Windows 2000 - The new installation step by step

Many users shy away from installing an operating system with a critical eye. However, these processes are now very simple and largely straightforward, so that even beginners can attempt them. If you now follow these instructions, nothing can go wrong.

Windows 2000 places particularly high demands on the working memory. You should have at least 128 megabytes to enjoy your work. Computers with only 64 megabytes or less will have to cut back and make compromises. It is therefore advisable to switch off the new functions so that Windows runs without complications and sufficiently fast.
Microsoft personally specifies a minimum of 64MB, which I think is an understatement.

The processor should also be able to perform well. The official minimum requirements in this area are 166 Mhz, although I can only guarantee optimal operation from 300 Mhz.

The Windows 2000 manual states that at least 700 megabytes should be free on the hard disk. After the installation, you will be surprised that approx. 1 gigabyte is occupied - together with the swap file. If programs and data are added later, you should set up at least 2-3 GB of space for 2000 itself and everything beyond that for the programs.

If your computer meets these requirements, you can continue reading with peace of mind.

If you see a blue screen right at the beginning of the installation or during hardware detection, which tells you in English that there has been an ACPI error, you must react immediately.

ACPI is the power management system of Windows 2000 and intervenes quite deeply in the system. It also takes over the management of the various devices. This can cause problems with some motherboards because Windows does not recognize their ACPI support.

To solve the problem, you must switch off the ACPI screen during installation. Right at the beginning (step 5) you will be asked to press the F6 key to install a SCSI adapter. At exactly this point, press F5 and you will immediately find yourself in a menu in which you enter Standard PC. Now confirm this with Enter and continue the installation without any problems.

Here you will be navigated through the installation step by step. It is advisable to delete all existing files by formatting the hard disk. This way you will have a fast, stable and virgin system which will not cause any problems due to old files. And this is how you proceed:

1. Switch on your computer and press the ENTF or F2 key directly to access the computer's basic program (BIOS). The keys and some terms may differ - a look at the manual will not hurt in most cases.

2. You should now see a blue/yellow screen in front of you where you can use the cursor to go to BIOS Features Setup and press ENTER.

3. You can change the options using the Picture down/Picture up or Enter buttons. Now do this by assigning the option Boot Sequence or Boot Drive to CD-ROM or D:\ (or any drive). Press ESC to return to the previous menu.

4. Now move the cursor to Save & Exit Setup and insert the Windows 2000 installation CD into the drive.

5. The setup program reports and a blue screen appears, which has a status bar with information at the bottom. This shows the drivers that are currently being loaded to ensure that your system is working properly.

6. The welcome screen is immediately skipped by pressing the ENTER key so that you find yourself in the hard disk selection menu. Here you can decide on which drive Windows 2000 should be installed. In most cases, this will be C:\. Now select the desired hard disk and press Enter.

Note: Are you the proud owner of several partitions? Would you like to create one? Or do you want to delete one? Press the L key to perform the latter action - the data will be lost immediately. Use E to create a partition, the size of which you can adjust as required.

7. The next window gives you the choice between FAT and NTFS. I recommend formatting the hard disk in the New Technology File System due to the security functions and the improved speed. In addition to the information in the Windows Tweaks Lexicon about NTFS, you can also find some information about the file system in the Windows 2000 introductory article.

8. The hard disk is formatted and then checked. In the event that Windows 2000 detects errors, these are corrected and the setup is restarted.

9. The files will now be copied, which may take some time. Windows 2000 then requires a restart and you will find yourself in a mouse-controlled installation environment. An attempt will now be made to detect the hardware - as soon as this is complete, the so-called installation wizard will greet you once again, which you can acknowledge by clicking on Next.

10. Now enter your name and that of your company in the fields and confirm with Enter. The next window will ask you to choose a computer password and name your computer. Follow these prompts dutifully.

11. Click on Next and the wizard will now search for network cards and components, which takes a long time and is the longest part of the installation.

12. A message will now inform you about the success of the installation. Click Finish and watch as Windows 2000 boots up for the first time. As soon as the operating system has loaded, you will see a message about the network logon. As a single user, I recommend that you enter a fixed password so that Windows 2000 always chooses a password and you no longer have to enter it.

13. As soon as you have clicked on Finish, a welcome screen welcomes you, which also wants to familiarize you directly with the new features. As you can't learn very much from this screen, I recommend declining the invitation with thanks and ticking the box at the bottom next to Do not show this dialog box on startup.

Congratulations! The Windows 2000 installation has been successful.

You should now turn to the first basic steps of speed and stability optimization.

NOTE FOR NEW PUBLICATION: This article was produced by Sandro Villinger and comes from the Windows Tweaks archive, which has been built up since the late 1990s.