Inaccessable_boot_device error

[BobWerner]

Ok, before you all freak out. YES, I have read all the M$ Q articles on this message. None have helped.
I have a 500mhz computer with:
a 30 gb Seagate primary drive and
a 15 gb Maxtor drive
They are on seperate IDE cables. Neither has the 80 conductor 40 pin cable.
Secondly, before you ask, yes XP worked on this computer before. I have low level formated the drives and still get the error.
Any other ideas? Or should I just go back to 98?

[NooNoo]

Welcome Bob... a few questions.

Exactly when do you get this message? How did you partition the disks? Which version of format have you used? NTFS or Fat32? Did you try without one of the hard disks attached? Have you checked the jumpers on the drives?

[BobWerner]

The message comes on bootup after the "Starting Windows 2000" screen about halfway through the scan.

The 30 gb has a 5gb primary fat32 partition. The rest is empty waiting on 2000 to load so I can use it to span the disks.

No I haven't tried it with one drive, but I will.

Drive jumpers are correct.

[NooNoo]

Originally posted by BobWerner
The message comes on bootup after the "Starting Windows 2000" screen about halfway through the scan.

scan... is it trying to do a chkdsk? Did windows actually go through the whole setup and its on the reboot that you get this?

Are you using a pci ide card or is it the onboard controllers?

[BobWerner]

I may have used the wrong word. When I say scan I mean the bar that goes across the bottom of the screen. It scans about half way then BSOD.

I am using the onboard controllers.

[NooNoo]

OK, lets go back to the earlier questions that weren't answered

1: What did you use to partition and format the drives?
2: Did you get it to go through the entire setup?

and further questions

3: Exactly which motherboard is this?
4: What bios revision do you have?
5: What is the exact bsod (including the numbers)
6: How much ram do you have?

[cisco2]

I'm a bit concerned when you write low level format. Years ago low level formats were not uncommon, today they're rare. Usually you have to get the low level format routine from the hard drive manufacturer as they vary from hard drive to hard drive.

by low level format do you mean you used the format utility in an OS like XP or 98 or did you actually run a low level hardware format using some other routine or utility?

All that aside you might try formatting your partition as NTFS instead of FAT32. I've had similar problems where win2k had setup problems that I got around but using a FAT partition instead of NTFS. Perhaps the reverse will work for you here? I've no idea why this should make a difference but it has worked for me in the past.

[CeeBee]

I'm confused.. is it XP or 2000???
When did you first get this error? What have you done before the problem? Are you using any Promise or Adaptec IDE controllers?
Give us more details, including the OS and service pack level of the installation CD.
Win2000 with less than SP2 has this problem with ATA100.

[BobWerner]

Originally posted by NooNoo
OK, lets go back to the earlier questions that weren't answered

1: What did you use to partition and format the drives? Plain ole ordinary fdisk and format. I just started with the 5gb partition. Nothing else.
2: Did you get it to go through the entire setup?
Nope. BSOD before Win2k was fully loaded

and further questions

3: Exactly which motherboard is this?
That's a good question. I may have to get back with you on that one. I think it's a gigabyte.
4: What bios revision do you have?
F4 and it was the most current
5: What is the exact bsod (including the numbers) 0x0000007 if I remember correctly.
6: How much ram do you have? 256 mb PC100. [

[BobWerner]

Originally posted by cisco2
I'm a bit concerned when you write low level format. Years ago low level formats were not uncommon, today they're rare. Usually you have to get the low level format routine from the hard drive manufacturer as they vary from hard drive to hard drive.

by low level format do you mean you used the format utility in an OS like XP or 98 or did you actually run a low level hardware format using some other routine or utility? I downloaded a utility to low level format the drive.

All that aside you might try formatting your partition as NTFS instead of FAT32. I've had similar problems where win2k had setup problems that I got around but using a FAT partition instead of NTFS. Perhaps the reverse will work for you here? I've no idea why this should make a difference but it has worked for me in the past.
The only problem with using NTFS is I'm copying the I386 directory to the drive and loading Win2k from there. NTFS will make that impossible. Fat32 works better then I can convert later.

[BobWerner]

Originally posted by CeeBee
I'm confused.. is it XP or 2000??? Well, I have had the problem with both these OSes on this computer. Currently I was trying to load Win2k and that's what I'm discussing here.
When did you first get this error? The first time I loaded Win2k after a fdisk /mbr fdisk to create the 5 gb partition then copying the i386 directory to the harddrive.
What have you done before the problem? Nothing except run winnt.exe from a dos prompt.
Are you using any Promise or Adaptec IDE controllers? Don't know what kind of IDE controller is on this MB, I'll have to get back with you on that.
Give us more details, including the OS and service pack level of the installation CD.
Win2k Server loading it without any service packs as this is the version I have. The drives I am using are NOT ATA100.
Win2000 with less than SP2 has this problem with ATA100.

[cisco2]

I used to load Win9x and NT by copying the install folder to the local hard drive, I haven't tried it with 2k or XP though, I'll have to give that a try sometime. Is that something you've done before with XP? Maybe part of the BSOD problem results from that particular install method.

Maybe if you have another HD lying around you can try and install from that one? Or give installing from the CD a shot.

[NooNoo]

Bob, you have replied with quote, but have not typed in your answers.... could you try again?

[CeeBee]

Originally posted by NooNoo
Bob, you have replied with quote, but have not typed in your answers.... could you try again?

he has.. within the quotes

[NooNoo]

Thanks Ceebee... was too early

OK I have gone through an removed the bold from your answers Bob to make it clearer for me (and anyone else)... unfortunately your answers create more questions...


1: You said plain old fdisk and format - did you know there is various versions of both fdisk and format? Could you tell me what you used? 98 bootdisk? 2k cd?

2: the Low Level utility you downloaded, exactly which one did you download?

3: I asked you for the exact bsod... I am afraid that the bsod message is quite long, you would have to run the setup again and write the whole thing down, would you do that?

4: What drive letter are you copying the i386 directory to? Have you tried loading by booting from CD?

Last of all we still need the Gigabyte model of your motherboard please.