help! installing W2K Adv Server

[AnimeKnight]

I am trying to install a W2K Adv Server on my spare computer. However the spare computer doens't have a CD-Rom. I was wondering can I copy the CAB files like windows 98 to the hard drive and install it from the hard drive?

thanks in advance

 

[stash]

If you have a boot disk with networking capabilities, you can connect to a share of the 2k cd on another computer. Then you would run winnt from the i386 folder to start the install.

 

[NogginBoink]

Or you could copy the i386 folder to the local drive and install from i386\winnt.exe

 

[AnimeKnight]

so that means I can copy the folder to a local drive and install just like Windows 98 I can copy the folder win98 to local drive and install from?

cool thanks a lot guys

 

[AnimeKnight]

Okay.. I have copied the i386 into the hard drive. when I go install it. it just basically expanded the files and put it in the hard drive.. and when it wants me to reboot to continue with the installation I couldn't because the hard drive is not bootable.. what can I do? do I have to format it with a bootup file in it?

 

[Woodie]

I'm afraid you're back to square one.

Boot from a boot floppy.
fDisk (or your favorite tool) and create a C partition.
Mark it active
<reboot>
Format your new C: partition using the /S paramter or sys c:. <== This makes the C: partition a DOS bootable partition.
Now, test that the HD is really bootable.
If successful, then boot from floppy w/ network drivers
Continue as before...

Notes:
I had to do this as well, W2K added an item to the boot menu (Boot from Previously Installed OS) or something like that. It won't really work, since the drive is NTFS now, and of course DOS won't read it. In any case, it gets you past your current problem.