I just got a new computer with sample XP installed. It just lets me log on as a guest. I want to remove it and install W2K. I have two 80GB hard drives, but W2K installer can't find either of them. What do I need to do? Please help. Thank you.

Are these two drives on a RAID device or anything? If so, did you see the
"Press F6 to install third party SCSI or RAID controllers..." (or something
like that) at the bottom of the blue screen shortly after booting to the
2000 CD? You may have to find the drivers for W2K for whatever device you
have, put them on a floppy, and then use this F6 option. (When you press
F6, you will not see any response to your keypress. You'll be prompted for
a floppy disk a few minutes later in the install process though.)

Ray at work


"OhMarty" <mboggs@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in an HTML message
news:OKJoVWjAEHA.640@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
I just got a new computer with sample XP installed. It just lets me log on
as a guest. I want to remove it and install W2K. I have two 80GB hard
drives, but W2K installer can't find either of them. What do I need to do?
Please help. Thank you.

Thanks Ray. I did that first and thought that may have been what got me into trouble. I have 8 computers with W2K installed, so I am not actually a dummy, but I feel like one now.

So, does this mean that the problem still exists? If you go into your BIOS,
does it recognize that the hard drives exist in there on the IDE channels?
What's the answer to the RAID question?

Ray at work

"OhMarty" <mboggs@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in an out of sequence HTML message
news:us9JgijAEHA.916@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
Thanks Ray. I did that first and thought that may have been what got me into
trouble. I have 8 computers with W2K installed, so I am not actually a
dummy, but I feel like one now.

The two hard drives exist in the BIOS. Also when XP Opens in Windows Explorer. But this XP version won't let me do anything as a guest. I don't have any XP Disks.

Sounds like you've been trying to install Win2k over WinXP...if so, that's a
no-no.

Boot from the Win2k CD, format the drive and then do a clean install.

--
Hope this helps..Reply in newsgroup only.
Eric McGillicudy

"OhMarty" <mboggs@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
news:%23M3h3yjAEHA.684@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
The two hard drives exist in the BIOS. Also when XP Opens in Windows Explorer.
But this XP version won't let me do anything as a guest. I don't have any XP
Disks.

Greetings --

Simply boot from the Win2K installation CD. You'll be offered the
opportunity to delete, create, and/or format the system partition as
part of the installation process. (You may need to re-arrange the
order of boot devices in the PC's BIOS to boot from the CD.)

It could be that the Win2K installation CD doesn't include the
drivers for your PC's specific model of SCSI or IDE controller. Are
you using a manufacturer's OEM CD or a standard retail installation
CD? You may need to get them from the controller's/motherboard's
manufacturer. Very early in the boot process, just after having
booted from the Win2K CD, the screen will display the words to the
effect: "Setup is examining your system." Press <F6> when this
happens, and have the Win2K-specific drivers for your SCSI/IDE
controller available on a floppy disk.


Bruce Chambers
--
Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH

"OhMarty" <mboggs@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
news:OKJoVWjAEHA.640@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
I just got a new computer with sample XP installed. It just lets me
log on as a guest. I want to remove it and install W2K. I have two
80GB hard drives, but W2K installer can't find either of them. What do
I need to do? Please help. Thank you.

I have been trying to do a clean install from the W2K CD (it's Microsoft original disk), but when it gets to the part where I would normally select and partition the disk, it can't find either hard drive.
Thanks so far to everyone. I am also corresponding with the computer mfg. Think I'll call it a night. Thanks again.
"OhMarty" <mboggs@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message news:OKJoVWjAEHA.640@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
I just got a new computer with sample XP installed. It just lets me log on as a guest. I want to remove it and install W2K. I have two 80GB hard drives, but W2K installer can't find either of them. What do I need to do? Please help. Thank you.

Are these disks SATA. If so, W2K may not be able to find them. You'll need to get either a floppy or CD with the drivers and when the W2K setup asks if you have other drivers, say yes and insert the driver disk.

Mike.
"OhMarty" <mboggs@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message news:evhownlAEHA.3248@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
I have been trying to do a clean install from the W2K CD (it's Microsoft original disk), but when it gets to the part where I would normally select and partition the disk, it can't find either hard drive.
Thanks so far to everyone. I am also corresponding with the computer mfg. Think I'll call it a night. Thanks again.
"OhMarty" <mboggs@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message news:OKJoVWjAEHA.640@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
I just got a new computer with sample XP installed. It just lets me log on as a guest. I want to remove it and install W2K. I have two 80GB hard drives, but W2K installer can't find either of them. What do I need to do? Please help. Thank you.

Interesting point. Not that this is a solution, but how about buying
Windows XP Pro? Windows 2000 turned 4 last month anyway! :]

Ray at home

"Michael D. Ober" <obermd.@.alum.mit.edu.nospam> wrote in message
news:u$Ey3hmAEHA.2348@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
Are these disks SATA. If so, W2K may not be able to find them. You'll need
to get either a floppy or CD with the drivers and when the W2K setup asks if
you have other drivers, say yes and insert the driver disk.

Mike.
"OhMarty" <mboggs@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
news:evhownlAEHA.3248@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
I have been trying to do a clean install from the W2K CD (it's Microsoft
original disk), but when it gets to the part where I would normally select
and partition the disk, it can't find either hard drive.
Thanks so far to everyone. I am also corresponding with the computer mfg.
Think I'll call it a night. Thanks again.
"OhMarty" <mboggs@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
news:OKJoVWjAEHA.640@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
I just got a new computer with sample XP installed. It just lets me log on
as a guest. I want to remove it and install W2K. I have two 80GB hard
drives, but W2K installer can't find either of them. What do I need to do?
Please help. Thank you.

Ray, we're a small company with 8 computers. Everyone is comfortable with
W2K and it accomplishes what we need. 8 x XP is expensive.
"Ray at <%=sLocation%> [MVP]" <myfirstname at lane34 dot com> wrote in
message news:OnI5W2mAEHA.3400@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...

Marty,

While it sounds like you have this covered now, I did a quick search and
thought I would give you this:

308207 HOW TO: Perform a "Clean" Installation in Windows 2000 Server
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=308207

I do have another question though. When booted into Windows XP, can you go
into Disk Management and tell me if the disk is basic or dynamic? If the
disk is dynamic, you cannot perform any installs on a dynamic disk. However
it would at least show you the disks, but give you an error about not being
formatted correctly, so I don't think that is your issue.

It does sound like that machine with dual 80gb drives is connected to some
onbaord SCSI controller or PCI card that requires drivers that Windows 2000
does not have.
--
Doug Allen, Windows 2000 MCSE
Microsoft Enterprise Support

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.


"OhMarty" <mboggs@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
news:%23UrwbmpAEHA.2800@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...

Thanks Doug, but I can only log on as a guest and it won't give me access to
Disk Management. This morning I went out and bought a full version of XP
Pro. ($300.00) It still won't let me get any further in the set up. "No hard
Disk". This computer was made for me by DirectPC. How they got this
"limited" XP installed is beyond me. They are on the West coast and I am on
the East coast, so I can't contact them again until 1:00 my time. They gave
me a driver disk, but it doesn't make any difference whether I use it or
not. This is a Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz with 1 gig of memory. Terribly
disappointing.
"Doug Allen [MSFT]" <dougall@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:ums8sDsAEHA.3220@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...

By default on XP, assuming you're a member of a workgroup, you can only
choose to login as administrator when you boot up in safe mode (by pressing
F8 at the very start of the bootup process). Otherwise, XP uses the Windows
Logon style and you are not able to actually type in a username and
password. I would try to boot in safe mode and see if you can get in as
administrator, maybe either a blank password or the word password. If you
can, then go in and create a new user acct with admin privileges, reboot in
normal mode and go from there.

By the way, I hate to mention this but I don't believe that the version you
have is any more restricted than the version you bought. It does sound like
a very kicking machine.

Good luck!

--
Doug Allen, Windows 2000 MCSE
Microsoft Enterprise Support

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.



"OhMarty" <mboggs@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
news:ONtu7psAEHA.1604@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

It won't let me access safe mode either.

"Doug Allen [MSFT]" <dougall@online.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:%235OhbGtAEHA.2348@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...