Supporting Windows & Managing Windows Networking

Supporting Windows

Lesson Introduction

Supporting an OS involves more than just using configuration utilities and commands.
It requires planning software deployment, training and assisting users, and troubleshooting problems.
Both technical and business factors must be considered during OS and third-party software installations.
Effective troubleshooting requires knowledge of common symptoms, probable causes, and tools for system or data recovery.

Lesson Objectives

Perform OS installations and upgrades.
Install and configure applications.
Troubleshoot Windows OS problems.

Topic 13A: Perform OS Installations and Upgrades

Being able to install or upgrade an operating system is important.
This topic covers planning and performing OS installations to meet technical and business requirements.

Installation and Upgrade Considerations

An OS installation copies files from installation media to a partition on the target computer's fixed disk.

Clean Install or In-place Upgrade

Attended installation involves installer inputting configuration information in response to prompts.
Clean install: Installing the OS on a new computer or completely replacing the OS on an old one by repartitioning and reformatting the target disk. This deletes all existing user data and settings.
In-place upgrade: Running setup from an existing OS version, keeping third-party applications, user settings, and data files.
Clean installs are generally more reliable, while in-place upgrades are often designed for home users.
You can only upgrade the within the same OS family - Windows to Windows, for instance.

Upgrade Considerations

Check hardware compatibility: Ensure the CPU, chipset, and RAM are sufficient to run the OS. Modern OS often require a 64-bit CPU and have higher RAM requirements.
Check application and driver support/backward compatibility: Most upgrades maintain support for older applications and device drivers. Uninstall incompatible software/hardware before upgrading. Check for updated versions from the vendor or replace incompatible items. Microsoft maintains a Windows Compatible Products List (formerly HCL) with tested devices and drivers. If a device hasn't passed Windows logo testing, check the vendor's website for driver availability. Use automated Upgrade Advisor software to check hardware and software compatibility with new Windows versions. This software may be bundled with the setup program or available on the vendor website.
Backup files and user preferences: Backups are crucial for both clean installs (for restoring data and settings) and in-place upgrades (for data recovery in case of upgrade failure).
Obtain third-party drivers: OS setup media might lack drivers for certain hardware, especially RAID controllers. Ensure the driver for Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapters is available. Unsupported hardware/software can cause issues during in-place upgrades and should be physically uninstalled. Obtain the latest drivers from the vendor's website and store them on a USB drive or network location.

Feature Updates

Windows 10 and 11 use feature updates to introduce changes, delivered via Windows Update.
Treat feature updates like in-place upgrades; check for compatibility concerns and create a backup before proceeding.

Unattended Installations

Attended installations can be time-consuming, especially for large deployments.
Unattended installations use a script or configuration file (answer file in Windows) to automate choices and settings during setup.
The Windows System Image Manager configures answer files, including information like product key, disk partitions, computer name, language, and network settings.
Image deployment involves using a clone of an existing installation stored in one file, which can include the base OS, configuration settings, service packs, updates, and applications.
Images can be stored on DVD, USB media, or accessed over a network, ensuring consistent software and configuration options across machines.

Boot Methods

The installation boot method refers to how the setup program, answer file (if used), OS files, or system image are loaded onto the target PC.
Access the computer's firmware setup program to ensure a particular boot method is available, enabled, and set to the highest priority.

Optical Media

Historically, attended installations and upgrades were run by booting from optical media (CD-ROM or DVD).
The optical drive must be set as the priority boot device.

USB and External Drives and Flash Drives

Fewer computers have optical drives.
Setup discs become outdated quickly, increasing the time for post-installation tasks.
Slipstreamed media, with patches and drivers already applied, can be used on CD-ROM, DVD, or USB-attached drives.
When using an external/hot-swappable hard drive or solid-state flash drive as boot media, set the boot method to use the USB-connected device as the priority option.
Microsoft offers a Media Creation Tool to create installation media from product setup files, making a bootable USB drive or generating an ISO file for a physical DVD.

Network Boot

Network boot connects to a shared folder containing the installation files, which could be slipstreamed or use image deployment.
The target PC needs a usable partition for temporary files and a means of booting without a formatted local drive.
Most computers have Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE)-compliant firmware and network adapters.
The client uses DHCP to locate a server with installation files or images and starts the setup process.

