:: Windows 2000 SP4 ::

Copying the CD Contents

Inside of your SETUP folder which should be in AIO-DVD create a folder called 2000.

eg. - D:\AIO-DVD\SETUP\2000\

Inside of this folder create a folder for each edition of 2000 that you are including. For my DVD I have AdvServer, Professional, and Server . Copy the entire 2000 cds into their corresponding folders.

Examples:
D:\AIO-DVD\SETUP\2000\AdvServer\
D:\AIO-DVD\SETUP\2000\Professional\
D:\AIO-DVD\SETUP\2000\Server\

NOTE: For this guide, we will be using 2000 Professional for the examples. If adding Advanced Server or Server editions just change the necessary elements to fit your needs.

Creating the Boot Folder

If you've already gone through any of the XP sections on this site, you have probably used the method that I discovered from gosh to create the boot folders. However, when creating these boot folders from inside of any XP based OS, we cannot go that route.

So, there are a few things we can do:

  1. The first and easiest thing you can try is using the boot folders that I am providing from my own DVD. I currently only have boot folders for Professional SP4 and Server SP4. If you use this method, just download the proper zip file and extract the contents into our AIO-DVD folder.

    Examples:
    D:\AIO-DVD\2PRO\
    D:\AIO-DVD\2SRV\

  2. Find boot disk files for whichever Windows 2000 edition you are using with the right service pack, and extract all of the files into the right boot folders with WinImage.

  3. If you have Windows 98 or 2000 already installed on a real computer, copy the entire CD to the desktop. Slipstream SP4 if you want (there are countless guides out there on how to do this). Then run winnt32.exe and follow the instructions in the 2nd paragraph of choice 4.

  4. This method is bit more complicated and time consuming, but it's the best way and worth it. We CAN use gosh's method as for the XP operating systems, however we must do it from a virtual Windows 2000 installation. I chose to install an ISO image of 2000 Professional in VMware. I then copied the contents of the ISO into a folder on the virtual installation's desktop, and slipstreamed SP4 into the source files. (To move files or folder in or out of VMware and onto your PC, you will need to install VMware tools)

    Afterwards I ran winnt32.exe from the i386 folder. Windows 2000 setup should come up.  Choose "New Installation" and go through the options as usual. Do NOT download updated setup files.  At the "Setup Options" screen, click on "Advanced Options" and make sure "copy all installation files from the CD" is checked. If it is grayed out don't worry about it. When it's done do NOT let it reboot.

    Setup should create 2 folders in the root of your main drive. They will be hidden so make sure "Show hidden files and folders" is enabled.

    $WIN_NT$.~BT - the boot folder
    $WIN_NT$.~LS - installation files folder

    Delete $WIN_NT$.~LS that was just created. All we're concerned with is the boot folder.

    Rename $WIN_NT$.~BT to 2PRO and move the entire folder out of VMware and into our AIO-DVD folder.

    eg. - D:\AIO-DVD\2PRO\

    Now in the 2PRO folder delete the following files:
    BOOTSECT.DAT
    migrate.inf
    winnt.sif

IMPORTANT: If you used method 3, it expects us to be installing a new operating system the next time we reboot, so setup adds an extra boot option in the boot.ini file and changes the default boot choice to it. If you followed the instructions in "Getting Started", you should have made a copy of your boot.ini file. Take this copy, and copy it back over the boot.ini file in the C:\. Don't get rid of your original boot.ini, you will need it again if you plan on using other portions of this guide to add more operating systems.

If you don't have a backup of your boot.ini file, you can edit it yourself. This is what it normally looks like if you have 2000 installed on the first or only partition of your hard drive:

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Windows 2000 Professional " /fastdetect

Editing "setupldr.bin"

Let's start modifying some files. First in your 2PRO directory open up the file setupldr.bin in Hex Workshop. Under Edit -> Replace (Ctrl+H) search for Type: "Text String." We want to find i386 and replace it with 2PRO. The screenshot below is just for reference.

Click OK and then choose Replace All. It should say "3 Occurrences Replaced." If it does not find 3 occurrences, there may be a problem somewhere. When done, save the file and choose not to back it up.

Editing "txtsetup.sif"

In your 2PRO folder find the file txtsetup.sif and open it in NotePad. Choose Edit -> Find (Ctrl+F) and search for SetupSourcePath. You will need to change the default "\" to reflect the directory you copied your XP Pro cd to. In this case it is "\SETUP\2000\Professional\"

SetupSourcePath = "\SETUP\2000\Professional\"

Creating the Boot Sector

Now we will need to create the boot sector file that will actually load the text-mode setup for our operating system. Download the 2ALL.zip file. Extract the file and then open 2PRO.dat in Hex Workshop. Scroll down until you see the following text in the right hand side. The red text is what we will be replacing. Replace I386 with 2PRO.

Save the file, choose not to back it up and then place it in the AIO-DVD folder.

NOTE: If the boot sectors I have provided for download to not work for you I have provided a section on how to create your own. Please check the "Boot Sectors" section under "Get Help".

Finishing Up

Navigate to your setup folder \AIO-DVD\SETUP\2000\Professional\ and copy (not move) the following files into the root folder, AIO-DVD.

  • readme.doc
  • spnotes.htm
  • cdrom_nt.5
  • cdromsp4.tst
  • cdrom_is.5 (2000 Server only)
  • cdrom_ia.5 (2000 Advance Server only)
  • cdrom_ip.5 (2000 Professional only)