Windows Assist !

Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

Microsoft provides software for Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor just download and run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor to see if your PC is ready for Windows 7. It scans your hardware, devices, and installed programs for known compatibility issues, gives you guidance on how to resolve potential issues found, and recommends what to do before you upgrade.After run the software you will get report shown below .

Download

This software very helpful for updating from windows XP and vista to windows 7

Installation of Windows 7

Clean install from DVD step by step

inserted disc in your DVD drive then restart your computer with the installation disc. If you’re asked to press a key to boot from DVD or CD, press any key.

You are asked to select regional options for the Windows 7 installation. Make your selections and click Next to continue.

In the next dialog box, you are prompted to start the installation. Click Install Now to begin the installation. This produces a screen that tells you that Setup is starting.

In the Software License Terms dialog box, ensure that you read and understand the End User Licensing Agreement (EULA). When you're ready, select the I Accept the License Terms option and click Next to continue.

In the Which Type of Installation Do You Want? dialog box, you can select only the Custom (Advanced) option because you're performing a new installation on a blank hard disk. Click Custom (Advanced) to continue.

In the Where Do You Want to Install Windows? dialog box, select the partition onto which you'll install Windows 7. When you're ready to proceed, click Next. If you need to provide a RAID or SCSI driver, now is the time to do it.

computer restarts and the newly installed Windows 7 loads.

After the restart, you'll see a notification telling you that Windows 7 is preparing the new installation. Windows 7 moves back into a graphical display after a few minutes and tells you it's updating Registry settings and starting services, after which it lets you know it's completing the installation.
After completing the installation, Windows 7 asks you to provide a username and a computer name. After providing this information, click Next to continue.

Install Windows 7 and enjoy with its futures.

Top 10 reasons move to Windows 7

Get quicker access to all of your stuff—use Pin and Jump Lists to keep the programs and files you use the most right at your fingertips.
Manage open windows more easily—resize and arrange windows simply by dragging their borders to the edge of your screen.
Connect to networks easily—view and connect to any available wireless network in as few as three clicks.
Easily create and share movies—create great looking movies and slideshows and share them on YouTube in minutes.
Quickly find what you’re looking for—use Windows Search to find a specific file, program, or e-mail in a few seconds.
Do more and wait less—improvements that can accelerate sleep and resume and make your PC more responsive help you get more done.
Share files and printers among multiple PCs—from one Windows 7-based PC to another, you can share files, music, photos, and even printers across your home network.
Don't leave programs behind—run many Windows XP productivity programs in Windows XP Mode.
Stay entertained effortlessly—with Windows Media Center you get one place to enjoy your photos and music, watch and record live TV, and watch free Internet TV.
Offers your PC better protection—help keep your PC, your information, and your family safe.

Windows 7 features

HomeGroup

HomeGroup takes the headache out of sharing files and printers on a home network. Connect two or more PCs running Windows 7, and HomeGroup makes it easy to automatically start sharing your music, picture, video, and document libraries with other people in your home. Concerned about privacy? So are we. That’s why HomeGroup is password-protected and puts you in total control. You decide what gets shared—and what stays private. You can also make your files "read only," so other people can look at—but not touch—your stuff. You can join a homegroup in any edition of Windows 7, but you can only create one in Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise.

Jump Lists

Jump Lists—new in Windows 7—take you right to the documents, pictures, songs, or websites you turn to each day. To open a Jump List, just right-click a program icon on the Windows 7 taskbar. (You'll also find them on the Start menu.)Jump Lists don't just show shortcuts to files. Sometimes they also provide quick access to commands for things like composing new e‑mail messages or playing music.

Snap

Snap is a quick (and fun) new way to resize open windows, simply by dragging them to the edges of your screen. Depending on where you drag a window, you can make it expand vertically, take up the entire screen, or appear side-by-side with another window. Snap makes reading, organizing, and comparing windows a...well, you get the picture.

