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From DOS to Win2000 Professional

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by kjohnson2

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My facility is in the process of upgrading approximately 400 DOS machines to Windows 2000 Professional. We are unable to install a Windows 2000 Server at this time and be able to take advantage of RIS. The overall corporate plan will not allow this at the time. We will be running a Windows NT Server with the W2K Clients attached to it. What would be the best and most efficient means of upgrading the clients from DOS to W2K in an automated process? We would like to be able to run from a setup profile so that all the machines load with the same default user profile, and customized hardware setup with different computer names for each client. Many articles we have researched discuss different methods for upgrading from WinNT to Win2000 but have not found any resources thus far for going from DOS to Win2000.

9 replies

by plg6

Wow! That's quite a quantum leap you're attempting there from DOS to Win2k!!! Do the machines you're running DOS on even have enough in the way of resources to handle the hardware mandates of W2K? If they are of reasonably current vintage - why havethey been running DOS?

As for a mass migration something along the order of Norton/Symantec Norton's Ghost may handle a lot of the replication for you.

Good luck - you may well need it!

by kjohnson2

Appreciate the response but not quite what we are wanting to do if we can avoid it. The machines are used in a manufacturing process that currently runs a DOS based application. The hardware will support and is certified to run W2K.

by pschuvie

Let me start with a couple reference points first

1. www.microsoft.com/technet/deploy/default.asp
2. www.microsoft.com/technet/win2000/prochk.asp,
3. www.microsoft.com/TechNet/win2000/dguide/chapt-25.asp
4. www.microsoft.com/technet/win2000/win2ksrv/sysprep.asp

You may also want to go to Technet and do a search using Windows2000 Client Installation + Automated
for additional documents covering this topic area. (which you may have)

As to your statement about no references to DOS it is a matter of "perspective" that needs to be adjusted. The reason there is no reference to DOS is that there is no upgrade path for this OS and by default they need to be viewed as "Clean Installs". This reference is repeated thoughout the documents where there is no path that is compatible to Windows 2000. So you need to picture the task as how would you install 400 machines with NO OPERATING system. And buried in the reference at #3 above the boot command difference is winnt.exe vs winnt32.exe.

So from all this we would see the deployement being a combination of advance hardware validation, resolution of hardware conflicts/upgrades, preparation of necessary scripting, development of delivery tool, backup of existing harddrive immediately prior to the "clean install", application of the scripted delivery tool, validation of connection and then final adjustments and application of additional software as needed.

I think if you read between the lines of the documents, while keeping in mind the concept of 400 blank machines, you will begin to be able to develop the deployment scheme. Rollouts of NT clients have been done in this manner before, it is just that you will not have some of the advanced tools that might be available if a Win2k Server were also being installed.

by pschuvie

Continuing and concluding

Now, while you indicated DOS, you did not indicate whether or not these machines are in fact currently networked in any manner. This can be important since there may be tools within or compatible to that existing network mechanism which can be utilized as part of the delivery vehicle process. IF you have network access from the machines currently that can be very critical to the movement of files and tools without individual desktop visits. And if you don't wellthen there are going to be visits to the desktops for the hardware setup and some OS rollout "seeds" could be planted at that time.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of the HAL pre qualification process, machines get changed regardless of the processes in place and even minor model differences can bring a deployment to a screeching halt and major temper flareups.

Unless there is something in your physical topology that was not stated I would forsee a hybrid deployement pattern of manual/scripting automated for this rollout.

I hope this has been of assistance to you and would be interested in your final plan.

by estebandelatorre

Install 1 machine (per hardware brand) and config them as you like, with al neccesary nic cards, etc, etc,. When finished, remove it from domain.
Then perform a Norton Ghost (7.0) image disk of the Operating system. Then load that image
on all other machines.
The first boot time, you should change the machine name, and then add the machine to the domain.
This will be very usefull if you have "similar" hardware, and not speciall video cards, but if all of your machines and hardware works with the provided drivers inside the w2k cd rom, if at boot time, windows find a different hardware, he itself will be able to change it.

Hope it helps.

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