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Installing XP on Vista. Installing Windows XP. Configuring the Windows XP shell, optimizing work

The legendary and beloved Windows XP has not been supported by Microsoft for more than a year, but it continues to be quite popular among users. The reason for this is its amazing stability and performance, plus a convenient and well-known interface.

If for some reason you decide to return to this version of the OS from Microsoft or are faced with the need to restore its operability, then it will be useful for you to remember how to install Windows XP.

What is required

First, let's figure out what you need to have on hand in order to successfully install Windows:

In addition, if you do not have an installation disc, you will need special software to create one. Fortunately, such utilities are distributed free of charge, and therefore there should be no problems with downloading them.

If you don't have an installation disc, you need to create one. To do this, it is better to use Windows XP SP3, downloaded from a reliable source and not burdened with a huge number of additional programs and features.

Ideally, if the downloaded assembly will be as close as possible to the original distribution. Then the chances that the system will be installed and will work correctly are very high.

You can create an installation disc using any program that supports burning ISO images. Take the DeepBurner utility as an example.

Alternatively, you can use the UltraISO utility, which will also write the distribution to disk without any problems. Another option is Ashampoo Burning Studio.

BIOS setup

After creating the disc (if you did not have the original media), you need to change the BIOS settings by adjusting the boot order.

Place the disc in CD / DVD-ROM and restart your computer. Open BIOS. This can usually be done using the F2, Delete, or F12 keys. The specific key must be indicated on the start screen, which appears immediately after starting the computer.

Depending on the BIOS version, the location and name of the sections may change. In any case, look for the item called "BOOT".

The "BOOT" section can be visible or hidden in other sections - for example, in "Advanced BIOS Features".
You need to set the boot priority: the first should be the drive, then the HDD. Changing the boot order in BIOS is done using the PageUp / PageDown keys or arrows on the keyboard.

Press F10 to exit BIOS, saving the new system boot parameters.

Installing the system

After exiting the BIOS and rebooting, you will be taken to a screen that says "Press any key to boot from CD". Follow the request and press any button on the keyboard.
The installation menu should appear on the screen, where you can, how to perform the installation - in manual mode or automatically. It is recommended to select manual mode.

A blue screen appears with the words "Install Windows". Wait for the system configuration check to complete.
On the next screen, you will see the installer's greeting. Press "Enter" to go to the Windows installation.
A "License Agreement" will appear (if you are using an official distribution, not an assembly like Zver). Press F8 to accept the terms of the agreement.
If you already have a system partition, select it. If you have a new hard drive, you will have to create a new partition where the Windows files will be copied. To carry out this procedure, press the "C" key.
Select formatting in NTFS (Fast) and run it. All files stored on the system partition will be erased during the formatting process, so make sure there is no important data on it.

After the end of formatting, copying of Windows files will begin.
When the files are copied, the computer will restart.

Attention! When starting the computer, you must select boot from the C drive, otherwise you will restart the installation process of the system.

Next, the installation of the system on the computer will begin. You only need to specify some parameters, for example, language:
After a while, another window will appear asking you to enter your name. It can be anything.
Enter your product license key, if you have one. When using various free assemblies, you usually do not need to specify a license key.
Enter the computer name and password if you want to protect the system from unauthorized access.
Change the time, date and time zone if they are incorrect.
Wait for the installation to complete - it usually takes about 40 minutes.
After that, you will see the welcome and long-awaited Windows desktop with the familiar hills.

Installing drivers and useful programs

Sometimes additional programs are installed right after the Windows installation process is complete. This usually happens when installing not the original distribution kit, but an assembly downloaded from the Internet.
After completing the installation of the system, proceed directly to the installation of the drivers. Install the motherboard and network card software first, then add the graphics card and other hardware drivers. Remember to restart your computer after installing the next driver package.

The main problem when installing software on Windows XP is system compatibility. Many programs and device drivers simply will not stand up correctly, which will lead to incorrect computer operation. Therefore, it is important to choose the right software, taking into account the version of Windows and its bit depth.

After installing all the components necessary for correct operation, you can proceed to setting other parameters - for example, appearance. Install a theme on Windows XP if you want to make your system different from others or modernize a little.
Would you like to add handy gadgets to your desktop? Install gadgets on Windows XP and manage their location on the desktop. The main thing here is not to overdo it and not overload the system with outwardly attractive "chips" that do not carry any practical benefit.

Conclusion

Now you know how to install Windows XP from disc. Finally, let's go over the main points once again, which must be remembered when installing the system, if you want everything to go smoothly.

Use the original distribution kit or an assembly that is as close to it as possible. There is no need to install various super-assemblies, which are crammed with additional programs and functions.

Prepare a driver disk for your motherboard and network card in advance. Find out in advance if your hardware is compatible with Windows XP; if you have a new computer, there may be some problems.
If you absolutely do not like the latest versions of the OS from Microsoft, think better about installing Windows 7. The "7", although it is also not supported anymore by Microsoft, is a more modern system, and therefore there will be much fewer problems with hardware compatibility when using it.

Windows XP is a good option for installing on a netbook, a weak desktop computer, or a laptop from many years ago.
The operating system Windows XP, despite the fact that it was released in 2001, is still well suited to work on low-power, outdated computers. More modern operating systems Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7 make more serious demands on the computer hardware.

