Win2k Noobie Question - Help!

[Jeff H]

Guys,

I'm helping a friend set up Win2k Pro on a 1.6GHz P4 system. All has gone well, until we go to install add-in cards, namely an NIC and Hercules sound card. Win2k finds the card fine, but after software install it reports an error, something to the affect of Invalid Data. We end up w/ a yellow question mark on the device, and obviously it doesn't work.

Now, after this happened w/ both the sound card and NIC it hit my pea brain that likely the setup won't let us in as a user, only as an administrator. I'm not familiar w/ Win2k so I'm totally lost right now, re how/where to proceed. So, as I see the problem, for a single user how does one set up administrator access?

TIA for any of your suggestions/help/tips, so I can get my buddy up and running.

Jeff

 

[snidy1]

Did you check the MS compatability list for the hardware? The Admin should be the default instal user until you create new users.

 

[Jeff H]

snidy1, thanks for the reply. I checked both the sound card and NIC. The chipset on the soundcard is a CrystalSound 4624, which is listed as compatible. The NIC is Linksys LNE100TX, also listed as compatible. Under the previous install of Win2k (different mainboard, cpu, memory, vid card) the NIC worked fine. I think the old mainboard had some issues w/ the sound card due to older PCI standard (Abit BH6).

FWIW Win2k sees the cards fine. It's only after installing the drivers that I get this invalid data error. I've got to believe it's something I'm missing in Win2k due to my inexperience w/ the OS.

 

[snidy1]

Did you check for updated drivers?

 

[Jeff H]

snidy1, FWIW I tried both the distribution CD's and the latest d/l'able drivers from Linksys and Hercules. Same results - "invalid data."

 

[WarpSpeed]

Uninstall both cards, then install only one at a time. You might have to switch slots, though Win2K is pretty good at managing resources. Sometimes the motherboard isn't. Good Luck!

 

[wondersteve]

Originally posted by: WarpSpeed
Uninstall both cards, then install only one at a time. You might have to switch slots, though Win2K is pretty good at managing resources. Sometimes the motherboard isn't. Good Luck!

if that doesn't work .... reformat and try again .... i ahd the same problem once and that was what i had to do

good luck

 

[snidy1]

Sometimes sound cards don't work right or not at all in some PCI slots, I think that PCI # 2 is the best one for sound.

 

[Jeff H]

wondersteve, that's what I'm afraid we may have to do. I've tried different slots, tried installing one, then the other, etc.

Let me ask you guys this question - w/ Win2k is it better to do a "simple" install, w/ only a vid card, or a "complete" install, in which you set up all the add-in cards, then do the OS install. FWIW I've always read it's better to set up the OS, then set up the add-in cards one at a time. But, I'm wondering w/ Win2k if it's better to put in all the cards, then do the OS install.

 

[Vernor]

What software install ?

IIRC, both my NIC and sound card were automatically recognized by Win2k.
I didn't need to install anything else.

 

[snidy1]

I always put everything in before the install, but some say put them in one at a time.

 

[Jeff H]

Update - my buddy was on the phone w/ his company's support guy, and he's stumped why this isn't working. I'm leaning toward reformatting and reinstall, this time w/ both the card in their respective slots.

Vernor, all three add-in cards (if you include the video card) have driver disks w/ customized drivers more up to date than Win2k.

 

[Vernor]

Vernor, all three add-in cards (if you include the video card) have driver disks w/ customized drivers more up to date than Win2k.

That's a slighly different issue then, revolving around those particular drivers.


Did you install them by right-clicking on the .inf file ?

 

[Jeff H]

Vernor, they're disks that update the default drivers that Win2k installs. I've tried both the default drivers and updated ones, and the same error message comes up consistently. Today we're going to reformat and do another install, this time w/ both cards in the system as OS install time.