CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Tenth Edition (Exams 220-

1001 & 220-1002)

by Mike Meyers
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CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Tenth Edition (Exams 220-1001 & 220-1002)

Chapter 11: Building a PC

Overview

In this chapter, you will learn how to

Research and spec out specialized PCs

Install and upgrade Windows

Describe Windows post-installation best practices

Techs build computers. We fix them too, of course, but very little beats the chance to show off our knowledge, research skill,
and technical savvy like creating excellent custom PCs for clients.

This chapter puts together a lot of what you know about hardware from the previous ten chapters and layers on the essential
component that makes Windows PCs so excellent: Windows. Let’s start with customized PCs for specialized jobs, then turn to
installing and upgrading Windows. The final section covers post-installation tasks.

1001—Specialized PCs
People need computers to get work done. The type of system a person needs depends on what types of tasks he or she
needs to perform with it and how the IT department has configured the organization’s network. This section explores what you
should consider when creating specialized computers, including hardware and software compatibility, upgradability, and end-of-
life issues. We’ll examine seven custom PC configurations to give you ideas about variations and what kind of scenarios you
might encounter as a tech.

Prerequisites to Building

In a typical scenario for building a custom PC, a customer has a specific need, such as a machine for editing video and audio
files to make movies. The customer will have a budget and a software package in mind to get the job done. Common choices
for movie production, for example, are Adobe Premier and Adobe After Effects—both part of the Adobe Creative Suite that the
customer can license via a monthly fee. Let’s look at issues around new hardware versus upgrading existing hardware.

New Hardware Builds

If the customer wants all-new hardware, then your path is straightforward. Consider Johan, who has a small business and
wants to add two new specialized machines: a storage system for general-purpose file storage and a media system for the
lounge. Follow the recommendations in this chapter: research the hardware compatibility and operating system compatibility for
the software the customer needs.

To recommend an edition of Windows, you need to weigh its features against the customer’s needs. Microsoft releases three
editions anyone can purchase, which you can think of in terms of how their features address corporate versus personal needs.
Home is the least expensive, Pro costs more, and Enterprise costs the most. The Home version of Windows 10 can certainly
handle any kind of media center activity, so it would be perfect for Johan’s lounge machine. Definitely go 64-bit for the
additional RAM capacity.

If the business uses a Windows Domain/Active Directory for controlling network access and user accounts, then your
recommendation would need to be for the Pro or Enterprise edition. (See Chapter 19, "Local Area Networking," for the details
on network organization options such as workgroups and domains.) These editions enable domain access, whereas the Home
version does not. Furthermore, the Pro and Enterprise editions offer much better control over files and folders with BitLocker
and the Encrypting File System (EFS), two options for encrypting drives and data. (You’ll learn a lot about both file protection
technologies in Chapter 13, "Users, Groups, and Permissions.") Finally, if Johan’s office is part of a larger network connecting
many offices over a wide area, the Enterprise edition offers a refined method for distributing applications to many locations,
called BranchCache.

EXAM Expect a question or two on the CompTIA A+ 1002 exam that asks you to compare features of Windows versions and editions. You got
TIP an overview about the versions way back in Chapter 2, "The Visible Computer." The section here adds some detail, but you should come

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back to these comparisons after you read about networking later in the book. Mark your notes to come back and reflect on objective 1.2
of the 1002 exam.

Upgrade Builds

Wrinkles can slip in when customers want to leverage hardware they already own. Here’s a typical scenario for an upgrade
plan with potential problems. Maria has a small business and wants to produce some videos to promote her products. She has
a Windows 8.1 Dell workstation that cost her a lot a few years ago. It has a first-generation Intel Core i7 processor, 4 GB of
DDR3 RAM, and a 500-GB hard drive. You know (or will, when you read the section "Audio/Video Editing Workstation," later in
this chapter) that you’ll need to increase the RAM and mass storage to make the system work well as an A/V workstation. Now
you have a whole host of questions to answer before you do any upgrading.

What are the hardware prerequisites/hardware compatibility issues with the application software (Creative Suite, in this
case)? How much RAM will the software need? How much RAM can the existing system handle? Can you still purchase DDR3
RAM that works with the system? What size and how many drives will work in the case; does the motherboard support those
drives?

What are the application compatibility issues with the system? Can a first-generation Intel Core i7 handle the current versions
of the applications? If not, can you upgrade the CPU without spending a fortune? (CPUs for older sockets tend to cost more
than CPUs for current sockets; it’s just supply and demand.)

What are the operating system compatibility issues between the OS and the application software? Can you run the latest
Adobe Creative Suite in Windows 8.1? If not, what is the upgrade path to put Windows 10 on the system? What about the
customer’s OS user interface preferences? What if Maria prefers the Windows 8.1 desktop style over the Windows 10 user
interface? How do you resolve such an unusual situation?

Finally, are there any vendor-specific limitations regarding the Dell components and the operating system? How close is the
system to its end-of-life date (when the manufacturer no longer supports the hardware)? Does the manufacturer have update
limitations on the OS, such as certain custom features that work in Windows 8.1 by design, but not in Windows 10? You must
address these kinds of compatibility concerns between the operating systems before you can make a recommendation for the
customer.

Custom PCs for Specific Jobs

The CompTIA A+ 1001 exam defines seven specific custom PC configurations: standard thick clients, thin clients, virtualization
workstations, gaming PCs, graphic/CAD/CAM design workstations, audio/video editing workstations, and network attached
storage devices. Let’s go through each of these custom builds and see what each needs.

Standard Thick Clients

A thick client runs a modern operating system and general productivity applications to accomplish the vast majority of tasks
needed by office and home users (see Figure 11-1). When most folks hear the term "PC," the thick client comes to mind. Thick
clients are the quiet workhorses of modern computing.

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Figure 11-1: A typical thick client

The thick part of thick client doesn’t necessarily refer to the physical thickness of the computer case or system unit that houses
everything. It means more what the computer can do if the computer isn’t connected to any type of network.

A thick client has everything it needs to do its work without a network connection. The hard drive is bootable with an operating
system. The computer has a set of desktop applications. You can write letters. You can run a spreadsheet, play a game, or edit
a video. Granted, at some point you might need to send an e-mail message, upload a document, or play an online game; but in
general you can do most of your work without a network connection.

The key to a good thick client is sufficient hardware to support the operating system and applications typical of an office or
home-office environment. All operating systems define minimum hardware requirements. Table 11-1 shows the minimum
hardware requirements for Windows 10.

Table 11-1: Minimum Hardware Requirements for Windows 10

Component Minimum Hardware Requirements
CPU 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64)
Memory 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
Hard drive 16 GB available hard drive space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
Graphics DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver
Network Internet access

These are minimum requirements, not optimal requirements. The numbers are laughably low. In the industry we say, "It might
be enough to walk Windows, but it won’t be enough to run Windows!" (We nerds find this very funny.) Instead we look for
recommended hardware requirements. Operating systems don’t always publish recommended requirements, so Table 11-2
presents my recommended hardware for a typical Windows 10 thick client.