Windows Live Essentials

What is Windows Live Essentals? Simply put, it's free software that makes a PC running Windows 7 do more great things. Things like e‑mail, instant messaging, photo editing, and blogging.

Windows Search

In Windows 7, you can find more things in more places—and do it faster. Start typing into the Start menu search box—and you'll instantly see a list of relevant documents, pictures, music, and e-mail on your PC. Results are now grouped by category and contain highlighted keywords and text snippets to make them easier to scan.

Pinned applications

The Quick Launch toolbar has been removed from default configuration, but may be easily added. The Windows 7 taskbar is more application-oriented than window-oriented, and therefore doesn't show window titles (these are shown when an application icon is clicked or hovered over, provided there are multiple windows for the application). Applications can now be pinned to the taskbar allowing the user instant access to the applications they commonly use.

Notification area

The notification area has been redesigned; the standard Volume, Network, Power and Action Center status icons are present, but no other application icons are shown unless the user has chosen for them to be shown. A new "Notification Area Icons" control panel has been added which replaces the "Customize Notification Icons" dialog box in the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" window first introduced in Windows XP

Aero Peek

In past versions of Windows, the taskbar ended with the notification area on the right side. However, there is now the Aero Peek button, which, when clicked or hovered over with the mouse, displays the desktop and gadgets by turning all windows transparent. This replaces the Show Desktop shortcut in the Quick Launch bar in previous versions of Windows. Aero Peek exhibits the same features used by the thumbnail previews, except it applies them to the desktop. If the mouse hovers over it, all windows are transparent, as shown in the picture. If the button is clicked, all applications are minimized, and when clicked again, they are restored.

Aero Shake

Aero Shake allows users to clear up any clutter on their screen by shaking (dragging back and forth) a window of their choice with the mouse. All other windows will minimize, while the window the user shook stays active on the screen. When the window is shaken again, they are all restored, similar to desktop preview.

Windows 7 Minimum System Requirements

To run Windows 7, including the Aero desktop experience features, your computer needs to meet the following minimum requirements:

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
1 gigabyte (GB) of system memory (RAM) for 32-bit systems; 2 GB for 64-bit systems
16 GB of available hard disk drive space for 32-bit systems; 20 GB for 64-bit system
Support for DirectX 9 graphics with Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.0 or
higher driver and 128 megabytes (MB) memory (to enable the Aero theme)
Internal or external DVD drive
Monitor with minimum 1024 × 768 screen resolution
Keyboard and mouse or compatible pointing device
Internet connection for product activation, accessing online Help topics, and any

File server role overview

A file server provides a central location on your network where you can store and share files with users across your network. When users require an important file such as a project plan, they can access the file on the file server instead of having to pass the file between their separate computers. If your network users will need access to the same files and network-accessible applications, configure this computer as a file server. This topic explains how to use both the Manage Your Server and the Configure Your Server Wizard to install and configure a file server. When you have finished setting up a basic file server, you can complete additional tasks by using Manage Your Server.
Configuring your file server
To configure a file server, start the Configure Your Server Wizard by doing either of the following:
• From Manage Your Server, click Add or remove a role. By default, Manage Your Server starts automatically when you log on. To open Manage Your Server, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Manage Your Server.
• To open the Configure Your Server Wizard, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Configure Your Server Wizard.
On the Server Role page, click File server, and then click Next.

This section covers:

File Server Disk Quotas
On the File Server Disk Quotas page, you can set up disk quotas, which track and control individual user's disk space usage on NTFS volumes on a per-volume basis. The Configure Your Server Wizard automatically applies disk quotas to new users of any NTFS file system, using whatever disk space quota is already applied. You need to change the information on the File Server Disk Quotas page only if you want to prevent a server from consuming a certain amount of disk space or if you have a limited amount of disk space. In most cases, you can accept the default system settings.

