How do you load 2000 Pro? It tells me that "setup" won't run from DOS.

Boot. from. the. CD.

If necessary, configure your CMOS setup so that the CD drive is ahead of the hard drive in the boot order

32Mb is below the recommended minimum RAM (64Mb+)

If I know the answer I'll tell you the answer, and if I don't, I'll just respond, cleverly

--Donald Rumsfeld

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Don't even bother attempting to install 2000 on the system you've described.

Life is more painless for those who are brainless.

Trailing in after Jeffiner...

32Meg RAM is inadquate for W2K; I doubt it will even install with that amount... But if you increase it somewhat... then with at least 128Meg it will run OK, albeit a little slowly...

I have (an elderly Dell) P-2/233 that handles W2K just fine; initially with only 128Meg RAM it was a little slow... but with 320Meg it's fine...

Incidentally if no CD boot allowed (and I think all of that generation of kit allows it), then use the 4 W2K boot-floppies (+ CD) to install W2K.

... it'll run 'ok' with 64Mb (and some services disabled) - although just 'idling', the pagefile is around 75Mb

A "GL" should support CD booting (of course, that only works if it's actually, y'know, tried)

As above - don't even bother until there's more memory

If I know the answer I'll tell you the answer, and if I don't, I'll just respond, cleverly

--Donald Rumsfeld

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If you get enough RAM...

The "setup" for w2k is \i386\winnt.exe

=====================================
If at first you don't succeed, you're about average.

M2

but if run from a dos boot (typically via a '98SE bootdisk) ... t'will also need to have smartdrv.exe installed/running too; otherwise 't'will take for ever and ever and ever... and e v e r. . . . .

and ever and ever....

Life is more painless for those who are brainless.

... a n d e v e r . . ...

After all that, we still have about 100 IBM 300GL's which we upgraded to 256Mb memory, loaded Win2000, SP4 and they make adequate workstations running office apps.
We built just one, added all the apps and "ghosted" it. We can build a complete machine in 20 minutes so it's probably worth the effort if the Boss doesn't want to buy new PC's.

That is the biggest fool thing we have ever done. The Atomic bomb will never go off, and I speak as an expert in explosives.
- Admiral William Leahy

Thanks Everyone!! I really appreciate all the help. I did get 2000 loaded with the 32MB but I didn't install smartdrv.exe (If someone wants to describe how that's done, I'd really appreciate that also) and like you said, it took for ever and ever and ever and ever. I think about 4-5 hours. I did get another 64MB memory which brought me up to 96MB. I have some 128's on order and hope they will make a big difference. All I want this computer for is to run a CAD program and I think it will do that good enough for me, I'm kinda slow anyway. Thanks again and everyone have a GREAT and HAPPY THANKSGIVING.

smartdrive.exe:

One way is to add it the boot-floppy; then boot up with said floppy; at the a:>/ prompt, type:

smartdrv.exe

and press Enter.

Smartdrive is now enabled/installed... at which point you proceed with W2K (or XP) installation as per norm.

Incidentally yet another source for assorted bootdisks:

http://www.nerdlabs.org/bootdisks

(ref. courtesy of - http://www.michaelstevenstech.com/x...

The bottom of the list details one bootdisk that has smartdrive etc. included...

And this ref may also be of interest; includes how to modify the autoexec.bat so to automatically load smartdrive (bottom of the page...)

http://smallvoid.com/tweak/dos/twea...

and this is a tutorial specific to editing the autoexec.bat...

http://www.computerhope.com/ac.htm

nef sed...!