Preparing to Install Microsoft Windows

Whether you are installing Windows from scratch or performing an upgrade you'll need to prepare your computer and determine methods, options and requirements.

The A+ exam focuses on Windows 98, Me, NT Workstation, 2000 Professional and XP Professional operating systems.

The following tasks need to be performed before you begin installation.

• Hardware compatibility
• Installation options
• Installation method
• Prepare computer

Hardware Compatibility

The first thing you need to do is check Microsoft's Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). Here you'll find out if all the hardware in the machine is compatible with the version of Windows you want to install.
For each version of Windows Microsoft releases it produces a minimum and recommended hardware specification. From experience however take the recommended specs as the absolute minimum unless you don't intend to use the machine for anything useful.

Installation Options

Once you've checked over the hardware you'll need to decide on a number of installation options. These include network configuration for connecting to a network, file system type which will depend on which version of Windows you'll be running and possibly backward compatibility, and finally dual boot support, incase you have applications that don't support newer versions of Windows.

Installation Method

The next thing you'll need to decide is how you plan to install Windows. Depending on the version you'll be installing this will be either floppy disks, floppy disk(s) and a CD-ROM, just CD-ROM(s), a network installation or an installation from an image. Generally speaking the newer the version of Windows the easier it is to install. If you are using just CD-ROMs you'll need to make sure your BIOS is set-up to boot from the CD drive first otherwise you'll have to use a Windows startup disk.