Here's the method that I used on a Via MVP3 chipset mainboard a few days after Win2k came out last February (Win2k wouldn't recognize the board as ACPI-compliant):
1. Put the Win2k CD in the drive
2. Select "Install Windows 2000"
3. When the system reboots, hit F5 at the first blue screen when it asks if you have any mass storage device drivers or something like that
4. It will give you a menu of choices for your computer type that you probably didn't see before. You need to scroll UP with the keyboard until you see "Advanced Configuration and Power Interface PC". Do NOT select "ACPI Uniprocessor PC" which means you have a multiprocessor board with only one CPU installed.
5. Let the installation continue (it shouldn't ask any more questions, if I remember correctly). It won't install over any of your configuration settings or software, because it leaves your Registry intact.
As far as I can tell, the above procedure replaces the "Standard PC" hardware abstraction layer with the ACPI HAL. Because it IS a major upgrade, and manually selecting your computer type is a little like FORCING Win2k into ACPI mode, you always run the risk of locking up Win2k if it doesn't like you're motherboard's ACPI BIOS. I would back up anything important first. If you have Partition Magic and enough disk space, you can keep a backup copy of the entire partition while you try this procedure.
BTW, if anyone wonders, the easiest way to check to see which HAL you're currently running is by checking in the Device Manager under "my computer". It should state either "Standard PC" or "Advanced Configuration and Power Interface PC."
HTH!
Kyle
P.S. If anyone has a better method, let me know. Like I said, this was all very experimental right after Win2k came out...
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