Installing Windows

Question 1

Installation Sources

Answer 1

-CD-ROM & DVD-ROM

• USB Storage
  
  • USB must be bootable
  • Computer must support booting from USB
• PXE (pixie) - Preboot eXecution Environment
  
  • Perform a remote network installation
  • Computer must support booting with PXE

-NetBoot = Apple Tech / Similar to PXE

Question 2

Type of Installations

1

Answer 2

• In-place upgrade
  
  • Maintain existing application & data
• Clean install
  
  • Wipe the slate clean & install (migration tool helps)
• Image
  
  • Deploy clone on every computer
• Unattended installation - No installation interruptions
  
  • Answer Windows questions in a file (unattended.xml)

Question 3

Type of Installations

2

Answer 3

• Repair Installation
  
  • Fix problems with the Windows OS
  • Does not modify user files
• Multiboot (Dual boot)
  
  • Run two or more operating systems from a single PC
• Recovery partition
  
  • Hidden partition with installation files
• Refresh / restore
  
  • Windows 8 feature cleans up
  • Requires recovery partition

Question 4

The Disk Partition

Answer 4

• Separates the physical drive into logical pieces
• Useful for maintaining separates Operating Systems
• Formatted partitions are called volumes
  
  • Microsoft nomenclature

Question 5

MBR Partition Style

Answer 5

-MBR (Master Boot Record)

• Primary
  
  • Bootable partitions
  • Max of four portions per disk
  • One partition may be set as “active” (main)

Extended (Extended number of partition)

 - Contains additional logical partitions
 - Logical partitions inside extended are not bootable

Question 6

GPT Partition Syle

Answer 6

• GPT (Guid Partition Table)
  
  • Globally Unique Identifier
  • Latest partition standard

Requires a UEFI BIOS
-Can have up to 128 primary partition

-No need for extended partition or logical drives

Question 7

Disk Partitioning

Answer 7

• The first step when preparing disk
• An MBR style disk can have up to 4 partitions
• GUID partition tables can have up to 128 partitions
  
  • Requires UEFI BIOS or BIOS compatibility mode
  • BIOS compatibility mode disables UEFI secure boot

Question 8

File System

Answer 8

• Before data can be written it must be formatted
  
  • Build foundation

Operating system expect data be written in a particular format
-FAT32 & NTFS is popular

• Most operating systems can be read multiple types
  
  • FAT , FAT32 , NTFS , exFAT , etc

Question 9

FAT

Answer 9

• File Allocation Table
  
  • One of first PC file system (1980)

FAT32 - File Allocation Table

 - Support in Windows 2000 & newer
 - Larger (2 terabytes) volume sizes
 - Max file size of 4 gigabytes

• exFAT - Extended File Allocation Table
  
  • Microsoft Flash Drive file system
  • File can be larger than 4 gigabytes

Question 10

NTFS & CDFS

Answer 10

• NTFS - NT Files System
  
  • Windows NT , 2000, XP , Server 2003 , Server 2008 , Vista , 7 & 8 / 8.1
  • Extensive improvements
  • Quotas, file compression, Encryption, Symbolic links, Larger File Support, Security, Recoverability
• CDFS - Compact Disk File System
  
  • ISO 9660 Standard
  • All operating systems can be read the CD

Question 11

Other File Systems

Linux

Answer 11

• ext3 - Third Extended File System
  
  • Commonly used by linux
• ext4 - Fourth Extended File System
  
  • Updated from ext3
• NFS - Network File System
  
  • Access the files across the network like they were local
  • Available across many operating systems

Question 12

Storage Types

Answer 12

• Layered on top of the partition & file system
  
  • Windows thing
• Basic disk storage
  
  • Available only on DOS & Windows versions
  • Primary / Extended Partition , logical drives
  • Basic disk partitions can’t span separate physical disks
• Dynamics disk storage - Spin multiple disk
  
  • Split across data an physical disk (striping)
  • Duplicate data across physical disk (mirroring)

Question 13

Quick Format vs Full Format

Answer 13

• Quick format
  
  • Creates a new file table
  • Looks like data is erased, but its not
  • No additional checks
• Quick format in Windows Vista , 7 , 8 / 8.1
  
  • Use “disport” for full format
• Full format
  
  • Writes zeros to the whole disk
  • Unrecoverable