SUMMARY
This article describes how to use upgrade packs to upgrade to Windows 2000. If you upgrade from either Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft Windows 98, or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) to Windows 2000, you may have to use upgrade packs (also known as migration dynamic-link libraries [DLLs]) because of registry and program differences that exist between the operating systems.
You are prompted for additional upgrade packs that are not included on the Windows 2000 compact disc (CD) after you start the upgrade process. You may have to use additional upgrade packs for certain programs to run with Windows 2000. These programs either do not support Windows 2000 or they introduce problems to Windows 2000. Before you upgrade to Windows 2000, check with the software manufacturers for any upgrade packs that may be available. If an upgrade pack is not available for a program, you may have to remove the program before you upgrade to Windows 2000. Use the
Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel to remove the program. After you upgrade to Windows 2000, either reinstall or upgrade the program.
back to the top
Locations for Upgrade Packs
Currently, the Setup program (Winnt32.exe) checks the following locations for upgrade packs:
- A User-specified location
- The I386\Win9xmig folder on the Windows 2000 CD
You can specify either a network location or a local source for upgrade packs. After you specify the location, this location and all of the subfolders are scanned for any files named
"Migrate.dll." Setup processes these files to determine if they are required for the upgrade. If the files are required, they are copied to the following location, where DLL
nnnnnn is the unique name of the DLL folder:
- %SystemRoot%\Setup\Temp\Dllnnnnnn
The Migrate.dll files and any files that are required by the DLLs are copied. The folder structure of the source remains intact. Setup gives the Dll
nnnnnn folder with a unique name (such as Dll00013).
back to the top
How to Use an Unattended Answer File to Specify the Location of Migration DLLs
You can specify the location of the migration DLLs folder in an unattended answer file. To do so, add the location of these folders to the [Win9xUpg] section, for example:
[Win9xUpg]
MigrationDlls = path to migration DLL folder, path to migration DLL folder
: Type the path to the folder that contains the DLL; do not type the path the actual DLL file name.
back to the top
How to Use the Windows 2000 Readiness Analyzer Tool
You can use the Windows 2000 Readiness Analyzer tool that is included in Windows 2000 Professional Setup before you install Windows 2000 to examine hardware and software for known problems that may occur during the Setup process. If you use this tool, a report is created that describes the hardware files and upgrade packs that you require to successfully run Windows 2000. You can save this report to a file to review at a later date.
To use the Windows 2000 Readiness Analyzer tool, type the following line at a command prompt, and then press ENTER:
drive:\i386\winnt32.exe /checkupgradeonly
The report is saved to
Windows_folder\Upgrade.txt (if you are using Microsoft Windows NT, the report is saved to
Windows_folder\Win32.log).
The upgrade report includes a summary of potential hardware and software upgrade issues. The following entries are included in the report:
- The MS-DOS configuration
- Entries in Autoexec.bat and Config.sys that are incompatible with Windows 2000
These entries may be associated with older hardware and software that is incompatible with Windows 2000. More technical information is provided in the Setupact.log file that is located in the Windows folder.
NOTE: The Windows 2000 Readiness Analyzer tool is no longer available for download. For the most current information about hardware and software that is ready for Windows 2000, refer to the following Microsoft Web sites:
back to the top
How to Use the Upgrade Packs to Upgrade Compatible Computers
To run the Windows 2000 Setup program (Winnt32.exe) to complete the upgrade process for client computers that are compatible with Windows 2000, follow the procedure that is described in this section.
NOTE: If either the Windows 95-based or the Windows 98-based computer that you are upgrading is already a member of a domain, you must create a computer account in that domain. Windows 95-based and Windows 98-based clients do not require a computer account; however, Windows 2000 Professional clients require a computer account.
- Copy any upgrade packs that are required to the appropriate location that you identified in the "Locations for Upgrade Packs" section of this article.
- Start the computer to the existing operating system, and then insert the Windows 2000 Professional operating system CD.
NOTE: To upgrade from Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and 3.51, Windows 98, and Windows 95, run Winnt32.exe in the existing operating system.
After the Autorun.inf program runs the installation splash screen and the installation procedure is initiated, the installer detects your current operating system version. You receive a message that asks if you want to upgrade if the version of Windows on the CD is later. - Specify if you want to either install Windows 2000 Professional to a new folder or upgrade an existing version of Windows.
NOTE: If you want to run Winnt32.exe with any additional command-line options, click Cancel, and then run Winnt32.exe with any additional command-line options from a command prompt. - Click I accept this agreement to accept the Windows 2000 Professional End User License Agreement (EULA), and then click Next.
- On the Windows 2000 Professional Upgrade Preparation page, click Next.
- On the Product Key page, type the product key that came with your version of Windows 2000 Professional.
- Click Next to start the hardware-detection phase of Setup.
Setup detects the hardware on your system for the upgrade report. After the hardware-detection phase has completed, you are prompted to provide upgrade packs for any programs that need them. - If you want to use an upgrade pack, click Yes.
If you are not using upgrade packs, click Next. - After you are prompted to upgrade to NTFS file system (NTFS), specify the upgrade if you do not plan to set up the client computer to dual boot operating systems, such as MS-DOS, Windows 95, or Windows 98.
- After the Windows 2000 Compatibility tool generates a report that indicates if the computer is Windows 2000-compatible, perform one of the following steps:
- If the report shows that the computer is Windows 2000-compatible, continue with the upgrade process until it is finished.
NOTE: On computers that either have hardware components that have drivers that are known to be incompatible with Windows 2000 or are running software programs that cause problems or failures during the upgrade, you may receive a message that states that one or more devices or programs will be disabled if you continue. - If the report shows that the computer is incompatible with Windows 2000, terminate the upgrade process.
If your computer is not Windows 2000-compatible, you must either upgrade your hardware or install the Windows 2000 Directory Service Client if possible.
For additional information about the Windows 2000 Directory Service Client, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
249841
How the Active Directory Client Extension uses Active Directory site information in Windows 98
- After the upgrade is complete, type the password for the local computer's Administrator account.
back to the top