Windows 2000 Quick Fixes

Chapter 1.  Installing and Booting Windows 2000

Windows NT offered a relatively easy installation process, and Windows 2000 makes that process even easier. In most cases you can simply pop in the CD and start Setup, and Windows 2000 installs successfully with very little input from you.

In some situations, however, you might run across problems with installation. For example, Setup could have problems locating the hard disk for installation if you have a host adapter not supported directly by Windows 2000. In RAID installations you might need to specify SCSI device IDs manually rather than letting the RAID hardware assign them for you. And a handful of other potential problems can prevent Setup from finding the installation hard drive. This chapter addresses those situations with relatively painless solutions.

Windows 2000 includes a new feature called the Recovery Console; you’ll find it helpful in diagnosing Setup difficulties and problems that crop up after a successful installation. You can install the Recovery Console to the hard disk or run it from the Windows 2000 installation disks. The Recovery Console provides a console environment with several commands for manipulating the filesystem and performing other tasks.

This chapter also addresses a selection of problems you might run across after installation: a lost Administrator password, incorrect drive letter assignments, inability to boot Windows 2000, and problems logging on after hardware configuration changes. You’ll also find a discussion of NTFS versus FAT and how to convert FAT volumes to NTFS, as well as tips on setting up a dual-boot system and avoiding the need to reinstall all your applications for a clean install.

Create Setup diskettes to install Windows 2000 or the Recovery Console

The Windows 2000 Setup diskette set enables you to install Windows 2000 on systems that can’t access the CD-ROM drive without a driver, such as systems that don’t support boot from CD and don’t have an existing operating system installed. You also can use the Setup diskette set to install and run the Recovery Console if you have a problem booting Windows 2000. The Recovery Console is a command-line environment much like the command console you can run within Windows 2000, but with a limited command set. The Recovery Console is indispensable for repairing problems that prevent a normal boot. See Section 1.9 for a more detailed description of the Recovery Console.

Unlike Windows NT, Windows 2000 does not come with a set of Setup diskettes, but the Windows 2000 CD does include the files necessary to create them. If you’re making a disk set because you’re having trouble booting Windows 2000, you’ll need to boot another operating system or use a bootable DOS/Windows diskette with the necessary drivers to access the CD-ROM drive. (You could also make the disk set on a functioning computer.)

Tip

If you have only one system and can’t boot it to install the Recovery Console, you can run Setup, install a minimal copy of Windows 2000 in a new folder, and then use it to install the Recovery Console.

Creating boot diskettes

Follow these steps to create the Windows 2000 Setup floppy disk set:

1. Have four high-density diskettes on hand.

2. Boot the system and open a command console.

3. Change to the \Bootdisk folder on the Windows 2000 CD.

4. Execute the program makeboot.exe if you’re running DOS, Windows 3.x, or Windows 9x. Run makebt32.exe if you’re running Windows NT or Windows 2000.

5. Follow the prompts to complete the creation of the disk set. The program will format the disks if necessary and overwrite any data currently on them.