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Preliminaries - read this first
Drivers
Patches
The Default (Automatic) Installation
Custom Installation
If it doesn't work...
Read this entire document before trying to install Windows. This will take you to the point where you will see the Windows desktop for the first time.
Installing Windows can be fairly painless, but it can also go wrong. All versions of Windows have a (theoretically) automatic install routine: on a brand new system with a blank hard drive, you should be able to insert the boot floppy that comes with Windows, and put the CD in the CD drive, turn the machine on, and just let Windows do whatever it wants, accepting all the defaults.
If all the various pieces of hardware are working properly, and if Windows identifies them correctly, you will have a functioning Windows machine when the installation is complete. However, Windows will also install a bunch of crap that most people will never use, which does nothing but take up space on your C: drive.
Drivers are software which allow various bits of hardware to function and communicate with the rest of the computer. Thus, there are drivers for your video card, sound card, printer, etc. Drivers come with all hardware as required, provided by the manufacturer at no extra cost.
Many hardware devices have default or generic drivers. These are drivers that come with the Operating System (Windows, Linux, Macintosh). Generic drivers, however, may not be capable of utilizing a piece of hardware to its full potential. For example, a generic VGA video driver is pretty basic - you won't want to use it for anything but installation and troublshooting. More about installing drivers later...the impatient can click here.
This table lists some devices which typically do or do not require specific drivers. USB Devices are so many and varied it's rather difficult to put them in one category or the other.
Device-Specific Driver Required |
Generic Driver probably fine |
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Patches may be necessary if your system has hardware that Windows does not recognize. Mostly this will happen if your motherboard (mbd) has an odd chipset. It's not so much of a concern as it used to be, but check the motherboard manual. You can find the patches for various chipsets and operating systems on their web sites, free for downloading. If you buy a system with Windows pre-installed, you shouldn't have to worry about it. One hopes.
Microsoft and other software companies also issue patches to fix problems that have been identified since the official release of an operating system or other software.
You will know if you need patches by doing the following (after Windows is installed to the very first desktop):
For Win2k and XP click the Hardware tab then the Device Manager button.
If you see question marks or exclamation marks, there are bits of hardware that Windows cannot recognize properly. This may be because they are defective, or they don't have the right drivers, or because you need to run one or more patches. Consult the documentation that came with the hardware device, or the manufacturer's website, or the place where you bought that hardware.
What if Windows says a device is installed properly, but it doesn't work?
Even if you do not see question or exclamation marks in Device Manager, it may still be advisable to run patches or check for an updated driver. Windows sometimes thinks it recognizes a device properly, or just can't see it at all, or (frequently) some security problem has been found since the official release. Again, consult the documentation, or the manufacturer's web site.
See Tips Part 12 for more about Device Manager.
Back to TopIf you have never installed Windows before, I would suggest you try the auto/default routine first, and watch what Windows does.
Note: If setup does not start automatically, you can do the following (don't type the quotation marks!):
Now the "but".
The default install routine will probably work, but:
An alternative installation plan is to by-pass the automatic/default routine. Partition and format the drive manually (as described in Tips 8 - 10), and try the method described below.
Take some thought before you partition. Ask yourself some questions, such as:
Note: the following are suggestions only, although they are based on technical details which are too nerdy and complicated to get into here. To state it briefly, Windows manages smaller drives more efficiently than larger ones (although this is not so much an issue with NT, 2000 and XP, which can use the NTFS file system). The reasons for this go all the way back to the distant past of DOS and Windows 3.x (and earlier).
If you have a large hard disk (and who doesn't these days?), I would suggest you make it at least two drives, C: and D:. Ideally, you should avoid creating drives larger than about 8 gigabytes with Windows 95B and 98 (which will use the FAT32 file system), as long as it is practical. It's not that larger drives won't work, just that they will not be used as efficiently as smaller ones.
It's not a good plan to have your entire hard disk one huge drive C:. If you lose drive C:, you've lost everything. There are definite advantages to also having a drive D: (and perhaps E:, and F:...):
Whatever driver Windows installs for any hardware, you can change it after the installation is complete. But you can avoid the hassle of removing or upgrading old drivers, simply by not having that hardware present when you install Windows. That is why the smart way to install Windows is with minimal hardware present. Ideally, Windows should be installed on a new system with only the following hardware present and connected:
And that's it. The install may work fine with other hardware present (modem, network card, sound card, printer etc.), but it may also cause Windows to become really confused, and the installation may crash and burn. Get Windows up and running, install any patches (see below) and the video drivers, then add hardware one item at a time, and make sure it is working properly before adding the next item.
Try to disable them before installing Windows. Check the motherboard's manual or manufacturer's web site for instructions. It may involve jumpers or you may have to get into the BIOS. If this sounds too complicated, then don't worry - just cross your fingers.
Following the example in previous Tips, let's say you have a single hard disk, split into three logical drives, C:, D:, and E:, and your CD-ROM (or DVD) is F:.
1. Partition and format the drive(s) how you like, as described in Tips 9 and/or Tips 10, but remember I'm assuming there are drives C:, D:, E:, and F:, as stated above
2. Boot the machine from the Windows boot floppy disk; if the auto install starts, cancel out of it
3. Place the Windows CD in the CD drive, if it's not already there; auto install can't start without the Windows CD in the CD drive (you may see an error message to that effect)
4. At the A:\ prompt, type the following:
D:
and press Enter; then create a new directory (=folder); type:
MD WIN9x
MD is for "make directory". Replace the "9x" with 95 or 98 or ME, whatever version of Windows you have - or call the folder whatever you want (it's not critical). This is assuming you have a hard disk that is split into at least two logical drives, C: and D: (if there are more drives beyond D:, it doesn't matter).
5. Now type the following, and press Enter (assuming your CD or DVD is drive F:):
COPY F:\WIN9x\*.* D:\WIN9x
The contents of the WIN9x directory (=folder) on the CD will be copied to the D:\WIN9x directory on your hard drive.
Note: Copy the Windows directory from the CD to drive D:, not E:, or F:, etc., because Windows and most setup/install programs (still) assume your CD is drive D:.
6. Type the following, and press Enter:
CD WIN9x
CD is for "change directory".
7. Type "setup" (without the quotes, duh)
The Windows setup routine begins. It will run Scandisk on all drives first, which shouldn't take long, then start the setup program proper. Let it go ahead and do whatever it wants, until you get to the point where you chose the type of installation; then chose "Custom". This will allow you to pick and chose what gets installed. Look through each package to see what it is installing. I would suggest that you deselect anything you know you won't use. For example, most people don't need the Accessibility Options.
If you don't know what something is, leave it. You can always add or remove things later, after Windows setup is complete. If you get a message saying, in effect, "you can't install A without also installing B", let it install B. If you wish, you can remove A and/or B later.
You will also be asked other questions, which appear at different points during setup, depending on whether you are using Windows 95, 98, or ME:
If several attempts to install Windows fail, you may have a hardware problem: a defective device or one that Windows really doesn't like or understand. You may have to seek help from your local guru, or the internet, or the device's manufacturer or the place you bought it (if you know which device is the culprit).
Once Windows has successfully booted to the desktop for the first time, you have completed the worst part of your task. Certain things must now be done to make the machine fully functional: installing patches, device drivers, and other hardware. These are covered in Tips Part 12.
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