After you have planned your installation and are ready to install the new operating system, you should take the time to perform some basic steps that will prepare your system for Setup. Additionally, if you are performing an upgrade, be sure to also review the release notes on the CD-ROM and ensure that you have disabled or removed any applications specified before running Setup. The following tasks should be performed before running Setup to ensure a smooth installation of Windows 2000: Perform backups. Unless your system does not have any files, you should always perform a backup of your existing. | 16 Chapter 1 Preinstallation Internet Name Service WINS to support any clients running earlier versions of Windows. Final Preparations After you have planned your installation and are ready to install the new operating system you should take the time to perform some basic steps that will prepare your system for Setup. Additionally if you are performing an upgrade be sure to also review the release notes on the CD-ROM and ensure that you have disabled or removed any applications specified before running Setup. The following tasks should be performed before running Setup to ensure a smooth installation of Windows 2000 Perform backups. Unless your system does not have any files you should always perform a backup of your existing files before any major changes. The importance of this simple task cannot be overstated. If for some reason something goes wrong you should then have an easy way to restore your previously existing data. Additionally you may want to use a product such as Norton Ghost to make an exact copy of a critical server onto another system to serve as an additional fallback. Disable disk mirroring. Before installing Windows 2000 be sure to disable disk mirroring if it is running on the computer. You may then reenable it after the upgrade or new installation is successful. Disconnect UPS. Uninterruptible power supplies UPS oftentimes create problems during the detection phase. Because Windows will try to detect any devices connected to serial ports be certain to disconnect the serial cable if you are using a UPS. TIP While added reliability and stability are two of the key benefits of Windows 2000 you may want to consider running test installations in a test lab. If you are operating on a large network this could prove critical to ensure interoperability with other systems. Summary Before installing Windows 2000 it is important to consider the changes in the operating system and how they will apply to your organization. One of the biggest and most .
