Unable to install Windows 2000 on Thinkpad X61s

[slanders1]

Any advice for this query will be gratefully appreciated.

For reasons to long to discuss here I need a PC that runs Windows2000.

For this purpose and to do so in a compact, portable form I purchased a used, but warrantied, Lenovo Thinkpad X61s without any OS installed.

As far as I can tell all the hardware is functioning correctly.

I have set, via the BIOS, the hard disc to operate in 'Compatibility' mode.

I then attempt to make a completely new Windows2000 install via the USB DVD-ROM drive supplied with the Thinkpad (using a specially purchased for the task bona fide, still sealed, Microsoft Windows 2000 CD) .

The process appears to begin normally and as expected.....but after rapidly displaying information that it is loading all the various SCSI, etc drivers and reaching the stage where the message "Setup is installing Windows 2000" appears.... I then get a 'Blue Screen of Death'.

This reads:-

*** STOP: 0x0000007B (0xF6863848, 0xC0000034, 0x00000000, 0x00000000) INACCESSIBLE_BOOT _DEVICE

If this is the first time you've seen this stop error screen, restart your
computer. If this screen appears again, follow this steps:

check for virus on your computer. Remove any newly installed hard drives or
hard drive controllers. check you hard drive to make sure it is properly
configured and terminated. Run Chkdsk /F to check for hard drive corruption.
and then, restart your computer.

[BillP]

Windows 2000 does not know how to deal with SATA hard drives. Try the link below for instructions on loading the necessary driver.

http://help.wugnet.com/windows2/Windows ... 94433.html

[slanders1]

Thanks for the speedy reply.....

BUT I thought that the 'compatibility' setting for the HDD in the BIOS (instead of the AHCI setting) was intended to deal with these situations and older operating systems? No?

I will look thorugh the info at the link you provided and see if that can help. Although, from an first glance at the webpage, I am unclear how I will install the driver - as I only have an external USB DVD-drive.

Presumably I would have to burn the driver to a CD-R, then intervene/pause the Windows2000 install at the early 'text' stage mentioned, remove the Microsoft CD and replace it temporarily with the CD-R with required driver on it?

[slanders1]

I have followed the advice given at the link:

http://help.wugnet.com/windows2/Windows ... 94433.html

and downloaded and extracted the relevant driver to install, as part of the Windows 2000 install process.

BUT...... after hitting the F6 key very early on in the Windows 2000 install process, when later presented with a page offering the option to 'Specify Additional Device', I now get an error message:

An unexpected error (0) occurred at line 962 in D:\nt\private\ntos\boot\setup\oemdisk.c.

Press any key to continue.

This then takes me back to the previous screen again offering option to either specify additinal device or to ignore and attempt to continue with Windows 2000 install (which of course again subsequently crashes/fails).

[jdrou]

Does the Win2k CD have the latest service pack integrated? Prior to SP2 or 3 I don't think it had proper USB support.
If it doesn't have the service pack you can build a new CD and integrate (slipstream) it yourself.
You could integrate the SATA driver while you're at it (Intel Matrix Storage Manager Driver as it was known in the X61s time).

[slanders1]

Good point regarding which version of Windows 2000.....

The installation CD is an early version, Service Pack 1 only.

Although I noted, whilst it flashed at the bottom of the screen very briefly, that it did state USB drivers being 'loaded' (just before the installl process failed), I accept the point you make that they may not be 'robust' enough.

So how exactly do I build a custom Windows 2000 install CD (from the Microsoft one) combining more updated/appropriate USB drivers?

I'm guessing that this could solve my problem?

[jdrou]

Easiest way to do it is probably by using nlite: http://www.nliteos.com/
You can get the "full download" version of SP4 from http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/de ... px?id=4127

[slanders1]

"Easiest way to do it is probably by using nlite: http://www.nliteos.com/"

Thanks again. I'll check this out and report back what happens, so others may possibly benefit too from this info.