At the time of the creation of Windows XP, CDs were used to install the operating system, which were inserted into the CD / DVD drives of the computer. The era of portable USB sticks has not yet arrived, so Microsoft has not provided a tool to install a system from a bootable USB stick.

Installing Windows XP via a USB flash drive takes place in three stages:

Creating a bootable USB flash drive.
Choosing to boot from a USB flash drive in the computer's BIOS.
Installing Windows XP on a computer from an installation flash drive.

Creating a bootable USB flash drive with Windows XP

To create a bootable USB drive, we use the free WinSetupFromUSB program. We also need a clean USB drive to write to the system's flash drive.

There is a detailed article on my website. Read the article, write down the operating system on a USB flash drive according to the instructions.

Boot priority selection in BIOS

Insert the USB flash drive with Windows XP into the USB connector, and then turn on the computer. Immediately after starting the PC, you must press a specific key on the keyboard to enter the BIOS settings to select the priority of booting from a bootable USB flash drive or DVD drive.

Different devices use different keys or keyboard shortcuts.

After starting the computer, testing the equipment begins, at this time you need to quickly press the key to enter the BIOS. The most commonly used keys are "Del", "F2" and "F8" for fast boot.

Work in the BIOS is carried out using the keyboard keys. The BIOS window explains in English which keys you need to use to configure.

In the AMIBIOS settings, enter the Advanced BIOS Features menu, where you need to select a USB disk as the first bootable device by moving it to the first place.

AMI BIOS ver.3.31a

In other BIOS versions, open the Boot tab, select USB stick, install it as the first boot device if installing from a USB flash drive. Please select DVD drive if installing from disk.

Save your settings and then exit BIOS. Immediately after that, the computer will boot the system from an installation flash drive or from a CD / DVD disc if an optical disc is used to install Windows XP.

If you didn't manage to enter the BIOS in time, it's okay: restart your computer again, and then try again.

How to install Windows XP from a USB flash drive

In the first window with the inscription "Press any key to boot from CD" you need to press any key on the keyboard.

To create a USB flash drive, we used the WinSetupFromUSB program, so the MultiBoot USB window will open on the screen, in which you need to select "Installing Microsoft Windows XP SP3 x86 - Russian version".

If you install from a disk, then the window above does not come out.

Windows XP installation begins. After downloading the required files, the Windows XP Professional Setup window opens. Necessarily Press any key otherwise the installation will not start.

Press the button " Enter»To start the installation of the operating system.
All suggested options:
1. Proceed to install windows xp (Enter key)
2. Restore Windows (Key R)
3. Exit the installer (F3 key)

We accept the license agreement by clicking on the button " F8».

If the system is already installed on the computer, the window will display the partitions of the hard disk. It is possible to delete all partitions and install the system in an unallocated area, (be careful, after deleting a partition or formatting it, you will lose all data) or select an existing system partition for installation.

We will install Windows XP into an unallocated area. In the unallocated area, if necessary, you can create an additional non-system disk partition (partition D - for storing data).

An unallocated area is selected on our computer. To start the Windows installation, you need to click on " Enter».

Format the partition in NTFS (Fast).
Format the partition in NTFS system.

This window may suggest formatting to the FAT file system, do not consider this option.

You can choose any of these NTFS formatting options. In the first case, the formatting of the partition will be faster.

The system partition is being formatted.

The system copies the files to the Windows installation folders.

Upon completion, the computer will restart.
Next, a window will appear with the inscription "Press any key to boot from CD", in this time we don't press anything!

The installer displays information about the features of the operating system. It will take some time to install Windows XP, the approximate time until the installation is complete is displayed in the Windows Setup window.

On top of the system wizard window, windows open for configuring certain parameters.

In the window " language and regional standards"Select a language, click on the button" Further". In the Russian version of Windows XP, the Russian language is selected by default.

In the next window, be sure to enter “ Account name ", for example Alexander.

You can enter anything. This name will be displayed on the system as the computer username.

If you are a regular user, " Name of the organization» do not enter.

In the Product Key window, enter the key for your copy of Windows. (this window may not come out - depends on the build of Windows XP ). You can skip this step, the system can be activated later, after the installation on the computer is complete.

If you did not enter the key in the previous window, in the window " Error"Click on the button" No».

In the next window, enter “ Computer name"For example Dell, and admin password... If you will not use a password, leave the corresponding fields blank, and then click on the button " Further". If necessary, you can set the administrator password later.

In the window " Setting the time and date»- select time, date and time zone.

The Windows XP Setup window opens again.

In the next window “ Network parameters»Select« Common parameters».

In the window " Workgroup or domain"Click on the button" Further"Without changing anything.

The Windows XP installation window will open again.

The installation of the operating system continues for some time. After the installation is complete, the computer will restart.

A welcome window will open, and then Windows XP will start.

Windows XP installation is complete.

Enter BIOS, select your computer's hard disk drive (HDD) as the first boot device again. Next, install the necessary drivers on your PC. You can have the drivers on the disk that came with the computer, or you can go to the official website of the equipment manufacturer and download the necessary drivers from there. More about this in the article: “. This article contains links to the official websites of manufacturers of motherboards and video adapters.

In contact with

WinXP FAQ (Frequently asked questions about OS Windows XP) Shashkov Alexey

Installation.

Installation.

2.1. How do I install XP?

This is the only way to boot directly into the installer with just the CD. Microsoft believes that the CD-ROM is an essential and absolutely necessary part for the computer on which XP is installed, so the tools for implementing the good old method of booting from floppy disks are no longer included in the distribution.

