bluebolt

I endorse curious-plus-lazy as a means. In that spirit – and given that you did not swap the exact same motherboard? – you could go up the device manager tree to the next tier of driver uninstallation by uninstalling the controllers.

Given the possible back story involved with your hardware, you may want to check for “ghost” devices (and the potentially problematic drivers associated with those non-present devices). You probably already know how, but I’ll post the procedure here if you don’t mind, if only as a reminder to anyone who hasn’t done this maintenance in a while… Open a command prompt in administrator mode: type cmd into the start menu search box, then use Ctrl+Shift+Enter to open in administrator mode (you can also right-click on the command prompt and choose Run as Administrator). Now paste in the following line: SET DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1 Then type in devmgmt.msc to start up Device Manager from the administrator command prompt. Once you are in Device Manager, go to the View menu and choose Show Hidden Devices, which will show all the device drivers including things that aren’t currently installed in your computer. Then you can uninstall the “lighter” (i.e. non-present) entries.

Several members here have reported that W2k Pro installs better on AMD hardware, and at moments like this I find that easy to believe. Intel is practically no help at all, and it’s sickening that MS has to discombobulate existing hardware and existing software and practically any extant alternative in order to sell its latest OS. Then again, I watched a recent newegg video with a couple of guys from Intel talking about their latest SSDs (the 750 series), and how you would need to “play with” Windows 7 for it to work in even a “limited fashion” with that hardware. So they may also not be far from the last generation of Intel hardware that will even take a full-fledged Windows 7 install.

As it turns out, to quickly obtain USB function with the 9-Series we first make Device Manager install the Standard Universal PCI to USB Host Controllers. From there, use Windows Update in Device Manager to install the other USB drivers as it wants (seems ironic that the Standard Universal PCI to USB Host Controllers don’t show up in Device Manager when all is done). Now this process is actually faster than doing the 8-Series or 7-Series (tidbit: any time you run Intel’s chipset installation utility on the 7- or 8-Series you have to go through the USB install process all over again, but not so with the 9-Series). The rest of the news is not so good. I re-tested using a Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3P motherboard, and there is a problem, as it stops at “Setup is starting Windows 2000.” We’ve seen this before, but here I’d already disabled the serial COM port, the parallel port, and every other suspect I could get my hands on. I thought the problem was the new M.2 interface. The MSI board I originally tested on did not have an M.2 port. I tested again, this time using Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 (which is like the GA-Z97-HD3P but without m.2 or SATA Express ports) -- but it still wouldn’t get past “Setup is starting Windows 2000.” W2k Pro does install in Standard PC mode, whoop-de-do, though this at least provides a look at a completed installation: The “PCI Device” listing is just the SMBus. The real problems are whatever W2k is misreading as a FDD and a PS/2 mouse. Too bad.

Yeah, I forgot I was installing XP and I missed that. I guess old habits die hard...just like Windows 2000 Professional!

Having tested Windows XP installation on an MSI Z97 PC Mate, I’ve now taken the opportunity to test XP install on another Z97 motherboard, the Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3P, resulting in an especially smooth process and nice finish. The OS is Windows XP Professional with Onepiece Update Pack (December 2014) integrated via nLite, along with Intel’s August 2013 chipset INF and Fernando’s 11.2 AHCI driver. From what I’ve read elsewhere it’s no secret that XP on the Z97 will in the end yield at least two “problem” devices (albeit of no great significance), the SMBus Controller and the Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller. Fernando’s null driver de-lists the SMBus Controller, and I found that this particular motherboard (Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3P) has an option to turn off the xHCI controller (BIOS / Peripherals / XHCI Mode: Disabled), which also de-lists the USB Controller. The result, then, is a problem-free device manager using Windows XP on the Z97 platform:

I realize that avoiding administrator mode is considered standard security practice, the big, basic “first step” toward safeguarding your computer, something everyone should do, etc., and I don’t doubt that it’s imminently sensible in many scenarios. I only run in administrator mode, because the functionality is so limited when I don’t. I’m not willing to spend half my time switching from one mode to another. I may as well go from 97% secure to 100% secure by leaving the thing unplugged.

