Troubleshooting Setup Failures Using the Windows XP

Setup Logs:

During Setup, Windows XP Professional generates a number of log files containing installation information that can help you resolve any problems that occur after Setup is completed. The action log and the error log are especially useful for troubleshooting. Both are located in the installation folder (C:\Windows by default).

Action Log:

The action log records the actions that the Setup program performs in chronological order. It includes actions such as copying files and creating Registry entries. It also contains entries that are written to the Setup error log. The action log is named Setupact.

log. If an installation fails, you can often pinpoint what was going on (for example, what file was being copied) when the installation failed. Searching the Microsoft Knowledge Base using the description of the action as a keyword often yields solutions to the problem at hand.

Error Log:

The error log describes errors (and their severity) that occur during Setup. Because the contents of this log are also included in the action log, you can think of the error log as a subset of the action log. The error log is named Setuperr.log. If errors occur, the log viewer displays the error log at the end of Setup. If no errors occurred during installation, this file is empty Troubleshooting Stop Errors

Stop errors:

Also referred to as blue screen errors, occur when the system detects a condition from which it cannot recover. The system stops responding and displays a screen of information on a blue background. The most likely time during installation that you might experience stop errors is when the text mode stage of setup has finished, your computer restarts, and the Setup Wizard stage begins. During this transi-tion, Windows XP loads the newly installed operating system kernel for the first time and initializes new hardware drivers. Stop errors are identified by a 10-digit hexadecimal number. The two most common stop errors you will encounter during Windows XP installation are described as follows:

Stop: 0x0000000A Error : This error usually indicates that Windows attempted to access a particular memory address at too high an internal request level (IRQL). This error usually occurs when a hardware driver uses an incorrect memory address, but can also indicate an incompatible device driver or a general hardware problem. To troubleshoot this error, confirm that your hardware is listed in the Windows Catalog, make sure that your BIOS is compatible with Windows XP Professional, and perform general hardware troubleshooting. You can learn more about troubleshooting this stop error by reading Microsoft Knowledge Base article

314063, “Troubleshooting a Stop 0x0000000A Error in Windows XP.”

Stop: 0x0000007B Error :This error normally indicates that you have an inaccessible boot device, meaning that Windows cannot access your hard disk. The common causes for this type of error are a boot sector virus, bad or incompatible hardware, or missing hardware drivers. You can learn more about troubleshooting this stop error by reading Microsoft Knowledge Base article 324103, “How to Troubleshoot ‘Stop 0x0000007B’ Errors in Windows XP.”

Disk Partitions

The Windows XP Professional Setup program examines the hard disk to determine its existing configuration. Setup then allows you to install Windows XP Professional on an existing partition or to create a new partition on which to install it. A disk partition is a logical section of a hard disk on which the computer can write data. Partitions offer a way to divide the space on a single physical hard disk into multiple areas, each of which is treated as a different disk within Windows After you create the installation partition, Setup prompts you to select the file system with which to format the partition. Windows XP Professional can be installed on two file systems:

File allocation table (FAT) Although Windows Setup references only file allocation table (FAT), there are actually two versions of FAT: FAT and FAT32. FAT is a 16-bit file system used in older versions of Windows. FAT32 is a 32-bit file system supported by Windows 95 original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Service Release 2, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, and Windows XP. NTFS The preferred file system for Windows XP, NTFS provides more security and flexibility than FAT32. Microsoft recommends that you always use NTFS unless there is a specific reason to use another file system (such as when you are installing more than one operating system on a computer and one of those operating systems does not recognize NTFS partitions). NTFS is supported by Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows 2003 Server.

Prepare for installing Windows XP Professional

Before installing Windows XP Professional, you must determine whether your hardware Meets or exceeds the minimum requirements for installing and operating Windows XP Professional, and Disk Partitions As shown Gather Information About Your Computer

1. From the Start menu, click Run.

2. In the Run dialog box, type msinfo32 and click OK.

3. The System Information utility opens to show a summary of your system. Use this

information to fill out the following table and determine whether your computer

meets the minimum hardware requirements

Windows XP Professional CD-ROM Installing

In this practice, you install Windows XP Professional. In Exercise 1, you will install Windows XP Professional from a CD-ROM onto a computer that contains no partitions or operating systems by booting the computer using the CD-ROM. If your computer does not boot from a CD-ROM or if there is already an operating system loaded on your computer, go to Exercise 2 to install Windows XP Professional from a CD-ROM without having to boot from the Windows XP Professional installation CD-ROM.