Secondly, you can boot from the DOS system diskette with the CD-ROM driver and run the "winnt.exe" program in the i386 directory on the distribution disk.

Note: if your hard drive is connected to an external controller (SCSI or IDE), then do not forget to download the new XP (or W2k) driver for it and drop it onto a floppy disk. You will need it if the installation program cannot correctly identify and install the device. In this case, press F6 when searching for such devices.

And finally, you can run the "setup.exe" program from the root directory of the CD disk from under W9x, NT4 or W2k, or winnt32.exe from the i386 directory, and upgrade the system to XP. This is done correctly, and before rebooting, the system displays a list of programs and drivers incompatible with XP.

However, the latter method is not the most optimal one. Despite the fact that XP tries to independently determine the list of programs and drivers that will not work with it correctly, it is not able to do it correctly in all cases. Therefore, in order to avoid compatibility problems, we would recommend that you reinstall the system.

There is an even more radical method for solving compatibility problems. When installing over an existing OS, you will have the option of choosing an OS (Dual boot).

Note: after installing XP as a separate OS, normal operation of Outlook Express and Internet Explorer in Windows 9x will be impossible. XP will replace the latter. This is only true if both OSs are installed on the same disk partition. But this problem can be solved by copying some DLLs from WinXPSystem32 to WindowsSystem. You can use ShowDep (www.showdep.com) to identify the libraries you need, or Outlook Express displays similar information in the About window.

In addition, many programs will have to be installed twice, separately for XP and for W9x. Sometimes it is possible to go to the same directory, for example Office 2000, already during installation, is able to understand that it is already installed, and as a result installs only about 18 megabytes.

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Page 2 of 7

Installation.

1. How to install XP?

There are several ways. First, if your distribution CD is similar to the one released by Microsoft, then it must be bootable. To boot from it, set the "Boot sequence" parameter in BIOS-e to CD-ROM, insert the CD and reboot. After starting the computer, the installation program will start. Then just follow the instructions. This is the only method that will load directly into the installer. Microsoft believes that the CD-ROM is an essential and absolutely necessary part for the computer on which XP is installed, so the good old method of booting from four floppy disks is no longer supported.
Secondly, you can boot from the DOS system diskette with the CD-ROM driver and run the "winnt.exe" program in the i386 directory on the distribution disk.
Note: if your hard drive is connected to an external controller (SCSI or IDE), then do not forget to download the new XP (or W2k) driver for it and drop it onto a floppy disk. You will need it if the installation program cannot correctly identify and install the device. In this case, press F6 when searching for such devices.
And finally, you can run the "setup.exe" program from the root directory of the CD disk from under W9x, NT4 or W2k, or winnt32.exe from the i386 directory, and upgrade the system to XP. It does this very correctly and, before rebooting, gives out a list of programs and drivers incompatible with XP.
However, the latter method is not the most optimal one. Despite the fact that XP tries to independently determine the list of programs and drivers that will not work with it correctly, it is not able to do it correctly in all cases. Therefore, in order to avoid compatibility problems, we would recommend that you reinstall the system.
There is an even more radical method for solving compatibility problems. When installing over an existing OS, you will have the option of choosing an OS (Dual boot).

Note: after installing XP as a separate OS, normal operation of Outlook Express and Internet Explorer in Windows 9x will be impossible, because W2k will replace the latter. This is only true if both OSs are installed on the same disk partition. But, this problem can be solved by copying some DLLs from WinNT \ System32 to Windows \ System. To determine the required libraries, you can use the ShowDep () program or similar information is shown by Outlook Express in the "About" window. In addition, many programs will have to be installed twice, once for XP, and once for W9x. Sometimes, it is possible in the same directory, for example, Office 2000, already during installation, is able to understand that it has already been installed, and as a result, it installs only about 18 megabytes.

2. How to select the required kernel and HAL version during installation?

At the very beginning of the text phase of XP installation, when the message "Setup is inspecting your computer" s hardware configuration "appears, press and hold the F5 key. In the list of HAL libraries that appears on the screen, select the version corresponding to your computer, or select the" Other "item to point to the manufacturer's library file, then proceed with the Windows installation.

The XP distribution includes the following versions of the HAL library:

ACPI Multiprocessor PC - for ACPI systems with multiple processors
ACPI Uniprocessor PC - used for ACPI systems with a multiprocessor motherboard and one processor installed
Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC - used for single-processor ACPI systems
Compaq SystemPro Multiprocessor or 100% Compatible - for Compaq SystemPro computers or fully compatible with them
MPS Uniprocessor PC - for systems without ACPI support, with a multiprocessor motherboard and one processor installed
MPS Multiprocessor PC - for multiprocessor systems without ACPI support
Standard PC - used for any standard computer, not multiprocessor and without ACPI support.
SGI mp - for graphic stations Silicon Graphics.

3. During installation, the system does not allow you to select components, and after installation, there is almost nothing in Add / Remove programs - Windows Components.

Unfortunately, you will not be able to select anything during installation. But, after installation, in Windows / inf, find the sysoc.inf file and delete the word hide or HIDE in it wherever you find it. New items will appear in Add / Remove Windows components. Unfortunately, you cannot delete everything from the items that have appeared, but you can still do something.