File Server Indexing Service:
On the File Server Indexing Service page, do one of the following:If users will be searching the contents of the files on the server regularly, click Yes, leave Indexing Service turned on. If you want to conserve CPU and memory resources, click No, turn Indexing Service off. Indexing Service can slow server performance.
Indexing Service provides a fast, easy, and secure way for users to search for information locally or on the network. Users can search in files in different formats and languages, either through Search on the Start menu or through HTML pages that they view in a browser.
After you finish, click Next.

Summary of Selections:
On the Summary of Selections page, view and confirm the options that you have selected. If you selected File server on the Server Role page, the following appears:

Install File Server Management
Run the Share a Folder Wizard to add new shared folders or share existing folders To apply the selections shown on the Summary of Selections page, click Next.

Using the Share a Folder Wizard:
After you click Next, the Configure Your Server Wizard starts the Share a Folder Wizard automatically, which you use to configure shared folders. By sharing resources, you make them available for use by other users on your network.
ImportantUse caution when sharing folders that contain system files and resources. Verify that the folder or resource that you specify does not contain information that you do not want users to access.

Completing the Configure Your Server Wizard
After you complete the Share a Folder Wizard, the Configure Your Server Wizard displays the This Server Is Now a File Server page. To review all of the changes made to your server by the Configure Your Server Wizard or to ensure that a new role was installed successfully, click Configure Your Server log. The Configure Your Server Wizard log is located at systemroot\Debug\Configure Your Server.log. To close the Configure Your Server Wizard, click Finish.
After completing the Configure Your Server Wizard, be sure to visit Windows Update to download any additional updates available .
Removing the file server role
If you need to reconfigure your server for a different role, you can remove existing server roles. If you remove the file server role, files and folders on this server are no longer shared and network users, programs, or hosts that depend on those shared resources will be unable to connect to them.
To remove the file server role, restart the Configure Your Server Wizard by doing either of the following:

From Manage Your Server, click Add or remove a role. By default, Manage Your Server starts automatically when you log on. To open Manage Your Server, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Manage Your Server.
To open the Configure Your Server Wizard, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Configure Your Server Wizard.

On the Server Role page, click File server, and then click Next. On the Role Removal Confirmation page, review the items listed under Summary, select the Remove the file server role check box, and then click Next. On the File Server Role Removed page, click Finish.

Server Roles

Server roles
The Windows Server 2003 family provides several server roles. To configure a server role, install the server role by using the Configure Your Server Wizard and manage your server roles by using Manage Your Server. After you finish installing a server role, Manage Your Server starts automatically.
To determine which server role is appropriate for you, review the following information about the server roles that are available with the Windows Server 2003 family:
· File server role
· Print server role
· Application server role
· Mail server role
· Terminal server role
· Remote access/VPN server role
· Domain controller role
· DNS server role
· DHCP server role
· Streaming media server role
· WINS server role

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Choosing a Folder Template

Choosing a Folder Template :

Windows XP does not include the Customize This Folder Wizard,
which lets you assign pictures and HTML templates as backgrounds
to folders in earlier versions of Windows Explorer. Instead of taking
you to the wizard, the View, Customize This Folder command now
puts you on the Customize tab of the folder’s Properties dialog box,
as shown in Figure, where you can choose one of the folder templates
that Windows supplies, assign a picture to a folder or change a
folder’s icon altogether. On the Customize tab of a folder’s
Properties dialog box, you can choose a Template, assigns a picture,
and changes the folder icon.
The seven supplied templates are as follows:
● Documents (for any file type)
● Pictures (best for many files)
● Photo Album (best for fewer files)
● Music (best for audio files and playlists)
● Music Artist (best for works by one artist)
● Music Album (best for tracks from one album)
● Videos
Most of the time, you’ll find that Windows applies an appropriate
template without any help From you. If you use Microsoft Windows
Media Player to copy tracks from an audio CD to Your hard disk,
for example, Windows Media Player creates an artist folder,
Stores an album folder within that artist folder, and stores the
individual audio tracks in that album folder. The Music Artist
template is applied to the artists’ folder, and the Music
Album template is applied to the album folder as you would expect.
If Windows finds Ordinary documents in a folder, it assigns it the
Documents template, and so on.
To choose a template other than the one Windows assigns by default,
follow these steps:
1 Right-click a blank space in the folder.
2 Choose Customize This Folder.
3 In the Use This Folder Type as a Template list, choose a template.

