If given a choice I'm never installing Win2K again.

I just got a new motherboard (ASUS A7N8X Deluxe), processor (Athlon XP Barton 2500+), and RAM (DDR400 PC3200 Corsair). Everything was configured correctly, everything was airtight. The BIOS was perfect and physically, all the components were connected correctly. However Win2K wouldn't boot due to a BSOD when starting Windows on bootup, "INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE." Apparently 2K doesn't like it when you upgrade computer parts, that's just really fucking cute.

Repairing from the CD didn't work. Chkdsk didn't work. Nothing worked. Eventually I luckily discovered a post on a newsgroup pointing out that there is actually another repair function on the 2K CD, right when you are about to install 2K over an existing partition. Well, this worked, and while it reverted me back a SP and my IE a version I eventually downloaded all the critical updates so my computer's back to normal. I was however incredibly close to just saying "screw it" and formatting because of all this.

I have never been anti-MS but this debacle is making me reconsider.

*SIGH*

You could do an 'in-place upgrade' as Microsoft tells you to do when changing hardware in Win2K. If you can't find it, I'll get the KB article for you.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;292175

That is exactly what I did to resolve the problem ("I luckily discovered a post on a newsgroup pointing out that there is actually another repair function on the 2K CD, right when you are about to install 2K over an existing partition"). I have never heard of this before though.

I am, however, very satisfied with my new components. Now all I have to do is get a replacement for the fan on my video card that is frozen (bad bearings?) and I can reattatch the sides of my case and remove the giant external fan blowing into my case.

[quote author=Grok link=board=2;threadid=3640;start=0#msg29445 date=1068964415]You could do an 'in-place upgrade' as Microsoft tells you to do when changing hardware in Win2K.[/quote]Is such an action necessary just to handle radical hardware changes (i.e. addition of new hardware for which no drivers were installed), or is it necessary for most any change? Seems a bit silly if it's the latter. :)

[quote author=Kp link=board=2;threadid=3640;start=0#msg29496 date=1069000081]
[quote author=Grok link=board=2;threadid=3640;start=0#msg29445 date=1068964415]You could do an 'in-place upgrade' as Microsoft tells you to do when changing hardware in Win2K.[/quote]Is such an action necessary just to handle radical hardware changes (i.e. addition of new hardware for which no drivers were installed), or is it necessary for most any change? Seems a bit silly if it's the latter. :)
[/quote]
Actually, you don't necessarily need to perform any of the above if you prepare in advance.

If the new hardware you are moving the install to requires different drivers for the boot device (i.e. you're moving to an SCSI device, or to a not-so-common ATA66 or ATA133 device), then you should grab and install those drivers beforehand. I've successfully moved a Win2K install from an unsupported (by default; had to provide drivers during Win2K setup) ATA66 drive to an unsupported (by default; had to provide drivers again) ATA133 drive without any form of reinstalling or such.

I'm not sure what the kernel uses for disk I/O prior to loading the boot device driver - perhaps BIOS calls.