4. Should you upgrade from FAT32 to NTFS?

It all depends on the purpose for which you are using the computer, and how much RAM you have. It should be noted that NTFS is somewhat slower than FAT due to additional loaded services and its security system. If you have little RAM, and you decide to install XP for yourself, then you definitely cannot install NTFS for yourself. If you have 128MB or more, then you might already consider NTFS. You should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of NTFS for the common user and decide what you need. The advantages of FAT32 include the fact that it is faster and requires less memory to work. If the system works only with FAT32, then drivers and services required by NTFS are not loaded into memory. In addition, when using FAT32, it is possible to access the disk when booting from a W9x boot floppy. The advantages of NTFS for the common user can be summed up in one succinct word: indestructible. In all seriousness, knocking out NTFS is extremely difficult, though possible. For experience, a bunch of different applications were launched, disk optimizers, and at the most inopportune moments the reset button was pressed. The repetition of this sadism a dozen times did not make any impression on the system, it continued to work without errors. In addition, NTFS has built-in file encryption tools, which provides a certain degree of confidence in the safety of data. Of course, provided that the system will not be reinstalled.

5. What is NTFS in general, and how does it work?

NTFS grew out of the HPFS file system developed jointly by IBM and Microsoft for the OS / 2 project. It began to be used alongside Windows NT 3.1 in 1993. Windows NT 3.1 was supposed to compete with NetWare and Unix-based servers, so NTFS incorporated all the technological advances of that time. Here are the main ones:

1. Working with large disks. NTFS has a cluster size of 512 bytes, which is optimal in principle, but it can be changed up to 64K. More importantly, NTFS can theoretically handle 16,777,216 terabytes of volumes. Theoretically, because such hard drives simply do not exist yet, and they will not appear very soon.

2. Sustainability. NTFS contains two copies of the FAT analog called MFT (Master File Table). Unlike FAT MSDOS, MFT is more like a database table. If the original MFT is damaged in the event of a hardware error (for example, the appearance of a bad sector), then the system at the next boot uses a copy of the MFT, and automatically creates a new original, already taking into account the damage. But this is not the most important thing. The main thing is that NTFS uses a transaction system when writing files to disk. This system came from a DBMS, where protecting data integrity is vital. This already speaks of its effectiveness. In a simplified form, it works like this:

The NTFS I / O driver initiates the recording process while instructing the Log File Service to log everything that happens.
The data is written to the cache, under the control of the Cache Manager service.
The Cache Manager sends data to the Virtual Memory Manager to be written to disk in the background.
Virtual Memory Manager sends data to the disk driver by passing it through the Fault Tolerant Driver (if you have a RAID array).
The disk driver sends them to the controller, which already writes them either to the cache or directly to the disk.
If this operation goes without errors, the log entry is deleted.
If a failure occurs, the log record remains in the transaction table, and the next time the disk is accessed, the Log File Service detects this record, and simply restores everything as it was before this operation.

Such a system guarantees the absolute safety of data in the event of copying, moving and deleting files or directories. When you make changes to the file, you lose those changes that were at the time of the failure in memory or in the controller cache, and did not have time to write to disk.

3. Security. NTFS treats files as objects. Each file object has properties such as its name, creation date, last updated date, archived status, and security descriptor. The file object also contains a set of methods that allow you to work with it, such as open, close, read, and write. Users, including network users, call these methods to access the file, and the Security Reference Monitor determines whether the user has the necessary permissions to call any of these methods. In addition, files can be encrypted. However, you should be careful with encryption. If your system crashes, or you reinstall it, then you will not be able to read encrypted files if you do not have ERD.

4. Compression of data. NTFS allows you to compress individual directories and files, unlike DriveSpace, which only compresses entire disks. It is very convenient to save disk space, for example, you can compress large graphic BMP files or text files on the fly, and all this will be transparent to the user.

5. Support for ISO Unicode format. The Unicode format uses 16bit to encode each character, as opposed to ASCII, which used 8bit, or worse, 7bit. For a common user, this means that now he can name files in any language, even in Chinese - the system will support this without requiring you to change the code page, as did DOS and W9x.

6. What's new in the NTFS5 file system, and how is it different from NTFS4?

The most important thing for which NT4 was criticized, and in what way it was inferior to NetWare, was the lack of quotas. A quota is a limitation of the maximum amount of disk space a user can use. Why is this needed? Well, on computers operating in large networks, in firms and organizations, it is clear why without question, because hard drives are not rubber. And on a home computer, for example, you can allocate to the user "wife" or "little brother" no more than 50MB on the hard drive, so that they do not clutter up the disk with anything. Moreover, it is not at all necessary that all user files be stored in one place, they may well be scattered across all disks. Quotas are set through the Properties of the NTFS partition, the Quota tab. Through Quota Entries ... you can set quotas for each individual user.

The second, rather important difference between NTFS5 and the old version is the ability to search for a file by the name of its owner. Why is this needed? And here's why: for example, you need to find all the files created in Word, by some one user, on a disk where there are thousands of these files. This was a problem in NT4. With the Access Control List, you can easily check which files are available to a user and set access rights to individual files or directories.

In addition to directly changing the structure of NTFS itself, Microsoft Index Server has been added to W2k, which significantly speeds up the search for files, especially by their content, by indexing the contents of disks. This service is managed through the Indexing Service section of the Computer Management window. In this section, you can view which directories are indexed, and, if desired, add new ones or delete old ones. This works with any partitions, not just NTFS.