Internet-Based Boot

Computers supporting network boot can be configured to boot to setup over the Internet.
Configure the local network's DHCP server to supply the DNS name of the installation server.
Most setup installers connect to the Internet to download updates and optional packages.
OS installs and deployments are also performed on virtual machines in cloud environments, using orchestration and automation tools.

Internal Hard Drive (Partition)

After OS installation, set the internal hard drive as the default boot device and disable other boot devices.
This prevents booting to setup media again and, if the firmware setup program is secured, prevents unauthorized OS installations.
An internal partition may also be used as a recovery partition.

Disk Configuration

Mass storage devices (HDD/SSD) require partitioning and formatting before use.
Partition and file system options can be chosen during setup, configured in an answer file, or built into a cloned image.
A partition is a logically separate storage area. At least one partition must be created before performing a high-level format to create a file system.
Partition information is stored on the disk in either master boot record (MBR) or GUID Partition Table (GPT).

MBR-Style Partitioning

MBR stores a partition table in the first 512-byte sector.
MBR allows up to four primary partitions, one of which can be marked as active and bootable.
Partitions can create discrete areas for user data, log files, or databases, each formatted with a different file system.
If four partitions are insufficient, one can be configured as extended and divided into logical drives.
Extended partitions do not have boot sectors and cannot be made active.
Each primary partition contains a boot sector or partition boot record (PBR).
The active partition's boot sector points to the OS boot loader. In Windows, it's called the system partition or system reserved.
The drive containing Windows OS files is the boot partition, which can be on a logical drive in an extended partition.
With MBR partitioning, system firmware must be set to use the legacy BIOS boot method.
If set to UEFI, the disk will not be recognized as a boot device.

GPT-Style Partitioning

GPT provides a more up-to-date scheme to address limitations of MBR.
GPT supports more than four primary partitions; Windows allows up to 128 partitions.
GPT supports larger partitions (2 TB+) and a backup copy of partition entries.
GPT includes a protective MBR for compatibility with systems that do not recognize GPT.
With GPT partitioning, system firmware must be set to use the UEFI boot method.
If set to BIOS, the disk will not be recognized as a boot device.

Drive Format

An OS must be installed to a partition formatted using a compatible file system (NTFS for Windows, APFS for macOS, ext3/ext4 for Linux).
During attended installations, partition and formatting choices are guided by the setup program.

Repair Installation

If a computer won't boot or has performance issues, a repair installation may be necessary.

Recovery Partition

OEMs use a factory recovery partition to restore the OS environment to its original state.
This partition is created on the internal fixed drive.
If the main installation fails to boot, the system firmware can select the recovery partition.
The recovery process can be started by pressing a key during startup (F11 or CTRL+F11).
OEM media doesn't typically recover user data/settings or reinstall third-party apps—everything is set back to the factory state.
User data should be recovered from backup, which must be made before the computer becomes unbootable.
OEM recovery media only works if the original hard disk is still installed and won't include patches or service packs applied after the ship date.
The recovery image takes up a lot of space.

Reset Windows

Windows supports refresh and reset options to try to repair the installation.
Refresh: Recopies system files and reverts most settings to default but can preserve user personalization settings, data files, and apps installed via Windows Store. Desktop applications are removed.
Reset: Deletes the existing OS plus apps, settings, and data, ready for OS reinstallation.

Review Activity: OS Installations and Upgrades

Consider additional factors beyond hardware requirements before proceeding with an in-place upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 for a home user.
Work instructions for deploying new user desktops via cloning:
- Type of installation: Image deployment/Unattended installation
- Boot method: Network boot, USB
- Boot requirements: PXE-compliant firmware, usable partition on hard disk.
If a new installation fails to boot after configuring GPT style during setup with optical media, the likely cause is the boot method being set to BIOS instead of UEFI in the system firmware.

Topic 13B: Install and Configure Applications

An operating system alone is not sufficient for productive work; computers need software applications.
Installing and configuring third-party applications is a critical IT support task.
This topic covers tools and features for best practices in software management.

System Requirements for Applications

System requirements refer to the PC specifications needed to run third-party software.
App vendors should publish these requirements as support information.

