"Limited Virtual Memory" error message when you start your computer after you install or remove a hard disk

After you install or remove a hard disk on your computer, when you start your computer you may receive the following error message:

This behavior may occur if the drive letters that represent the hard drives installed in your computer are listed incorrectly in the following registry key:

To resolve this behavior, follow these steps:

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

1. Start your computer to the Windows 2000 Recovery Console. For more information about how to do so, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   301645  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/301645/ ) How to use Recovery Console on a computer that does not start in Windows 2000
2. Type the number that represents your Windows 2000 installation, and then press ENTER.
3. Type the Administrator password, and then press ENTER.
4. Rename the System file in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder to System.old. To do so, type the following lines at the command prompt, pressing ENTER after each line:
   cd system32\config
   ren system system.old
5. Copy the %SystemRoot%\Repair\System file to the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder. To do so, type the following lines at the command prompt, pressing ENTER after each line, where %SystemRoot% is the drive and folder where Windows is installed :
   cd %systemroot%\repair
   copy system %systemroot%\system32\config
   exit
   Your computer restarts.
6. Compare the contents of the current and original HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices registry keys. To do so:
   1. Click Start, and then click Run.
   2. In the Open box, type regedt32, and then click OK.
   3. Click the following key in the registry:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
   4. On the Registry menu, click Load Hive.
   5. In the Load Hive dialog box, locate the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder, click the System.old file, and then click Open.
   6. In the Key Name box, type test, and then click OK.
      
      This action loads the original HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive as a subkey of the current key using the name "Test".
      
      Compare the contents of the current HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices key with the contents of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Test\MountedDevices key in the original System.old hive that you loaded in step 6e.
   .
7. Import the contents of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices key to the System.old file. To do so:
   1. Click the following key in the registry:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices
      key.
   2. On the Registry menu, click Save Key.
   3. In the Save Key dialog box, click Desktop in the Save in box, type mounteddevices in the File name box, and then click Save.
   4. Click the following key in the registry:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Test\MountedDevices
   5. On the Registry menu, click Restore. In the Restore Key dialog box, locate the Mounteddevices file that you saved to your desktop in step 7b, click the file, and then click Open.
   6. Click Yes when you are prompted to continue the operation.
   7. Click the following key in the registry:
      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\test\MountedDevices
   8. On the Registry menu, click Unload Hive.
   9. Click Yes when you are prompted to continue the operation.
   10. Quit Registry Editor.
8. Restart your computer to the Windows 2000 Recovery Console.
9. Type the number that represents your Windows 2000 installation, and then press ENTER.
10. Type the Administrator password, and then press ENTER.
11. In the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder, rename the System file to System.bak, and then rename the System.old file to System. To do so, type the following lines at the command prompt, pressing ENTER after each line:
    cd system32\config
    ren system system.bak
    ren system.old system
12. Type exit to restart your computer.

Note: If you have a working, parallel installation of Windows 2000, there is one more method to resolve this issue. If you install Windows 2000 to another folder in the same partition or if you install Windows 2000 to a different partition, you can replace the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices registry key in your original installation with the same key from the working, parallel installation of Windows 2000. For more information about how to perform a parallel installation of Windows 2000, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

For more information about how to troubleshoot other situations in where this error message can occur, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: