Installing Win2000 from WinME

[Quboid]

Hi,

How can I install Windows 2000 from within Windows ME?

When I try it comes up "This CDROM contains a newer version of windows than you are currently using. Would you like to upgrade to Windows 2000?" but when I click on yes it says "Windows 2000 setup could not detect the version of windows you are currently running. Setup can not continue." and it quits.

It used to say right at the start "You are currently using a newer version of Windows than is on this disc." (or something similar) and it quits. This was before a major hardware change (new chip and mobo, an ABit KT7A). I have since formated and completely reinstalled but it still gives this error.

I cannot format the drive and install from bootable CD or boot disc - this is not an option as I have no way of backing up many files (I have looked at ways, but none are suitable/affordable).

What can I do? I really don't want to use WinME any longer!

[xelencin]

Upgrading from ME to 2000 is not possible, thus winme was released after 2000 and contains newer software (media player, ie, etc).

You have two options:

[One] one do a new insall of it through windows, if it lets you, I'm not sure if it does, but if so do that and then after it installs u can get all the files u need from your winme stuff and set it up in 2000, though youll have to reinstall all your software...

[Two] get a win9x bootdisk that will load your cdrom (not needed if the install is on the hd) and make sure it has smatdrv.exe on it AND it can be loaded. Backup EVERYTHING on your hd that you need into a single folder on your main drive, and then once in dos deltree(that needs to be on the disk to) everyone on your hard drive except your backup folder, this includes deleting the recycle bin and the system restore folder, and all the files on the root of the drive, this way u get basically a clean install of win2k, oh and to install go on the cd in the i386 folder and type winnt (to install from dos).

Hope this helps, im confusing to others besides myself :D

[Quboid]

OK, I'll try these.

[xelencin]

good luck

[Martog]

I have succesfully upgrade from Windows ME to Windows 2000 without formatting or anything..I did use the upgrade option =)

[Quboid]

Originally posted by chrisxtreme  

[Two] get a win9x bootdisk that will load your cdrom (not needed if the install is on the hd) and make sure it has smatdrv.exe on it AND it can be loaded. Backup EVERYTHING on your hd that you need into a single folder on your main drive, and then once in dos deltree(that needs to be on the disk to) everyone on your hard drive except your backup folder, this includes deleting the recycle bin and the system restore folder, and all the files on the root of the drive, this way u get basically a clean install of win2k, oh and to install go on the cd in the i386 folder and type winnt (to install from dos).

I did this and it failed - "Windows boot loader" failed or something. But it gave an error about Smartdrv so this could be it. Where can i get that? Do I just copy the smartdrv.exe from C:WinME to A: ? (I presume you mean smartdrv.exe, not smatdrv.exe).

Martog: How did you do this? It gives the error above for me!

Also, if I get the chance to back up everything, how do I format the hard drive so it's NTFS5 instead of FAT32? The format program on my boot floppy (WinME boot disc) only seems to do FAT32 - there is not option for other formats.

[Martog]

I move some files around to get it to upgrade to Win2000..I forget which ones as I do not have WinME installed on any systems.

[SixFour]

I really don't understand why you cant upgrade from ME to Wk b/c I did it w/o a prob. As for smart.drv, just copy it to your boot disk from windows directory. Actually, when you install from boot disk you want to run smartdrv b/c install will take forever w/o. You asked about NTFS conversion, well when you start install from the prompt with boot disk you have that option to format drive and convert file system. This I have done as well so I hope this will help you.

[Kernel Sanders]

I was unable to upgrade from Me to win2k, i used a bootable win98se disc, and did a barebones install of 98se to an empty dir on my hd (barebones install only to increase install speed). from 98, i ran the 2k upgrade and installed successfully. when it asked me if i wanted to do an upgrade or clean install, i chose clean, as it runs slightly faster i hear, and is 100% free of 9x remnants. i upgraded the disk to NTFS during install, and after rebooting into 2k, i simply removed the winme and win98 directories and ran speeddisk (defrag works too) to reorganize the few hundred free megs at the beginning of the disk.