NTFS5 adds a feature such as mount points or, in other words, junction points. This function has long been familiar to users of various Unix / Linux variants, but it appeared in Microsoft products for the first time. Using this technology, you can attach any disk resource to any place in the file system. For example, you can attach the hard drive D: \ to any of the directories on the C: \ drive, for example, in C: \ games Now, going to the C: \ games directory, you can see the contents of the root directory of the D: \ drive. All changes that will be made in this directory will be made on the D: \ drive. After that, you can remove the letter assigned to this disk (Change disk letter and path) in the Computer management -> Disk Management window, and the user will not even know that there are two disks installed on the computer! It will work with one C: \ drive and the C: \ games directory for it will be no different from others. You can mount a disk or partition to a directory on an NTFS partition or disk from the already familiar Change disk letter and path menu by selecting Add .. -> Mount in this Ntfs folder -> Browse: You can also manage this function through the command line, using the command mountvol.

7. What is a cluster?

Cluster is the minimum amount of disk space that can be allocated by the file system to store a single file. It is determined, as a rule, automatically, when formatting the hard drive, according to the dependence indicated in the table:

A small exception for the system partition: if it is less than 2048MB, then the cluster size, when using NTFS, is always 512 bytes.

There are several ways to find out the cluster size in W2k. First, you can go to Administrative Tools -> Computer Management -> Storage -> Disk Defragmenter. Select the required disk and click on Analyze. After a few seconds, a plate will appear where there are three buttons. Clicking on View Report launches a window in which there is a sea of information about the selected disk, including the Cluster size.

There is another method that is suitable not only for W2k. Creates, or takes a ready-made, small file ranging in size from 1 byte to 500 bytes. Click on it with the right mouse button, select Properties. We look at two items, Size and Size on disk. Size should be something like 10 bytes (or whatever size it really has), and Size on disk will be, for example, 4096 bytes, which corresponds to the size of the cluster, i.e. 4K.

You can choose the size of the cluster yourself, manually, however, only when formatting. This is done like this: "format d: / A: size", where size is the size of the cluster in bytes. However, there are some rules that should be followed: first, the cluster size must be a multiple of the physical sector size, that is, 512 bytes in the vast majority of cases; secondly, there are restrictions on the number of clusters per partition.

8. How to reduce the size of the installed XP?

You can remove directories:
1)% SystemRoot% \ Driver Cache \ i386 \
This can be done if all equipment is already up and running. When adding new hardware, the system will ask for the distribution kit.
2)% SystemRoot% \ system32 \ dllcache \
This is a cache of protected system files used to automatically restore them in the event of damage. The default size of this folder is 400 MB, and it is determined by the SFCQuota (0xFFFFFFFF) parameter in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ Winlogon registry key
You can change the size of the system file cache using the sfc command:
sfc / cachesize = 0 (you can enter another value, for example, 3 MB), and then manually delete all files in the specified directory. If you do not set / cachesize = 0, then the next time the protected system files are scanned, the system will again fill its cache to the specified size.
3) Turn off System Restore. You can hand it over here: System Properties -> System Restore -> Turn off System Restore for all drives. This will erase all the information that was recorded by System Restore and is stored in the System Volume Information folder.

9. Can I convert a FAT32 drive to NTFS without losing data?

1. You can use the command CONVERT volume: / FS: NTFS The conversion will occur at the next reboot. In this case, there will be no loss of information, but you need to keep in mind that the cluster size after conversion will be 512 bytes, which is not very good on large partitions, in addition, the disk after conversion will be highly fragmented. Reverse conversion (NTFS -> FAT) without data loss by means of XP is impossible, you will need to reformat the partition again.
2. Partition Magic will also be able to convert. It works fine with NTFS 5 starting from version 6.0, but if you use only a boot floppy, then version 5.01 will do. This program also allows you to perform the reverse conversion without losing data and can even change the cluster size (unfortunately, only on FAT16 and FAT32). Partition Magic does not work with dynamic disks, only with primary disks.

10. How do I turn off SFC (System Files Protection) completely?

To do this, change the "SfcDisable" value to "dword: ffffff9d". In order to turn it back on, the same key must be changed to 0.
However, it should be remembered that by doing this, you run the risk of experiencing all the consequences of Dll-hell, ranging from a decrease in overall system performance and ending with a wide variety of problems and glitches caused by replacing system libraries with incompatible versions from third-party manufacturers.

11. What parameters can be changed in boot.ini?

boot.ini is responsible for the boot order of the operating systems installed on the system, and allows you to set some boot parameters for these systems.

This file begins with the section
There are only two parameters in this section:

Timeout, defines the time in seconds that the system waits before starting to boot the OS by default, if the system has several OS installed.
Default, defines the system that boots by default.

The second section, which contains a list of possible OS to boot. For each OS, its location is indicated using ARC (Advanced RISC Computer) names.
scsi (*) or multi (*) - The scsi (*) element is used in the case of a SCSI controller with BIOS disabled. The multi (*) element is used for all other drive types, including IDE, EIDE, ESDI, and SCSI with BIOS enabled. (*) - number of the adapter from which the download is performed. Adapters are numbered starting with the controller closer to slot 0 on the mat. board.

disk (*) - if (1) = scsi (*), then it is equal to the logical device number (LUN) set for the disk. If (1) = multi (*), then it is always zero.
rdisk (*) - if (1) = multi (*), then it is equal to the number of the disk in the chain, the disk count starts from 0. If (1) = muulti (*), then it is always equal to zero
partition (*) - Identifies the disk partition containing the OS files. Unlike all other elements of ARC names, section numbering starts with 1, i.e. the first partition is designated partition (1), the second partition (2), and so on.
\ path - defines the directory (or subdirectory) of the section in which the OS files are located. The default path for Windows NT / 2000 is \ winnt.

