000 and XP begin to vary in appearance, even though they are performing the same steps. The rest of this section shows Windows XP. If you’re running a Windows 2000 install, compare it to the screens you see here; it’s interesting to see the different presentation doing the same job.
You will see a generic screen during the installation that looks like Figure 14-8. On the left of the screen, uncompleted tasks have a white button, completed tasks have a green button, and the current task has a red button. You’ll get plenty of advertising to read as you install.
Figure 14-8 Beginning of graphical mode
The following screens ask questions about a number of things the computer needs to know. They include the desired region and language the computer will operate in, your name and organization for personalizing your computer, and a valid product key for Windows XP (Figure 14-9). Be sure to enter the product key exactly, or you will be unable to continue.
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NOTE Losing your product key is a bad idea! Document it—at least write it on the installation CD-ROM.
Figure 14-9 Product key
Next, you need to give your computer a name that will identify it on a network. Check with your system administrator for an appropriate name. If you don’t have a system administrator, just enter a simple name such as MYPC for now—you can change this at any time—and read up on networking later in this book. You also need to create a password for the Administrator user account (Figure 14-10). Every Windows system has an Administrator user account that can do anything on the computer. Techs will need this account to modify and fix the computer in the future.
Last, you’re asked for the correct date, time, and time zone. Then Windows tries to detect a network card. If a network card is detected, the network components will be installed and you’ll have an opportunity to configure the network settings. Unless you know you need special settings for your network, just select the Typical Settings option (Figure 14-11). Relax; XP will do most of the work for you. Plus you can easily change network settings after the installation.
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NOTE Even experienced techs usually select the Typical Settings option. Installation is not the time to be messing with network details unless you need to.
The big copy of files now begins from the CD-ROM to your hard drive. This is a good time to pick your book up again, because watching the ads is boring (Figure 14-12).
After the files required for the final configuration are copied, XP reboots again. During this reboot, XP determines your screen size and applies the appropriate resolution. This reboot can take several minutes to complete, so be patient.
Figure 14-10 Computer name and Administrator password
Figure 14-11 Selecting typical network settings
Figure 14-12 The Big Copy
Once the reboot is complete, you can log on as the Administrator. Balloon messages may appear over the tray area of the taskbar—a common message concerns the display resolution. Click the balloon and allow Windows XP to automatically adjust the display settings.
The final message in the installation process reminds you that you have 30 days left for activation. Go ahead and activate now over the Internet or by telephone. It’s painless and quick. If you choose not to activate, simply click the Close button on the message balloon. That’s it! You have successfully installed Windows XP and should have a desktop