CompTIA A+ Core Certification: A Simple Guide To Operating Systems - OS Installations and Upgrades in a Diverse OS Environment

220-1102: Objective 1.9: Given a scenario, perform OS installations and upgrades in a diverse OS environment.
 

Boot Methods
The boot process involves loading the necessary OS files into RAM so that the computer becomes functional. Depending on the situation, different boot methods may be deployed. The OS can be stored on the local hard drive, but it can also be stored on a CD/DVD, on an external USB or eSATA drive, or on another computer on the network. Wherever it is stored, the computer needs to be told where to go to find the OS files. This is done in the BIOS/UEFI Boot Order settings. When booting, the PC looks in the preferred place for files and loads them into RAM; the computer then becomes operational. If the PC cannot find the files in the boot order, it moves on to the second place and then keeps looking until it finds an OS.

Figure below shows the boot order in typical BIOS. Keep in mind, though, that each vendor’s boot order screen looks slightly different.


BIOS Boot Order Menu

Many methods exist for booting a system during the installation process:
- Optical disc (CD-ROM/DVD/Blu-ray): Use this method to install Windows to an individual PC and to create a master PC from which disk images can be created.
- Network/PXE boot (Preboot Execution Environment): Use this method to install Windows to one or more systems that have working network connections. To use this method, network adapters must be configured to boot using the PXE boot ROM to a network location that contains an operating system image.

Note: Netboot is a network boot technology developed by Apple. Netboot uses Boot Server Discovery Protocol (BSDP) to locate and install operating system files.
- USB/eSATA boot (booting from a USB thumb drive): Use this method when installing from a DVD is not feasible, such as installing Windows to a computer that lacks a DVD drive. The Windows USB/DVD Download Tool (available from www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/windows-usb-dvd-download-tool) can create a bootable USB drive from a Windows ISO (.iso) image you have downloaded. If necessary, change the boot order in the system BIOS/UEFI firmware to permit booting from a USB drive.
- Solid state/flash or internal hard drives (HDD/SSD): This is the most common place for OS files to reside. After the OS is installed, it is important to change the boot order in BIOS/UEFI so that the computer looks here first for files and does not try to reinstall from the external source.
- Internet based: Downloading and installing over the Internet is an option. This involves downloading a server app and then downloading and creating the Windows ISO file. It is then possible to share the Windows installation folder and install Windows over the network connection.
- External/hot-swappable drive: Hot-swappable drives are attached in special drive bays that allow the hard disk to be changed out while the computer is running. When a computer is running, the OS is loaded into RAM so that the OS can reside on a hot-swappable drive and be changed out, as long as it is returned to the drive bay that is identified in BIOS/UEFI as the bootable drive.
- Partition on the internal hard disk drive or SSD: This option is similar to the internal hard drive above, but it involves a designated partition, or a section on the drive reserved for booting.
With each type of drive, the Windows installation files can be extracted or the ISO file can be used as an installation source.

Types of Installations
Windows can be installed in a variety of ways. The most common methods follow:
- As an in-place upgrade to an existing version
- With the recovery partition (which resets the system to its original installed state)
- As a clean install to an empty hard drive or to the same partition as the current version
- As a multiboot, which means installing to unused disk space (a new partition) to enable a choice between the current version and the new version, as needed
- As a repair installation to fix problems with the current installation
The preceding installation options typically use the original distribution media or preinstalled recovery files.

Large-scale or customized installations might use the following methods:
- Unattended installation
- Remote network installation
- Image deployment
These installation options typically require the creation of an image file.
 

Unattended Installation
In an attended installation, information must be provided at various points during the process. To perform an unattended installation, create the appropriate type of answer file for the installation type. Microsoft currently offers the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) for automated installation of Windows. The MDT automatically creates and updates the Unattend.xml file (used to provide answers during the process) during the deployment. Download the MDT from the Microsoft website: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sccm/mdt/.

Types of Installations
Upgrades
To perform an upgrade of the Windows 10/11 OS to the latest version, an in-place upgrade installation of Windows is recommended. Start the installation process from within the existing version of Windows. These in-place upgrades do not delete previous installations, which means that the user can retain apps and settings as well as personal files.

