[SOLVED] INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE whenever trying to install Win2000

[Damian9303]

I recently decided to buy an old laptop from 2004, a Sony Vaio PCG-K33 to be exact, that was designed for Windows XP. Despite being from 2004, all the parts seem to be from 2002 or older, so you'd imagine this machine would be Windows 2000 capable. But whenever I try to install it through a USB I get a BSOD with an error code of 0x0000007B and a descripti on of "INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE". Booting up Windows XP the same way works without any problem. Both of which, are their originals and unmodified. This error is typically reminiscent of a missing IDE Controller driver, which by googling the Hardware ID (VEN_10B9&DEV_5229) brings up a "ALi M5229 PCI Bus Master IDE Controller". I have tried multiple sources, including this one: https://download.cnet.com/ALi-M5229-PCI-Bus-Master-IDE-Controller/3000-2122_4-138920.html But the problem is, the driver (when opening the executable with 7-zip, is located in ...\ide\Miniport\Win2K\) is that there is no txtsetup.oem file. So of course, even after slipstreaming, same problem. As a last case scenario, I made up a virtual machine with specs similar to my machine in terms of HDD space and RAM size, and went through the text-mode installation. Then I used a customized copy of XP PE with Acronis True Image 2014 to back up the partition and later restore it to my laptop. Looked promising, till bam the same error as before. Now I'm just here wondering what the hell it is I can do to install this operating system and before anyone asks, the same USB drive works with QEMU using the same way I booted it up (PLOP Boot Manager since there is no option to boot from USB in BIOS), so that isn't the problem we're facing as I've seen some threads say..

 

[onespeedbiker]

I would try installing from a CD, it just works better with older PCs and laptops. If you don't have one, this website is very reliable. https://winworldpc.com/product/windows-nt-2000/final

 

[Damian9303]

I would try installing from a CD, it just works better with older PCs and laptops. If you don't have one, this website is very reliable. https://winworldpc.com/product/windows-nt-2000/final

Yes, that's the version I was defaulting to in hopes it was a problem with what I was using before, but it wasn't. Looking at a Windows 2000 SP4 ISO and comparing it to a Windows XP RTM ISO, it seems as if the driver is slipstreamed as a BusExtender. No matter what I did, I could not for the days of me figure out how to do that on my own. Even went as far as to try to make my own TXTSETUP.OEM based on the one for M5228 and then implanting it into the TXTSETUP.SIF manually, both of which failed.
So in conclusion, the problem again as I mentioned in my initial post isn't the USB. It's the IDE Controller, and my problems slipstreaming it into a Windows 2000 ISO as a text-mode driver. My last bet, unless something thinks of something better, would be to dig Whistler builds till I can find the first with what I need slipstreamed, and try making something out of that.

 

[onespeedbiker]

I looked up your laptop and it may simply not be compatible with windows 2000. The only drivers I could find were for XP and Vista.

 

[Damian9303]

I looked up your laptop and it may simply not be compatible with windows 2000. The only drivers I could find were for XP and Vista.

Official support, likely not. And that makes sense, seeing how it was designed for XP so they would proclaim it as such, especially when it is a computer targeted towards consumers (the fact the edition of XP it came with was Home Edition, and mentions Home Basic for upgrading to Vista seems to support this fact). Windows 2000 was still very well in support during this time, and it is very likely for drivers to of came out, but as that's an older business alternative and most of the market were settled with XP as a newer consumer alternative, it could be targeted to a broader audience with it's Home Edition rendition, and in turn won't be mentioned nor supported by the manufacture. You could barely back then, find a NT 4.0 and 2000 machine due to this idea of reaching out to everybody, and instead 9x/ME was pre-installed on most computers, INCLUDING Sony Vaio's.
So, bottom line is: There is no reason for there to be no support, not only because a driver exists, but because of how similar XP is to 2000 making this not too impossible in my eyes. It's just incorporating it into the disc as a text-mode driver that is giving us problems. Everything else, will be found by searching up it's Hardware ID which should be simple, or to speed things up and if it works, Snappy Driver Installer Origin.