In addition, in quotes, text is written that will be visible in the item for selecting this OS in the start menu. After this text, there may be keys that affect the loading of the OS. The following keys are possible for W2k:

/ basevideo - with this switch the system will use only the standard VGA driver. This parameter can be useful if you install another video card for a short time, and you do not want to suffer with rearranging the drivers.
/ fastdetect - usually installed automatically during system installation. When installing this key, the system does not detect all Plug and Play devices during the boot process.
/ maxmem - Determines the maximum size of RAM that can be used by the system. Theoretically, it can help if you have a buggy RAM.
/ noguiboot - When using this switch, the color splash will not be drawn at boot. Can be used by those who do not wish to look at this picture at 60 hertz. But it should be taken into account that besides this, BSODs will not be drawn at boot. But the system will not stop hanging if something is wrong.
/ noserialmice = - when using this parameter, the mouse connected to the COM port will not be detected for the ports listed in brackets. If you do not specify port numbers, the mouse will not be detected on all ports.
/ bootlog - when this parameter is set, the system will write the boot dog to% SystemRoot% \ Nbtlog.txt This parameter can be used to find the reason why the system can boot only in safe mode.
/ safeboot - when installed, the system will boot into Safe mode. The same can be done by pressing F8 at the beginning of the system boot. You can specify multiple options for / safeboot separated by colons. Minimal is the minimum configuration. Network - with network support. Dsrepair - available only in W2kServer and allows you to restore Active Directory from a backup made in advance. Alternateshell - allows you to use alternative graphical shells. By default, only Explorer (standard shell) and Progman (inherited from Windows3.11 and NT 3.5) are installed with the system.
/ sos - displays a list of loaded drivers on the screen. It can help you figure out what the system is stumbling over while loading.
/ baudrate - this parameter specifies the speed at which the COM port will work for system debugging. If you do not specify a specific speed, it will be 9600 for a modem and 19200 for a null modem cable. When this option is enabled, the / debug option is automatically set
/ crashdebug - With this flag the debugger is loaded, but remains inactive until a kernel error occurs. Can be used by software developers.
/ debugport = com * - indicates the COM port number (* must be the port number) used by the debugger. Automatically enables the / debug switch
/ debug - a debugger is loaded, which can be activated by another computer through the connected COM port. Can be used by software developers.
/ nodebug - no debug information is displayed on the screen.
/ hal - Specifies the name of the file to be used as hal.dll after download. see question 5 of chapter "Recovery" for details.
/ kernel - Specifies the name of the file to be used as ntoskrnl.dll after loading. see question 5 of chapter "Recovery" for details.

12. How can I install Win9x with XP already installed?

Win9x overwrites the XP boot sector during installation. To prevent this from happening, before installing Win9x, you need to correctly configure its installer.
To do this, in the MSBATCH.INF file (if there is no such file in your distribution,
create it) you need to register the following lines:

CleanBoot = 0

After installation, Win9x installs the boot by default on itself, but this is easily changed. If the Win9x distribution is on CD (as is usually the case), then the corrected or newly created MSBATCH.INF can be used by running the Win9x installer with the parameter:
setup.exe drive: \ path \ MSBATCH.INF
In this case, the file can be named whatever you want, not just MSBATCH.INF.

13. How to change the letter of the system / boot drive in XP?

Changing the letter may be required if a mirrored volume breaks down or when the disk subsystem configuration changes. Here's how to swap the letters for the C and D drives. If you don't need to swap letters, just change the \ DosDevice \ [letter]: value to any unused letter. Keep in mind that changing the drive letter in a normally working system will stop working programs that use the absolute addressing method - you will have to reinstall them or manually change any incorrect paths in the registry.

Log in as an administrator and run Regedt.exe.
Open the HKLM \ SYSTEM \ MountedDevices key and allow the administrator full access to it (Security -> Permissions menu).
In HKLM \ SYSTEM \ MountedDevices find the drive letter you want to change, in our case it is "\ DosDevices \ C:".
Change the letter to any unused letter, for example, "\ DosDevices \ Z:".
Select the second drive letter to change, i.e. "\ DosDevices \ D:", change
it to the required one, in our case it will be "\ DosDevices \ C:"
Select the \ DosDevices \ Z: value and rename it to "\ DosDevices \ D:".
Reboot your computer.

14. How to rename the Administrator account folder?

We go into the system under the administrator account, create a folder with the desired name in the Documents and Settings directory. Then - right click on the icon "My computer" -> Properties -> Advanced -> User Profiles, click the Copy To ... button and copy the administrator profile to the created folder. Run regedit and find the key:
HKLM \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows NT \ CurrentVersion \ ProfileList
In this key, we find the branch corresponding to the administrator profile by the value of the ProfileImagePath key, and in it we correct this parameter to the required one. We log in, if everything went well, you can delete the old folder - it will no longer be needed.