Note: To upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, use an in-place upgrade if your machine is compatible (hardware specifications are listed in the upcoming section “Upgrade Considerations”). If it is compatible, follow these steps to upgrade in-place: Go to Settings Update & Security Windows Update and click the Check for Updates button. If Windows 11 is waiting for you, it can then be installed. Otherwise, later versions of Windows 10 might be available.
The exact upgrade paths between Windows versions vary according to the Windows edition currently in use. You can upgrade to the equivalent or better edition of Windows, but not a lower edition. The 32-bit versions can upgrade to 32-bit versions only; 64-bit versions can upgrade to 64-bit versions only.

Clean Install
Before starting a clean install process, check the following:
- Make sure the drive for installation is placed before the hard drive in the boot sequence. The system needs to boot from the Windows distribution media if you are installing to an empty hard drive. You can perform a clean install of Windows from within an older version of Windows if you want to replace the older installation.
- If you will be installing to a drive that might require additional drivers (SATA, RAID, or third-party host adapters on the motherboard or in an expansion slot), have the drivers available on any type of removable media that the system supports.
- If you are installing from optical media, from a disk image (ISO, VXD, or VHDX), or within a virtual machine (VM), then after restarting the system with the CD or DVD media or image file in place, press a key when prompted to boot.
During the installation process, be prepared to confirm, enter, select, or provide the following settings, information, media, or options when prompted:
- Custom installation: Choose this option if performing a “clean boot” installation to an unused portion of the hard drive or wiping out the existing installation instead of upgrading it.
- Edition of Windows you are installing: If the incorrect version is entered, the installation cannot be activated.
- Language: Windows 10 is available in more than 100 different languages. Be sure the intended user’s language pack is selected prior to installation.
- Location (home, work/office, or public): The location information is used to configure Windows Firewall.
- Network settings: These settings are normally detected automatically for a wired connection. If your connection is wireless, make sure the SSID and password (encryption key) are available.
- Partition location, partition type, and file system: See the section “Partitioning Overview,” later in this chapter, for details.
- Product key: Some installations allow skipping this temporarily, but you must provide before you can activate Windows.
- Time zone, time, and date: These settings are normally detected automatically, but you can manually set them here.
- Username and company name: The company name is optional.
- Workgroup or domain name: This is a group of computers with common access to files and centralized administration and authentication.

Note: The settings in this list are in alphabetical order. Operating systems prompt for this information at different points in the installation process.
At the end of the process, remove the distribution media. Windows then is ready to download the latest updates and service packs.

Repair Installation
If a Windows operating system installation becomes corrupt, use a repair installation to restore working files and Registry entries without losing existing programs or information. Repair installations are available in Windows 10. Make a backup copy of your data files (stored in \Users\Username for each user of your PC) before you perform a repair installation, in case of problems.

Note: The repair installation process is also known as an in-place upgrade.

To perform arepair installation of Windows 10 with a USB flash drive (which needs to be created before you start this process), follow these steps:
Step 1. Boot the computer normally and sign into the Administrator account. Disable any third-party security software to avoid interruptions of the upgrade.
Step 2. Insert the flash drive and run setup.exe to start the setup.
Step 3. When prompted, download and install updates.
Step 4. Accept the end user licensing agreement. The updates begin.
Step 5. When the updates are ready, click Install when prompted.
Step 6. Choose to keep personal files, if that is the preference.
Step 7. Let the Windows 10 Setup process run and repair Windows.
The rest of the installation proceeds as with a normal installation.

Remote Network Installation
A remote network installation (which involves installing Windows from a network drive) begins by starting the computer with a network client and logging on to the server to start the process. To automate the process, Windows 10 can automatically be installed from a network drive by using Windows Deployment Services. Windows Deployment Services is included in newer Windows Server operating systems.
Server-based programs work along with the Microsoft Development Toolkit or Windows System Image Manager program. These programs are used to create an answer file that provides the responses needed for the installation.

Image Deployment
An image deployment is the process of installing Windows from a disk image of another installation. This process is also called disk cloning. You can create a disk image by using a variety of tools, including Acronis True Image (www.acronis.com) and Seagate DiscWizard (which is partly based on Acronis True Image, available from www.seagate.com).

Note: It is possible to burn a disc image file, which often has either an .iso or .img filename extension, to a USB flash or recordable CD or DVD by using Windows Disc Image Burner in Windows 10.

However, if you are deploying a disk image to multiple computers instead of as a backup of a single computer, consider these special issues:
- Hardware differences: Traditional image cloning methods, such as those using Acronis True Image, were designed for restoration to identical hardware (that is, the same motherboard, the same mass storage host adapters, the same BIOS/UEFI configuration, the same Hardware Abstraction Layer [HAL], and the same Ntoskrnl.exe [NT kernel] file). For organizations that have different types and models of computers, this poses a problem.
- Same security identifier: A cloned system is identical in every way to the original, including having the same security identifier (SID). This can cause conflicts in a network.
To overcome these problems, use cloning programs designed to capture an image that can be deployed to different types of computers (laptops, desktops, and tablets) with different hardware and software.
For Windows 10, use the System Preparation Tool (Sysprep) to prepare the image for installation over many computers. Sysprep loads files and restarts the PC. If you select Generalize in Sysprep, Windows removes unique PC information, including the SID. When the install completes and the computer is restarted, a new SID is generated.

Figure below shows the Sysprep window and the option to generalize the installation. Note the option to reboot at the end of the process.


Starting the Sysprep Tool on a Windows 10 System
All cloning tools can work with a target drive that is the same size or larger than the original cloned system drive. Some can also work with a smaller drive; check the documentation for details.

Warning: Do not use disk cloning to make illegal copies of Windows. Use disk-cloning software legally to make a backup copy of your installation. If you are duplicating the installation on another PC, be sure to clone a system created with a volume license for Windows, and make sure that you do not exceed the number of systems covered by that license; alternatively, make sure you use the correct license number (product key) for each duplicate system. For more information about Windows licensing, see www.microsoft.com/en-us/licensing/default.aspx.
Recovery Partition
When upgrading Windows or doing a clean install with Windows Setup, a recovery partition is created. The recovery partition is a space that holds the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), which can repair some common boot errors. WinRE is built into Windows 10 versions for desktop editions.
Refresh/Restore
If a PC is underperforming or appears to be somehow infected by a virus, it might be a good idea to reset the PC to the factory default settings. Resetting a PC in Windows 10 is a straightforward process. Go to Settings Recovery and click Get Started under Reset This PC. When you click Get Started, you get two choices: Keep My Files or Remove Everything. Keep My Files is for a minor reset; it allows personal files to be kept while removing apps and any settings that have been changed. Remove Everything performs a major reset, removing all files; before you choose this option, you need to back up personal files. Figure 6-47 shows the Recovery page, along with the window that appears when you click Get Started.


The Recovery Window and the Reset This PC Window
Other Considerations/Third-Party Drivers
When installing or updating an OS, it is important to think about updating drivers that support hardware used on the device. For example, a corrupt driver (or a driver made for a different version of the OS) can cause problems or, at worst, crash the system. If a hardware driver fails after an update, removing the driver from the Device Manager and reinstalling the latest driver version from the manufacturer is a good move.
Third-party drivers refer to drivers sourced from outside Windows, most commonly from a device manufacturer. The Windows OD contains a substantial library of default drivers for devices, such as network adapters and video and sound cards. For the most part, these drivers work fine, but installing a driver from the manufacturer can enhance the features or performance of a device.
Partitioning Methods
Whether Windows is being installed to an empty hard drive or to a hard drive that has unassigned space (for multibooting), at least one new hard drive partition must be created. To do this successfully, you need to understand the differences between the following:
- Master boot record (MBR) and GUID Partition Table (GPT) partition tables
- Primary and extended partitions
- Extended partitions and logical disk drives
- Dynamic and basic disks
Partitioning Overview
A hard drive cannot be used until it is prepared for use. Two steps are involved in preparing a hard drive:
Step 1. Create partitions.
Step 2. Format partitions (and assign drive letters).
A disk partition is a logical structure on a hard drive that specifies the following:
- Whether the drive can be bootable
- How many drive letters (one, two, or more) the hard drive will contain
- Whether any of the hard drive’s capacity will be reserved for a future operating system or another use
Although the name disk partition suggests that the drive will be divided into two or more logical sections, every hard drive must go through a partitioning process, even if you want to use the entire hard drive as a single drive letter. All versions of Windows support two major types of disk partitions:
- Primary partition: A primary partition can contain only a single drive letter and can be made active (bootable). Only one primary partition can be active. Although a single physical drive using MBR can hold up to four primary partitions, only one primary partition is needed on a drive that contains a single operating system. If you are installing a new operating system in a multiboot configuration with your current operating system, install the new operating system to a different disk partition than is used for the previous Windows version. If you are using a non-Windows operating system along with your current operating system, it should be installed into its own primary partition. A drive partitioned using GPT can have up to 128 primary partitions.