[linglok]

actually i think it's possible to upgrade from winme to win2k. if u r planning to do a dual boot, then install winme 1st and then win2k, but since you r upgrading from winme to win2k, then y don't u just do a barebone installation of win2k to save some time?

if your win2k cd is bootable, then put it into ur cdrom and set ur cdrom as the default boot device, once you restart ur computer the boot image on the cd will be loaded and the win2k setup will start automatically

if your win2k cd is not bootable or if you have the full win2k cd or complete set of files, then u should find a BOOTDISK directory. just prepare 3 or 4 floopy disks and create a set of win2k boot disks by running the makebt32.exe. Once they r done, just put into the floopy drive and reboot with ur floopy as ur default boot device. win2k drivers will be loaded from those floopy instead and the setup will start.

if above options are not apply to u, then just boot into dos and run the win2k setup under dos mode. this will be LONGER than above 2 methods becoz smartdrv.exe is not loaded and even u loaded u will still get the penalty.

i think above suggestions may solve ur problem

[Quboid]

Whoa, too much info :s

I can't make bootdiscs - when I try to access some of the files in the bootdisk directory, my CDROM drive makes horrible clunking noises. The CD has been abused, lost, used as a cup coaster and such for too long I think. Unless I can download the files (not really warez, as I have a legal copy and I only need the boot files not the whole install - usless unless I have a legal copy), I'm stuck on FAT32 by the looks of it.

I don't have a smart.drv, but I have smartdrv.exe - is this the same? What is smartdrive anyway?

I can wipe the partition - I've enough space on other partitions to backup the most important data, the rest can be lost if necessary.

I can't boot from the CD, although many supposedly bootable CDs fail - possibly broken mobo (some work, so it's not a BIOS setting wrong).

[xelencin]

Ok, If you can delete your main partition then be my guest, do it this way...

Make a WinME bootdisk, through the Add/Remove Programs control panel within WindowsME. Then copy smartdrv.exe to the bootdisk. FIRST make sure the bootdisk works and smartdrv loads properly, oh and make sure u copy or there is format.com on the disk.

Ok, now from the a drive type format c: /q

this will quick format your hard drive.

Then after its done go onto the win2k cd, change directories into the i386 folder and type winnt.

It should copy some files then restart into the DOS-looking part of the win2k setup. When it asks which drive to use to install onto, which partition::, choose convert to NTFS.

This should work, it ALWAYS has for me, if it does not for you I'm sorry. :(

Good Day :)

[Quboid]

Ohhh!

I didn't realise I could select NTFS from within winnt.exe - this could solve problems.

I have a WinME boot disk with format and smartdrv.exe (don't know if it works yet) - this is what I've been using so far. It's also got the files from the IDEWin2k directory of the Via 4in1s - I gather these will be needed.

To run smartdrv do I just type it's name or do I have to give it paramaters and such - should it be in autoexec.bat?

Hmm, have to get my floppy drive working first - I took the cable to and replaced it with a spliced cable only to find I'd been given an IDE cable by mistake - haven't got the cable in the right way yet ;)

[Quboid]

Nooo!

It still gives "Cannot install Windows boot loader"

The smartdrv error's gone as smartdrv.exe is on the floppy and been run. What could be causing this?

* Xain is ripping his hair out

:mad:

[Quboid]

OK, a quick search on groups.google.com (godsend for us newbies) shows this to be cause by formating the drive with a WinME boot disc. I'll make a Win95 and try again.

[xelencin]

I already told u how to format the drive

smartdrv does not have to be in autoexec, it can be if u want

just boot up

type in smartdrv from the floppy prompt

format ur drive (format x: /q)

and then run winnt in the i386 folder

what it will do is copy all the install files to the hard drive then restart and run the first setup of setup that configures the partitions and where to install it to, there u choose to convert it to ntfs

[Quboid]

I know, I formatted it OK, but as the newsgroup article said, you need to do that with a Win9x boot disc, not WinME - which I'm doing right now.

I'll update you when the next thing goes wrong. :roll:

[Quboid]

Woo!

It's working now - FYI it needs a Win9x boot disc all through installation, not just to format (infact formatting is the one time that a Win9x boot disc might not be needed).

Thanks!