[GUIDE] How to install Windows 2000 on Intel Sandy Bridge and later with ACPI

[Jakob99]

This guide will teach you how to install Windows 2000 to Intel Sandy Bridge or later platforms with working ACPI and SATA drivers.

Here's what you will need:

A separate laptop with 7 or later (Not sure about 7, but I do know 8.1 and later will for sure work).

nlite: https://www.nliteos.com/download/nLite-1.4.9.3.setup.exe

IMGBURN or your favorite CD/DVD image burning software.

SATA drivers: http://win2k.org/cgi-bin/dl.cgi?file=iata76_cd2ka.zip

Modded ACPI.SYS: http://win2k.org/cgi-bin/dl.cgi?file=acpi.cab

Latest 64bit Linux burned to USB with Rufus in Legacy mode.

Run as administrator command prompt (Open start menu, type CMD, right click, and click Run as Administrator)

MakeCab.exe (in the C:\Windows\System32 directory).

Cabarc.exe: https://www.mediafire.com/file/07aylmvglqm6k5h/cabarc.exe/file

Windows 2000 ISO extracted to folder named Windows 2000 on the Desktop using 7zip

A USB separate from the Linux USB with blackwingcat's modded ACPI.SYS stored on it (more on why this is necessary later).

 

1. Setup nlite, your favorite DVD burning software (such as IMGBURN), and 7zip (if you don't already have it).

2. Download the SATA driver and ACPI.CAB files linked to above and move the cab files to the desktop. Also download the Cabarc file I linked to above and place that on the desktop as well. Also locate MakeCab.exe as well. This is in the C:\Windows\System32 directory already so no installation is needed.

3. Next, we have to extract the SATA and ACPI cab files. Run this command (If you put the files where I told you to, you can just simply copy and paste this command, changing YourUserNameHere with your Windows account name) in an Administrator command prompt (Make sure you create a folder named iata76_cd2kh on the desktop): expand -F:* \Users\YourUserNameHere\Desktop\iata76_cd2kh.cab \Users\YourUserNameHere\Desktop\iata76_cd2kh (for the SATA) expand -F:* \Users\YourUserNameHere\Desktop\acpi.cab \Users\YourUserNameHere\Desktop\ (for ACPI). Once the commands complete, the SATA drivers should be in the aforementioned folder and the ACPI.SYS file should be on the desktop.

4. Navigate to MakeCab.exe and drag acpi.sys to it. This will create acpi.sy_. Rename it to ACPI.SY_.

5. If you haven't already, extract your Windows 2000 ISO to a folder on the desktop named Windows 2000.

6. Navigate to the i386 directory and find the original ACPI.SY_ file. Delete this and copy the modded ACPI.SY_ in. Next up, find the DRIVER.CAB file and move it to the desktop. Create a folder named DRIVER and then using an admin command prompt, run this command to extract the files: expand -F:* \Users\YourUserNameHere\Desktop\DRIVER.CAB \Users\YourUserNameHere\Desktop\DRIVER. Open up the DRIVER folder and find ACPI.SYS and delete it. Move blackwingcat's acpi.sys in and rename it to ACPI.SYS. Also delete the original DRIVER.CAB file from the desktop

7. In the command prompt, run this command: cd C:\Users\YourUserNameHere\Desktop\DRIVER. This will change the directory to the DRIVER folder. Once done, run this command: dir /b > ..\filelist.txt. It will create a file named filelist.txt on the desktop.

8. Next up, run this command: ..\cabarc.exe -m LZX:21 -p -r -i 65349 N ..\DRIVER.CAB @..\filelist.txt. This will rebuild DRIVER.CAB. Once it is done, you can move it back into the i386 folder.

9. Now, open up nlite and point it to the Windows 2000 folder on the desktop. On the options screen, select Drivers and Bootable ISO. On the next screen, select Insert and Multiple Driver Folder. Chose the iata76_cd2kh folder. Once it shows a list of drivers, select all of them. Let it integrate them. Once done, have it make a bootable ISO. Give it a name and then select Make Bootable ISO. Give it the same name again and save the ISO to the desktop.

10. Once done, open your DVD burner and burn it to a DVD.

11. Load up your computer and install Windows normally (Do not press F5, F6, or F7). After the second phase of setup is complete, insert the Linux USB and remove the Windows 2000 CD. Press F12 or whatever the hotkey is to boot into the USB. Select Try Ubuntu from the USB. Load it up. On the other computer, if you haven't already, copy blackwingcat's ACPI.SYS to a separate USB, Insert that into the other computer once done there. Navigate to your Windows 2000 hard drive and navigate to WinNT\System32\Drivers folder. Look for acpi.sys and delete it. Load up the other USB in a separate window and move in blackwingcat's ACPI.SYS to the folder. Also search for USBhub20.sys and delete it. Use Unbuntu's restart command, remove both USB's, press enter, and let it load Windows 2000. The last setup stuff it has to do will complete and you will be at your desktop in no time.

I hope this helps you guys out! Credit to mswin.bat, Vruh 2, and lambdacore over at Betawiki Discord and also to @blackwingcat for helping me out here! This would not have been possible without their help (with rebuilding the cab file and the custom made sata and acpi driver).

