Big kudos if you can figure this out!

Windows 2000 Professional will not install. I've tried:

1) 2 Different W2k CDs (one SP1-updated and the other SP2-updated)
2) 2 Different CD drives
3) 3 Different hard drives
4) Swapped all IDE cables
5) Removed all non-critical hardware (so no driver issues)
6) Reformatted and repartitioned hard drive during Windows setup

And still, nothing. Also consider that this is a reinstallation. W2k was already up and operating, and was removed for a new installation for a new user. So you'd think that means BIOS is ok as well.

And so there you have it. The problem is that it is failing to copy many of the critical files from the CD (either CD, so it's not a CD issue).

So I'm all out of ideas. Anyone ever run into this before, or know of something else to try?

Does it give you an error? Or does it just say it cannot copy the files? How far do you get in the installation of 2k?

Specs and error message?

Just says it cannot copy files. When this happens just seems to depend on how lucky I am. Usually it happens during the first stages of installation when files are first copied. If I make it that far, however, then it will freeze during installation of network components.

AMD Athlon Processor (as in old school)
All three hard drives attempted with are Western Digital, ranging from 15-30 Gb.

Hi Angelic,

Five you missed?

1. Ram failing?
2. Video drivers?
3. Power Supply Failing?
4. Processor Overheating
5. HDD failing/overheating (OK I would expect message with disk damage, but overheating............very insidious?)

Just a few thoughts?

:)

Sounds like might be controller issue.

1. RAM should be ok
2. That's a possibility...
3. May check that out too...
4. It actually has been because the fan died -- I have a makeshift fan rigged up (it's actually too larage, but functioning) until Gateway ships the new one
5. Shouldn't be, but I certainly won't rule it out

So how do you resolve controller issues?

Well, it seems you have changed everything but the Main Board and the Memory. I had a similar problem about 3 years ago. And it was a ram issue as Nihil has suggested. I was randomly dumping files during the install process and as soon as I popped a new one in, it loaded up properly.

If you want, rig one of those WD drives up as a slave on another known to be good machine and see if you can install it. If nothing else, it's a morale booster... :)

cheers.

OK a rethink:

Not the video drivers as you havent got that far.............card could be on the way out though, but you are not really stressing it?

For HDD temp, just try with the case off.............you should get further?

Check the processor temp in the BIOS...........check fan etc :)

I would now go for:

1. Failing RAM..............try a different stick. 128Mb will do for the test?
2. Try a different power supply

And if none of that works, I would wonder about the MoBo?


Good luck

EDIT: Try cheating. On as similar machine as you can find, install one of the HDDs and try to install onto that. Then remove it and install the pre-loaded HDD onto the target machine. You will then get some driver hardware recognition problems, but that has worked about 6 out of 10 for me :D It doesn't work for laptops though.........well I never have gotten it to.

Thanks, I'm off to give it a try! I'll report back with the results.

wait wait wait wait wait wait.......

Ok, I don't have the thread handy yet, but a while back nihil and a few others helped me out with a weird problem. The problem was my installations were telling me I had corrupted cd's which was not the case. I found a temporary workaround by reseting the bios, (switch the jumper for a few minutes or whatever)

I ran into someone else with corropt OS, so we tried to install XP and it gave us corrupt cd errors, and they didn't have corrupted cds. So i thought, well, i will take their HD on my box, install the OS, and give them the HD back.

Bad idea. The error they had with their operating system somehow transferred onto my HD when I plugged it back in. It was weird as hell. Again, this is what I did-

Took the HD out of my functional box,
Put the corrupt HD in my box, and attempted to install windows on it,
Switched them back to normal,
My funcional HD became corrupt with the bad HD's errors.

I know that sorta defys all logic, but it happened. Im thinkin the BIOS went nuts or something. I dont know.

Since I had my box, I would have random restarts, freezes when the BIOS would start up, I thought it was because my CPU was overheating, turns out it wasn't- the mobo software I was using was wrong, and I found a monitor from the mobo website that was correct. I think the MoBo was being a bitch during the install process, giving me crazy errors during usage (windows file protection errors) causing the restarts and weird images during bootup (see thread).


http://www.antionline.com/showthread...with+diagnosis


It does sound like we have similar issues. The first xp installation went fine, went bonkers, and all the installations after that have claimed I have had bad cd's. My workaround is clearing the BIOS, but I have never found the real problem.

Nihil, you're the man, that fixed it! It was indeed the memory sticks, replaced them and now everything's fine. *wipes brow*

Quote:

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Originally posted here by AngelicKnight
Nihil, you're the man, that fixed it! It was indeed the memory sticks, replaced them and now everything's fine. *wipes brow*

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Yepps, I had the very same symptoms a couple of years ago, trying to upgrade from Win2000 Server to Win2003 Server... migration failed with "random" file errors on the CD.
Worked fine once I switched the memory out.

Memory can cause very deceiving problems, even though my Win2000 Server seemed to run fine before the upgrade!

When we built our systems in A+ class they bought some cheap ass ramm and we were supposed to get 256mb but they gave us 2 128 sticks. Long story short you could use either stick individualy but not together. Had the exact same problems described in this thread