After HPT366 driver installed W2K won't boot!

Harpmaker · Post by **Harpmaker** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 8:54 pm

Hi folks;

I guess I'm a bit behind the curve here, but I just installed Windows 2000 Pro on my BP6. I'm using the RU BIOS and booting from a Maxtor 160 Gig. drive on a Promise TX133 controller. The install went well, the only hardware w2k didn't find was my ethernet card and the HPT366 controllers.
I installed the Netgear driver, which got me going on the internet and I had Mozilla and Opera installed and configured as well as AntiVir and Zone Alarm. I was crusin', and then I got the bright idea to see if I could get the HPT366 working. I came to this site and downloaded the 1.25.xx HPT366 driver and installed it as per instructions. Everything went fine until I rebooted. When the system tried to start again it froze when the blue bar was about half way across from left to right. The system is so messed up it won't even boot into safe mode - it freezes up. HELP!

All I want to do at this point is remove the HPT366 drivers so I can save about a days work and not have to reinstall w2k. I can get to a command line prompt by booting from the CD, but don't know what to do after that. Any help would be appreciated!

Oh yea. I'm only using the HPT366 to run a DVD burner and Zip 250 (which I just read I'm not supposed to do). I'll move these to the primary IDE controller after I get the system up again.

Dave Rave · Post by **Dave Rave** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 5:51 am

try taking them off the hpt and then see if it will boot.
perhaps that is your problem ??
dodgy highpoint...

much as great hard drives on good ide controllers are wonderful things...
I feel that not using a boot drive on a primary ide channel is asking for trouble.

Harpmaker · Post by **Harpmaker** » Fri Sep 17, 2004 10:08 am

Dave;
Thank you so much for the reply, it worked! I had thought about removing the HPT366 devices, but then told myself "Naa, that's too easy." Thanks again.

I too have my reservations about booting from the Promise TX133, but I see no way around it if I want to use the full capacity (and I do) of the Maxtor 160.

Also, sorry about the double post, my browser chocked on me and I didn't know the first one was sent.

davd_bob · Post by **davd_bob** » Sat Sep 18, 2004 2:35 am

Harpmaker wrote:Dave;
Thank you so much for the reply, it worked! I had thought about removing the HPT366 devices, but then told myself "Naa, that's too easy."

Its the simple things in life that we overlook that drive us CRAZY