install WIN 2K O/S over WIN NT O/S 1

[Excelerate2004]

Hello,

I'm not sure if I'm in the right forum or not, but I have been tasked with installing windows 2000 on a windows NT machine.

I read the min requirements for the win 2000 o/s and the NT box does have them.

However, my issue comes from the fact that the NT box has 2 harddrives. A 2 GB harddrive and a 20 GB harddrive.

I've never formatted and reinstalled an O/S that had 2 harddrives. How, I've done it in the past with single hardrives is use a HP image creation & recovery CDrom.

So it was just a matter of sticking in the CD and following the instructions.

Will this method differ when I go to install the new O/S?

I'm thinking I should put all the program files on the larger drive including the O/S as the win 2K min requirements stated that there needed to be 2 GB w/ 650 free space.

What should I do? Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance for any help I can get

 

[aftertaf]

NT is installed on the 2Gb drive, i imagine...

ouch!

net exactly relevant, but in safe mode i managed to move the Program Files/office folder (which took up most space on Program Files to a new disk that i had mounted , thus relieving the space it took up on c: drive.

you cant change the program files destintation during install.

try uninstalling everything on the NT4 machine before upgrading.
It would be a lot simpler if you could fresh install on the 20G drive, though!


Aftertaf
if its not broken, fix it anyway - with luck you might break it and have an excuse

 

[Excelerate2004]

So are you telling me that I cannot choose the larger drive to install the O/S files?

 

[teqmod]

Sure you can, install the OS on the larger drive. It sounds like you are not trying to preserve the data on either drive. If these are IDE drives and the 2GB drive is set as the master then you may get an error telling you it needs to write data on this drive for the install but that is not a problem either unless a drive fails. If these are IDE drives I would set the larger drive as the master to avoid problems. Install the OS and then extend the partition to the second 2GB drive if you want to include it. I personally would trash it and get a second larger drive. The cost of a 20 GB drive is next to nothing nowadays, so keeping the 2 seems kinda pointless.

 

[Excelerate2004]

Will I have to change the jumpers on the hard drives? Or is this something I can do in the system BIOS?

You're right I'm not trying to preserve the data, Its not a big concern.

 

[jfoley69]

I agree with teqmod ditch the 2 GB. In answer to your question the jumper settings can be found on the back of each hard drive. This means that you will need to open the computer up and make the changes on the physical hard drives. My other advice is to make sure that you connect the 20 GB drive to the endmost position on the IDE cable (providing it is IDE).
As far as putting the OS on the system, since you do not wish to preserve the data on the NT machine my advice is to format the entire drive. What has helped me in the past is utilizing a Windows 98 boot disk and running fdisk. Delete any partitions found on the drive. After that is done boot from the 2K CD and follow the installation instructions for a new install.

 

[Excelerate2004]

Is it possible to install and have WIN 2K on the 20 GB drive and keep the Win NT on the 2 GB drive??

Not that it makes much sense but it would just mean less work for me as opposed to having to format & install on both drives.

Thanks for all the info people, much appreciated!!

 

[jfoley69]

Yes you can. Leave the drives in the same configuration and when you go to install the OS choose the 20 GB partition to be the one you want 2000 to be on. This will create a dual boot system. Then you can choose which OS you want to run, but be aware that all the programs that are installed on the NT side will be inaccessible on the 2000 side, only the files will be accessible.

 

[haemphyst]

Are you ABSOLUTELY certain you have two physical hard drives? NT can ony create a 2GB or 4GB partition during install - no matter how big the drive is. All this talk about setting and switching jumpers is to no avail if you do not have two drives. Otherwise, 2KPRO will upgrade NT4.0 no problem, and then you can remove all of the stuff from the 20G partition to an external drive, use something like Partition Magic to resize the partition to use the whole thing, then dump the stuff back on the 20G partition (probably a 25G drive, by the way). If you actually have programs INSTALLED on the 20G partition, you would need to uninstall them, and re-install after this process is complete.

e-mail me at ddraper at igalaxy dot net

 

[technome]

For the cost of a new, faster, larger more reliable IDE drive I would pull the old ones out, partition a new drive with two partitions, one for the Os, one for data. A 20 gig drive must be in the equivalent of a geriatrics ward on cortisone, with little life left; the two gig is dead already but does not know it.

 

[haemphyst]

Again, I'd be willing to bet you don't have two drives...

e-mail me at ddraper at igalaxy dot net

 

[Excelerate2004]

nope you are right haemphyst, my bad!

1 drive, 2 partitions, I looked into it further.

My other problem now is that the installation disk I was given is not a true WIN 2K installation disk its an image creation disk from HP that helps format & install Win 2K. It doesnt work on a DELL XPST500. I dont have an actual Win 2K installation disk.

This issue is bringing about a whole host of other problems!

Good grief! lol

 

[haemphyst]

Yeah, that'll do that <grin> However, there are a couple of ways around this issue...

1) Retail purchase of 2K Pro - Here's a link to the CompUSA website -

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=272236&pfp=SEARCH

(Actually, here is a SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive place to buy it... Found it on Pricewatch.

http://www.productquest.net/wi20proemcoa.html

)

or, 2) An OEM version, and while not technically legal, it will work. If you receive "a piece of computer hardware" with the purchase, you can legally acquire OEM copies of the software. I recommend finding somebody to buy it from at

http://www.pricewatch.com

e-mail me at ddraper at igalaxy dot net

 

[Excelerate2004]

thanks for all the info!

 

[Excelerate2004]

I recently purchased an upgrade version of Win XP Pro.

Is there an online resource that I can use to help guide me thru the partitioning, reformatting and installation of the new O/S??

Thanks for any help I can get

Cheers!