Upgrading Windows 98 system to Windows XP

Upgrading Windows 98 system to Windows XP
For client computers running Windows 98 that test as compatible with Windows XP
Professional, you can upgrade using a setup wizard or by running Winnt32.exe

To complete The Upgrade.
Follow the 8 steps:
1. Insert the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.
2. The Autorun program on the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM displays the Welcome
To Microsoft Windows XP screen.
3. Open the Command Prompt window, type d:\i386\winnt32.exe with any

Appropriate switches, and press ENTER.

4. Accept the license agreement.
5. If the computer is already a member of a domain, create a computer account in
That domain. Windows 98 clients do not require a computer account, but Windows
XP Professional clients do.
6. Provide upgrade packs for applications that need them. Upgrade packs update the
Software to work with Windows XP Professional. These packs are available from
The software vendor.
7. Upgrade to NTFS when prompted. Select the upgrade if you do not plan to set up
The client computer to dual boot.
8. Continue with the upgrade if the Windows XP Professional Compatibility tool generates
a report showing that the computer is compatible with Windows XP Professional.
The upgrade finishes without further intervention, and adds your computer
To a domain or workgroup.

Skills measured by Exam 70-270

Skills measured by Exam 70-270

Installing Windows XP Professional

Perform and troubleshoot an attended installation of Windows XP Professional.
Perform and troubleshoot an unattended installation of Windows XP Professional.

• Install Windows XP Professional by using Remote Installation Services (RIS).
• Install Windows XP Professional by using the System Preparation Tool.
• Create unattended answer files by using Setup Manager to automate the installation of Windows XP Professional.

3. Upgrade from a previous version of Windows to Windows XP Professional.

• Prepare a computer to meet upgrade requirements.
• Migrate existing user environments to a new installation.

4. Perform post-installation updates and product activation.
Troubleshoot failed installations.

Implementing and Conducting Administration of Resources
1. Monitor, manage, and troubleshoot access to files and folders.

• Configure, manage, and troubleshoot file compression.
• Control access to files and folders by using permissions.
• Optimize access to files and folders.

2. Manage and troubleshoot access to shared folders.
• Create and remove shared folders.
• Control access to shared folders by using permissions.
• Manage and troubleshoot Web server resources.

3. Connect to local and network print devices.
• Manage printers and print jobs.
• Control access to printers by using permissions.
• Connect to an Internet printer.
• Connect to a local print device.

4. Configure and manage file systems.
• Convert from one file system to another file system.
• Configure NTFS, FAT32, or FAT file systems.

5. Manage and troubleshoot access to and synchronization of offline files.

Implementing, Managing, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting Hardware Devices and Drivers
1. Implement, manage, and troubleshoot disk devices.
• Install, configure, and manage DVD and CD-ROM devices.
• Monitor and configure disks.
• Monitor, configure, and troubleshoot volumes.
• Monitor and configure removable media, such as tape devices.

2. Implement, manage, and troubleshoot display devices.
• Configure multiple-display support.
• Install, configure, and troubleshoot a video adapter.

3. Configure Advanced Configuration Power Interface (ACPI).

Implement, manage, and troubleshoot input and output (I/O) devices.
• Monitor, configure, and troubleshoot I/O devices, such as printers, scanners, multimedia devices, mouse, keyboard, and smart card reader.
• Monitor, configure, and troubleshoot multimedia hardware, such as cameras.
• Install, configure, and manage modems.
• Install, configure, and manage Infrared Data Association (IrDA) devices.
• Install, configure, and manage wireless devices.
• Install, configure, and manage USB devices.
• Install, configure, and manage hand held devices.
• Install, configure, and manage network adapters.

