Hello all,

I have tried to update windows 98 se, to 2000 and now have problems, the `final tasks` screen performed by setup always freezes, there's no control at that point. It can be started in the normal way now after choosing to `boot from last known good configuration` in the setup boot menu, and then start window 2000 normally from the same menu, and it now loads straight up. With only 16 colours.

I guess the display adaptor or something is not installed, but I no longer have the CD for my graphics card, and I don't know which model it is, is there any way to tell? It's running at the smallest screen size and with 16 colours, and now it seems also the monitor is knackered (seperate problem there then) as it's gone black and doesn't look very healthy.

Any ideas?

Cheers guys
Tim.

Run the D-A-L.com Online Hardware Scan (there's a link at the bottom of my signature) and post the log file as a reply to this message - that may be able to tell us what graphics card you've got so that you can find a driver on the Internet.

Thanks for the advice, but it's properly dead now. After loading windows 2000, you can see about 3 split seconds of blue screen detailing a fatal error, and then it restarts. Nothing I can do, it's buggered and so is my 18 GB MP3 collection, 4000 goddam songs I just lost, so it looks like I'll need another broadband connection not to mention a new PC! Oh well, at least I only have to pay for xmas, finance a rave, and organise a family holiday in the new year !!

Thanks again, I'll go back to bank robbing now...

What made it suddenly get so bad?

Have you tried running the Windows 2000 recovery/repair process?

I cant run anything, the only options I get are the ones from pressing f8 during startup (safe mode{doesn't work}, enable VGA mode {I did this because the graphics setting was the problem, like an idiot I forgot that VGA is ancient, and might not work with new stuff, but I did it, and after that it started it's little boot-restart game } and some other options that I tried {before destroyingit}) and of course BIOS, which I know absolutely nothing about.

VGA mode was the one that did it, now I cant run anything I haven't already tried apart from BIOS. Do the tools you mentioned come fom BIOS?

Cheers
Tim.

If you insert your Windows 2000 CD and boot from that, it will start the Windows 2000 setup process (bypassing the point at which it restarts when it loads from the hard disk). As soon as it detects that it has already installed a copy of Windows 2000, it should give you the option to repair it

Cheers, I'll try again tonight, but I have started it up several times with the cd in and it doesn't make a difference I'm afraid. But I know I've said that before about things and then they work when someone else has said them instead so, fingers crossed.....

Thanks again it would be really nice if that's the case!

Had a similiar problem, gave up on the upgrade route and formatted my drive and did a clean install.

Clean install is better if you don't mind losing all your work etc.... could always back stuff up first, but hey, who does that these days?

Not me I know that much. Oh well pretty lucky really losing 19.something GB music on the same day I got broadband again.

Nice tag by the way

If the value of your data is more than the cost of a new hard disk (which might not be as much as you think), then buy another hard disk, do a clean install of Windows 2000 on it and then, once it's working, you'll be able to copy all of your data off of the old hard disk onto the new one