Note: Depending on the layout and contents of your current disk partitions, you might be able to shrink the size of existing partitions with Windows Disk Management, to make room for a new primary partition, or you might need to use third-party software such as Acronis Disk Director or EaseUS Partition Master.
- Extended partition: An extended partition differs from a primary partition in two important ways:
- An extended partition does not get a drive letter, but it can contain one or more logical drives, each of which is assigned a drive letter.
- Neither an extended partition nor any drive it contains can be bootable.

Only one extended partition can be stored on each physical drive. Extended partitions are used only with MBR drives.
MBR vs. GPT Partition Types
Master boot record (MBR) partitions are supported by classic ROM BIOS as well as UEFI firmware. MBR supports a maximum drive size of 2TB and up to four primary partitions.
A globally unique ID partition table (GPT) supports drives up to 256TB and up to 128 primary partitions. GPT is also more reliable than MBR because it protects the partition table with replication and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the partition table’s contents. GPT also provides a standard way for system vendors to create additional partitions. GPT partition tables are supported by UEFI firmware.
To boot from a GPT drive, the system must have a 64-bit version of Windows. (Newer Windows Server versions also support GPT.) 32-bit versions of Windows can use GPT drives for data.
Disk Preparation Using MBR
If a drive will be used by a single operating system using an MBR partition table, one of these three ways of partitioning the drive is used:
- Primary partition occupies 100 percent of the physical drive’s capacity: This is typically the way the hard drive on a system sold at retail is used, and it is also the default for disk preparation with Windows. This option is suitable for the only drive in a system or an additional drive that can be used to boot a system, but it should not be used for additional drives in a system that will be used for data storage.
- Primary partition occupies a portion of the physical drive’s capacity, and the remainder of the drive is occupied by an extended partition: This enables the operating system to be stored on the primary partition and the applications and data to be stored on one or more separate logical drives (that is, drive letters created inside the extended partition). This is a common setup for laptops but requires the partitioning process to be performed with different settings than the defaults. This configuration is suitable for the only drive or for the first drive in a multiple-drive system.
- Extended partition occupies 100 percent of the physical drive’s capacity: The drive letters on the extended partition can be used to store applications or data, but not the operating system. An extended partition cannot be made active (bootable). This configuration is suitable for additional hard drives in a system (not the first drive); an extended partition can contain only one logical drive or multiple logical drives.
You can also leave some unpartitioned space on the hard drive for use later, either for another operating system or for another drive letter.
After a disk is partitioned, the drive letters must be formatted using a supported file system.

Partitioning Using GPT
GPT partitioning creates one or more primary partitions. There are no extended partitions or logical drives on a GPT drive; each partition can be assigned a drive letter. However, only one partition can be active.

Dynamic and Basic Disks
Windows supports two types of disks: basic and dynamic. A dynamic disk is more versatile than a basic disk because it can span two physical drives into a single logical drive, create striped or mirrored arrays, and adjust the size of a partition. However, during installation, Windows creates only basic disks. Only basic disks can be bootable.
Creating Partitions During Windows Installation
When installing Windows 10 to an empty hard drive, you get a prompt for a location. To use all the space in the disk, make sure that the desired disk and partition are highlighted, and click Next.
To use only part of the space, click Drive Options (Advanced), click New, specify the partition size, and click Apply. Windows displays a message that it is creating an additional partition. Click OK to clear the message. A system-reserved partition is created, followed by the partition size you selected for Windows to use and the unused (unallocated) space.
To use an existing partition, highlight the desired partition and click Next.

Warning: Be careful: Whatever partition you select for the installation will be formatted, and all data on that partition will be erased.

Formatting
Quick formatting is an option with all versions of Windows. With new hard drives or existing drives that are known to be error free, you can use the quick format option to quickly clear the areas of the hard drive that store data location records.
With the full format option, Windows must rewrite the disk structures across the entire disk surface. This can take several minutes with today’s large hard drives.

Note: If you are concerned about the condition of a used hard drive that is being reused with Windows, use Windows chkdsk if the drive has been formatted to check its state. The drive vendor’s disk diagnostic utility program also verifies the condition of a drive.

