Help! Trying to do a clean install of Windows 2000 on a new computer. It starts setup and asks if I want to convert drive from FAT32 to NFTS. I choose yes and setup shuts down with an error saying unable to format or bad drive. I have reformatted and repartitioned the hard drive. I even installed Win98 thinking that would allow the conversion, but no luck. I read something on the MS Knowledge Base about 30GB HD and converting to NFTS, but it only mentioned IBM and another drive. I have a Western Digital 30GB HD, so I wonder if that is the problem.

Has anyone had issues with drive conversion in Win2000 on setup and does anyone have any suggestions for a workaround?

Thanks!

Of course, that would be NTFS! I'm tired and frustrated so forgive me!

i had a similar problem when installing nt4 and wanting the c drive to be bigger than 4GB, because it created a fat16 partition then converted it to ntfs.

I had 2 disk drives! (required for this)

install os on 1st drive using fat filing system.
format 2nd drive as ntfs.
swap drives around.
install os on ntfs drive.( keeping filing system)

or get the drive formatted on someone elses computer,

(i have not tried this with win2K but i think it might work)

I can fdisk to FAT32 and install other o/s, but for some reason when I try to convert to NTFS, it says my hard drive may be damaged. I can install Win2000 under FAT32, but it just won't do anything with the hard drive when I try to convert to NTFS. I've tried swapping drives and I just get a system error.

Thanks Microsoft!

Karl,

I assume you're doing the re-partitioning from within the Windows 2000 install?

Have you tried installing SP2 and then attempting the conversion again?

Hi Robert!

Can't get it to even recognize the hard drive from within the install if I try to set up NTFS from the start. If I install in FAT32, then try to reconfigure the drive I get the same error. If I install SP2, will that fix the issue from within Windows 2000? I know there is a way to "hot install" the SP releases with the intitial install, but I don't have an admin setup for unattended installs set up.

Thanks!

In Windows 2000, you're supposed to be able to convert a drive to NTFS after the fact. This is a one way conversion, once you do it there is no going back. My suggestion was to install Windows 2000 leaving it as FAT32, installing SP2, and then running the conversion. See if that works.

Hi Karl,

Just one question are you using the boot disks, because i have done what your talking about 20 times and it works find. Do you have another drive that you can try it on?

Hi Justin!

Sorry for the slow response. Sick all last week.

I have tried every different way imaginable. I have used 2 different drives (one 40GB, one 30GB). I have tried installing with the boot disks (Win98, WinME and Win2000), installing from WinME, installing on unformatted, blank HD, formatted HD, unpartitioned, partioned, etc. I think I have tried 20 differnent combinations.

The closest I came was installing WinME first on the second hard drive (not partition, but physical drive), fdisking the first drive and installing 2000 from the 2000 install disks. It would install the drivers, etc, then get to the setup screen and just freeze. Then when I would hard boot, it would ask if I wanted to repair or reinstall. Either option gave me the message that my hard drive was corrupt or damaged.

I can install any version of Windows by itself fine, so the drives are okay. They are both new, so I can't imagine it being a drive problem.

This is as far as I can get with it. I know it should be a simple procedure. It just doesn't seem to want to work.

HELP!!!!

Dont ever thank Microsoft on this forum.

You need to thank the programmers they lock in a broom closet and forget they are there.

LOL Ryan,

Karl I would have to say ty NT 4.0 and see if NTFS will install and if not then try partision magic and see what that does, after that i am in the dark from what you have told me it "should" have worked.