Table 11-2: Author’s Recommended Hardware for Windows 10

Component Mike's Recommended Hardware Requirements
32-bit is obsolete! Everything is 64-bit!
CPU 2 GHz or faster
Memory 8 GB RAM
Hard drive 500 GB available drive space (HDD or SSD)
Graphics DirectX 10 graphics device with WDDM driver
Network 50 megabits per second (Mbps) download speed Internet access

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A standard thick client should meet or exceed the recommended hardware specifications for the operating system and offer
typical desktop applications, such as office productivity and network applications (like a Web browser and an e-mail client).

Ubuntu Linux does a great job clarifying both minimum and recommended hardware requirements, as shown in Figure 11-2.

(from ubuntu.com)

Figure 11-2: Ubuntu desktop hardware requirements

To wrap, a standard thick client:

Is a complete system that has its own operating system and desktop applications

Does not need a network connection to run

Meets recommended requirements for its operating system

Thin Clients

A thin client is a system designed to outsource much of its work. Thin clients usually rely on resources from powerful servers,
so they may not have hard drives, for example, or store any data. Thin clients often serve as single-purpose systems, like
point-of-sale machines (cash registers). Another common example today is office workstations where applications are stored
on servers. A thin client might look like a thick client, but it requires fewer resources, thus making it cheaper and easier to
deploy. Centralized storage of data also enables a lot more control on behalf of the administrators. Figure 11-3 shows a typical
thin client.

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Figure 11-3: Thin client in an office

Because the classic thin client relies on network connectivity and access to servers over those networks, we’ll revisit them
when we get to networking in Chapters 18–21.

To wrap, a thin client:

Stores only basic applications; may be a single-purpose system

Needs a network connection to run; may need a network connection to boot

Meets minimum hardware requirements for its operating system

Virtualization Workstation

Virtualization is a powerful technology that enables you to run more than one operating system at the same time on a single
computer. With virtualized servers, you can consolidate multiple, power-hungry machines into one box, saving floor space,
electricity, and a lot of running around. With virtualization workstations, virtualization is most often used to run a second OS
within the OS installed on the computer’s hard drive (see Figure 11-4).

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Figure 11-4: Two virtual machines running on my macOS system

For good performance on a virtualization workstation, install lots and lots of RAM. Each virtualization workstation needs enough
memory to run the native operating system, the guest operating system, and any applications running in either OS, so RAM is
the most important thing in virtualization. A powerful 64-bit CPU with many cores also helps virtual machines run smoothly.
Many desktop computers can run virtual machines, but if you want the best possible performance, you want lots of RAM and a
good CPU.

EXAM You’ll need lots of RAM—think maximum RAM—and a fast CPU with many cores to get great performance out of a virtualization
TIP workstation.

To wrap, a virtualization workstation:

Needs very large amounts of RAM—often the maximum the system can accept

Needs a fast CPU with as many cores as the systems—and your wallet—allow

Chapter 22, "Virtualization," discusses virtual machines in great detail. We’ll take the opportunity there to flesh out the
discussion of virtualization workstations.

Gaming PC

Computer gaming is one of the most process-intensive operations you can do with a PC. As an aspiring PC tech, you probably
took your first apprehensive steps into the dark underbelly of PCs with a game: Fortnite, Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto,
Borderlands 2, World of Warcraft . . . you’ve played at least one of them. While casual gamers can get by with a standard
desktop PC (like the thick client you read about earlier), those who take their gaming seriously want a powerful gaming PC
ready to pump out the latest games (see Figure 11-5).

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Figure 11-5: Author’s gaming rig, ready to shame you (Steam account name: desweds)

The name of the game with a gaming rig is a higher-end graphics card. A gamer goes through a game’s graphics settings and
sets everything to the max. And since games aren’t all about how good they look, you’ll also want a good sound card and
headphones. (Okay—you also need a good game, but one thing at a time.)

A high-end graphics card with a powerful graphics processing unit (GPU) is important, but it’s not the only upgrade you need to
make your games play well. You’ll need a fast, multicore processor, more than thick client RAM (at least 16+ GB), and a high-
definition sound card to provide optimal positional audio.

EXAM Standalone sound cards are pretty much irrelevant in today’s systems. You’ll see the "requirement" for one only on the CompTIA A+
TIP exams.

We haven’t covered the GPUs yet; you’ll get all the details in Chapter 17, "Display Technologies." The rest of the pieces
should make a lot of sense at this point. Remember the high-end CPUs from Chapter 3? Crank them up and throw on some
high-end cooling, like a purpose-built water-cooling rig, to give a gaming system the foundation for greatness.

To wrap, a gaming PC needs:

Multicore processor

High-end cooling (maybe liquid)

High-end video/specialized GPU

High-definition sound card

Graphics/CAD/CAM Design Workstation

Professional photographers and graphic designers generally work with pretty hefty files, so at its core, a graphics workstation
requires a fast, multicore CPU, maximum RAM, and serious storage space. Because designers work visually, add to that mix
the need for high-end video components. Finally, throw in specialized software to make it all work. Professional photographers
use Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom. Graphics engineers have a few other options, but they fall into computer-aided
design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) categories.

Note CAD/CAM software programs enable engineers to create and build components in an industrial setting.

Graphics designers need to have the clearest view possible of their images and image editing software. Whether you’re editing
a wedding shoot in Lightroom or drafting mechanical components in SolidWorks, you need to make sure you can see what

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you’re working on! Because of this, a primary need for a graphics workstation is a large, high-quality monitor. A $200 LCD
panel from Best Buy won’t help you here—you need to make sure that the colors you see on the screen are as accurate as
possible.

Chapter 17 covers all the various high-end video components, such as In-Plane Switching (IPS) monitors and multi-thousand-
dollar graphics workstation video cards. We’ll reopen the discussion on graphics workstations in that chapter.

To wrap, a graphics/CAD/CAM design workstation needs:

Multicore processor

High-end video/specialized GPU

Very large amounts of RAM, often the maximum the system can accept

Robust storage

Audio/Video Editing Workstation

When George Lucas made the first Star Wars movie, he used camera tricks, miniature models, and stop-motion animation to
create the illusion of massive spaceships and robots battling it out in a galaxy far, far away. Twenty years later, he filmed the
Star Wars prequels in front of massive green screens and used computer-generated imagery (CGI) to transform the bland sets
into exotic planets and space stations. I won’t get into an argument about which approach produced better movies, but the fact
remains that the act of creating films has changed. It’s not just films, either—computers have changed the way we create all
types of media, including movies, television shows, photography, music, and more.

If you want to get involved in this creative revolution, you’re going to need a powerful computer. Workstations for creative
professionals are customized for the type of media they create.

Audio Editing Workstations

The requirements for audio editing workstations are very similar to those for graphics workstations—a fast, multicore CPU,
gobs of RAM, and a large monitor. Plus, you need lots of fast storage. Add to that the need for a high-quality audio interface.

An audio interface is a box that you hook up to a PC with inputs that enable you to connect professional microphones and
instruments. Functionally, an audio interface is just a really high-end sound card, though it usually connects to your computer
via USB rather than plugging into the motherboard. Audio interfaces range in size from an interface you can fit in your hand to
one that will take up most of your desk. A more expensive interface includes more inputs and produces higher-quality sound,
though you’ll also need some expensive speakers to hear the difference.