Exercise 1: Installing Windows XP Professional from a CD-ROM

1. Make sure that your computer is set up to start from the CD-ROM drive. If you are not sure how to do this, consult your computer documentation for information about accessing the BIOS settings.

2. Insert the Windows XP Professional installation CD into your CD-ROM drive and restart the computer. When the computer restarts, the text mode portion of the installation begins. During this time, you will be asked if you need to install any third-party drivers. You only have a few seconds to press the F6 key and install the drivers before the installation continues. Note Some computers will require you to press a key to boot from the CD-ROM drive. If you are prompted to press any key to boot from the CD, press the spacebar.

3. Windows loads a number of files needed for setup, and the Welcome To Setup screen appears after a few minutes. You can use this screen to set up Windows XP or to repair an existing installation. Press ENTER to continue with the installation.

4. The Windows XP Licensing Agreement appears. After reading the terms of the license, press F8 to accept the terms and continue the installation. If you do not accept the agreement, Setup does not continue.

5. After you accept the Licensing Agreement, Setup proceeds to the Disk Partitioning portion. If you have multiple partitions, Setup will list them and allow you to you choose which one to install XP Professional to. If you have no partitions configured, you can create one at this point.

6. After you have determined which partition to install to, press ENTER to continue.

7. The Format screen appears, which is where you decide how the drive should be formatted (FAT or NTFS). Select Format The Partition Using The NTFS File System and press ENTER.

8. Setup displays a screen warning that formatting the disk will delete all files from it. Press F to format the drive and continue.

9. After the format process is complete, Setup copies the files needed to complete

the next phase of the install process and then restarts the computer.

10. After the computer restarts, Setup enters the GUI mode portion of the installation.

11. Setup continues the installation for several minutes, and then displays the

Regional And Language Options page. Make sure that the settings are correct for

your area, and then click Next.

12. The Personalize Your Software page appears. Fill in the appropriate information and click Next.

13. The Product Key entry page appears. Enter the 25-digit product ID and click Next.

14. The Computer Name And Administrator Password page appears. Enter a name for your computer, choose a password for the Administrator account, and click Next.

15. The Date And Time Settings page appears. Make sure that the information is correct for your area and click Next. If Setup detects an installed network adapter, Setup will install network components next.

16. The Network Settings page appears. You should select the Typical Settings option if you want Setup to automatically configure networking components. Typical

components include Client For Microsoft Networks, File And Print Sharing For

Microsoft Networks, and TCP/IP. Click Next.

17. After you choose the network settings, Setup displays the Workgroup Or Computer

Domain name page. Enter the appropriate information and click Next.

18. After you click Next in the Workgroup Or Computer Domain page, Setup continues with the final portion of the installation. It might take from 15 to 60 minutes for the process to finish. When the installation is complete, the computer restarts and you are prompted to log on for the first time.

Exercise 2: Installing Windows XP Professional from an Existing Operating System If your computer does not boot from a CD-ROM, or if there is already an operating system loaded on your computer, you can install Windows XP Professional from a CDROM without having to boot from the Windows XP Professional installation CD-ROM.

1. If there is an operating system currently installed on your computer, start the computer, log on as an administrator, and insert the Windows XP Professional CDROM into the CD-ROM drive.

2. When the Welcome To Microsoft Windows XP page appears, click Install Windows XP.

3. If you see a Windows Setup message box indicating that the version of the operating system cannot be upgraded and that option to upgrade will not be available, click OK.

4. On the Welcome To Setup page in the Installation Type box, click New Installation (Advanced), and then click Next.

5. On the License Agreement page, read the license agreement, select I Accept This Agreement, and then click Next.

6. On the Your Product Key page, type in your 25-character product key, and then click Next.

7. The Setup Options page allows you to configure the following three options:

❑ Advanced Options Allows you to control where the installation files are

obtained, where the installation files are copied to, whether or not to copy all

installation files to the hard disk, and whether or not you want to specify the

drive letter and partition during Setup.

❑ Accessibility Options Gives you the option of using the Microsoft Magnifier during Setup to display an enlarged portion of the screen in a separate window for users with limited vision and the option of using the Microsoft Narrator to read the contents of the screen for users who are blind.

❑ Select The Primary Language And Region You Want To Use Allows you to specify the primary language and region you use.

8. After you have configured any required Setup options, click Next.

9. Setup displays the Get Updated Setup Files dialog box. If your computer has access to the Internet, you might want to ensure that the Yes, Download The Updated Setup Files (Recommended) check box is selected, and then click Next. Otherwise, select No, Skip This Step And Continue Installing Windows, and then click Next.

