Article ID: 298107
Article Last Modified on 7/4/2007
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
- Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition
This article was previously published under Q298107
IN THIS TASK
- System Requirements to Run Windows 2000
- Hardware and Software Requirements to Run Windows 2000
- Read the Release Notes
- Determine Whether You Need to Upgrade or Perform a New Installation
- Choose a File System
- Prepare for Upgrading an Existing Domain
- Provide a Mass Storage Driver or HAL File If Necessary
- Prepare for Terminal Services Capacity
- Prepare for Rolling Back
SUMMARY
This article describes how to upgrade your Windows NT Server version 4.0 to Windows 2000 Server.
If you are currently running Windows NT Server 4.0, you can upgrade to Windows 2000 Server. If you are currently running Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server Edition (with Service Pack 4 or later), you can upgrade to Windows 2000 Server Terminal Services, which is a component of Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, and Windows 2000 Datacenter Server.
The following information outlines the steps that you must take to prepare your computer before it is upgraded to Windows 2000 Server, as well as the steps to begin Setup.
NOTE: You can upgrade your computer by using either the Windows 2000 Server CD-ROM or a network server.
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Before You Begin
System Requirements to Run Windows 2000
Check your hardware specifications to see if they meet the minimum system requirements for upgrading to Windows 2000. Refer to the following Microsoft Web site to check your system requirements:
Hardware and Software Requirements to Run Windows 2000
Refer to the following Microsoft Web site to find out if your hardware and software are compatible with Windows 2000:
Setup produces a list of known incompatibility issues. Tools are available, however, to help you determine if you need basic input/output system (BIOS) or driver updates before you upgrade your computer.
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Read the Release Notes
Read the release notes in the root folder of the Windows 2000 Server CD-ROM: The Read1st.txt file and the Readme.doc file, which has an "Application Notes" section that has information about programs that need to be disabled or removed before you run Setup.
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Determine Whether You Need to Upgrade or Perform a New Installation
In certain situations, even if you currently run either Windows NT Server version 3.51 or version 4.0, you may prefer to perform a new installation or "clean install" of Windows 2000 rather than an upgrade. By installing the operating system from the beginning (from a point where nothing currently exists), you place the operating system in a known state and you can avoid migrating any problems that may have existed in the previous configuration. However, a new installation requires reformatting your hard disk, so you must back up your data, install Windows 2000, reinstall your programs, and then reload your data from the backup.
You must upgrade your computer if all of the following situations are true:
- You use a previous version of Windows that can support an upgrade.
- You want to replace your previous Windows operating system with Windows 2000.
- You want to keep your existing files and preferences.
You must perform a new installation if any of the following situations are true:
- Your hard disk is blank.
- Your current operating system does not support an upgrade to Windows 2000.
- You have two partitions and you want to create a dual-boot configuration with Windows 2000 and your current operating system. (Ensure that you install Windows 2000 on a different partition than your current operating system.)
Choose a File System
During Setup, Windows 2000 gives you the choice of using either the NTFS file system or the file allocation table (FAT or FAT32) file system. It is recommended that you use the NTFS file system for use with Windows 2000 as it can offer:
- Better file security that includes the Encrypting File System (EFS), which can protect data on your hard disk by encrypting each file with a randomly generated key.
- Better disk compression.
- Better support for large hard disks (up to 2 terabytes).
The maximum hard disk size for the NTFS file system is much greater than the FAT file system, and as the hard disk size increases, the performance with the NTFS file system does not degrade as it does with the FAT file system.
The conversion to the NTFS file system is a one-way conversion: You cannot convert your hard disk back to the FAT file system after you have upgraded your hard disk. If you decide to switch to the NTFS file system, you can do so during Setup or after Windows 2000 is installed.
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Prepare for Upgrading an Existing Domain
It is recommended that you plan the roles for each of the servers that are located in the various domains in Windows 2000 before you run Setup. However, you can still adjust these role assignments after Setup. Also, you need to decide whether you want to upgrade your domains by first upgrading the domain controllers, and then upgrade the member servers, or vice-versa. Refer to the following Microsoft Web site for Windows 2000 Server Online Help about the upgrade of an existing domain:
Provide a Mass Storage Driver or HAL File If Necessary
If you have a mass storage controller that requires a driver that is supplied by the manufacturer, or if you have a custom hardware abstraction layer (HAL) file that is supplied by the manufacturer, you need to provide the appropriate driver file or HAL file during Setup.
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Prepare for Terminal Services Capacity
You must consider the number of users who use (and plan to use) the Terminal server, which includes their profiles, their program requirements, their datasets, and the service response time that they want. Refer to the Windows 2000 Terminal Services Capacity and Scaling white paper for further information at the following Microsoft Web site:
Prepare for Rolling Back
Windows 2000 Server does not provide an Uninstall feature. You cannot return to your previous version of Windows after you have installed Windows 2000, unless you completely reinstall your previous version of Windows and all of your programs.
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Prepare Your Computer
- Install the hardware and the software updates, if necessary. You may need Windows 2000-related hardware and software updates (for example, drivers and BIOS updates) from your hardware or software manufacturer. Refer to the "Hardware and Software Compatibility" section of the following Microsoft Web site for tools to help you determine if you need updates: It is particularly important to ensure that you have the latest BIOS that is available from your computer manufacturer.
- Back up your files to a disk, a tape drive, or another computer on your network.
- Scan for viruses: Use antivirus software to scan for and destroy any viruses that are on your hard disk.
- Uncompress the drives: Uncompress any DriveSpace or DoubleSpace volumes before you upgrade to Windows 2000. Do not upgrade to Windows 2000 on a compressed drive unless the drive had been compressed by using the NTFS File System Compression feature.
