Concepts for installing and upgrading the operating system

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Concepts for installing and upgrading the operating system

This section provides background for planning the installation of Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition. For information about which topics apply if you are upgrading and which apply if you are performing a new installation, see the following:

• Checklist: Performing an upgrade

• Checklist: Performing a new installation

The following topics provide background information for the choices you make during the installation process.

• Important files to review

• Choosing a licensing mode

• Using Dynamic Update for updated drivers and other setup files

• Planning for unattended Setup

• System Requirements and Hardware Compatibility

• Upgrading or Installing

• Deciding Whether a Computer Will Contain More Than One Operating System

• Choosing a File System for the Installation Partition

• Planning Disk Partitions or Volumes for New Installations

• Networks: TCP/IP, IP Addresses, and Name Resolution

• Deciding Between Workgroups and Domains

• Preparing Your System Before Running Setup

• Resources for installing and upgrading the operating system