10. If your partition is not currently formatted with Windows XP Professional NTFS, the Setup Wizard displays the Upgrade To The Windows NTFS File System page. If you get the Upgrade To The Windows NTFS File System page, ensure that Yes, Upgrade My Drive is selected, and then click Next.

11. If you are installing an Evaluation Edition of Windows XP Professional, the Setup Wizard displays the Setup Notification page, informing you that this is an evaluation version. If Setup displays the Setup Notification screen, press ENTER to continue.

12. On the Welcome To Setup page, press ENTER to install Windows XP Professional.

13. The Setup Wizard prompts you to select an area of free space on an existing partition

to install Windows XP Professional. Select the C partition.

The Setup Wizard displays the following message: You Chose To Install Windows

XP On A Partition That Contains Another Operating System. Installing Windows

XP Professional On This Partition Might Cause The Other Operating System To

Function Improperly.

14. Press C to have Setup continue and use this partition.

15. If you get a warning about a Windows folder already existing, press L to use the

folder and delete the installation in it.

If your partition was not formatted with NTFS and you choose to have the partition

formatted as NTFS, Setup formats it as NTFS, and then copies files. Otherwise,

Setup examines the partition and then copies files.

16. The Setup Wizard reboots the computer and continues to copy files in GUI mode, after which it displays the Regional And Language Options page. Select the appropriate system locale, user locale, and keyboard layout (or ensure that they are correct for your language and location), and then click Next.

17. Setup displays the Personalize Your Software page, prompting you for your name and your organization name. The Setup Wizard uses your organization name to generate the default computer name. Many applications that you install later will use this information for product registration and document identification. In the Name text box, type your name. In the Organization text box, type the name of your organization, and then click Next.

18. The Setup Wizard displays the Computer Name And Administrator Password page. Type a name for the computer in the Computer Name text box.

19. In the Administrator Password text box and in the Confirm Password text box, type a password, and then click Next.

20. Depending on your computer configuration, the Setup Wizard might display the Modem Dialing Information page. Configure the following information:

❑ Ensure that the correct country or region is selected.

❑ Type the correct area code or city code.

❑ If you dial a number to get an outside line, type the number.

❑ Ensure that the correct dialing tone is selected, and then click Next.

21. The Setup Wizard displays the Date And Time Settings page. If necessary, select the time zone for your location from the Time Zone drop-down list, and adjust the date and the time. Ensure that the Automatically Adjust Clock For Daylight SavingChanges check box is selected if you want Windows XP Professional to automatically adjust the time on your computer for daylight savings time, and then click Next.

22. Ensure that Typical Settings is selected, and then click Next.

23. On the Workgroup Or Computer Domain page, ensure that the No, This Computer Is Not On A Network, Or Is On A Network Without A Domain option is selected, make sure that the workgroup name is Workgroup, and then click Next.

24. The Setup Wizard configures the networking components and then copies files, installs Start menu items, registers components, saves settings, and removes temporary files. This process takes several minutes.

25. The computer restarts, and Windows XP Professional starts for the first time.

Windows xp Install over the Network

The Setup program copies the installation files to the target computer and creates the Setup boot disks. After Setup copies the installation files, you start the installation on the target computer by booting from the Setup boot disks. From this point, you install Windows XP Professional as you would from a CD-ROM.

Installing Windows XP Professional over the network involves the following steps:

1. Boot the network client.

On the target computer, boot from a floppy disk that includes a network client or start another operating system that can be used to connect to the distribution server.

2. Connect to the distribution server. After you start the network client on the target computer, connect to the shared folder on the distribution server that contains the Windows XP Professional installation files.

3. Run Winnt.exe or Winnt32.exe to start the Setup program. Winnt.exe and Winnt32.exe reside in the shared folder on the distribution server.

❑ Use Winnt.exe for an installation using MS-DOS or Windows 3.0 or later versions on the source system.

❑ Use Winnt32.exe for an installation using Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows 2000 Professional. Running Winnt.exe or Winnt32.exe from the shared folder does the following:

❑ Creates the $Win_nt$.~ls temporary folder on the target computer

❑ Copies the Windows XP Professional installation files from the shared folder on the distribution server to the $Win_nt$.~ls folder on the target computer.

4. Install Windows XP Professional. Setup restarts the local computer and begins installing Windows XP Professional.