To re-install Windows 2000 or repair the software that for some reason is
not working correctly, giving errors, has an infestation of bugs/viruses
etc etc or for whatever reason but you dont want to wipe your dirve clean
with a format and lose everything you have maybe because you dont have the
installation cd's anymore or have an old version of an application and can
not download it or whatever the reason:
The principle is similiar to Windows 98 BUT due to the security features
built into Windows 2000 it is NOT the same and you must be aware of this.
The exact same method for windows 98 will not necessarily work for windows
2000 depending on factors such as the file system, FAT32 or NTFS and
security/admin issues in windows 2000 that are not present in windows 98.
This does NOT cause us a problem at all though, it just requires a little
more workaround to get it sorted :)
First of all FORGET the SFC /SCANNOW option if you are using Windows
2000. The reason is because it takes so long to complete and will only check
the files that were installed on the first install. This is because it checks
the file "sfcfiles.dll" to get the file versions and this file is not updated
whenever you install a service pack or use windows update site. Any updates
you have installed such as service pack 1/2/3 or 4, windows updates etc hot
fixes etc will be wiped out with the SFC and you will have to reinstall the
service packs and the updates, so you might as well just run the repair option
and save yourself the time it takes to check each file in turn.
To repair install your windows 2000 just insert the CD into the cd drive
and restart the PC. Windows will boot from the cd drive and run setup. On
the following screens you will be offered the opportunity to try and REPAIR
a faulty windows installation or install a fresh "clean" copy. (if you persist
in choosing to install a fresh copy and you install to the same folder/directory
it will wipe out your previous version of windows and you will have to reinstall
all of your applications again.) You can choose repair from the first time
it asks you. If you boot from a Windows 2000 CD, it will allow you to choose
between a FAST repair or a Manual Repair. The difference between these two
are that FAST repair will check the registry for any corruption corruption,
as well as do all the functions of manual repair.
Or you can tell windows to install a fresh copy, then install to the same
folder as your present windows and the setup programme will recognise you
have windows already installed and again ask if you want to repair this install.
The two different ways to run a repair are slightly different. The first
is suppossedly using the Repair disk that you made when you clicked BACKUP.
(but you do NOT need this repair disk. Windows will attempt to repair itself
without it.) The other method of running the repair by telling windows to
re-install a fresh copy and then choosing the same folder and choosing repair,
still repairs the windows folder and files if it can but with a slight difference
to the previous one. The latter one runs a complete reinstall of the windows
installation whereas the previous method doesnt. The previous (first choice
of repair) checks the boot environment, checks the windows files etc etc,
and replaces them if they are different versions. The latter method replaces
all the files so you get a cleaner install than otherwise.
Suppossing you streamlined Service pack 4 into a folder on your hard drive
and ran the windows setup from there when you first installed. Now when you
try to repair the drive using SFC windows will continually demand that you
insert the correct CD because the files on the CD are of a different version
to those in the service pack. Therefore the SFC would not work for you. (unless
of course you streamlined the service pack and burnt it to cd)
Suppose there's some other esoteric reason why the repair/reinstal doesnt
work properly and you still dont want to format and lose everything and have
to re-install all your applications. Maybe you just want to be able to get
a good working windows installed so you can burn your files to CD before
figuring out where you go from there?
The answer to that problem is simple.
Install Windows into a completely fresh folder/directory on your hard drive.
Boot to that windows. DO NOT bother reinstalling all the drivers such as
your soundcard etc when it finds them on the reboot just click cancel. Boot
to the new version of Windows. Burn your programmes and anything else you
want to backup to CD, copy the I386 folder from your Windows 2000 cd to your
hard drive. Streamline the service pack4 files into it if you wish to. Run
anti virus online (
http://housecall.antivirus.com )
When you have done whatever it is that you needed to do, either restart the
PC with the windows 2000 cd or if it is on FAT32 and NOT NTFS file system
then use a Windows 98 Boot disk available from
www.bootdisk.com Restart the PC with this
floppy disk and at the A:\> type C: and press enter. Type CD\i386 and
press enter. Type Winnt and press enter and the windows installation will
begin again and you can then set about repairing/re-installing into your
original windows folder.
If you are booting from the CD just run through the process of re-installing
Windows again but this time choose the install/repair option and install
to your original windows folder.
When you have finally reinstalled/repaired your original version of Windows
you will see that you have a choice of TWO versions of Windows at startup
up. Just go to the default version which is the Original version that you
have just repaired, go to My Computer, click tools, folder options, view
files and show ALL files, do not hide extensions an do not hide protected
files (these are check boxes that you need to change) click apply. Double
click Boot.ini and look carefully at the lines that say:
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional"
/fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional"
/fastdetect
you will notice that the first line says \WINNT="Microsoft and the
second line says \WINDOWS="Microsoft
as i remembered which folder the ORIGINAL version of windows was in (in this
case its WINNT) i can safetly DELETE the second line where it says :
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows 2000
Professional"
/fastdetect
and change the number from timeout=30 into
timeout=0
The next time you restart your PC it will automatically start with this version
of Windows and you will not be asked which version of Windows to start with.
The last thing to do here is to actually remove the temporary version of
Windows we ceated earlier. This is easily done by going to My Computer, clicking
Drive C, finding the temporary version of Windows (which in this case was
in the folder \WINDOWS) and deleting that folder.
Update to the above:
It IS actually possible to run the SFC /SCANNOW from the hard drive and NOT have it asking for the CD everytime it scans a file. But to do this you will need to do certain things first.
First of all make sure that you have the setup files installed on your PC, e.g in the folder i386. Make sure that you have streamlined the service pack into that folder. Now you need to edit the registry at the following places and change the setup source.
HLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion, modify the
string value named SourcePath, to read C:\i386\
and also
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup
and edit any source paths to the correct place.
For your convenience a REG file is available here to save you the time of editing the registry yourself.