1.9 - Installing Operating Systems

Question 1

Boot methods

Answer 1

• USB storage
  – USB must be bootable
  – Computer must support booting from USB
• Optical media
  – CD-ROM and DVD-ROM
• PXE (“Pixie”) - Preboot eXecution Environment
  – Perform a remote network installation
  – Computer must support booting with PXE
• Solid state drives / hard drives
  – Store many OS installation files
• Internet-based
  – Linux distributions, macOS Recovery installation,
  Windows updates
• External / hot swappable drive
  – Some external drives can mount an
  ISO image (optical drive image)
  – Boot from USB
• Internal hard drive
  – Install and boot from separate drive
  – Create and boot from new partition

Question 2

Types of installations

Answer 2

• In-place upgrade - Maintain existing applications and data
• Recovery partition
  – Hidden partition with installation files
• Clean install
  – Wipe the slate clean and reinstall
  – Migration tool can help
• Image deployment
  – Deploy a clone on every computer
  – Relatively quick
  – Can be completely automated
• Repair installation
  – Fix problems with the Windows OS
  – Does not modify user files
• Remote network installation
  – Local server or shared drive
  – Install across the Internet
• Load alternate third party drivers when necessary
  – Disk controller drivers, etc.

Question 3

The disk partition

Answer 3

• Separates the physical drive into logical pieces
  – Useful to keep data separated
  – Multiple partitions are not always necessary
• Useful for maintaining separate operating systems
  – Windows, Linux, etc.
• Formatted partitions are called volumes
  – Microsoft’s nomenclature

Question 4

GPT partition style

Answer 4

• GPT (GUID Partition Table)
  – Globally Unique Identifier
  – The latest partition format standard
• Requires a UEFI BIOS
  – Can have up to 128 partitions
  – Maximum partition size is over 9 billion TB
  – Windows max partition is currently 256 TB
• No need for extended partitions or logical drives

Question 5

MBR partition style

Answer 5

• MBR (Master Boot Record)
  – The old standby, with all of the old limitations
  – Maximum partition size of 2 TB
• Primary
  – Bootable partitions
  – Maximum of four primary partitions per hard disk
  – One of the primary partitions can be marked as Active
• Extended
  – Used for extending the maximum number of partitions
  – One extended partition per hard disk (optional)
  – Contains additional logical partitions
  – Logical partitions inside an extended partition
  are not bootable

Question 6

Disk partitioning

Answer 6

• The first step when preparing disks
  – May already be partitioned
  – Existing partitions may not always be compatible
  with your new operating system
• An MBR-style hard disk can have up to four partitions
• GUID partition tables support up to 128 partitions
  – Requires UEFI BIOS or BIOS-compatibility mode
  – BIOS-compatibility mode disables UEFI SecureBoot
• BE CAREFUL!
  – Serious potential for data loss
  – This is not an everyday occurrence

Question 7

Quick format vs. full format

Answer 7

• Quick format
  – Creates a new file table
  – Looks like data is erased, but it’s not
  – No additional checks
• Quick format the default during installation in
  Windows 10 and 11
  – Use diskpart for a full format
• Full format
  – Writes zeros to the whole disk
  – Your data is unrecoverable
  – Checks the disk for bad sectors (time consuming)