EDIT: I have made a more complete version of this guide. While the initial guide is a copy n' paste of what I posted here, there are two more guides which are linked to at the bottom of the initial guide in a See also section. Those guides are essential if you want working USB 2.0 and Intel HD Graphics. Everything you need to download/setup has been linked to from within the guide. If there are any issues with any of the links, please let me know and I will see if archive.org has the file archived and swap that in. Here's where you can find the guides: http://windowsenthusiasts1.epizy.com/Windows2000SandyBridge.html

Edited November 23, 2021 by Jakob99

[Jakob99]

I have made a more complete version of this guide. While the initial guide is a copy n' paste of what I posted here, there are two more guides which are linked to at the bottom of the initial guide in a See also section. Those guides are essential if you want working USB 2.0 and Intel HD Graphics. Everything you need to download/setup has been linked to from within the guide. If there are any issues with any of the links, please let me know and I will see if archive.org has the file archived and swap that in. Here's where you can find the guides: http://windowsenthusiasts1.epizy.com/Windows2000SandyBridge.html

[molly]

Can't download SATA drivers :/

[Mixarium]

On 1/14/2022 at 3:16 PM, appropriatename said:

Can't download SATA drivers :/

you could go to blackwingcat's windows legacy update website and choose the kind type to drivers, then choose the required intel matrix storage manager driver for your system.

Edited March 21, 2022 by Mixarium

[WinFX]

A desktop PC will also work, but you'll need a PS/2 keyboard.

The best motherboards are from ASUS as they have Audio drivers for Windows 2000 as they use VIA, like Realtek Gigabit ethernet which is very useful. In series 6 motherboards we will find the P8H61 (basic but not having USB 3.0 we save ourselves problems). As well as the P8P67 and P8Z68 are a good option if you are going to use the server versions that support 8GB+ of RAM, but I do not know if the ASMedia drivers work in 2000, although it comes with COM and LPT on the motherboard that can be used for older hardware .
In series 7 we will find P8B75 (the one I have at the moment) and P8Z77. It is better (for 2000 only) series 7 than series 6 in USB 3.0 aspect since it can be disabled (for XP and Vista use P67 or Z68).

I comment the motherboards since despite being released 2 years after the end of support they work 100% as far as drivers are concerned. It's like Alder Lake running on Windows 7 or Rocket Lake running on Vista.

[SkyKuker]

Greetings, @Jakob99. Unfortunately, your method didn't work for me.

Everything in the text mode setup worked perfectly until the "Setup is starting Windows 2000" portion. Right after that, the installation hangs (if not pressing F5, F6, or F7).

If I hit F7 (as far as I've been concerned, it swaps the ACPI HAL with the standard one), the setup barely throws me a 0x7B BSOD.

If I hit F5 (select the type of PC) and select some of them, it either hangs (ACPI types in general) or greets me with a BSOD (non-ACPI) too.

Could you please look into this question?

Regards, SkyKuker (Kuks).

Edited March 11, 2023 by SkyKuker
Vocabulary

[Jakob99]

22 hours ago, SkyKuker said:

Greetings, @Jakob99. Unfortunately, your method didn't work for me.

Everything in the text mode setup worked perfectly until the "Setup is starting Windows 2000" portion. Right after that, the installation hangs (if not pressing F5, F6, or F7).

If I hit F7 (as far as I've been concerned, it swaps the ACPI HAL with the standard one), the setup barely throws me a 0x7B BSOD.

If I hit F5 (select the type of PC) and select some of them, it either hangs (ACPI types in general) or greets me with a BSOD (non-ACPI) too.

Could you please look into this question?

Regards, SkyKuker (Kuks).

What's your Intel SATA driver device ID (you can find this under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers).

[SkyKuker]

2 minutes ago, Jakob99 said:

What's your Intel SATA driver device ID...

8086:1e03 (Windows output: VEN_8086&DEV_1E03).

[Jakob99]

49 minutes ago, SkyKuker said:

8086:1e03 (Windows output: VEN_8086&DEV_1E03).

http://win2k.org/cgi-bin/dl.cgi?file=iata76_cd2ke.cab&lang=en

Try these. You can integrate all the SATA drivers as W2K should pick the correct one.

[SkyKuker]

On 3/12/2023 at 8:57 PM, Jakob99 said:

You can integrate all the SATA drivers as W2K should pick the correct one.

Oops, nevermind.

Looks like you have an Insyde BIOS, just like me. This is why installation does be hanging. So, as I see, the remedy is patched BIOS?

[Jakob99]

21 hours ago, SkyKuker said:

Oops, nevermind.

Looks like you have an Insyde BIOS, just like me. This is why installation does be hanging. So, as I see, the remedy is patched BIOS?

What is your laptop? Acer Aspire E1-531, something else?

[SkyKuker]

On 5/27/2023 at 6:07 PM, Jakob99 said:

What is your laptop?

HP Pavilion 17 (e117-dx).

Edited May 29, 2023 by SkyKuker

[Jakob99]

2 hours ago, SkyKuker said:

HP Pavilion 17 (e117-dx).

I'd ask over at win-raid. They do BIOS modding over there, and may have a modded BIOS that brings up the Advanced Options.

[SkyKuker]

Welcome back.

Perhaps, you should add a notice about Insyde BIOS in your guide? Something like:

Quote

Insyde BIOS users, read this: your BIOS support isn't suitable enough for Windows 2000 installation altogether. The remedy, as of now, is your own patched BIOS, a ported one from another system, or compiled open-source BIOS such as SeaBIOS.

 

Edited April 3 by SkyKuker
Grammar, consistency