Foreword This article deals with the most vital situation: installing a new operating system Windows Vista on top of Windows XP (with Service Pack 2), and this is not a synthetic test conducted in a laboratory. The subject is the author of this article himself, who will sacrifice his current home system on the altar of science, which is used every day for games and work, with a dozen or more installed applications, a mail client with correspondence, network connections of a local Internet provider, etc. ... A kind of "deadly number - performed for the first time", as a result of which, in the final conclusions, I will either admit the possibility of the current painless transition to Windows Vista or ... in a number of specific sins for sure :).

In the second part of this short article, a freshly installed Windows Vista system will face another test - an almost complete change of the computer hardware - the motherboard, CPU, video card, RAM. In fact, only a Windows Vista hard drive and a DVD-RW / + RW drive will remain. How will the operating system survive such bullying? We will also find out the answers to these questions in the course of our experiment ...

Part 1. Installation over Windows XP

Preparation

So, we have the following system at our disposal:

From the installed software, we note (this list is far from complete):

Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro 4.0
PaintShop Pro 9
K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 1.66
Microsoft .NET Framework (versions 1.1, 2.0, 3.0)
Microsoft Office 2003
PowerDVD version 6
Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0
"Guild 2" (game)

What opportunities await the user of the licensed boxed version of Windows XP if they want to upgrade (OEM versions are not counted)? Here is the answer given by Microsoft itself:

Yellow dots indicate that you need a clean slate installation, without the ability to save installed applications and settings. Green dot - the ability to install Windows Vista over the current version of the Windows XP operating system, while preserving your settings and applications. The above label is valid for 32-bit operating systems. You can read more about upgrading 64-bit versions of Windows here.

Here is information about the commercial side of the issue - how much will it cost to switch from a boxed version of Windows XP to a boxed Upgrade version of Windows Vista:

Just in case - Microsoft Corporation invites you to check the possibility of migrating to Windows Vista using the Windows Marketplace Upgrade Options Tool (see the "Useful links" section at the end of the article).

Now for the preliminary preparations for migrating to Windows Vista in light of possible incompatibilities. Another useful utility will help you here - Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor (also located in the "Useful links" section at the end of the article). It allows you to pre-assess the consequences of switching to a new operating system, identifying potential pitfalls in advance. Moreover, inconsistencies are displayed for a specific version of Windows Vista (Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate). I have a boxed version of Windows Vista Business ...

After installing the utility and scanning it with its help, you are informed about the compliance with the system requirements ...

Device Drivers ...

And installed applications.

Actually, the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor found two real problems for me and six potential problems:

Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro by Agnitum Ltd. before upgrading from Windows XP to Windows Vista - must be uninstalled, and during installation after upgrading to Windows Vista - it may not work due to lack of compatibility.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0.1.411 from Kaspersky Lab must be uninstalled before upgrading from Windows XP to Windows Vista, and during installation after upgrading to Windows Vista it may not work due to lack of compatibility.

Potential issues with Windows Messenger IM client version 4.7.

A slight limitation of the functionality of ABBYY Lingvo 9.0 Multilingual Dictionary from ABBYY (BIT Software) is possible.

There may be a slight limitation in the functionality of PowerDVD version 6.

There may be a slight limitation in the functionality of the Citrix ICA client.

No information on driver: Creative Audigy Audio Processor (WDM) from Creative Technology, Ltd.

No information on driver: Creative Game Port by Creative Technology Ltd.

Well, let's start solving problems ...

Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro 4.0.1005.7229. Alas, the problem is not solvable, and the application will have to be removed:
"The current version of Outpost Firewall 4.0 and the upcoming Outpost Security Suite 2007 are not compatible with Windows Vista. However, Vista-compatible versions of both products are under development and will be available to all registered Outpost users free of charge under a valid license."

Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0.1.411. After updating to version 6.0.2.621 - the product has become fully compatible with Windows Vista.

Windows Messenger version 4.7. Windows Messenger version 4 - Installed automatically during Windows XP installation. With the help of one of the many fine tuning utilities of Windows XP - Windows Messenger version 4.7 was removed from the system.

ABBYY Lingvo 9.0 Multilingual Dictionary. The application was left in the system - to check its functionality under Windows Vista.

PowerDVD version 6. The application is left in the system - to check its functionality under Windows Vista.

Citrix ICA client. The application was left in the system - to check its functionality under Windows Vista.

Creative Audigy Audio Processor (WDM) driver. The driver will be updated after Windows Vista is installed.

Creative Game Port driver. The driver will be updated after Windows Vista is installed.

So, to summarize: Agnitum Outpost Firewall Pro will have to be removed; the antivirus has been updated and the problem has disappeared; Windows Messenger removed; ABBYY Lingvo 9.0, PowerDVD 6 and Citrix ICA client are left in the system; we will update drivers from Creative after installing a new operating system.

All potential issues highlighted by the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor have been resolved or addressed, and you are ready to install Windows Vista Business.

We insert the disc into the drive, and the window that appears after the automatic start offers four actions - check the compatibility of the computer via the Internet, install the operating system, display useful preliminary information, or transfer user files, parameters and settings from another computer.

We will not check the compatibility of the computer - the Upgrade Advisor has already told everything that is needed. A helpful background information is a brief basic explanation document for novice users. It contains the following items:

Before updating or installing Windows
To upgrade to Windows Vista ...
To install a fresh (clean) copy of Windows Vista ...
What you need to know before installing Windows Vista

The item offering to transfer files and settings from another computer - calls the Windows Easy Transfer wizard (this utility is also located in the "Useful links" section at the end of the article), which helps to copy the account, user files and settings from the old computer (running Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista) to a new one with the installed Windows Vista operating system.

