Checklist for Upgrading to Windows 2000 Professional
Before you upgrade to the Windows® 2000 Professional operating system, you should prepare your computer by taking the following steps:
Make sure your computer can run Windows 2000
Check your hardware specifications to see if they meet the system requirements (http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/upgrade/compat/search/default.asp ) for Windows 2000.
Check to see if your hardware and software are compatible with Windows 2000
Go to the compatibility area (http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/upgrade/compat/search/default.asp ) to find out if your hardware and software are compatible with Windows 2000. Setup generates a list of incompatible software and hardware, but the tools available in the compatibility area will let you know ahead of time if you need updates.
Install hardware and software updates, if necessary
Get hardware and software updates (drivers, BIOS, etc.) from your hardware or software manufacturer. Check the compatibility area (http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/upgrade/compat/search/default.asp ) for tools to help you determine if you need updates. It is particularly important to make sure you have the latest BIOS (basic input/output system) available from your computer manufacturer.
Back up your files
Back up your files to a disk, a tape drive, or another computer on your network.
Get rid of viruses
Use anti-virus software to perform a virus scan on your hard disk.
Uninstall power management or disk management tools
If you are running power management or disk management tools provided by your computer manufacturer, you should uninstall these programs before you upgrade.
Determine if you need to do an upgrade or a new installation
You should upgrade if all of the following are true:
| • | You're already using a previous version of Windows that supports upgrading. |
| • | You want to replace your previous Windows operating system with Windows 2000. |
| • | You want to keep your existing files and preferences. |
You should perform a new installation if any of the below are true:
| • | Your hard drive is blank. |
| • | Your current operating system does not support an upgrade to Windows 2000. |
| • | You already use an operating system, but prefer to do a clean install of Windows 2000. |
| • | You have two partitions and want to create a dual-boot configuration with Windows 2000 and your current operating system. (Be sure to install Windows 2000 on a different partition than your current operating system.) |
Know your network information
If your computer is connected to a network, make sure you know your network information:
| • | Name of your computer. |
| • | Name of your workgroup or domain. |
| • | TCP/IP address, if your network doesn't have a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. |
Know your IP address
If you plan to connect to the Internet, you may need to provide an IP address during Setup. An IP address is assigned by your Internet Service Provider for your e-mail and Internet accounts. If you haven't established an e-mail or Internet account yet, you can easily add your IP address later.
Plan ahead for rolling back
Windows 2000 Professional does not provide an uninstall feature. You will not be able to return to your previous version of Windows after installing Windows 2000 unless you completely reinstall your older version of Windows and all of your programs.
Choose a file system
During Setup, Windows 2000 gives you the choice of using the NT file system (NTFS) or one of the file allocation table file systems (FAT or FAT32). NTFS is the recommended file system for use with Windows 2000. It offers:
| • | Better file security, including the Encrypting File System (EFS) which protects data on your hard drive by encrypting each file with a randomly generated key. |
| • | Better disk compression. |
| • | Better support for large hard disks (up to two terabytes). |
Maximum drive size for NTFS is much greater than for FAT, and as drive size increases, performance with NTFS will not degrade as it does with FAT systems.
The conversion to NTFS is one-way. You will not be able to convert your drive back to FAT if you choose to upgrade your drive. If you decide to switch to NTFS, you can do so during Setup or after Windows 2000 is installed.
Understand all the issues
For special issues regarding upgrades from Windows 95 or Windows 98, see Client Upgrade to Windows 2000.
