Trick my PC,...... hopefully

  • Thread starter Thread starter Wayne B.
  • Start date Start date
W

Wayne B.

Hello there peoples, I'm going thru fits trying to load
win2k or any other OS for that matter on an older Dell
machine. So I have come up with a possible way around this
brick wall. I know if I load the OS on another system and
then take the drive out and install it in the Dell, MORE
THAN LIKELY Im going to get the I/O error message that
means that the Dell can't read what's on the HD.

I want to know IF there is some type of tip, cheat or
trick out there that I'm not aware of that can get me
around that block. Something that would let me install the
(preloaded) HD and get it up and running on the Dell as if
it was installed ON THE DELL. I figured that since there
are SO MANY ways around so much stuff out there, that what
I want to get done don't seem that far fetched.

Any info that would help me out would be well recieved
and MUCH appreciated. THANX N ADVANCE Wayne B.
 
Yes there's a tool for that from MS.
SYSPREP can strip all hardware and identities from an
install. It's usually used right before grabbing a hard
drive image to use on multiple machines. It can also be
used to migrate a machine loaded with data to a new
motherboard, or entire new machine.
In order to avoid a BSOD with radically changed, it can
be more complicated.

Get it here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/tools/syspr
ep/download.asp

You need these files:
Sysprep.exe
Setupcl.exe
Pnpids.exe
Sysprep.inf

Sysprep.inf is identical to unattend.txt

Make a folder on the C: drive name exactly "sysprep".
Inside thios folder, copy the entire i386 folder from
your Windows CD.
Copy your SYSPREP tools into the folder.
When you run it, you should use this command:
sysprep.exe -pnp

Make sure you have all your drivers for all your
hardware. Sysprep will strip away lots of stuff. There is
some risk of not getting it back smoothly. I've been able
to then boot to the Windows CD and do a repair install.
 
Hey JeffO, thanks for the Info. I'll try your strategy and
C if I can get it to work for me as well. Thanx Again
Wayne B.
 
it has been my experience that trickery with computers can in many cases
results in unstable and flaky machine. although fun to out smart the "too
smart" OS installer a flaky machine leads to more frustration.

you did not mention this but have you already tried to trick the old dell
into allowing the OS to install ?

how old ? 486, P-60 / 75 / 90 / 100, PII ...

what sort of install problems ?
any problems may be a sign that there is something wrong with the machine
that needs attention ?

I have loaded problematic OLD PCs, with Win2k/XP etc, containing old
hardware controler boards
here are some Tips to installation that may help you with your Old Dell

1. Check out CMOS / BIOS / Setup settings
these always seem to be a source of problems on older machines and newer
OS's depending on mfg. try things like dumbing down the BIOS settings as
much as possible by disabling **features** that are not neccesary just
desireable

RESET to Defaults, Normal Mode , Normal Performance, Normal anything

Disable anything that sounds like an advanced feature or extra feature,
high speed, ultra fast, advanced, etc.

Shadow RAM {video, BIOS, etc}- disable durring OS install
PnP OS - no on older machines as PnP version may be incompliant with
OS etc

etc and so on

last resort Upgrade / FLASH the BIOS to newer revision
maybe MS has HDWR compatibility with specific BIOS Rev ??

hth
rob
 
It's a P1 and the problem is that after I had formatted
the HD (via setup disks) I can't get the cd rom to be
recognized by the system. I've gone all thru the
BIOS/setup and different settings trying to get the
2ndary controller 2 b activated, different configurations
with the jumpers (on different HDs). Tried slave settings
on the cd rom on primary controller with the HD as
master. Nothing works.

I want to add it to my (practice) network/domain to gain
experience for the real world of administrating. So all I
need it to do is just to simply run, nothing else. I
started with 98 setup disks and when that didn't get me
to where I wanted to be I figured that win2k setup would
go smoother. Didn't happen. Wayne B.
 
Greetings --

Normally, unless the new motherboard is virtually identical to the
old one (same chipset, IDE controllers, etc), you'll most likely need
to perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place upgrade) installation, at the
very least (and don't forget to reinstall any service packs and
subsequent hot fixes):

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows 2000
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q292175

What an In-Place Win2K Upgrade Changes and What It Doesn't
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q306952

If that fails:

How to Move a Windows 2000 Installation to Different Hardware
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q249694&ID=KB;EN-US;Q249694

However, but there's no "tip, trick or cheat" that can magically
transform what is almost definitely incompatible or sub-standard
hardware into a useful Win2K platform.



Bruce Chambers

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