Just like with graphics workstations, audio editing workstations frequently make use of specialized input devices. These
devices, referred to as control surfaces, mimic the look and feel of older, analog mixing consoles. They have a large number of
programmable inputs that make controlling the software much faster and more accurate than with just a mouse and keyboard.
These control surfaces range in size from small desktop units, all the way up to room-filling behemoths that are used in
recording studios. Some of these boards also contain an audio interface.

Video Editing Workstations

Video editing workstations combine the requirements of a graphics workstation and an audio editing workstation. Video editors
often use two or more color-calibrated monitors so they can view the video stream they’re working on with one monitor and see
their video editor open on the other, making dual monitors very useful; if used to produce high-resolution 4K video, a monitor
supporting this resolution is also essential. Video editing workstations require a very powerful CPU paired with as much RAM
as possible, since video editing is a far more intensive process than graphics or audio editing. Lots of high-speed storage is
also required since video projects eat terabytes for breakfast. Many video editing workstations have multiple hard drives set up
in a RAID array for added storage capacity and enhanced read/write speed.

Video editing workstations, like CAD/CAM workstations, benefit enormously from a professional-level graphics card. This is
almost as important as the fast CPU and piles of RAM; you won’t see a video editing workstation without one.

Because video editing workstations are frequently used as audio editing workstations, too, you will often find video editing
workstations with the same audio interfaces and control surfaces as you’d see on an audio editing workstation. There are also

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video interfaces that enable editors to connect to various cameras. Additionally, many video editors use custom keyboards that
have special labels and controls for popular video editing software.

EXAM The CompTIA A+ 1001 objectives use the term audio/video editing workstation, combining both types into a single thing. These
TIP machines often do double duty, so that’s cool, and keep that in mind for the exam. In practice, you’ll find dedicated audio editing
workstations and dedicated video editing workstations, as well as the combined units.

To wrap, an audio/video editing workstation needs:

Specialized audio and video card

Large, fast storage

Very large amounts of RAM, often the maximum the system can accept

Dual monitors (or more)

Network Attached Storage Devices

How many computing devices are in your house right now? If you’re like me, the answer is "a lot." Between multiple
smartphones, streaming media boxes, game consoles, tablets, and various computers, you might shock yourself with the count.

As more and more computing devices move into the home environment, there’s a need for a centralized storage space, a
network attached storage (NAS) device to dish out files and folders on demand—a place for all your media to stream to
multiple devices. This NAS has very specialized needs that take it beyond the typical thick client.

A NAS supplies three discrete functions: media streaming, file sharing, and print sharing. Media streaming can use specialized
software, but just like file and print sharing, it works fine through the default tools in Windows and macOS. The NAS has to
have a very fast network connection and gobs of storage. Plus, that storage needs to be fault tolerant. Losing your video
collection because of a hard drive crash would make for a very bad day.

Software

Any modern operating system enables you to share files and folders through standard sharing features. The same is true of
sharing a printer. To turn a PC into a print server, get to the printer’s Properties dialog box—either through Settings or via the
Control Panel—and then check the Share this printer checkbox on the Sharing tab (see Figure 11-6).

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Figure 11-6: Sharing a printer in Windows 10

You can easily turn a Windows PC into a media streaming server. Click in the Search field in the Taskbar, type streaming, and
press the enter key to open the Network and Sharing Center/Media streaming options screen (see Figure 11-7).

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Figure 11-7: Media streaming turned off

After turning on media streaming, you can choose to share your streams with other systems that are sharing (see Figure 11-8).
By default, Windows wants to share everything, though you can customize what’s shared in case you have young children and
don’t want them to have access to inappropriate content.

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Figure 11-8: Media streaming options

Finally, both Windows Media Player and iTunes have a feature to share media files on a local network. Figure 11-9 shows
iTunes sharing via the Bonjour protocol.

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Figure 11-9: Streaming with iTunes

Hardware

Hardware needs on a NAS apply primarily to the network speed and hard drive redundancy, at least according the CompTIA
objectives. If you have a very active server, you should also pay attention to the amount of RAM it has and the speed of the
CPU. Beefing both up above the standard thick client can help if you start getting some lag.

For the network, a wired Gigabit Ethernet NIC should be standard issue. Although it sounds cool to go wireless, you should
limit the use of wireless to the single connection between the wireless access point and the client. The home server should
connect via Ethernet to minimize any lag or dropped frames.

A file server’s hard drives do the heavy and sustained lifting for the PC, so you should not stint on them. At a minimum, get two
drives of identical size that have as much capacity as you can afford. Plus, because you need fault tolerance on the data, you
simply must use a RAID 1 configuration at a minimum (and thus the need to get two identical drives). If your budget can afford it
and your motherboard supports it, get four identical drives and run in RAID 10.

You’ll recall from Chapter 9, "Implementing Mass Storage," that Windows 8/8.1/10 offer Storage Spaces and storage pools
where you can toss in any number of drives and create an array. If you do this sensibly, like putting three 4-TB drives into a
pool and creating a single Storage Space, you’re essentially creating a RAID 5 array.

To wrap, NAS storage needs:

File sharing

Media streaming

RAID array

Gigabit NIC

SIM Check out the excellent Challenge! sim "Build More Thick Clients" in the Chapter 11 section of the online TotalSims here:
http://totalsem.com/100x. It will help reinforce different needs for different system types.

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1002—Installing and Upgrading Windows

Once you have the hardware lined up for whichever specialized PC you want to build, it’s time to install an operating system.
For most computers, you’ll want to install a version of Windows—and the appropriate edition within each version. This section
looks at media selection, types of installation, then the installation and upgrade process. It completes with a discussion on
troubleshooting installations.

Note This section explores the installation details for thick clients, the typical Windows standalone systems. Installation of thin clients means
plugging a machine into a network, booting, and doing minimal configuration. The main action happens on the network server. Thin clients
require much more extensive discussion of networking, covered in Chapters 18 through 21. Some thin client implementations use virtual
machines that run on the remote machine, so we’ll take a closer look at thin clients in Chapter 22, "Virtualization."

Media Sources

At its most basic, a Windows installation has two steps. First, boot the system from the OS installation media. Second, answer
the installation wizard’s initial queries and let it do its thing. At the end of the 10- to 40-minute process, you’ll be looking at a
Welcome screen (see Figure 11-10) and be ready to begin your love affair with the PC.

EXAM Successful installation results in a properly formatted boot drive with the correct partitions/formats.
TIP

Figure 11-10: Windows 10 Welcome screen

Windows offers a surprising number of boot methods, giving you many options to get the process started. The most common
way to start—historically at least—is to insert a Windows installation DVD, change the boot order in the system setup utility,
and power up the system.

EXAM The CompTIA A+ 1002 objectives list CD as a viable Windows boot method, but that’s not the case since Windows Vista, the
TIP predecessor to Windows 7. If you see it as an option on the exam, though, read the question very carefully.

