SG Broadband Community

I just did a clean install of Windows 2000 on my work machine and have a few questions.

I created another account with my user name. Can I install my programs under this account or should I log in as administrator?

I have do my windows updates and install service pack 2 yet. Should I install under my user name account or log in as administrator?

What order is the best way to go about installing the stuff mentioned above?

Update Drivers first?
Do windows updates and install the service pack next?
Install any programs that I need last?

No flames please.

if your user name has sufficent privleges then it doesnt matter.

if the user account doesnt have privleges to install, w2k will tell you.

as far as the order of installing the SP and driver and progs....

the way i do it is latest sp, (you obviously have to instyall the nic driver in order to get the sp) then the other drivers and then programs.......i may be wrong in the order i do it ....but i havent seen anything dictating a "good" order....hopefully i will see something in this thread to set me straight.

AMP

just rename the admin account under your name, or delete your account, and use the admin, if your the only one using the computer, it's pointless to have extra users cluttering up the system.

as for updates, just download the windowsupdates like normal, and install them. I dont think the order personally matters, I just do my own thing, and hope it works

1. Get all windows related updates first

2. Then get all hardware related updates and drivers

3. then worry about any software you need to install/update

4. thats it

also, dont forget to tweak your windows

http://www.winguides.com

http://www.tweak3d.com

Originally posted by drdoug99
just rename the admin account under your name, or delete your account, and use the admin, if your the only one using the computer, it's pointless to have extra users cluttering up the system.

I read somewhere that it was a good idea not to use the administrator account as the main account and create a seperate account for your self.

This way if the seperate account gets messed up for some reason or another, you can log in as administrator and fix that account.

Thanks Dr. Doug and Amp for the advice so far.

Anyone else?

im always logged in as admin on my machines.....im the only one that uses them.

been using 2k for about a year and a half and now XP.......never had any prob with my admin account taking a dump and leaving me stranded.

one thing i would recommend doing (i have found this useful on more than one occasion)

is adding the recovery console as a start up option...(you can still get to recovery console thru the setup prog...but this way is much faster when you want to get to it)

To install the Recovery Console as a startup option
With Windows running, insert the Setup CD into your CD-ROM drive.
CLick Start and select Run.
Type the following where D: is the CD-ROM drive letter:
D:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons

Follow the instructions on the screen.
Notes

To run the Recovery Console, restart your computer and select the Recovery Console option from the list of available operating systems.
You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.
To see the commands available on the Recovery Console, type help at the at the console prompt.
If your computer will not start, you can run the Recovery Console from the Setup CD. See Related Topics for information on running the Recovery Console when your computer will not start.

just a little tip i hope ya find handy

AMP

would definetly recommend having security installed before surfing for updates

There are LOTS of reasons for NOT using administrator account as your regular login- too many to list here. Kind of like logging in as root in Linux. Although admittedly, not as critical on a home setup or lan. Give yourself admin priviledges instead. Also not a good idea to re-name the admin account- instead, create a new user account with admin priveledges.

Also AMPLIFRIER's tip about installing Recovery Console is a good one. It can save you a lot of grief if you have some problems down the road. Be sure to create ERD's through backup, and keep them up to date.

Definitely install SP2 right away, and all required patches and security updates. I would install SP2 first, as it contains many of the critical updates that will show up when you don't have it installed yet. I would also install update notification as well.

Should I install all this stuff under the administrator name or under my username?

if you do it under the admin account your garunteed not to run into any snags related to permissions during install.

AMP

Originally posted by AMPLIFRIER
if you do it under the admin account your garunteed not to run into any snags related to permissions during install.

AMP

Again, there are NO snags if your account is member of admin group. There is absolutely no difference in permissions relating to installs of software, or configurations.