- Remove the power management or disk management tools: If you are running any power management or disk management tools that have been provided to you by your computer manufacturer, you must remove these tools before you upgrade.
- Disconnect any uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices: If you have a UPS that is connected to your target computer, disconnect the connecting serial cable before you run Setup. Windows 2000 Setup attempts to automatically detect the devices that are connected to serial ports. However, UPS equipment can cause problems with the detection process.
- Disable third-party software: Before you upgrade, disable all of the third-party software and services, and then remove any antivirus software. Contact the vendor of this software to request information about any known problems with Windows 2000 as well as any updates that are required for this software.
Start the Upgrade
The upgrade of an existing Windows NT Server to a Windows 2000 Server is the easiest method, as it can ensure that all of the current settings are retained. You can use the following guidelines to upgrade Windows NT Server to Windows 2000 Server:
- Coordinate a time to upgrade the server and domain. This process must occur when only you have access to both the server and domain.
- Perform a full backup of each Windows NT Server 4.0 to a disk, a tape drive, or another computer on your network before you start an upgrade.
- Create an emergency repair disk before you start the upgrade to Windows 2000 and again after you finish the installation of the server. To create a repair disk in Windows NT Server 4.0, click Start, click Run, and type: rdisk.exe, and then click Create Repair Disk. You can create the same repair disk after you upgrade to Windows 2000 if you click Start, click Run, type: ntbackup, and then click Emergency Repair Disk.
- When you upgrade more than one Windows NT Server 4.0 in a domain, you must upgrade the primary domain controller (PDC) to the first Windows 2000 domain controller. Next, upgrade each Windows NT Server 4.0 backup domain controller (BDC) to be a Windows 2000 domain controller.
- If Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is not already installed, you must consider the installation of the TCP/IP protocol on the server before you start the upgrade. If the TCP/IP protocol is installed verify that the domain name and host name on the DNS tab of the TCP/IP properties is either cleared or the DNS domain name for the new Windows 2000 domain is entered in the domain name textbox and that the host name is the same as the computer name. Also, you must consider the setup of the first upgraded server as the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server and use the default TCP/IP configuration for each upgraded server. You can set up the first domain controller to work as the DNS server, if it does not already exist on the network.
- Click Upgrade To Windows 2000 option (Recommended), and then click Next. This step upgrades the computer to Windows 2000, but retains the settings, programs, and the Windows NT Security Accounts Manager (SAM).
- Read through the licensing agreement, click I Accept This Agreement, and then click Next.
- Follow the Setup instructions.
- If Setup finds hardware that is not compatible with Windows 2000, Setup displays a list of additional hardware that you can select. Select the incompatible hardware and click Have Disk to provide updated Windows 2000 drivers for the device, and then click Next (ensure that the hardware has compatible Windows 2000 drivers and select the correct location for the driver file). After this step is complete, Setup restarts, and then the computer starts with the newly upgraded operating system.
- To start an upgrade with a network connection:
- On a network server, share the installation files, either by inserting the CD-ROM and sharing the CD-ROM drive, or by copying the files from the I386 folder on the CD-ROM to a shared folder.
- On the computer on which you want to install Windows 2000, connect to the shared Setup files:
- If you are sharing the CD-ROM drive, connect to the shared drive and change to the I386 folder.
- If you are sharing a folder, connect to that folder.
- Run Winnt32.exe.
- Follow the Setup instructions.
- During the upgrade, Active Directory Wizard starts and provides the opportunity for you to specify if you want to join an existing domain tree or forest, or start a new one. Specify that you want to start a new one if you are upgrading the PDC; or join an existing one, if you are upgrading a BDC, and provide the name of the domain.
- When you upgrade a Windows NT Server 4.0 PDC to Windows 2000 Server, the computer automatically starts the Active Directory Installation Wizard after the final restart of the operating system installation and begins the promotions process. This step can upgrade the Windows NT PDC and BDC so that they have Windows 2000 Server directory service and Kerberos authentication service. Also, the upgrade process can convert the SAM database in Windows NT to the Ntds.dit database that is used by Active Directory so that the user account, groups, and security settings are maintained. When you upgrade a BDC that is going to be a child domain, a Kerberos transitive trust can automatically build from the parent domain that the BDC can join.
- After you upgrade a Windows NT Server 4.0 PDC to the first Windows 2000 domain controller, Windows NT can recognize it as a PDC, and then Windows NT can perform synchronization. It is recommended that you retain a BDC to run in your network until all of the servers are upgraded as this step can give you a backup alternative if there is a problem during the upgrade of the server.
- Create an extra BDC to match the last BDC before it is converted. Remove the backup BDC from the network and keep it offline and secured until you are assured that the upgrade process is fully accomplished.
- After the Active Directory Installation Wizard contacts the DNS server that can provide the locator service for the domain, the wizard completes the installation and configuration of Active Directory without further user input. The wizard logs all of the activities that occur during the installation process in two files called Dcpromo.log that are located in the %Systemroot%\Debug folder.
- When all of the domain controllers are running Windows 2000, you can use the Active Directory Domain and Trusts snap-in to convert the domain from Mixed mode to Native mode, which enables you take full advantage of the grouping capabilities in Active Directory. To do so, perform the following steps:
- Click Start, point to Programs, click Administrator Tools, and then click Active Directory Domains and Trusts.
- Right-click the domain that you want to convert, and then click Properties.
- Click Change Mode, and a message box appears that reads, Are you sure you want to change this domain to native mode? After this operation is completed, the domain cannot be reset to Mixed mode. If you click Yes, you can upgrade your domain to Native mode.
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