Alternatively, you can boot to a storage device inserted into a USB port. That includes flash drives, external hard drives, or

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external solid-state drives. Any number of external/hot-swappable drives will do the job. Microsoft will even sell you a Windows
10 installation thumb drive (see Figure 11-11).

Note Microsoft has shifted with the times. The primary way to install Windows 10 is downloading an ISO image and writing that image to some
bootable media. With the Windows Media Creation Tool (a quick download from Microsoft), you can easily make that bootable media a DVD
or USB flash drive.

Figure 11-11: Windows flash installation media

Don’t feel like plugging something into the computer? No problem. You can access Windows installation files over a network.
See "Installing Windows over a Network," a little later in this chapter, for details.

Finally, many system builders add a small, hidden partition to the primary hard drive containing an image of the factory-fresh
version of Windows. In the event of a corrupted or very messy instance of Windows, you can reboot, access this recovery
partition, and reinstall Windows. Chapter 16, "Troubleshooting Operating Systems," covers recovery partitions and other forms
of restoration in some detail.

EXAM The CompTIA A+ 220-1002 exam objectives offer "internal hard drive (partition)" as a viable boot method for installing Windows. My
TIP best guess is that they mean the hidden recovery partition.

Types of Installation

You can install Windows in several ways. A clean installation of an OS involves installing it onto an empty hard drive or
completely replacing an existing installation. An upgrade installation means installing an OS on top of an earlier installed
version, thus inheriting all previous hardware and software settings. You can combine versions of Windows by creating a
multiboot installation. Let’s look at all the options.

Clean Installation

A clean installation means your installation ignores a previous installation of Windows, wiping out the old version as the new
version of Windows installs. A clean installation is also performed on a new system with a completely blank mass storage drive.
The advantage of doing a clean installation is that you don’t carry problems from the old OS over to the new one. The

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disadvantage is that you need to back up and then restore all your data, reinstall all your applications, and reconfigure the
desktop and each application to the user’s preferences. You typically perform a clean installation by setting CMOS to boot from
the optical drive or USB before the hard drive or SSD. You then boot off a Windows installation disc/drive, and Windows gives
you the opportunity to partition and format the hard drive or SSD during the installation process.

Note The CompTIA A+ 1002 objectives mention refresh/restore as an appropriate method of installing Windows, and in some scenarios this is
true. Both refresh and restore install some or all of an operating system as an attempt to fix an OS that’s not functioning properly. We’ll cover
System Restore in detail in Chapter 14, "Maintaining and Optimizing Operating Systems," and tackle Refresh your PC when we hit
troubleshooting in Chapter 16.

Upgrade Installation

For decades, if you wanted to take advantage of a new version of some operating system, you had to grab (usually purchase)
the new version and go through a process called an upgrade installation. You might find yourself in a situation where you need
to upgrade an older version of Windows to Windows 10, so let’s talk about an upgrade installation.

In an upgrade installation, the new OS installs into the same folders as the old OS, or in tech speak, the new installs on top of
the old. The new OS replaces the old OS, but retains data and applications and also inherits all of the personal settings (such
as font styles, desktop themes, and so on). The best part is that you don’t have to reinstall your favorite programs. Figure 11-
12 shows the start of the Windows 10 installation, asking if you want an upgrade installation.

EXAM Microsoft often uses the term in-place upgrade to define an upgrade installation, so you might see it on the CompTIA A+ 1002 exam. On
TIP the other hand, Microsoft documentation also uses the term for a completely different process, called a repair installation, so read
whatever questions you get on the exam carefully for context. For repair installations, see Chapter 16.

Figure 11-12: Windows installation

Before you begin an upgrade of Windows, always back up all user data files! You can use the backup tools in Windows or a
third-party tool, but don’t skip this step.

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To begin the upgrade of Windows, you should run the appropriate program from the optical disc or USB drive. This usually
means inserting a Windows installation disc/disk into your system while your old OS is running, which autostarts the installation
program. The installation program will ask you whether you want to perform an upgrade or a new installation; if you select new
installation, the program will remove the existing OS before installing the new one.

Note Before starting an OS upgrade, make sure you have shut down all other open applications.

Multiboot Installation

A third option that you need to be aware of is the dual-boot or multiboot installation. This means your system has more than
one Windows installation and you may choose which installation to use when you boot your computer. Every time your
computer boots, you’ll get a menu asking you which version of Windows you wish to boot (see Figure 11-13).

Figure 11-13: End result of multiboot installation

You’ll recall from Chapter 9 that Windows enables you to shrink the C: partition, so if you want to dual boot but have only a
single drive, you can make it happen even if Windows is already installed and the C: partition takes up the full drive. Use Disk
Management to shrink the volume and create another partition in the newly unallocated space. Install another copy of Windows
to the new partition.

Apple makes an excellent tool called Boot Camp that enables you to install Windows on an Apple machine. Once you run
through the Windows installation, Boot Camp enables you to decide when you start up the computer each time whether you
want to run macOS or Windows. Choose Boot Camp if you have some Windows-only program (cough . . . "game" . . . cough)
that you simply must run on your Mac.

You can also multiboot Windows and Linux. The Linux installers add this multiboot capability by default. Just note that the
reverse is not true. You need to install Windows first, then install Linux.

Note When configuring a computer for multibooting, there are two basic rules: first, you must format the system partition in a file system that is
common to all installed operating systems; and second, you must install the operating systems in order from oldest to newest (or from
Windows to other).

Other Installation Methods

In medium to large organizations, more advanced installation methods are often employed, especially when many computers

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need to be configured identically. A common method is to place the source files in a shared directory on a network server.
Then, whenever a tech needs to install a new OS, he or she can boot up the computer, connect to the source location on the
network, and start the installation from there. This is called generically a remote network installation (see Figure 11-14). This
method alone has many variations and can be automated with special scripts that automatically select the options and
components needed. The scripts can even install extra applications at the end of the OS installation, all without user
intervention once the installation has been started. This type of installation is called an unattended installation.

Figure 11-14: Remote network installation

Another type of installation that is very popular for re-creating standard configurations is an image deployment (Figure 11-15).
An image is a complete copy of a hard drive volume on which an operating system and any desired application software
programs have been preinstalled. Images can be stored on servers, optical discs, or flash-media drives, in which case the tech
runs special software on the computer that copies the image onto the local hard drive or SSD. Images can also be stored on
special network servers, in which case the tech connects to the image server by using special software that copies the image
from the server to the local HDD or SSD. A leader in this technology for many years was Norton Ghost, which was available
from Symantec. Symantec now offers Symantec Ghost Solution Suite. Other similar programs are Clonezilla and Acronis True
Image.

EXAM Although not covered in detail on the CompTIA A+ exams, Microsoft bundles the Deployment Image Servicing and Management
TIP (dism.exe) command-line tool with Windows 10 to enable image deployment. Check the TechNet Web site or the PowerShell help files
for more information. Look for dism as a tool for installation on the CompTIA A+ 1002 exam.

