- Overview of the Windows XP Setup Process
- Starting the Windows XP Setup Wizard
- First, the Setup Wizard Needs Some Information
- After the First Reboot: Text Mode Setup
- After the Second Reboot: Read Me Now!
- After the Third Reboot
- Summary
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
First, the Setup Wizard Needs Some Information
After you have chosen to install Windows XP, you will get a Welcome to Windows Setup dialog box that will ask if you want to upgrade or install the new operating system. You can make your selection using a drop-down menu and then click Next to start the upgrade or installation.
The next dialog box is an important one, at least to Microsoft. It is the License Agreement. Be sure to read the agreement, using the scroll bars to view the entire text. When you have read it and are ready to continue, select the radio button labeled I Accept This Agreement and then click Next.
Another standard dialog box will pop up next. It is called Your Product Key, and this is where you enter the product key that comes with your Windows XP distribution CD. For a standard distribution CD, this is a 25-character product code that you enter into five fields, which makes it easier to correct mistakes. When you have entered the product key, click Next to continue.
Figure 3.2 Use this dialog box to configure language options and other Setup options.
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Select Special Setup Options
The next dialog box, shown in Figure 3.2, is another important one. It allows you to perform the following several functions:
Configure Language Options
Configure Advanced Setup Options
Configure Accessibility Options
Language Options
Select Language Options to bring up a dialog box that will allow you to select the language (and region) that you want to use. The choice you make here includes both language and region because many languages use different formats for such things as currency, date and time, and keyboard layout. For example, although the default is English (United States), you can also select to use English for other regions where the formats for the options just mentioned are expressed differently.
When finished making your selections, click OK.
Advanced Options
Choosing Advanced Options brings up a dialog box containing several important options. This is an important dialog box if you are going to multiboot (also known as dual-boot) different operating systems on your computer.
If you are going to multiboot different operating systems, then you should select the check box I Want to Choose the Install Drive Letter and Partition During Setup. This is important because, as you learned in Chapter 2, Microsoft recommends that you install each operating system on a different partition when you multiboot.
This dialog box also allows you to select the location of the distribution source files. This is typically your CD-ROM drive or a network file share. You can also change the name of the folder in which the operating system files will be stored. The default is /WINDOWS. However, you might want to change this to something like /WINXP if you multiboot so that you can easily determine what operating system is installed on a particular partition when browsing your disks.
In general, it is faster to perform the installation if you copy the Setup files to your hard disk instead of using a slow network share or a slow CD-ROM drive. You can use the check box Copy All Setup Files From the Setup CD to the Hard Drive, if this is the case with your system. Be sure you have sufficient disk space to store the files before choosing this option.
When you are finished choosing options from this dialog box, click OK.
Accessibility Options
Accessibility Options brings up a dialog box that allows you to select two of the accessibility tools for use during setup. These are as follows:
Magnifier—This tool can be used much like a magnifying glass to enlarge portions of the screen to make them easier to read.
Narrator—This tool will read the contents of the current screen and can be useful for those who have vision problems.
To enable either of these options, simply select the check box. When finished, click OK. Once back at the Select Special Options dialog box, click Next to continue the Setup process.
Note
Note that if you use Dynamic Update, you must have an Internet connection up and running during this Setup process!
Performing Dynamic Update
This dialog box will allow you to select whether you want to use the Dynamic Update service, described earlier in this chapter, during setup. If you are installing Windows XP as soon as it is released, you can probably skip this step, especially if all the components of your computer are listed on the HCL. If you are performing this update or installation at a later time, then you can select the radio button labeled Yes and download the latest Setup files from the Internet. Otherwise, you can select the No radio button and click Next.
After this dialog box has been dismissed the system will automatically reboot, and you will enter into Text Mode Setup. Now you can choose partitions, format partitions, and perform other Setup tasks.