********************************************************************** Release Notes for Setup Microsoft Whistler Professional for Intel Itanium Systems Beta 2 ********************************************************************** (c) 2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. These notes support a preliminary release of a software program that bears the project code name Whistler. When installing a new operating system, you need to make several choices. The Whistler Setup Wizard and this document guide you through these choices. You also learn how to connect your computer to a network. Important: Before you begin, you should also read the file Read1st.txt, which is on the Whistler Professional CD. This file contains late-breaking information that was unavailable when these release notes and Whistler Help were written, including preinstallation notes vital to the success of your installation. This document describes how to run the Whistler Setup Wizard and install Whistler on a single computer. ====================================================================== CONTENTS ====================================================================== 1.0 Before You Begin 2.0 Disk Partitioning Requirements for Itanium-based Computers 3.0 Starting an Itanium-based Computer for the First Time 4.0 Running the Whistler Setup Wizard ====================================================================== 1.0 Before You Begin ====================================================================== When you set up Whistler, you have to provide information about how you want to install the operating system. The procedures in these release notes help you to provide the necessary information. To ensure a successful installation, complete the following tasks, which are described in the sections that follow, before you install Whistler: * Make sure your hardware components meet the minimum requirements. * Obtain Whistler-compatible hardware and software, such as upgrade packs, new drivers, and so on. * Obtain network information. 1.1 Meeting Hardware Requirements ====================================================================== Before you install Whistler, make sure your computer meets the following minimum hardware requirements: * 800 megahertz (MHz) Intel Itanium microprocessor * 1 gigabyte (GB) of RAM * VGA monitor or better * Keyboard * Mouse or compatible pointing device * CD-ROM drive For network installation: * Whistler-compatible network adapter card and related cable * Access to the network share that contains the Setup files To install Whistler automatically, you only need the Whistler Professional for Intel Itanium systems CD. To create an Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI) partition, insert a floppy disk that contains the EFI FDISK and FORMAT tools. For more information about EFI utilities, see the documentation supplied by your computer vendor. 1.2 Obtaining Network Information ====================================================================== If your computer won't be connected to a network, skip this section. First, you need to decide whether your computer is joining a domain or a workgroup. If you don't know which option to choose or if your computer won't be connected to a network, select the Workgroup option. (You can join a domain later after you install Whistler.) If you select the Domain option, ask your network administrator to create a new computer account in that domain or reset your existing account. If your computer is currently connected to a network, request the following information from your network administrator before you begin the setup process: * Name of your computer * Name of the workgroup or domain * TCP/IP address (if your network doesn't have a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server) To connect to a network during the setup process, you must have the correct hardware installed on your computer and be connected by network cable. ====================================================================== 2.0 Disk Partitioning Requirements for Itanium-based Computers ====================================================================== Itanium-based computers that use EFI have specific partitioning requirements. The current EFI specification is capable of understanding the FAT file system only. There must be one partition that is formatted as a FAT partition. This partition is used to store programs and information files that EFI uses to automatically start Whistler. The current recommended size of the FAT partition is no less than 100 megabytes (MB) and no more than 1 gigabyte (GB). ====================================================================== 3.0 Starting an Itanium-based Computer for the First Time ====================================================================== When you first start an Itanium-based computer that does not have an operating system installed, the computer starts and then stops at the shell prompt. During startup, the EFI shell tries to identify file systems that it recognizes and assigns drive mapping similar to the MS-DOS-based drive letter assignment. The drive mappings are listed as fs0, fs1, and so on. A list of all recognized file systems and block-accessed hardware appears above the shell prompt when you first start the computer. For example, a drive mapping similar to the chart below might appear: fs0 : VenHw(Unknown Device:FF) /CDROM(Entry1) blk0 : VenHw(Unknown Device:01) blk1 : VenHw(Unknown Device:80) blk2 : VenHw(Unknown Device:FF) /CDROM(Entry1) To change to a specific drive from the command prompt, type its name followed by a colon. For example, to switch to the CD-ROM drive, type: fs0: ====================================================================== 4.0 Running the Whistler Setup Wizard ====================================================================== The installation process for Whistler systems is divided into two phases. The first phase is text-mode setup. The second phase is where the Whistler Setup Wizard gathers information such as regional settings, user names and passwords, and network information. During text-mode setup, files are copied to the computer, and you are prompted to create partitions and to choose whether you want to perform a manual or automatic installation. The Whistler Setup Wizard then copies the appropriate files to your hard disk, checks the hardware, and configures your installation. When the installation is complete, you're ready to log on to Whistler. Note that your computer restarts several times during the setup process. 4.1 Installing From the Whistler CD ====================================================================== >>> To install Whistler from the CD: 1. Turn on your computer and insert the CD into your CD-ROM drive. 2. After approximately one minute, the EFI shell screen appears. 