Figure 11-15: Image deployment over a network

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The OS Installation Process

At the most basic level, installing any operating system follows a standard set of steps. You turn on the computer, insert an
operating system disc/disk into the optical drive or USB port, or access the media some other way, and follow the installation
wizard until you have everything completed. Along the way, you’ll accept the End User License Agreement (EULA)—the terms
and conditions for using the OS—and enter the product key that says you’re not a pirate. The product key is invariably located
on the installation disc’s case or USB packaging. Ah, but there is a devil in the details!

First of all, the CompTIA A+ 1002 objectives list the following Windows versions: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and
Windows 10. I am confident that CompTIA is only interested in an upgrade installation from one of these older Windows
versions to Windows 10. If you want to upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 . . . good luck.

Second, you need to decide on a clean install, an upgrade install, or a multiboot install. Review the steps covered earlier in this
chapter to make your decision. The following is an example of a clean installation of Windows.

Third, Windows isn’t the only operating system out there. Even though the following example uses Windows, keep in mind that
both macOS and all Linux desktop distributions share similar installation steps.

Windows 10 Clean Installation Process

Start by booting your computer from some sort of Windows 10 installation media. When you’ve booted into the installer, the first
screen you see asks you if you want 32-bit or 64-bit Windows. Since almost all CPUs support 64-bit, select that option (see
Figure 11-16). If you’re wrong, don’t worry. The installation will fail and you’ll just try again.

EXAM Early in the installation process, if you’re installing Windows onto drives connected via a RAID controller, you’ll be prompted to press F6
TIP to load alternative third-party drivers if necessary. Nothing happens immediately when you respond to this request. You’ll be prompted
later in the process to insert a driver disc.

Figure 11-16: Windows 64-bit or 32-bit selection screen

Your next screen asks for language, time and currency, and keyboard settings, as shown in Figure 11-17. These are sometimes
called regional settings. Click Next to proceed.

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EXAM The CompTIA A+ 1002 1.3 objectives refer to the regional settings step as Time/date/region/language setup.
TIP

Figure 11-17: Windows regional settings

The next screen starts the installation process, but note the lower-left corner. This screen also enables techs to start the
installation disc’s repair tools (see Figure 11-18). You’ll learn more about those tools in Chapter 16, but for now all you need to
know is that you click where it says Repair your computer to use the repair tools. Because you’re just installing Windows in this
chapter, click Install now.

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Figure 11-18: The Windows setup welcome screen

The next screen prompts you to enter your product key before you do anything else, as you can see in Figure 11-19. The
product key comes with the installation media. You should never lose it.

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Figure 11-19: The Windows product key screen

Every Windows installation disc/disk contains all of the available editions within a version. The product key not only verifies the
legitimacy of your purchase; it also tells the installer which edition you purchased.

If you click the I don’t have a product key link (or leave the product key blank and click the Next button in versions before
Windows 10), you will be taken to a screen asking you which version of Windows you would like to install (see Figure 11-20).
Lest you start to think that you’ve discovered a way to install Windows without paying for it, you should know that doing this
simply installs a 30-day trial of the operating system. After 30 days, you will no longer be able to boot to the desktop without
entering a valid product key that matches the edition of Windows you installed. After the product key screen, you’ll find
Microsoft’s EULA, shown in Figure 11-21.

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Figure 11-20: Choosing the edition of Windows you want to install

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Figure 11-21: The Windows EULA

On the next page, you get to decide whether you’d like to do an upgrade installation or a clean installation. (Windows calls the
clean installation a Custom installation, as you can see in Figure 11-22.) This option enables customization of various items,
such as partitions.

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Figure 11-22: Choose your installation type

Figure 11-23 shows how you can partition hard drives and choose a destination partition for Windows. From this screen, you
can click the New link [or Drive options (advanced) link in pre–Windows 10 versions] to display a variety of partitioning options.

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Figure 11-23: The partitioning screen

Once you’ve partitioned drives and selected a destination partition for install Windows, the installation process takes over,
copying files, expanding files, installing features, and just generally doing lots of computerish things. This can take a while, so if
you need to get a snack or read War and Peace, do it during this part of the installation.

Note It doesn’t take that long to install Windows. Windows 10 is far snappier than its predecessors, especially on an SSD.

When Windows has finished unpacking and installing itself, it lights up the oh-so-irritating Cortana to help you finish up the
installation. Figure 11-24 shows where you configure a system to work in a workgroup (personal use) or in an organization.
Note that the latter option does not join the computer to a classic Windows Active Directory domain, but it is useful if the
company uses subscription services like Microsoft Office 365.

EXAM Expect a question on Workgroup vs. Domain setup on the CompTIA A+ 1002 exam. Choosing the Personal option in Figure 11-24 puts
TIP you squarely in a workgroup. Installing a computer in a classic Windows Active Directory domain requires a lot of steps on behalf of the
domain administrator. The computer needs to be joined to the domain. A user needs a domain account set up. Windows Active
Directory domains accentuate security; they require more aggressive setup.

With a classic domain, setup usually requires creating a local administrator account that, after rebooting at the end, you use to join the
computer to the domain. At that point, you can log off and log back on with a verified domain account. Then the user will have appropriate
access to domain resources.

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Figure 11-24: Choosing personal or organization

This following screen (Figure 11-25) asks you to set up a user name and password for your main user account. All operating
systems require the creation of this account. Cortana asks you to choose a user name and tries to get you to open a Microsoft
account if you don’t already have one. I skip the Microsoft account and simply create a regular local account on the computer.
My editors use Microsoft accounts. Choose which works best for you.

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Figure 11-25: Choosing a user name

Microsoft and Apple are big on users logging in with accounts tied not to the PC, but to Microsoft and Apple. These accounts
provide some amount of convenience and are acceptable for home users, but any organization larger than the smallest mom-
and-pop shops will skip these and use more traditional accounts. Your author recommends you do the same.

EXAM Look for a question on the CompTIA A+ 1001 exam on installing desktop computers, specifically with account setup/settings. You have
TIP four basic options on current machines—local user account, global account, organizational account, or domain account.

Microsoft also adds another installation feature at this point, privacy settings (see Figure 11-26). Turning everything off on this
screen still doesn’t prevent Microsoft from taking some amount of information.

Note Activation is mandatory, but you can skip this step during installation. You have 30 days in which to activate the product, during which time it
works normally. If you don’t activate it within that time frame, the OS will be labeled as not genuine and you won’t receive updates. Don’t worry
about forgetting, though, because once it’s installed, Windows frequently reminds you to activate it with a balloon message over the tray area
of the taskbar. The messages even tell you how many days you have left.

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Figure 11-26: Choosing privacy settings for your device

Once you’re past that screen, Windows gets to work on the installation (see Figure 11-27) and warns you that it may take some
time. Awfully polite for a piece of software, don’t you think?

Figure 11-27: Okay, Windows, thanks for the warning

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Installing Windows over a Network

Techs working for big corporations can end up installing Windows a lot. When you have a hundred PCs to take care of and
Microsoft launches a new update of Windows, you don’t want to have to walk from cubicle to cubicle with an installation disc,
running one install after the other. You already know about automated installations, but network installations take this one step
further.

Imagine another scenario. You’re still a tech for a large company, but your boss has decided that every new PC will use an
image with a predetermined set of applications and configurations. You need to put the image on every workstation, but most of
them don’t have optical drives. Network installation saves the day again!