I tested using CrystalMark 2004R3 Portable, SuperPi, and 7-Zip Benchmark. I tested with hyper-threading disabled (4CPU) and with HT enabled (8CPU). I tested with and without Physical Address Extension. No special tuning on the system, not even installed in a chassis, didn’t touch the clock (turbo mode put it at 4.2 GHz). In whatever configuration, SuperPi results were all about the same (e.g. 8.56 seconds to calculate Pi to a million digits), like so: With or without PAE (7-Zip would not work with HT enabled), 7-Zip results were about the same (e.g. 18,481), like so: The best CrystalMark top-line score was 405,077 with PAE enabled: Not quite as good without PAE: And substantially worse with HT enabled:

Windows XP on the desktop installs and works fine with Haswell 8-Series and 9-Series chipsets; I have tested it on both Z87 and Z97. Using a graphics card, the final result on the Z87 was a problem-free device manager, and the final result on the Z97 is just one problem device, the Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller (where we find that the lack of XP USB 3.0 support shows up as Problem Device starting with the 9-series). For example, begin with Intel’s August 2013 Chipset Device Software (v. 9.3.2.1020), the last version to work with XP. Choose a board with Realtek audio and LAN hardware, and you can find XP drivers on the Realtek website. And plenty of GPUs still support XP. There is this null driver for the Management Engine PCI Simple Communications driver: http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/173710-intel-mei-driver-pci-simple-communications-controller/#entry1097275 In the alternative--and I haven’t tested this--but, at least for the Z87 Gigabyte, there may be a full Management Engine package available here: http://forum.hwbot.org/showthread.php?t=77697 For the Z97, you may want this SMBus INF file (null driver) from Fernando: http://www.win-raid.com/t22f23-Guide-Integration-of-Intels-AHCI-RAID-drivers-into-a-Windows-XP-W-k-W-k-CD-14.html#msg8447 To run in AHCI mode, you would need Fernando’s 11.2 driver, which can be integrated into the OS install media.

Others have reported (as I have experienced) that you can’t install BWC’s KernelEx on top of UUR (which includes an earlier version of extended kernel customized by tomasz86), so perhaps that is the source of your problem. Since BWC has released several newer versions of his extended kernel since UUR was last updated, I wish I knew the answer. Maybe we have the beginning of a solution here: http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/173035-guide-for-unofficially-updating-windows-2000/#entry1098729

Good work! and I look forward to your guide. Since you have managed to put together UUR with blackwingcat’s extended kernel for OS installation, it will be interesting to see whether you are also able to update your running system as new versions of KernelEx are released.

Tested previously on Z77 and the marks took a nosedive. Tomasz86 had warned me about that with W2k Pro…though I think BWC did report higher performance with HT however in one of his configurations. The Z97 is just back from service, so I haven’t had the chance to do much else with it yet (of course it konked right in the middle of testing null “drivers” that Fernando was writing for it, so hopefully I can get that back on track, as I would prefer to de-list even the inconsequential “problem” devices). I would like to see some numbers with and without PAE, and when I test I’ll try HT as well and post those; like you say, won’t hurt to try.

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0Bw_nt4aAJIoPWWNBay13dTlXOWs#list

Understood. And just to be clear, the backup disk image that you reinstall -- does that already include the “unofficial service pack 5.1” to which you referred? And is that the one from tomasz86 (w2ksp51), or Gurgelmeyer’s (USP5.1.2195.24)? Would you please provide detail regarding this ISO that “ran firefox's latest version,” and what is meant by “already updated?” I mean, how did you make it, what does it include? Thank you.

Yeah, “Xpocalypse Now” kind of fizzled, didn’t it? And their script made it sound so dramatic, you know, explosions and disaster and stuff. As usual, the trailer was more exciting than the movie.

Once I have installed / uninstalled / installed a variety of UUR, it was not possible to then uninstall UUR and return my computer to a clean slate in that regard, as interferential remnants remain. I have always had to start over from scratch, but that’s just my experience.

Thanks for the information, dencorso and jaclaz. Based on dencorso’s post, I’m probably mistaken about the specific file used by the Biostar Z87 (i.e. maybe it was lynxHECI). That setup is long gone, so I have no way to check. Sorry about that.

A common situation with Windows 2000 on newer Intel motherboards is its incompatibility with Intel’s Management Engine software, and the related Problem Device listing. I would like to share a possible solution. You install W2k Pro on the Z77 platform, for instance, and have a problem-free Device Manager except for a yellow question mark over the listing “PCI Simple Communications Controller.” No motherboard manufacturer offered the MEI for W2k Pro from the Z77 (maybe Z68) onward. One way around this on the Z77 is the method used by member AnX, who “modified the .inf of the MEI driver so it runs on Win2K. I copied the XP hardware IDs to Win2k section.” However, that solution may be unavailable to those who lack the expertise, or from the Z87 on because no motherboard manufacturer offered the MEI for Windows XP from the Z87 on. In a sense this is not really a problem, because the Intel Management Engine is worthless. Still, there’s the matter of that yellow question mark, and how to be rid of it. I came across a zip file download by this name: Intel_C20x_MEI_NULL_HECI_VER1232002 Once extracted, I used Device Manager to direct the “PCI Simple Communications Controller” to the “All” folder therein, where it found just one needed file to de-list the problem device. For Biostar motherboards on both the Z77 and Z87 platforms, that file is called “pantHECI.” For an MSI motherboard on the Z97 platform, the file selected is called “lxlpHECI.” And once that file is identified, you can ditch the rest of the extract -- that one file is all that is needed to satisfy Device Manager. And the file works with either Windows 2000 or Windows XP. My question is, is this some sort of generic MEI driver package? I see that it’s worked on multiple platforms, multiple manufacturers, both W2k Pro and XP. How broad might its application be? If anyone needs it and finds the opportunity to try it, I would appreciate it if you would let us know: -did it work -on what motherboard -which specific file did Device Manager choose Here is one link where the zip file is available for download: http://www.driversguru.com/driverdetail/948226-1.2.3.2002.html Thank you.

