Re: Installing Win2K Pro

It's going from bad to worse! Before everything blows up completely make sure that your data is properly backed up!

When you repaired Windows 2000, the Windows XP copies of ntdetect.com and ntldr were probably replaced with Windows 2000 versions. These files are used to boot the operating systems. Find and replace these two files with the ones on your Windows XP cd and see what happens. These are hidden files in the root folder of the System partition, to find them you will have to change the Folder Options to unhide them. Usually they are stored at C:\ , the ones in other folders are copies and backups only, the ones in use and to be changed will be in the System drive's root folder. The Windows XP version of these files are aware of previous operating systems and are able to boot the older oprating systems. The Windows 2000 versions are unaware of Windows XP and may not be able to boot the newer Operating System. You can replace these files while you are booted in Windows 2000.

After you change these files, if the Windows XP system still refuses to boot check the boot.ini file to see if the arc path corresponds to the location of the XP installation. Boot.ini is also a hidden file and it will also be in the System drive root folder along with the two other files mentioned earlier. You can copy and paste the contents of the file here if you wish and someone may be able to decipher the arc path for you and tell you if it makes any sense. Another way to test the validity of the boot files would be to make an NT boot floppy and see if you can boot XP with it. http://www.nu2.nu/bootdisk/ntboot/ The boot.ini file there should boot Windows XP. It probably won't boot Windows 2000 but don bother with that for the time being, that is just a minor detail, by default Windows 2000 is in the WINNT folder and the boot.ini file on Bart's site points to the WINDOWS folder, which is correct for XP. As I said, minor details, for now we just want to find out if the XP installation is still in one sound piece and if it boots properly.

John



rn5a@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

I could finally manage to repair (& not re-install) Win2K Pro in the C:
drive using the 4 floppy disks but had to pay a price for it. Actually
I also have WinXP installed in the D: drive. After repairing Win2K,
when I tried to start WinXP, the following error was generated:

----------
Windows 2000 could not start because the following file is missing or
corrupt:

\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEMd
----------

Note that the above error gets generated when I try to start WinXP Pro;
Win2K Pro is working fine now.

What I fail to understand is when I am trying to start WinXP, why does
the error message point to Win2K?

Moreover, after repairing Win2K, what I find is the D: drive got
changed to F: drive & F: drive got changed to D: drive (there are 3
drives in my m/c - C: where Win2K Pro is installed, D: where WinXP Pro
is installed & F: drive)! Now why has this happened?

Someone please help me out.....

Since long, my m/c is dual booted with Win2K Pro & WinXP Pro & this
eccentricity started about a week back.

This is really driving me crazy. When I repair Win2K Pro, then somehow
WinXP Pro gets corrupted & when I repair WinXP Pro, then Win2K gets
corrupted!


David Webb wrote:

You're getting the instructions confused. The first statement simply tells one
what has to be done to create the four floppy disks, it's then followed by a
step-by-step procedure. If you've already created the disk set, there's no need
to do it again.

The four floppy disks are used to bootup from a system that cannot boot from the
CD-ROM or if the CDR disc itself is not bootable. After the last disk has
completed its tasks it asks for the Windows 2000 installation disc. This is
simply an alternate method to startup a PC in order to install or repair Windows
2000, it's not a method to start an existing Windows configuration.

<rn5a@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1166525075.427842.164310@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
| I just forgot to mention one point - the article under the topic titled
| "Create Boot Disks" says to run MakeBoot.exe from the BootDisk folder
| on the Win2K CD-ROM. This creates 4 floppy disks.
|
| Thereafter the 3rd point under the same topic says to run the command
|
| drive:\bootdisk\makeboot a:
|
| (where 'drive' is the CD-ROM drive). This step again asks for 4 floppy
| disks - the contents of which are exactly identical to the contents of
| the 4 floppy disks that were created earlier.
|
| So why create a second set of the 4 floppy disks?
|
| Moreover, floppy disks are highly unreliable. So why does Microsoft
| advice to use floppy disks to create the set of Setup boot disks for
| Win2K? Why not some other removeable media (like CDs) which are far
| more reliable than floppy disks?
|
|
| NewScience wrote:
| > > I followed the steps outlined in the article at the above URL & created
| > > the 4 floppy disks but how do I use them to install Win2K? Do I have to
| > > go to the BIOS & change the boot order so that my m/c boots from the
| > > floppy disks? If yes, which of the 4 floppy disks do I use to boot? The
| > > first one???
| >
| > Yes. Change BIOS and use Floppy Disk 1.
| >
| > Did you try booting in Safe Mode and could you? You could run the CD from
| > there.
| >
| >
| > <rn5a@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
| > news:1166508722.415753.10830@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
| > >> Did you go in the BIOS and set
| > >> the Boot Order so that the CD drive boots before the hard disc?
| > >
| > > Yes, I did.
| > >
| > >> Make sure you have your Windows 2000 product key before you begin, you
| > >> cannot install Windows without it.
| > >
| > > I do have the Win2K Product Key.
| > >
| > >> How To Create Setup Boot Disks for Windows 2000
| > >> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/197063
| > >
| > > I followed the steps outlined in the article at the above URL & created
| > > the 4 floppy disks but how do I use them to install Win2K? Do I have to
| > > go to the BIOS & change the boot order so that my m/c boots from the
| > > floppy disks? If yes, which of the 4 floppy disks do I use to boot? The
| > > first one???
| > >
| > >
| > > John John wrote:
| > >> Genuine Windows 2000 CD's are bootable. Did you go in the BIOS and set
| > >> the Boot Order so that the CD drive boots before the hard disc? If you
| > >> cannot boot from the cd then you can try this:
| > >>
| > >> How To Create Setup Boot Disks for Windows 2000
| > >> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/197063
| > >>
| > >> Make sure you have your Windows 2000 product key before you begin, you
| > >> cannot install Windows without it.
| > >>
| > >> John
| > >>
| > >> rn5a@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
| > >>
| > >> > Due to some reasons (God knows what they are), Win2K which was
| > >> > installed in the C:\ drive got corrupt. I now want to re-install Win2K
| > >> > in the C:\ drive. I have the Windows 2000 Pro CD with me but when I try
| > >> > to boot my m/c from the CD-ROM (with the Win2K Pro CD inside), my m/c
| > >> > doesn't boot from the Win2K CD. I was told by one of my friends that
| > >> > the reason why the m/c isn't booting from the Win2K CD is because the
| > >> > Win2K CD is not a bootable CD although he wasn't very sure about it.
| > >> >
| > >> > Is he correct? If yes, then isn't there any other way by which I can
| > >> > re-install Win2K Pro in the C:\ drive of my m/c?
| > >> >
| > >> > Or is there any way by which I can convert the Win2K CD that I have
| > >> > with me into a bootable CD?
| > >> >
| > >> > Please help......I desperately need a concrete solution.....
| > >> >
| > >
|



.

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