The phrase "network installation" can involve many different tools depending on which version of Windows you use. Most
importantly, the machines that receive the installations (the clients) need to be connected to a server. That server might be
another copy of Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or 10; or it might be a fully fledged server running Windows Server. The serving PC needs
to host an image, which can either be the default installation of Windows or a custom image, often created by the network
administrator.

All of the server-side issues should be handled by a network administrator—setting up a server to deploy Windows installations
and images goes beyond what the CompTIA A+ exams cover.

On the client side, you’ll need to use the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE). PXE uses multiple protocols such as IP,
DHCP, and DNS to enable your computer to boot from a network location. That means the PC needs no installation disc or
USB drive. Just plug your computer into the network and go! Okay, it’s a little more complicated than that.

To enable PXE, you’ll need to enter system setup; in CompTIA speak, you need to configure the BIOS (on board NIC) for PXE
boot. Find the screen that configures your NIC (see Figure 11-28). If there is a PXE setting there, enable it. You’ll also need to
change the boot order so that the PC boots from a network location first.

Note Most, but not all, NICs support PXE. To boot from a network location without PXE, you can create boot media that forces your PC to boot from
a mapped network location.

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Figure 11-28: Setting up PXE in system setup

When you reboot the PC, you’ll see the familiar first screens of the boot process. At some point, you should also see an
instruction to "Press f12 for network boot." (It’s almost always f12.) The PC will attempt to find a server on the network to which
it can connect. When it does, you’ll be asked to press f12 again to continue booting from the network, as you can see in Figure
11-29.

Figure 11-29: Network boot

Depending on how many images are prepared on the server, you’ll either be taken directly to the Windows installation screen

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or be asked to pick from multiple images. Pick the option you need, and everything else should proceed as if you were
installing Windows from the local optical drive.

Installing macOS over a Network

NetBoot is Apple’s tool for network installation and imaging. It enables you to do some amazing installation types for macOS
over a network. With this tool, you can boot a bunch of identical macOS machines remotely—so they have the look and feel
you want. Any user-generated content on them simply goes away when you reboot the machines. This is a great tool for a
classroom or conference.

Secondly, you can load identical images on multiple Macs, installing macOS on the hard drives of many remote systems. This
is great when you’re rolling out a new corporate default build, for example, at the enterprise level.

Finally, you can use NetBoot to push specific applications to many computers at once. This is huge for product rollout
throughout any organization.

Troubleshooting Installation Problems

The term "installation problem" is rather deceptive. The installation process itself almost never fails. Usually, something else
fails during the process that is generally interpreted as an "install failure." Let’s look at some typical installation problems and
how to correct them.

Media Errors

If you’re going to have a problem with a Windows installation, have a media error, like a scratched DVD or a corrupted USB
drive. It’s always better to have the error right off the bat as opposed to when the installation is nearly complete.

RAID Array Not Detected If Windows fails to detect a RAID array during installation, this could be caused by Windows not
having the proper driver for the hard drive or RAID controller. If the hard drives show up properly in the RAID controller setup
utility, then it’s almost certainly a driver issue. Get the driver disc from the manufacturer and run setup again. Press F6 when
prompted very early in the Windows installation process. Nothing happens right away when you push F6, but later in the
process you’ll be prompted to install drivers.

No Boot Device Present When Booting Off the Windows Installation Disc Either the installation media is bad or the
system setup is not set to look at that installation media first. Access the system setup utility as discussed in Chapter 5,
"Firmware."

Graphical Mode Errors

Once the graphical part of the installation begins, errors can come from a number of sources, such as hardware or driver
problems. Failure to detect hardware properly by any version of Windows Setup can be avoided by simply researching
compatibility beforehand. Or, if you decided to skip that step, you might be lucky and only have a hardware detection error
involving a noncritical hardware device. You can troubleshoot this problem at your leisure. In a sense, you are handing in your
homework late, checking out compatibility and finding a proper driver after Windows is installed.

Every Windows installation depends on Windows Setup properly detecting the computer type (motherboard and BIOS stuff, in
particular) and installing the correct hardware support. Microsoft designed Windows to run on several hardware platforms
using a layer of software tailored specifically for the hardware, called the hardware abstraction layer (HAL).

Lockups during Installation

Lockups are one of the most challenging problems that can take place during installation, because they don’t give you a clue
as to what’s causing the problem. Here are a few things to check if you get a lockup during installation.

Disc, Drive, or Image Errors Bad media can mess up an installation during the installation process (as well as at the
beginning, as you read earlier). Bad optical discs, optical drives, or hard drives may cause lockups. Similarly, faults on a USB-
based drive can stop an installation in its tracks. Finally, problems with a downloaded ISO image—also part of the media—can
cause lockups. Check each media component. Check the optical disc for scratches or dirt, and clean it up or replace it. Try a
known-good disc in the drive. If you get the same error, you may need to replace the drive or perhaps the ISO.

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Log Files Windows versions before Windows 10 generate a number of special text files called log files that track the
progress of certain processes. Windows creates different log files for different purposes. The Windows installation process
creates about 20 log files, organized by installation phase. Each phase creates a setuperr.log file to track any errors during that
phase of the installation. Windows 10 creates a setup.etl file (among others) in the %WINDIR%/Panther folder that you can
open with Event Viewer.

Try This! Locating Windows Setup Log Files

1. If you are using a pre–Windows 10 version, go to the following Microsoft Web site: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/Hh824819. aspx. For Windows 10, check out https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/
desktop/windows-setup-log-files-and-event-logs.

2. Identify the specific log file locations and descriptions.

3. Using Windows Explorer or File Explorer on your PC, navigate to the specific log file locations and see if you can find your
setup log files.

Who knows, you may be on your way to becoming a Microsoft log file reader!

Windows stores these log files in the Windows directory (the location in which the OS is installed). These operating systems
have powerful recovery options, so the chances of ever actually having to read a log file, understand it, and then get something
fixed because of that understanding are pretty small. What makes log files handy is when you call Microsoft or a hardware
manufacturer. They love to read these files, and they actually have people who understand them. Don’t worry about trying to
understand log files for the CompTIA A+ exams; just make sure you know the names of the log files and their location. Leave
the details to the übergeeks.

EXAM Expect a question or two about setup log files generated during upgrades on the CompTIA 1001 or 1002 exam. You might expect
TIP questions on the 1002 exam dealing with scenarios where Windows chokes on a dated driver or network setting and fails to load. The
log files will readily show such problems, which you can correct by updating everything before you try upgrading to Windows 10.

The question you might see on the 1001 exam relates to hardware, specifically to system setup configuration problems. The CompTIA
A+ 1001 5.3 objective tosses log entries and error messages under problems with essential hardware, such as motherboards and RAM.
If you get such an error in the log file, try resetting the system setup to default settings. That has worked for a lot of people.

Post-Installation Tasks
You might think that’s enough work for one day, but your task list has a few more things. They include updating the OS with
patches and service packs, upgrading drivers, restoring user data files, and migrating and retiring systems.