Manage and troubleshoot drivers and driver signing.
Monitor and configure multiprocessor computers.

Monitoring and Optimizing System Performance and Reliability.

1. Monitor, optimize, and troubleshoot performance of the Windows XP Professional desktop.
• Optimize and troubleshoot memory performance.
• Optimize and troubleshoot processor utilization.
• Optimize and troubleshoot disk performance.
• Optimize and troubleshoot application performance.
• Configure, manage, and troubleshoot Scheduled Tasks.
2. Manage, monitor, and optimize system performance for mobile users.
Restore and back up the operating system, System State data, and user data.

• Recover System State data and user data by using Windows Backup.
• Troubleshoot system restoration by starting in safe mode.
• Recover System State data and user data by using the Recovery console.

Configuring and Troubleshooting the Desktop Environment
Configure and manage user profiles and desktop settings.
Configure support for multiple languages or multiple locations.
• Enable multiple-language support.
• Configure multiple-language support for users.
• Configure local settings.
• Configure Windows XP Professional for multiple locations.
Manage applications by using Windows Installer packages.

Implementing, Managing, and Troubleshooting Network Protocols and Services.

1. Configure and troubleshoot the TCP/IP protocol.
Connect to computers by using dial-up networking.
• Connect to computers by using a virtual private network (VPN) connection.
• Create a dial-up connection to connect to a remote access server.
• Connect to the Internet by using dial-up networking.
• Configure and troubleshoot Internet Connection Sharing (ICS).

2. Connect to resources by using Internet Explorer.

Configure, manage, and implement Internet Information Services (IIS).
Configure, manage, and troubleshoot Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance.
Configure, manage, and troubleshoot an Internet Connection Firewall (ICF).

Configuring, Managing, and Troubleshooting Security
1. Configure, manage, and troubleshoot Encrypting File System (EFS).
Configure, manage, and troubleshoot a security configuration and local security policy.
Configure, manage, and troubleshoot local user and group accounts.
• Configure, manage, and troubleshoot auditing.
• Configure, manage, and troubleshoot account settings.
• Configure, manage, and troubleshoot account policy.
• Configure, manage, and troubleshoot user and group rights.
• Troubleshoot cache credentials.
Configure, manage, and troubleshoot Internet Explorer security settings.

To install Active Directory on Windows Server 2003

Active Directory :
An active directory is a directory structure used on Microsoft Windows based computers and servers to store information and data about networks and domains.

Installing Active Directory:

Click Start, click Run, type dcpromo, and then click OK.

On the first page of the Active Directory Installation Wizard, click Next.
On the next page of the Active Directory Installation Wizard, click Next.

On the Domain Controller Type page, click Domain Controller for a new domain, and then click Next.

On the Domain Controller Type page, click Domain Controller for a new domain, and then click Next.

On the Create New Domain page, click Domain in a new forest, and then click Next.

On the New Domain Name page, in the Full DNS name for new domain box, type sys.mydomain.com, and then click Next.

On the Database and Log Folders page, accept the defaults in the Database folder box and the Log folder box, and then click Next.

On the Shared System Volume page, accept the default in the Folder location box, and then click Next.

On the DNS Registration Diagnostics page, click Install and configure the DNS server on this computer and set this computer to use this DNS server as its preferred DNS Server, and then click Next.

On the Permissions page, click Permissions compatible only with Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 operating systems, and then click Next.

On the Directory Services Restore Mode Administrator Password page, enter a password in the Restore Mode Password box, retype the password to confirm it in the Confirm password box, and then click Next.

On the Summary page, confirm the information is correct, and then click Next.

When prompted to restart the computer, click Restart now.

