7.5 Special Installations
7.5.1 Upgrading from Windows NT Workstation 4 to Windows 2000
Upgrading a computer system from NT 4.0 is actually a quicker process than doing a new install of Windows 2000 and will be similar to the upgrade process for computers running Windows 9x. Microsoft has planned ahead for circumstances which may require a large corporation or business to upgrade their computers. This may involve a few hundred to a few thousand computers. While doing the upgrade, the computers that are still waiting for their upgrade and are still running Windows NT 4.0 will be able to connect and communicate with the Windows 2000 computers. During the upgrade process the Windows 2000 setup utility will replace the existing files with Windows 2000 files. However, the existing applications and settings will be saved. It should be verified that the computers meet the hardware compatibility requirements in order to upgrade directly to Windows 2000. Running the hardware compatibility list tool will determine if a computer meets these requirements.

The upgrade process can be started by completing the following procedure:

  1. Insert the Windows 2000 CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.
  2. Click Start, and then click Run.
  3. In the Run box, type D:\i386\winnt32 (where D is the drive letter for the CD-ROM), and then press Enter.
  4. The Welcome to the Windows 2000 Setup Wizard appears.
  5. Select Upgrade to Windows 2000 (Recommended), and then click Next.
  6. The License Agreement page will appear.
  7. Read the license agreement and then click I Accept This Agreement.
  8. Click Next.
  9. The Upgrading to the Windows 2000 NTFS File System page appears.
  10. Click Yes, Upgrade My Drive, and then click Next.
  11. The Copying Installation Files page appears.
  12. The Restarting the Computer page appears and the computer will now restart.

After the computer restarts, the upgrade process should continue without the need for any further user intervention.