Install Win2kSP4 on >137GB drive

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Guest

Hello,

I already spent some time on this subject, but I still didn't succeed with
this.

What I wan't:
- Install Win2kSP4 (fresh copy) on a 320GB WD drive on a single partition.

What I tried and checked:
- I already created a working (bootable) Win2kSP4 install Cd (from an
original Win2kSP1Cd + a SP4 network download). This CD works since I can
install drives smaller then 137gb with it.
- Although my bios supports this drive fully and the drive can be used as
320GB ntfs slave drive (after win2ksp4 is installed on another old and
smaller drive) installing Win2kSP4 directly on this 320GB doesn't work.
- During installation (the blue WIndows 2000 setup part) Windows setup
reports this drive as a 137GB drive and want's to format it as 305GB, however
after doing so the installation doesn't work and a second attempt says that
the drive is unformatteed or damaged.

So it seems that after Win2kSP4 is installed, a large 320GB is partitioned
and formatted correctly by windows, but during setup the setup can not handle
large (137GB) drives.

Is there anything to do about it...I thought slipstreaming the windows setup
would solve this, but that's not the case...

regards
 
In ReneV <[email protected]> had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:
Hello,

I already spent some time on this subject, but I still didn't succeed
with this.

What I wan't:
- Install Win2kSP4 (fresh copy) on a 320GB WD drive on a single
partition.

What I tried and checked:
- I already created a working (bootable) Win2kSP4 install Cd (from an
original Win2kSP1Cd + a SP4 network download). This CD works since I
can install drives smaller then 137gb with it.
- Although my bios supports this drive fully and the drive can be
used as 320GB ntfs slave drive (after win2ksp4 is installed on
another old and smaller drive) installing Win2kSP4 directly on this
320GB doesn't work. - During installation (the blue WIndows 2000
setup part) Windows setup reports this drive as a 137GB drive and
want's to format it as 305GB, however after doing so the installation
doesn't work and a second attempt says that the drive is unformatteed
or damaged.

So it seems that after Win2kSP4 is installed, a large 320GB is
partitioned and formatted correctly by windows, but during setup the
setup can not handle large (137GB) drives.

Is there anything to do about it...I thought slipstreaming the
windows setup would solve this, but that's not the case...

regards
Click to expand...

In these cases I recommend, generally, just starting it in the limited size
and when you're done either formatting the unused space and having a second
partition - that's not really a problem and actually has some great
advantages in my opinion - or using a third party tool to go ahead and
resize the partition. If you have the patience there's a freeware
partitioning tool... And I do *MEAN* patience... The learning curve's a bit
heavy with the last version that I used but it is do-able.

Ranish Partition Manager:
http://www.ranish.com/part/

--
Galen - MS MVP - Windows (Shell/User & IE)
http://dts-l.org/
http://kgiii.info/

"We approached the case, you remember, with an absolutely blank mind,
which is always an advantage. We had formed no theories. We were simply
there to observe and to draw inferences from our observations." -
Sherlock Holmes
 
Theres something else going on here, a correctly slipstreamed win sp will
see/format/install on a drive larger than 137gb without a problem.
I would run, extensively, the WD test utilities on the HD.
 
Hello,

I already spent some time on this subject, but I still didn't succeed with
this.

What I wan't:
- Install Win2kSP4 (fresh copy) on a 320GB WD drive on a single partition.

What I tried and checked:
- I already created a working (bootable) Win2kSP4 install Cd (from an
original Win2kSP1Cd + a SP4 network download). This CD works since I can
install drives smaller then 137gb with it.
- Although my bios supports this drive fully and the drive can be used as
320GB ntfs slave drive (after win2ksp4 is installed on another old and
smaller drive) installing Win2kSP4 directly on this 320GB doesn't work.
- During installation (the blue WIndows 2000 setup part) Windows setup
reports this drive as a 137GB drive and want's to format it as 305GB, however
after doing so the installation doesn't work and a second attempt says that
the drive is unformatteed or damaged.
Click to expand...

That Windows 2000 setup reports the drive as 137 GB is a red flag. The
only reason the partition is shown as 305 GB is because it was created
by other means. Setup won't be able to format it, and had it already
been formated, setup would not have recognized the file system.
So it seems that after Win2kSP4 is installed, a large 320GB is partitioned
and formatted correctly by windows, but during setup the setup can not handle
large (137GB) drives.
Click to expand...

This conclusion is correct.
Is there anything to do about it...I thought slipstreaming the windows setup
would solve this, but that's not the case...
Click to expand...

Install Windows 2000 on a 137 GB partition, configure Windows 2000 to
support large drives, and use a program such as Partition Magic to
stretch the partition to the entire disk.
 
I'm afraid that is incorrect
A slipstreamed win2k can partition/format/install on a large HD
(Detecting/using the whole HD)

I've done it many times
 
Ok thanks for the replies,

I had hoped that there was a way to override the Windows 2000 setup, but
thats not possible it seems.

Before I did my last attempt I repartitioned and wrote zeros to the entire
drive to be sure that the drive would be absolutely clean. Even then the
Windows 2000 installer was limitted to 137GB, so I am pretty sure there is
nothing to do about it.

Some where else I read that Windows 2000 SP distributions starting from
januari 2003 have a different installer that doens't have this isseu. I have
one of the earliest, so .....

Thanks
 
I have a win2k v.earlier edition with which I created a slipstreamed cd
using sp4.
It installs to large HD's without a problem.
Your problem is either your slipstreamed version or something else.
It is not a restraint of a properly slipstreamed cd
 
Well I completed the setup!

- There is nothing wrong with the drive, it passed all tests with the
diagnostics tools
- Even after writing zeros etc.. I was unable to install a slipstreamed
Windows 2000 SP4 directly on the drive. The setup always recognized the drive
at 137GB, but could format it to 305GB but that didn't work after reboot, the
system hung. After reaplying the setup windows reported an unformatted or
damaged drive.
- My original windows 2000CD is likely a 1999 version, since all files are
dated 7 december 1999.

I stopped trying this...but I did something else:
- wrote zeros to the drive
- Created a 5GB partition on a old drive
- I formatted this partition and istalled Windows2000 SP4 (my slipstream cd)
- After installation I connected the drive
- I installed Data Lifeguard 11 and the software enabled Windows 2000 for
supporting the drive
- I rebooted the system using a data lifeguard 11 floppy
- I setup the 320GB as a bootable partion (using lifeguard)
- Lifeguard copied the working windows 2000 setup from, the small partition
on the old drive to the new 320GB drive
- I removed the old drive
- Windows 2000 SP4 was running using a single 320GB partion
- I performed a windows verify on the disk during the night and the drive
seems ok

Slipstreaming:
-I used this method: http://www.eits.uga.edu/nt2000/slipstream.html
- and burnded it this way: http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=297

So finally I got what I wanted a single 320GB partition using windows
2000.....but it cost me over four evenings of hard strugle

I was about to use the Partition Magic method, but the Symantec indicates it
supports drives up to 300GB, so....
 
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