Hi, I am having problems installing Windows 2000 server over my copy of Windows XP. When I run setup, all options to install Win 2K Server are disabled because it is suspected by windows that I would be downgrading - probably because it thinks I am installing Windows 2000 Client. Has anyone had this problem? Any ways round this as I do want to install it on this disk. I have tried making a bootdisk - and got errors on one of the files - ntkrnlmp or something. cheers, steve

Server is not designed to be installed "over top" of XP. You can install it in a dual boot configuration or by itself (recommended) but not over top. 'Over top' implies "upgrading"....like upgrading from 98 to 2000 by installing 2000 over top of 98. This gets rid of the old OS and replaces it with the new one. XP is newer than 2000, so this won't work....you'ld be going backwards and downgrading. Not to mention XP is workstation software and 2000 Server is server software....there's a big difference between the two.

In case you missed my point....you can install 2000 Server in a dual boot configuration with XP. It can be on the same hard drive and even on the same partition (although I highly recommend you install it to a separate partition on that HDD).

It's ok, thanks for your help anyway - I have created a boot disk 2000 server to get round it - wasnt sure how to do this first. But all sorted - installed etc. Just to note, xp to 2000 server is really in some cases an upgrade - "client to server". In client to client sense, it is not as Windows 2000 server is still built on Windows 2000 architecture. I was not wanting to create a dual boot, I wanted 2000 server on this Hard Disk which had Xp on. My problem was to get rid of xp and install 2000 server, as the two ways I mentioned would not work. Thank you anyway, Steve

If the drive/partition was fat32 U could have booted via a '98 boot-disk; deleted the XP folder from the drive, and reset the mbr to dos/'98 version (sys c: routine) - just to remove any lingering evidence of XP... Then run W2KSvr setup as per norm (CD boot or the foppies). Likewise you could have used '98 Fdisk to remove/delete the partition and then reconfigured etc. for W2K; or simply reformatted it - if it was fat32 ('98 boot-disk format util). If it was ntfs then providing there was no data on the drive you wished to retain... you could have used '98 Fdisk routine to delete it; then reconfigured for W2K (or allowed W2K setup to do it) etc. Or simply booted with the XP CD and deleted the partition; then dropped out from XP CD routine, and run W2K setup - repartitioning etc. as per norm part of setup...? But as you say have now done what you wished - this is all now redundant? Or did I miss something in your initial post?