I've done this a million times ... setting up a developer work station.
Is there a best practices, or installation checklist for installing Microsoft development software on a work station? What about applying updates and/or service packs? Is there a specific order for doing this, in hopes of minimizing any install issues.
Our current software library consists of:
We do use some other tools, but I usually hold off on installing them once I get a good build from Microsoft ... whether a good build is possible or not is another topic! =)
Also, do you use any software like Ghost to create images of work station? Some easy way to restore your work station.
If installation doesn't start automatically, browse the disc to find the program setup file, usually called Setup.exe or Install.exe. Open the file to start installation. Insert the disc into your PC, and then follow the instructions on your screen. You might be asked for an admin password.
I would use the following and this order IS KEY if you want to do ASP.NET Development without issue.
I have found that with this format, you will NOT have any issues, but if you change the order, I have had bad things happen before. Especially important is the IIS setup piece!
I'm definitely a Ghost addict. At a former work I would spend about 2-3 hours configuring properly everything needed for a user: Windows+patches, Office+patches, Acrobat Reader, etc. Once everything's ready I would create an image of the whole hard drive using Ghost, and store it somewhere (if possible, ZIP it and burn it to a DVD).
Then, when a new colleague arrived, I had Ghost restore the image onto a new hard drive - this was accomplished in 20 minutes or less! After that, manual work was reduced to:
All of those steps can be easily scripted, if you wish. Anyway, it's just 10 minutes or less.
At my current work I'm just a developer so I'm not in charge of preparing machines for new coworkers anymore. However, from this past experience I'd say using Ghost is the fastest and most cost effective way to setup new computers!
Especially the Windows installation and going to Windows Update - argh!! I really hate loosing so much time at these steps, it can be tolerated if you only do that once.
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