Upgrade Considerations
Some configuration settings for Windows are made during installation; others are made afterward. The following sections describe the major issues to consider to complete the upgrade process.

Backup Files and User Preferences
Before upgrading, a wise strategy is to back up the entire contents of the computer to a selected drive or to another local or network location. A backup program can create a compressed file to store backed-up information and user preferences.
Windows asks during an upgrade what to do with current files. They should migrate just fine, but a backup is always a good idea even under normal operations.

Application and Driver Support/Backward Compatibility
After Windows is installed, it should be updated with the latest drivers. For individual PCs, the easiest way to perform these steps is to set up Windows Update for automatic updates.
However, if you are installing Windows for the first time and the system or motherboard was supplied with a driver disc, perform driver installation first before you run Windows Update.
 

Hardware and Application Prerequisites and Compatibility
Before attempting to install any version of any OS, it is important to be sure that the hardware and applications to be used will work with (that is, are compatible with) the OS. This section briefly describes the process manufacturers use to ensure compliance and the steps PC techs take to make sure products comply.
Prerequisites
When doing a clean install, it is important to make sure that your hardware meets the prerequisites for working with the software—usually a minimal amount of RAM and a certain level of processing power. However, the prerequisites are minimums; not having enough processing power and not having enough RAM are the most common causes of performance issues. Be sure to exceed the minimums so that the OS can smoothly operate.

The following list is a summary of the current requirements for Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Windows 10
- Processor: 1GHz or faster processor or System on a Chip (SoC)
- RAM: 1GB for 32-bit OS or 2GB for 64-bit OS
- Hard drive space: 16GB for 32-bit OS or 32GB for 64-bit OS
- Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
- Display: 800×600
- Internet connection: Internet connectivity to perform updates and to take advantage of some features

Windows 11
- Processor: Two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC).
- RAM: 4GB.
- Hard drive space: 64GB or larger storage device.
- Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver.
- Display: High-definition (720p) display that is greater than 9 inches diagonally; 8 bits per color channel.
- Internet connection: Windows 11 Home edition requires Internet connectivity and a Microsoft account. Switching a device out of Windows 11 Home in S mode also requires Internet connectivity.
Anything below these recommendations will likely result in a difficult install and poor performance. Upgrading to these standards or above is highly recommended.

Windows Compatibility Program
Manufacturers have an interest in making sure their products will be usable by the world’s largest OS audience, so they design their products to comply with the Windows Compatibility Program standards. This allows them to test their hardware and software products to ensure that they will work when the customer buys and installs them.

Hardware and Application Compatibility
For a consumer, the easiest way to check for compatibility with a Windows OS is to consult Microsoft. For many years, Microsoft has maintained the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL), also called the Windows Compatibility Product List. The HCL provides information about manufacturers and drivers that can be used (and not used) with Windows. With Windows 10, most previous equipment should run. The Microsoft Hardware Compatibility Checker matches compatible products for Windows and macOS (see https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/dashboard/windows-certified-products-list).
Most popular manufacturers submit drivers to Windows to allow for plug-and-play capability, but drivers usually need to be updated at some point in the device’s life cycle. Whenever you are installing a device or an application, it is wise to check with the manufacturer’s website for the latest update.
A program is written to work on a certain OS, and with each OS upgrade comes the possibility that a program will be running poorly or not at all. If you are running programs written for previous versions of Windows, you can check for compatibility with Windows 10 using the Compatibility Troubleshooter tool. In Windows File Explorer, right-click the program to be run and select Properties. Click the Compatibility tab, check Run This Program in Compatibility Mode, and select the OS previously used.
Another option in Windows 10 is to type Run Programs in the search bar and then select Run Programs Created for Previous Versions of Windows.

Feature Updates
Windows includes a feature that keeps the software updated with fixes and security patches. The page can be found in Settings Update & Security Windows Update (see Figure).


The Windows Update Page

Updates can be done manually by clicking the Check for Updates button, or an update schedule can be created.

Update Life Cycle
Newer versions of the Windows OS are released every fall and spring. The life cycle for these Windows Update releases is 18 months, at which time Microsoft ends support of that update. When the support cycle ends, it is necessary to upgrade to a supported version to continue getting security and nonsecurity patches.