Patches, Service Packs, and Updates

Someone once described an airliner as consisting of millions of parts flying in close formation. I think that’s also a good
description for an operating system. And we can even carry that analogy further by thinking about all of the maintenance
required to keep an airliner safely flying. Like an airliner, the parts (programming code) of your OS were created by different
people, and some parts may even have been contracted out. Although each component is tested as much as possible, and the
assembled OS is also tested, it’s not possible to test for every possible combination of events. Sometimes a piece is simply
found to be defective. The fix for such a problem is a corrective program called a patch.

In the past, Microsoft provided patches for individual problems. They also accumulated patches up to some sort of critical mass
and then bundled them together as a service pack, but Windows 7 was the last version to get one. Today, Windows simply
sends individual updates to your system via the Internet.

Immediately after installing Windows, Windows should install the latest updates on the computer. The easiest way to
accomplish this task it to turn on Windows Update. Chapter 14, "Maintaining and Optimizing Operating Systems," covers this
process more thoroughly.

Upgrading Drivers

During installation, you may decide to go with the default drivers that come with Windows and then upgrade them to the latest
drivers after the fact. This is a good strategy because installation is a complicated task that you can simplify by installing old
but adequate drivers. Maybe those newest drivers are just a week old—waiting until after the Windows installation to install

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new drivers gives you a usable driver to go back to if the new driver turns out to be a lemon.

Restoring User Data Files (If Applicable)

Remember when you backed up the user data files before your upgrade installation? You don’t? Well, check again, because
now is the time to restore that data. Your method of restoring depends on how you backed up the files in the first place. If you
used a third-party backup program, you need to install it before you can restore those files, but if you used Backup and
Restore, you are in luck, because they are installed by default. If you did something simpler, such as copying to optical discs,
USB or other external drive, or a network location, all you have to do is copy the files back to the local hard drive. Good luck!

Note Backup and Restore is called Backup and Restore (Windows 7) in Windows 10.

Install Essential Software

The final step in the installation process is to install the software that makes the computer work the way you or your client
wants. If you install software that requires a license key, have it ready. Similarly, if you install subscription software such as
Microsoft Office 365, make sure you have accurate user names and passwords available. Don’t forget to install Steam and
download essential leisure applications!

EXAM Look for a question on the CompTIA A+ 1002 exam that addresses the final steps in the installation process—driver installation,
TIP software [installation], and Windows update.

Migrating and Retiring Systems

Seasons change and so does the state of the art in computing. At a certain point in a computer’s life, you’ll need to retire an old
system. This means you must move the data and users to a new system or at least a new hard drive—a process called
migration—and then safely dispose of the old system. Microsoft offers a few tools to accomplish this task, and because it’s
important to know about them for the CompTIA A+ exams (not to mention for your next new computer purchase), I’m going to go
over them.

User State Migration Tool

If you’re the sort of computer user who demands maximum functionality and power from your operating system, you’ll probably
want to use the User State Migration Tool (USMT). The USMT’s primary use is in businesses because it has to be run in a
Windows Server Active Directory domain. If you need to migrate many users, the USMT is the tool. If you only need to migrate
a few, Windows Easy Transfer, described next, is the way to go.

Note USMT is extremely handy for large-scale Windows operating system deployments. Microsoft provides a detailed overview that includes the
benefits and limitations of USMT. Take a look here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/ usmt/usmt-overview.

Windows Easy Transfer

Windows Easy Transfer enables you to migrate user data and personalizations quickly. In Windows 7, it is located in the
System Tools subfolder of the Accessories folder in the Programs menu. To locate it in Windows 8/8.1, open the Start screen,
type Windows Easy Transfer, and then click on Windows Easy Transfer from the results. Unfortunately, it is not available in
Windows 10.

The first screen of Windows Easy Transfer simply gives you information about the process, so there’s not really much to do
there. When you click Next, you’re taken to a screen that asks if you want to start a new transfer or continue an old one (see
Figure 11-30). If you’ve already set up your old computer to transfer the files, select the latter option; if you haven’t, select the
former.

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Figure 11-30: Start a new transfer or continue one?

If you choose to start a new transfer, select whether you’re using your new or old computer and then follow the prompts.

Migration Practices

When talking about migration or retirement in terms of security, you need to answer one question: What do you do with the old
system or drive?

All but the most vanilla new installations have sensitive data on them, even if it’s simply e-mail messages or notes-to-self that
would cause embarrassment if discovered. Most PCs, especially in a work environment, contain a lot of sensitive data. You
can’t just format C: and hand over the drive.

Follow three principles when migrating or retiring a computer. First, migrate your users and data information in a secure
environment. Until you get passwords properly in place and test the security of the new system, you can’t consider that system
secure. Second, remove data remnants from hard drives that you store or give to charity. Third, recycle the older equipment;
don’t throw it in the trash. PC recyclers go through a process of deconstructing hardware, breaking system units, keyboards,
printers, and even monitors into their basic plastics, metals, and glass for reuse.

The easiest way for someone to compromise or access sensitive data is to simply walk up and take it when you’re not looking.
This is especially true when you are in the process of copying information to a new, unprotected system. Don’t set a copy to
run while you go out to lunch, but rather be there to supervise and remove any remnant data that might still reside on any mass
storage devices, especially hard drives.

Data Destruction

You might think that, as easy as it seems to be to lose data, you could readily get rid of data if you tried. That’s definitely not
the case with magnetic media such as hard drives. When you delete something in Windows, or even empty the Recycle Bin,
the "deleted" data remains on your storage device until new data overwrites it, or replaces it. (This "deleted" data is also what

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you see as free space in Windows.) This can be a big security hole when you dispose of a drive.

Cleaning a drive completely is very difficult. You can either physically destroy the hard drive or sanitize it using a software
utility. Physical destruction isn’t complicated—you bust up the drive into tiny little bits or melt it. Tools to accomplish this include
drive shredders, drills, hammers, electromagnets, and degaussing tools (which reduce or remove the magnetic fields that store
data on HDDs). Incineration pretty much clears all data. Keep in mind that, as hard drives advance and pack more data into
smaller spaces, you’ll need to break the hard drive into smaller pieces to prevent anyone from recovering your data.

EXAM Professional hard drive disposal services will guarantee they have truly, thoroughly destroyed drives by issuing a certificate of
TIP destruction. This certificate brings peace of mind, among other things, that precious data won’t slip into unwanted hands.

Sanitizing your drive means the hard drive will still function once the data has been destroyed. There are several more or less
effective ways to do this. The CompTIA A+ exams want you to know the difference between a standard format and a low-level
format. You already learned about standard formatting back in Chapter 9, so how is low-level formatting different? With older
drives (pre-1990s), low-level formatting would create the physical marks on the disk surface so that the drive knew where to
store data; in the process, it erased the data from the drive. This was initially done at the factory, but utilities existed to repeat
this operation later. As drives became more complex, hard drive manufacturers disabled the ability to perform low-level formats
outside the factory.

Today, the term "low-level formatting" is often used to describe a zero-fill or overwrite operation. This process returns the drive
to a state as close to like-new as possible by writing zeros to every location on the drive.

