I'm trying to install Windows 2000 Server on a machine that has ME on it. ME is using a FAT32 13GB drive and I have a secondary 4GB drive that I want to devote to 2000. I boot with the 4 Windows 2000 floppies, and it formats and everything fine. When it reboots, it gets past where it asks for the time zone. Right after this, it says something like "Installing network components". It locks up with the progress bar 1/3 or the way through. I've tried this quite a few times, and I even tried the Advanced Server MSDN disk. It always locks up in this same spot. This machine has a RealTek network card, ATI Rage Pro video, AOpen AX59 Pro MB, 128 MB or RAM, 400 MHz AMD K6-2. Can anyone help? Thanks a lot! Any replies are appreciated.

Windows 2000 is VERY sensitive to even the slightest hardware glitches, errors, and malfunctions. Windows 98, SE, and ME will actually ignore a lot of problems (including poor quality RAM, Hard Drive geometry issues, etc.). You may want to get a very intensive diagnostic problems (Norton Utilities, CheckIt, etc.)

I would start by physically removing the NIC before the installation and then re-adding it after the installation has completed successfully. Get the latest driver from the NIC manufacturer before adding it also.