Central Processing Unit, System Memory, and Storage Requirements

CPU requirements refer to the performance and features of the computer's main processor.
Software applications can be 32-bit or 64-bit; some have both versions.
A 64-bit application requires a 64-bit CPU and OS platform, and cannot be installed on a 32-bit platform.
32-bit software applications can usually be installed on 64-bit platforms.
Applications may define minimum CPU generation, clock speed, or number of cores.
An application may require a particular CPU feature, such as hardware-assisted virtualization or a trusted platform module (TPM).
There may also be a specific RAM requirement, assuming no other foreground software is running.
Running multiple programs simultaneously will require more RAM.
Storage requirements refer to the installation space the software will take up on the fixed disk.
Provision space for additional file creation, such as user-generated data, temporary files, and log files.

Dedicated Graphics Card Requirements

A PC's graphics subsystem can be implemented as a feature of either the CPU or the motherboard chipset (integrated graphics).
A demanding application, such as graphics design software or a game, is likely to require a dedicated graphics card with its own video RAM, separate from the general system RAM.

External Hardware Token Requirements

An app might require or recommend using a more secure authentication method than a simple password.
An external hardware token is a smart card or USB device that stores cryptographic user identification data.
The user must present the token and supply a password, PIN, or fingerprint scan to authenticate.

OS Requirements for Applications

Software apps also have OS requirements, including application to OS compatibility.
Every software application is designed to run under a specific operating system.
Select the version for your OS; a macOS version will not run on Windows.
A software application might not be supported for use under newer operating systems.
In Linux, compatibility between distros is not generally an issue.
If an app hasn't been released in a compatible package for a specific distro, it can still be compiled from its source code manually.
If the application software is 64-bit, then the CPU and OS must also both be 64-bit.
If the application is 32-bit, it can be installed under either a 32-bit or 64-bit platform.
In 64-bit Windows, 32-bit applications run within a special application environment called WOW64 (Windows on Windows 64-bit).
This environment replicates the 32-bit environment expected by the application and translates its requests into ones that can be processed by the 64-bit CPU, memory, and file subsystems.
In a 64-bit Windows environment, 32-bit application files are installed to the "Program Files (x86)" folder, while 64-bit applications are stored in "Program Files."
Windows' 64-bit shared system files (DLLs and EXEs) are stored in %SystemRoot%\system32, while 32-bit versions are stored in %SystemRoot%\syswow64.

Distribution Methods

An app distribution method is the means by which the vendor makes it available to install.
Many apps are published through app stores, where installation is handled automatically.
Desktop applications are installed from a setup file (EXE or MSI in Windows, DMG or PKG in macOS, DEB packages with APT or RPM for YUM in Linux).
The setup file packs the application's executable(s), configuration files, and media files within it.
During setup, the files are extracted and copied to a directory reserved for application installation.
Setup files can be distributed on physical media (CD/DVD, USB thumb drive) or downloaded from the Internet.
When downloading an installer from the Internet, verify the authenticity and integrity of the package and scan it for malware.
Windows uses digital signatures to identify valid developers and software sources.
Linux software is verified by publishing a hash value of the package; compare this hash to your own generated hash.
As an alternative to physical media, an ISO file contains the contents of an optical disc in a single file.
ISO files stored on removable media or a host system are often used to install virtual machine operating systems.
A mountable ISO is often used to install complex apps, such as databases, where there are many separate components and large file sizes to install.
In Windows, right-click an ISO file and select Mount; the ISO file will appear in File Explorer with the next available drive letter.

Other Considerations

Potential impacts from deploying new applications must be assessed and mitigated.
The IT department must maintain control and oversight of all third-party software installed to network hosts (unsanctioned software = shadow IT).

Impact to Business

Installed applications must also be supported.
- Licensing: Commercial software must be used within the constraints of its license. Restricts either the number of devices on which the software can be installed or the number of users that can access it. Installing unlicensed software exposes a company to financial and legal penalties.
- Support: Software may be available with paid-for support to obtain updates, monitor and fix security issues, and provide technical assistance. Security monitoring and user assistance could be performed by internal staff, but the impact to IT operations still needs assessing.
- Training: Complex apps can have a substantial and expensive user-training requirement. This can be an ongoing cost as new versions can introduce interface/feature changes or new employees require initial training. If the app is supported internally, there may also be a technical training requirement to ensure that staff can provide support and maintain the application in a secure state.

Impact to Operation

Also consider impacts to operation.
Automated tools are needed to deploy, update, and support the app.
A network-based installer can be used where the setup file is copied to a shared folder on the network, and client computers run the setup file from the network folder.
Group Policy Objects (GPOs) can set a computer to remotely install an application from a network folder without manual intervention.
Centrally managed antivirus suites often support