3. When the shell prompt appears, type the following, and then press ENTER: fs0: The command prompt now reads fs0:\>. This is the CD-ROM drive. Note: If partitions on your hard disk already exist, the mapping for the CD-ROM might be different than the previous example. To locate the CD, look for the FS mapping that reads: CD-ROM 4. At the fs0:\> prompt, type: SETUPLDR Text-mode setup for Whistler starts. 5. During text-mode setup, you are asked to create and delete partitions. You must create at least two partitions. One partition is for the operating system loader files; it must be a minimum of 100 MB and must be formatted as FAT. After creating the FAT partition, you can then create additional partitions for the operating system. The file system on these partitions can be FAT, FAT32, or NTFS. 6. Whistler provides a choice of automatic or manual installations. An automatic installation configures the computer for you, requiring a minimum of direction. To perform an automatic installation, press ENTER. A manual installation prompts you to enter information during the setup process. If you want to configure the computer in a certain way, such as by using a specific network configuration, you should perform a manual installation. To perform a manual installation, press C. 7. Text-mode setup continues and copies the necessary files to the hard disk. Once text-mode setup completes, the computer restarts automatically. If the computer stops responding after restarting, turn off or reset the computer. 8. When the computer restarts, GUI-mode setup starts automatically. If you selected a manual installation, you are prompted for additional information. 9. Once GUI-mode setup is complete, the computer restarts automatically. 4.2 Collecting User and Computer Information ====================================================================== The Whistler Setup Wizard helps you gather information about you and your computer. Although much of this installation process is automatic, you might need to provide information or select settings on the following wizard pages, depending on the configuration of your computer: * Licensing Agreement. If you agree with the terms and want to continue the setup process, select the option labeled I accept this agreement. * Select Special Options. Customize the Whistler installation, language, and accessibility settings for new installations. You can set up Whistler to use multiple languages and regional settings. * Regional Settings. Change the system and user locale settings for different regions and languages. * Personalize Your Software. Type the full name of the person to whom this copy of Whistler is licensed and, optionally, the organization. * Computer Name and Password. Type a unique computer name that differs from other computer, workgroup, or domain names on your network. The Whistler Setup Wizard suggests a computer name, but you can change the name. * Date and Time Settings. Verify the date and time for your region, select the appropriate time zone, and then select whether you want Whistler to automatically adjust for daylight-savings time. * Networking Settings. Unless you're an advanced user, select the Typical settings option for your network configuration. To manually configure network clients, services, and protocols, select the Custom settings. * Workgroup or Computer Domain. During the setup process, you must join either a workgroup or a domain. For more information, see "Providing Networking Information" later in this document. * Network Identification Wizard. If your computer is connected to a network, this wizard prompts you to identify the users who will be using your computer. Each person with an account on the computer can be assigned different levels of access. 4.3 Providing Networking Information ====================================================================== During or after the setup process, you need to join either a workgroup or a domain. If you won't be working on a network, select the option to join a workgroup. 4.3.1 Joining a Workgroup ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A workgroup is one or more computers with the same workgroup name (for example, a peer-to-peer network). Any user can join a workgroup by simply typing the workgroup name--you don't need special permissions to join a workgroup. You must provide an existing or new workgroup name, or you can use the workgroup name that the Whistler Setup Wizard suggests. 4.3.2 Joining a Domain ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A computer account identifies your computer to the domain, while the user account identifies you to your computer. A domain is a collection of computers defined by a network administrator. Unlike joining a workgroup, which you can do yourself, joining a domain requires permission from the network administrator. To join a domain during the setup process, you must already have an existing computer account in the domain you want to join. You are prompted to type a new computer account name. Before you run the Whistler Setup Wizard, ask your network administrator to create a computer account. Or if you have the appropriate privileges, you can create the account during the setup process and join the domain. To join a domain, you need to provide your user name and password. Note: If you have difficulty joining a domain during the setup process, join a workgroup instead, and then join the domain after you finish installing Whistler. 4.4 Logging on to Whistler ====================================================================== When you install Whistler, Setup prompts you to create a user account for yourself and one for each person who regularly uses the computer, whether in an office or home. Important: The Administrator account is still active in Whistler, but you can only gain access to it when you are in safe mode. If you need to perform administrative-only tasks on your computer, such as managing accounts and resources, assign Administrator rights to your user account when you create it during Setup. If you have Administrator rights, you can assign permissions to each user account. For example, you can determine whether a user may install software, view other users' documents, and operate network resources such as printers and servers. 4.2 Creating a User Account ====================================================================== Your user account identifies your user name and password, the groups you're a member of, which network resources you have access to, and your personal files and settings. Each person who regularly uses the computer should have a user account. The user account is identified by a user name and a password, both of which the user types when logging on to the computer. You can create individual user accounts after logging on to the computer by using an account with Administrator rights. >>> To create a user account: 1. Log on to the computer as a user with Administrator rights. 2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. 3. Double-click User Accounts. 4. Click Create a new account. 5. Follow the instructions that appear.