Windows 2003 Server Install Guide

Step #1: Plan your installation

When you run the Windows Server 2003 Setup program, you must provide information about how to install and configure the operating system. Thorough planning can make your installation of Windows Server 2003 more efficient by helping you to avoid potential problems during installation. An understanding of the configuration options will also help to ensure that you have properly configured your system.

I won't go into that part right now (I might later this month, no promises...) but here are some of the most important things you should take into consideration when planning for your Windows Server 2003 installation:

Check System Requirements

Check Hardware and Software Compatibility

Determine Disk Partitioning Options

Choose the Appropriate File System: FAT, FAT32, NTFS

Decide on a Workgroup or Domain Installation

Complete a Pre-Installation Checklist

After you made sure you can go on, start the installation process.

Step #2: Beginning the installation process

You can install Windows Server 2003 in several methods - all are valid and good, it all depends upon your needs and your limitations.

For example, you can install directly from a CD by booting your computer with the CD, or you can also copy the I386 folder from a CD and run the setup process by going into the I386 folder and using the WINNT or WINNT32 command (depending upon your existing operating system).

It doesn't matter how you run the setup process, but the moment it runs - all setup methods look alike.

Step #3: The text-based portion of the Setup program

The setup process begins loading a blue-looking text screen (not GUI). In that phase you will be asked to accept the EULA and choose a partition on which to install 2003, and if that partition is new, you'll be asked to format it by using either FAT, FAT32 or NTFS.

Start the computer from the CD.

You can press F6 if you need to install additional SCSI adapters or other mass-storage devices. If you do you will be asked to supply a floppy disk with the drivers and you CANNOT browse it (or a CD for that matter). Make sure you have one handy.

If you want, you can press F2 to run the ASR sequence. For that you need a good backup created by the Windows Server 2003 backup program, and the ASR floppy disk. If you plan to install a new copy of 2003 - don't do anything.

Setup will load all the needed files and drivers.

Select To Setup Windows Server 2003 Now. If you want, and if you have a previous installation of the OS, you can try to fix it by pressing R. If not, just press ENTER.

Read and accept the licensing agreement and press F8 if you accept it.

Select or create the partition on which you will install Windows Server 2003. Depending upon your existing disk configuration choose one of the following:

If the hard disk is unpartitioned, you can create and size the partition on which you will install Windows Server 2003.
If the hard disk is already partitioned, but has enough unpartitioned disk space, you can create an additional partition in the unpartitioned space.
If the hard disk already has a partition that is large enough, you can install Windows Server 2003 on that partition. If the partition has an existing operating system, you will overwrite that operating system if you accept the default installation path. However, files other than the operating system files, such as program files and data files, will not be overwritten.
If the hard disk has an existing partition, you can delete it to create more unpartitioned space for the new partition. Deleting an existing partition erases all data on that partition.
If you select a new partition during Setup, create and size only the partition on which you will install Windows Server 2003. After installation, use Disk Management to partition the remaining space on the hard disk.

Format the partition

Select a file system for the installation partition. After you create the partition on which you will install Windows Server 2003, you can use Setup to select the file system with which to format the partition. Windows Server 2003 supports the NTFS file system in addition to the file allocation table (FAT) and FAT32 file systems. Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000, and Windows NT are the only Microsoft operating systems that you can use to gain access to data on a local hard disk that is formatted with NTFS. If you plan to gain access to files that are on a local Windows Server 2003 partition with the Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98 operating systems, you should format the partition with a FAT or FAT32 file system. We will use NTFS.

Setup will then begin copying necessary files from the installation point (CD, local I386 or network share).

Note: If you began the installation process from an MS-DOS floppy, make sure you have and run SMARTDRV from the floppy, otherwise the copying process will probably last more than an hour, perhaps even more. With SMARTDRV (or if setup was run by booting from CD) the copying will probably last a few minutes, no more than 5 max.

The computer will restart in graphical mode, and the installation will continue.