You can also use a drive wiping utility to erase any old, deleted data that hasn’t been overwritten yet. Simply put, this
overwrites the free space on your drive with junk data that makes the original data harder to recover. Piriform’s CCleaner is a
data-sanitizing utility that can erase your Web browsing history, erase your recent activity in Windows (such as what programs
you ran), and even scrub your hard drive’s free space to make deleted files unrecoverable (see Figure 11-31).

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Figure 11-31: Piriform’s CCleaner showing files to be removed

Recycle

An important and relatively easy way to be an environmentally conscious computer user is to follow recycle or repurpose best
practices. Recycling products such as paper and printer cartridges not only keeps them out of overcrowded landfills but also
ensures that the more toxic products are disposed of in the right way. Safely disposing of hardware containing hazardous
materials, such as computer monitors, protects both people and the environment.

Anyone who’s ever tried to sell a computer more than three or four years old learns a hard lesson: they’re not worth much, if
anything at all. It’s a real temptation to take that old computer and just toss it in the garbage, but never do that!

First of all, many parts of your computer—such as your computer monitor—contain hazardous materials that pollute the
environment. Luckily, thousands of companies now specialize in computer recycling and will gladly accept your old computer. If
you have enough computers, they might even pick them up. If you can’t find a recycler, call your local municipality’s waste
authority to see where to drop off your system.

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An even better alternative for your old computer is donation. Many organizations actively look for old computers to refurbish
and to donate to schools and other organizations. Just keep in mind that the computer can be too old—not even a school
wants a computer more than five or six years old.

No Installation is Perfect

Even when the installation seems smooth, issues may slowly surface, especially in the case of upgrades. Be prepared to
reinstall applications or deal with new functions that were absent in the previous OS. If things really fall apart, you can go back
to the previous OS. Or, if you have an OEM computer (one built by, for example, Dell or HP instead of by you), your computer
likely came with a special recovery partition on its hard drive, a recovery disc, or a recovery USB flash drive; you can use any
of these to restore your operating system to its factory settings. You usually invoke a system recovery by pressing a certain key
during boot-up—usually f10 or f11—and then following a set of prompts.

The procedures I’ve laid out in this chapter may seem like a lot of work—how bad could it be to grab installation media, fling a
copy of Windows onto a system, and, as the saying goes, let the chips fall where they may? Plenty bad, is how bad. Not only is
understanding these procedures important for the CompTIA A+ certification exams, but these procedures can also save your,
ah, hide once you’re a working PC tech and tasked to install the latest version of Windows 10 on the boss’s new computer!

Beyond A+

Privacy Concerns with Windows 10

All of the positives of Windows 10 are countered by Microsoft’s unprecedented and questionable use of what many consider
private data. One of the most controversial questions is why Windows 10 seemingly requires you to log in using a Microsoft
(Hotmail or Outlook) account. Savvy techs discovered that logging in with a Microsoft account enables Windows to grab a
disturbing amount of personal information, including data such as your Wi-Fi passwords. Security-conscious users should
consider creating and using an old-style local user account. Be warned that not using a Microsoft account disables the
Microsoft Cortana voice command feature.

There are a number of privacy issues beyond the Microsoft account issue. Here’s a list of features you should consider turning
off. Most of these features may be shut down using the Privacy utility in the Settings app.

Let apps use my advertising ID for experiences across apps This gives Microsoft the right to create, use, and
share a unique advertising ID that will at the very least create custom advertising on Web sites.

Send Microsoft information about how I write to help us improve typing and writing in the future Microsoft
doesn’t clearly state the purpose of this option, but suffice it to say they may capture all of your keystrokes. Scary!

Let websites provide locally relevant content by accessing my language list Why does Microsoft need to access
language settings given that a Web site can easily tell your default language? Unless you go between multiple languages,
it’s a good idea to turn this off.

Location Location services enable Microsoft to track your location unless this setting is disabled.

Getting to know you This happy-sounding feature tracks a large amount of information about you such as your
contacts, calendar events, speech, handwriting, and more. Turn it off.

The bottom line is this: Windows 10 is easy to use and full of features. You can tighten up privacy settings if you so desire.

Chapter Review

Questions

1. What is a thin client?

A. A computer with a 32-bit-wide address bus

B. A portable computer

C. A system designed to handle only very basic applications with the minimum hardware required by the operating system

D. A computer in a narrow, small form-factor case

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2. What functions does a network attached storage PC provide? (Select three.)

A. Media streaming

B. File sharing

C. Web hosting

D. Print sharing

3. Cindy’s client wants a new graphics workstation. The client’s small business has ten current workstations connected in a Windows
domain, and the client wants the new graphics workstation to be part of that domain. What edition of Windows 10 should Cindy
install on the new computer to accomplish this goal and provide the best value?

A. Windows 10 Starter Edition

B. Windows 10 Home

C. Windows 10 Pro

D. Windows 10 Enterprise

4. What is the most important component for building a virtualization workstation?

A. CPU

B. Power supply

C. RAM

D. Large monitor

5. What tool enables installing Windows over a network?

A. Windows DVD.

B. NetBoot.

C. PXE.

D. Windows can’t be installed over a network.

6. When you install an operating system alongside an existing operating system, what do you create?

A. A clean installation

B. An upgrade installation

C. A multiboot installation

D. A network installation

7. If you do not complete the activation process for Windows, what will happen to your computer?

A. Nothing. Activation is optional.

B. The computer will work fine for 30 days and then Windows will be disabled.

C. Microsoft will not know how to contact you to provide upgrade information.

D. It will work if you check the "I promise to pay for Windows later" box.

8. If Windows locks up during the installation, what should you do?

A. Press ctrl-alt-del to restart the installation process.

B. Push the Reset button to restart the installation process.

C. Press the esc key to cancel the installation process.

D. Unplug the computer and restart the installation process.

9. Which term describes a combination of many updates and fixes in Windows?

A. Hot fix

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B. Hot pack

C. Service pack

D. Service release

10. You’ve just replaced Jane’s Windows 7 PC with a new Windows 10 machine. What post-installation tool should you run to make
the transition as painless as possible for her?

A. Windows Activation

B. Repair installation

C. Windows Easy Transfer

D. User State Migration Tool

Answers

1. C. Thin clients rely on servers to perform anything beyond the most basic computing tasks.
2. A, B, D. NAS devices share files, stream media, and share printers.
3. C. Windows 10 Pro offers the best choice here. The Enterprise edition would also work, but it costs more and adds features the client doesn’t
need.
4. C. Every virtual machine you run consumes a large share of RAM, so the more RAM you have, the more VMs you can run.
5. C. The Preboot Execution Environment, or PXE, enables installation of Windows over a network.
6. C. An OS added to an existing OS creates a multiboot system.
7. B. If you do not complete the activation process for Windows 7, the computer will work fine for 30 days and then Windows will be disabled.
8. D. If Windows locks up during the installation, you should unplug the computer and restart the installation process.
9. C. A service pack is a combination of many updates and fixes in Windows.
10. C. Run the Windows Easy Transfer tool to move all her Windows 7 personal files and familiar settings, like her desktop, to the new Windows
10 computer.

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