Installing Windows 2000 from boot floppies

I'm having a mysterious problem installing Windows 2000 Server in VMWare Workstation using the four W2K boot floppies and a USB floppy drive. (I don't have a bootable CD release of W2KSVR.)

The first boot floppy loads fine, but the W2K installer doesn't recognize the second floppy when I insert it after being prompted to do so. I just created these floppies on new disks, they are readable by Windows Explorer, and I don't have them mis-labeled. It's as if the floppy drive doesn't recognizing that the disk has been changed.

Anyone have a similar problem (or fix) pertaining to USB floppy drives or VMWare? My next step is to crack the case open and install a "real" floppy drive, but I'm hoping to avoid doing that.

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Comments

dynamik

I'm not sure what the problem with your disks is, but have you tried using floppy image files instead of actually disks? You can do that on the virtual floppy drive inside of your VM. The only downside is that you'll have to create the disks inside of another VM. Unless there is some utility that allows you to create compatible floppy images.

Also, try physically disconnecting and reconnecting the drive between disks. Maybe that'll make Workstation take another look at the contents of the drive.

JDMurray

dynamik wrote:

but have you tried using floppy image files instead of actually disks?

No floppy images files. These disks are created from .exe files and not from .img files using the MAKEDISK.EXE utility.

dynamik wrote:

Also, try physically disconnecting and reconnecting the drive between disks. Maybe that'll make Workstation take another look at the contents of the drive.

Already tried that and no go.

I'm attempting to make a boot CD from the contents of the floppies. I should be able to use floppy DISK1 as the boot record for the CD. If that doesn't work then I'll install Windows 98 in VMWare, make a Windows 98 boot floppy, boot from it, and then run setup.exe on the CD. But I am hoping to avoid this extra work.

dynamik

Yea, but could you run that EXE in another VM that's running? Workstation will create floppy images for you. You just load them up like ISOs for CDs. Once you create them in on VM, you can just load them in another.

Also, if you can boot with a generic boot disk that includes CD support, you should be able to copy the files on the CD to the disk and start the installation from the disk (thought you could probably just start it off the CD at the point as well).

bencairney

I had the same problem a few years ago. That was using an internal floppy drive. Couldn't get a way around it. The same boot disks worked fine on a non vm.

I think I ended up installing 2003 then setting up RIS and using a cd based install of 2K. I tried it with XP using the 6 boot disks at the time and i'm pretty sure it was the same.

It really was a long way around but was the only way I could think of to get it to work.

JDMurray

OK, I figured out a way to install Windows 2000 Server in VMWare Workstation without using the four boot floppies. I'll probably write this up as a blog article later, but here's the quick step-by-step for now:

1. Download a Windows 98SE boot disk from www.bootdisk.com and write it to a floppy.

2. Boot from the floppy (or floppy image file) WITHOUT CD-ROM support.

3. Partition the VMWare disk using FDISK

4. Restart the VM, booting WITH CD-ROM support.

5. FORMAT /S the VMWare partition.

6. Insert the Windows 2000 Server CD and change to the \i386 folder.

7. Run winnt.exe to start the Windows 2000 Setup program and begin copying files.

Note: Setup shows a warning that SMARTDRV.EXE is not loaded and that the file copying process can be very slow without it. I decided not exit the setup to load SMARTDRV and went to lunch instead.

8. After the copy completes, reboot to continue the setup.

9. Select to convert the VMWare partition to NTFS and reboot.

A. Finish configuring Windows 2000 Server and install VMWare Tools.

B. Savor the nostalgia.

If you need any further help on installing Windows 2000, here is an excellent write-up: http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/win2k_pro_install.asp

sprkymrk

I remember when I used to install NT4 it was definately worth it to load smartdrv first. Saved literally hours. Probably not so much now.

JDMurray

I think because the file copy operation is taking place in VMWare from an ISO file it is faster than from a circa 2001 CD drive to a circa 1999 hard drive.