I tested W2k Pro installation using an MSI Z97 PC Mate (LGA 1150) motherboard with an Intel i7-4790K CPU in the socket, and 4 x 2GB G.SKILL DDR3 1600 RAM (F3-12800CL9Q-8GBZL). I ran the HFSLIP package provided by tomasz86. Then I used nLite to integrate Intel’s August 2013 chipset installation INF and blackwingcat’s 8.9d AHCI SATA drivers (for the Series 9 processor), and to create the OS ISO, which I burned to CD. As an experiment, I left the onboard serial port at its default setting (enabled); as expected, installation stalled at the message, “Setup is starting Windows 2000,” so I disabled the COM port (BIOS / Settings / Advanced / Super IO) and proceeded to a new attempt. This worked, no surprise (based on previous experience with the Z87), and W2k Pro completed the text-mode phase of installation. Next up was “Windows 2000 Professional Setup”: “Installing Devices”: “Setup is detecting and installing devices on your computer,” and a progress bar, which dead-stalled approximately a third of the way there. I eventually forced off the computer. Returning to the BIOS, I disabled Parallel Port and proceeded to a new attempt. This time, W2k Pro finished “Installing Devices” and, once again, the game was afoot (evidently many of the problems associated with using W2k Pro on modern hardware can be taken care of by disabling extraneous onboard peripherals). From there, Windows 2000 Professional presented the same problem as on previous Intel motherboard iterations, in that there is no USB function until you use your (PS/2) keyboard and Device Manager to direct the system to other USB drivers. However, with the Z97 no “Series 9” USB driver presented during this step; instead, the system started out with “Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller” (but still no USB function), so I tried: -Generic USB Hub -Standard Universal PCI to USB Host Controller -USB 2.0 Root Hub -USB Root Hub -Standard Open HCD PCI to USB Finally I returned to letting Windows Update have its try, and it still wanted Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller. It was quite a roundabout process, but by some combination of these, positive USB function was eventually obtained. Maybe experience will smooth out the sequence, but wow, practically had to beat the thing into submission… Everything seems to work fine. Remaining Problem Devices don’t amount to much: SM Bus Controller, Universal Serial Bus (USB) Controller, PCI Bus. I’ll see how things work once the software is installed. Incidentally, I also ran an alternate test without Intel’s Chipset Installation Utility drivers, instead putting BWC’s custom Intel Matrix Storage Manager 7.6 Series 9 and INF chipset cabinet files in the HFCABS folder of HFSLIP, before using nLite to add BWC’s 8.9d AHCI driver. The resulting OS install turned out the same, except BWC’s doesn’t nag about the problem devices at every boot-up.

Have you disabled the onboard serial port?

Looks like this in Add/Remove Programs: http://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2926765

To see which version of UUR knocks out the Pointers tab function, for OS installation I started with tomasz86’s HFSLIP, which includes v11-w20130323. From there, I installed every daily version of UUR up through the most recent (v11-d20141130), one on top of the next, checking for Pointers tab function after each update. Curiously, I never did lose Pointers tab function.

I checked two different W2K Pro machines, one with the most recent UUR, the other with a previous UUR, and both exhibited the “disappearing act” when clicking the Pointers tab. I checked the registry, and HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Cursors was missing. I exported HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Cursors from a stock W2K Pro computer and imported that into a UUR machine, and the Pointers tab function returned. @ MrMaguire: that’s a nice find, good work.

The most recent, and presumably last, Intel Chipset Device Software to officially support Windows 2000 Professional (or Windows XP, for that matter) is v.1.1.54.0 aka v. 9.3.2.1020, from August of 2013.

Do you mean that your font display quality did not improve? Your fonts should display properly now, that’s the point of it. I had KB3013455 installed when I ran harkaz’s patch.