We are interested in the update, so feel free to click "Install" ...

When is it possible to upgrade to Windows Vista?

An important point needs to be made. Upgrading (not to be confused with a clean install of a new version) to Windows Vista is only possible if you have an absolutely identical language version of Windows installed. That is, from the Russian version of Windows XP you can upgrade to the Russian version of Windows Vista, from the English version to English. If you want to update, for example, from the English version of Windows XP to the Russian version of Windows Vista, you will receive a notification about the impossibility of this operation:

So if you decide to buy the Upgrade edition of Windows Vista - remember to match the language versions!

In addition, there are additional restrictions on the upgrade process to Windows Vista from other versions of operating systems. Cannot update from the following Windows versions:

Windows XP with the following interface language packs installed: Bulgarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Romanian, Serbian (Latin), Slovak, Slovenian, Thai, Ukrainian, Croatian, Estonian.

Windows XP Media Center Edition: Danish, Spanish, Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong), Traditional Chinese (Taiwan), Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Turkish, Finnish, Czech, Swedish.

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition: Hungarian, Danish, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Russian, Turkish, Czech, Finnish, Swedish.

We continue the installation

First, the installer asks you to update it (requires an Internet connection).

When entering the serial number - pay attention to the "Automatically activate Windows when connected to the Internet" checkbox. If you do not have plans to immediately activate Windows (for example, as in my case - after all, immediately after installation, I will make a significant change in the hardware configuration), remove the checkbox.

After entering the serial number and clicking on the "Next" button, information is collected about the previously installed system, user settings, installed applications, etc. A warning about possible problems is displayed:

After that, the routine installation (more precisely, the update) of Windows begins.

By the way, if you are trying to install Windows Vista on top of an operating system that cannot be updated (for example, you had an English version, and you install Russian), then in the case of the same partition of the hard drive, the old system will be left in the Windows.old directory:

But back to our case - updating the Russian version of Windows XP Professional SP2 to the Russian Windows Vista Business. It proceeds slowly, with a couple of planned reboots, but in general, the time is quite comparable to the installation of Windows XP (the update took me about one hour).

The first start of Windows Vista is quite predictable - the problem with the driver for Audigy 2, which Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor warned us about, immediately pops up.

The fresh driver saved in advance from Creative has been safely installed (there were no problems with other devices), the notification about the start of the countdown 30 days before the Windows functionality was blocked in the absence of activation is in appearance, and after the reboot we are eagerly going to check if everything is still in place ?

Desktop wallpaper - carefully preserved.

All icons on the Desktop are saved.

All icons in the quick launch area are saved.

After completing the Outlook Express to Windows Mail Switch ...

... We see the complete preservation of mail accounts and archives of e-mail correspondence.

All Favorites links in the Internet Explorer web browser are saved.

Documents in the My Documents catalog - saved.

The entire history of opening documents in applications such as Word and even third parties such as PaintShop Pro 9 has been preserved.

After a few hours of normal full-fledged work - no problems were found, the update went smoothly and painlessly. PaintShop Pro 9, Microsoft Office 2003, a number of other applications like the KeePass Password Safe password manager, and even the Guild 2 game worked without problems. We put "plus".

Part 2. Changing the system hardware

Initially, I devoted a whole section to the upgrade process, but it will turn out to be relatively small. The reason is trivial - there is nothing to write about the problems that have arisen due to their absence.

The author of these lines changed almost the entire hardware part of the computer (it's easier to say what was left by me - a sound card, a hard disk, a DVD-RW drive and a power supply). And Windows Vista calmly swallowed it! Of course, new devices were found, but the installation process was quick and painless. I will only note a defect with the ATI Radeon X1950XT video card driver.

There is no information about the video card yet - it is in the process of "identification"

At first, the device was identified as ATI Radeon X1900 series (it worked without problems), and only after installing a fresh set of ATI Catalyst "healed" under its real name. This, of course, is a trifle, and I have no choice but to put the second "plus" ...

Conclusion

The operating system Windows Vista as a whole left a pleasant impression, and first of all, due to the absence of pitfalls where the sophisticated user always expects them (for example, updating the system when installing over an old one or correctly recognizing devices).

Upgrading from a working version of Windows XP Professional SP2 to Windows Vista Business went correctly, the system is fully functional, the time loss is minimal, the author did not find any problems.

The hardware changeover went smoothly and transparently to the user. It is obvious that there is a database with up-to-date drivers for a wide range of "hardware" components inherent in the latest version of the operating system. However, it has always been so.

Without a doubt, I do not pretend to make an objective verdict - my personal experience applies to a specific version of the operating system, with specific third-party applications and specific hardware components (motherboard and processor from Intel). Specific configurations and applications are a dime a dozen, and how everything will go in your specific case - I do not presume to argue. Nevertheless, it is obvious that if you have a completely ordinary system, without any specific hardware and software components, checked for compatibility by the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor utility, you can safely upgrade to Windows Vista right now, and the risk will be minimal. The product was created for five years, and passed long-term testing - perhaps this factor had a sufficient impact on the absence of "raw" places directly in the operating system itself. The biggest problem at the moment I see the lack of high-quality and comprehensive driver support for Windows Vista by manufacturers of various peripheral devices and hardware components, as well as temporary incompatibility (for example, Outpost Firewall) with a number of applications.