Member Avatar for TheCamel

Hi,

I have read several posts on this issue but none exactly fit.

I have recently installed win2k over win98 on an old Compaq n600c laptop. The laptop has one of those stickers saying it's win2k compatible.

I used an upgrade disk, and opted for a 'clean' install. I thought this would erase the win98 installation, but no, it sets up a dual boot scenario. However, it has not brought over any of the drivers for the win2K install - I have no VGA driver nor ethernet. It does not seem to be able to find these drivers on the upgrade disk either. The win98 install is still available and functional (although I'd like to get rid of it completely - I have removed any files I wanted to keep).

Is this normal? I assumed the upgrade to win2k would supply the correct drivers? I guess all I can do now is use the restore disks as supplied to see if they have any drivers I can use to get the machine connected to the net.

Any help gratefully received,

TheCamel

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Short answer and what to do next

This behavior can happen: an in-place Upgrade run from inside Win98 can leave the old OS in place and add a Windows 2000 install next to it, and Win2K will often run devices with very basic/generic drivers until you install vendor-specific drivers. That explains the dual-boot plus missing VGA/ethernet on the new Win2K install.

Practical, low-risk plan to recover without a long chase

  • From the working Win98 side, capture what you need before making disk changes. Use Device Manager or System Information (msinfo32) and a small hardware-ID tool to note chipset, VGA and NIC details. Copy any drivers or setup EXEs already on the machine to removable media (floppy, CD, USB).
  • Make a full image or file backup of the disk (so you can restore the current state if something goes wrong).
  • With drivers in hand, do a true clean install by booting from the Win2K CD: at the partitioning step delete the old partition, create/format a new one (NTFS) and install. This avoids the leftover dual-boot the upgrade-from-within-Win98 can create.
  • After install, install chipset drivers first, then video, then network, then other device drivers. If the NIC is still unavailable for online downloads, transfer drivers from the media you prepared or use a temporary USB/PCMCIA network adapter.

Notes tied to earlier replies

and were right to point at vendor/component drivers — the practical part is identifying exact hardware and staging the installers before you wipe anything. If you prefer not to rebuild, use the Win98 side to fetch the correct Win2K-compatible installers so you can update the Win2K install in-place; otherwise image → wipe → clean-install is the fastest way to end up with a single, stable Win2K system.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for caperjack

go to www.hp.com and search for Compaq n600c drivers for win2000.
as for the clean install you were suppose to delete the old partition ad create a new partition and format it and load 2000 on it .
Edit = i couldn't find drivers for 2000 but there were some for xp home and pro.

Member Avatar for TheCamel

Hi Caperjack, thanks for replying.

I'd checked the HP site and as you say, no win2K drivers.

Do you think the XP ones would work, and is this problem I have normal? If I had deleted the 98 partition, fdisked and installed win2k would it have installed the drivers? Oddly, I can't find them on the update disk.

Thanks,


TheCamel.

Member Avatar for DimaYasny

some of the XP drivers work. sometimes. otherwise, yuo'd have to actually look at the laptop's specs and download the drivers from the different components' manufacturer's website.

Member Avatar for TheCamel

Thanks.

I am wondering if I can somehow remove the upgrade to win2k (win98 still works and exists as a dual boot) whether I can re-upgrade to win2k but this time format the partitions properly, and if I do so, whether this time I will get the correct drivers brought over.

I have a nasty suspicion that I;ll be spending months discovering drivers that haven't been correctly installed if I stick with the current situation.

thanks,


TheCamel.

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