How To Create Setup Boot Disks for Windows 2000

This step-by-step article shows you how to create a set of boot disks.

Create Boot Disks

To create a set of Setup boot disks for Windows 2000, run the Makeboot.exe tool from the Bootdisk folder on the Windows 2000 CD-ROM:

1. Insert the Windows 2000 CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type drive:\bootdisk\makeboot a:, where drive is the letter of your CD-ROM drive, and then press ENTER.

NOTES

• You do not have to be running Windows 2000 to create the Setup Boot disks. A directory called \Bootdisk resides in the root of the Windows 2000 Setup CD. This directory contains two utilities capable of generating the 4 Setup Boot floppies. If you are booted into Windows 9x you will need to run the 32-bit version of this utility called makebt32.exe. If you are in DOS, or booted with a Windows 98 Startup Floppy that has access to the CDROM, you can use the 16-bit version called makeboot.exe.
• Disks created from the Windows 2000 Professional CD cannot be used with Windows 2000 Server; the reverse combination also does not work.
• Before deciding that a computer must be started from a CD or floppy disks, you should first try starting in safe mode on that computer.
• After starting a disabled computer from floppy disks, you can then use the Recovery Console or the Emergency Repair Disk (if you have prepared one).

Troubleshooting

The winnt /ox and winnt32 /ox commands that you can use to create Setup boot disks with Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and earlier versions do not work with Windows 2000. In Windows 2000, the winnt32 /ox command starts Help, giving you more information about Winnt32.exe.