Step #4: The GUI-based portion of the Setup program

The setup process reboots and loads a GUI mode phase.

It will then begin to load device drivers based upon what it finds on your computer. You don't need to do anything at this stage.
Click Customize to change regional settings, if necessary.

If you don't need to make any changes just press Next

Type your name and organization.

Type the product key.

Enter the appropriate license type and number of purchased licenses.

Type the computer name and a password for the local Administrator account. The local Administrator account resides in the SAM of the computer, not in Active Directory. If you will be installing in a domain, you need either a pre-assigned computer name for which a domain account has been created, or the right to create a computer account within the domain.

If you enter a password that is blank or does not match the required complexity settings you will get a warning message.
Select the date, time, and time zone settings.

Setup will now install the networking components.

After a few seconds you will receive the Networking Settings window. BTW, if you have a NIC that is not in the HCL (see the What's the HCL? page) and Windows Server 2003 cannot detect it, or if you don't have a NIC at all, setup will skip this step and you will immediately go to the final phase of the setup process.

Press Next to accept the Typical settings option if you have one of the following situations:

You have a functional DHCP on your network.

You have a computer running Internet Connection Sharing (ICS).

You're in a workgroup environment and do not plan to have any other servers or Active Directory at all, and all other workgroup members are configured in the same manner.

Otherwise select Custom Settings and press Next to customize your network settings.

Highlight the TCP/IP selection and press Properties.

In the General tab enter the required information. You must specify the IP address of the computer, and if you don't know what the Subnet Mask entry should be - you can simply place your mouse pointer over the empty area in the Subnet Mask box and click it. The OS will automatically select the value it thinks is good for the IP address you provided.

If you don't know what these values mean, or if you don't know what to write in them, press cancel and select the Typical Settings option. You can easily change these values later.

In the Workgroup or Domain window enter the name of your workgroup or domain.

A workgroup is a small group of computers on a network that enables users to work together and does not support centralized administration.

A domain is a logical grouping of computers on a network that has a central security database for storing security information. Centralized security and administration are important for computers in a domain because they enable an administrator to easily manage computers that are geographically distant from each other. A domain is administered as a unit with common rules and procedures. Each domain has a unique name, and each computer within a domain has a unique name.

If you're a stand-alone computer, or if you don't know what to enter, or if you don't have the sufficient rights to join a domain - leave the default entry selected and press Next.

If you want to join a domain (NT 4.0 domain of W2K/2003 Active Directory domain) enter the domain's name in the "Yes, make this computer a member of the following domain" box.

To successfully join a domain you need the following:

The person performing the installation must have a user account in Active Directory. This account does not need to be the domain Administrator account.

and

The computer must have an existing computer account in the Active Directory database of the domain that the computer is joining, and the computer must be named exactly as its domain account is named.
or
The person performing the installation must have appropriate permission to create a domain account for the computer during installation.
Also, you need to have connectivity to the domain's domain controllers (only to the PDC if on an NT 4.0 domain) and a fully functional DNS server (only in AD domains). Read the Joining a Domain in Windows XP Pro and Requirements when Joining a Domain pages for more on this issue.

Enter the Active Directory domain name (in the form of xxx.yyy, for example: microsoft.com) or the NetBIOS name of the NT 4.0 domain (in the form of xxx, for example: microsoft). Press Next.

Note: If you provide a wrong domain name or do not have the correct connectivity to the domain's DNS server you will get an error message.

A username/password window will appear. Enter the name and password of the domain's administrator (or your own if you're the administrator on the target domain).

Note: Providing a wrong username or password will cause this phase to fail.

Next the setup process will finish copying files and configuring the setup. You do not need to do anything.

After the copying and configuring phase is finished, if Windows Server 2003 finds that you have a badly configured screen resolution it will advise you to change it and ask you if you see the new settings right.

Setup finishes and boots Windows Server 2003.

BTW, the minimum supported screen resolution in 2003 is 800X600.

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