 

[onespeedbiker]

I know this sounds a little crazy, but have you tried booting with the XP install and then once it's booted, switch USBs? I have done this with an IBM recovery disc and it worked. As you said, windows 2000 and XP are very similar, you never know it might work.

 

[Damian9303]

I know this sounds a little crazy, but have you tried booting with the XP install and then once it's booted, switch USBs? I have done this with an IBM recovery disc and it worked. As you said, windows 2000 and XP are very similar, you never know it might work.

No, it gives me "Insert the CD labeled: Windows XP Professional CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive." as expected. Even if it did work, it's likely that it would give me the same BSOD on boot as was seen when skipping the text-mode and flashing the hard drive with an install of 2000 using Acronis True Image 2014. I even, for the sake of it, used Neptune knowing that it had a version number of 5.1 like XP (which is why you can downgrade to it by simply plopping the CD in) but same problem.

 

[onespeedbiker]

Okay, just to be sure, the windows 2000 cd/ USB will not boot, or the installed win 2000 install will not boot?

 

[Damian9303]

Okay, just to be sure, the windows 2000 cd/ USB will not boot, or the installed win 2000 install will not boot?

Both, as they don't have the proper IDE Controller to allow it to boot. The last thing I can think of, at this point, is to use that Acronis True Image 2014 ISO to slipstream the driver with 'Acronis Universal Restore', but I'm unsure on what to expect for it. EDIT: L̶i̶k̶e̶l̶y̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶,̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶m̶s̶ ̶a̶s̶ ̶i̶f̶ ̶I̶ ̶d̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶s̶l̶i̶p̶s̶t̶r̶e̶a̶m̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶r̶i̶v̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶I̶ ̶c̶a̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶o̶p̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶l̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶r̶o̶u̶g̶h̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶c̶o̶m̶p̶u̶t̶e̶r̶.̶ I kinda gave up on doing this and stuck to Longhorn 4020 instead, just for kicks and since I'm sure this laptop can run it.
Actually, that wasn't the problem. I did use Acronis Universal Restore for Windows 2000. It seemed to be ok, then it told me I needed to restart. I did, still get the error.

 

[onespeedbiker]

I found this link.. https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001205.htm

 

[Damian9303]

I found this link.. https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001205.htm

All the solutions on there presumes there is something wrong with my hard drive. There isn't. However, I am curious on this: "Windows 2000 and Server 2003 using USB CD-ROM: If you've installed Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003 using a USB CD-ROM drive, see KB883114 for a patch that applies to this issue. " Only problem is the link doesn't work. I was able to dig for an archived copy here and I'll try to see if it solves my problem, alongside the TXTSETUP.OEM I created eariler: http://web.archive.org/web/20050309152755/http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=883114
I just think, though, that it would happen as soon as I boot off of it and not after 'Setup is starting Windows...' but who knows till we see for sure?

 

[onespeedbiker]

This link explains it better. https://www.wilderssecurity.com/threads/update-for-windows-2000-kb883114.56213/

This update (windows2000-kb883114-x86-enu.exe) addresses an issue when you use a USB CD-ROM device to install Windows 2000. When the BIOS is not enabled for IDE CD-ROM devices, the computer may not start after you install the operating system and you may receive an error message. Install this update to help prevent this issue. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

Unfortunately the links are bad, but it sounds like your issue.

 

[aoresteen]

What version ntfs did you format the hd to? It should be ntfs 3.0.

Did you try installing Win2K from the hard drive? It is a pain to get the win2k install cd copied to the HD. Use a usb floppy drive and Partion Magic 8 on floppies to wipe the 60gb hd and format it ntfs 3.0 (not ntfs 3.1 that xp uses).

The bios should handle a usb floppy drive as if it is a regular floppy drive.

Next use a win xp boot cd and copy the win2k cd files from a usb drive. Next boot the computer using the usb floppy and the 4 win2k boot floppies. Then start the install from the hard drive.