Post-Installation Tasks
After completing the installation process on a stand-alone computer, you must log on to the operating system as an administrator to create new accounts, join a workgroup or domain, or create an emergency repair disk.
Logging on to Windows 2000 Professional
When your computer restarts after installation, log on to Windows 2000 Professional for the first time.On a clean installation of Windows 2000, you are prompted to automatically log on with a user name generated by Setup. If you choose to do this, a user account is created with the suggested name, and you are automatically logged on every time you start the computer.To log on to Windows 2000 Professional by using the administrator account
In the Log on to Windows 2000 dialog box, type the Administrator password that you created during Setup.Press ENTER.
NOTE
If your system automatically logs you on, but you prefer a standard logon process, you can configure that option through the Users and Passwords icon in Control Panel. Double-click Users and Passwords, and then select that Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer check box.
Joining a Workgroup
A workgroup is one or more computers with the same workgroup name. Any user can join a workgroup. If you won't be working on a network, specify that you want to join a workgroup. To join a workgroup, you must provide an existing or new workgroup name, or you can use the workgroup name that Windows 2000 Professional suggests during Setup.
Joining a Domain
A domain is a collection of computers defined by a network administrator for security and administrative purposes. Check with your network administrator to see if you need to join a domain.Joining a domain during Setup requires a computer account in the domain you want to join. If you're upgrading from Windows NT Workstation, Setup uses your existing computer account. Otherwise, you'll be asked to provide a new computer account. Ask your network administrator to create a computer account before you begin Setup. Or, if you have the appropriate privileges, you can create the account during Setup, and then join the domain. To join a domain during Setup, you need to provide your Domain user name and password.
NOTEIf you're joining a domain, the Network Identification wizard appears before you can log on to Windows 2000 Professional to help you connect your computer to a network.
A computer account differs from your user account in that it identifies your computer to the domain, but a user account identifies you to your computer.
If you have difficulty joining a domain during Setup, join a workgroup instead, and then join the domain after you finish installing Windows 2000 Professional.
Creating a User Account
Your user account identifies your user name and password, the groups of which you're a member, which network resources you have access to, and your personal files and settings. Each person who regularly uses the computer needs a user account. A user name and a password, both of which the user types when logging on to the computer, identify the user account. You can create individual user accounts after logging on to the computer as Administrator.
NOTE
Windows 2000 Professional has two types of user accounts: domain user accounts and local user accounts. With a domain user account, a user can log on to the domain to gain access to network resources. With a local user account, a user logs on to a specific computer to gain access to resources only on that computer. If you're not sure which account you need, check with your network administrator. Domain user accounts are created by network administrators and need to be added to local groups; they cannot be created on the local computers.
Creating an Emergency Repair Disk
After a successful installation of Windows 2000 Professional, it's a good idea to create an emergency repair disk in case of a future system failure. For more information about creating an emergency repair disk (ERD), see "Troubleshooting Tools and Strategies" in this book.