I'm trying to load win2k Pro on a new PC, and when it
tries to format the HD, it says it fails because the disk
is damaged, improperly installed, or that the SCSI system
is damged or not functioning or something along those
lines. I choose the only option it gives me, to format
using NTFS, but is saysd somethign about scsi? and the
drive works fine and isnatlled properly as primary
master.How do I format this disk? It is a 60GB Western
digital, brand new. What is the problem?

Is the hd detected in the bios?
Is it an ide drive or serial/scsi , thus requiring drivers to be installed?

"Skippy" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:50c301c40025$94bb9d90$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I'm trying to load win2k Pro on a new PC, and when it
> tries to format the HD, it says it fails because the disk
> is damaged, improperly installed, or that the SCSI system
> is damged or not functioning or something along those
> lines. I choose the only option it gives me, to format
> using NTFS, but is saysd somethign about scsi? and the
> drive works fine and isnatlled properly as primary
> master.How do I format this disk? It is a 60GB Western
> digital, brand new. What is the problem?

"Skippy" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:50c301c40025$94bb9d90$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I'm trying to load win2k Pro on a new PC, and when it
> tries to format the HD, it says it fails because the disk
> is damaged, improperly installed, or that the SCSI system
> is damged or not functioning or something along those
> lines. I choose the only option it gives me, to format
> using NTFS, but is saysd somethign about scsi? and the
> drive works fine and isnatlled properly as primary
> master.How do I format this disk? It is a 60GB Western
> digital, brand new. What is the problem?

Don't worry about Windows complaining of non-existant SCSI drives. It's just
the way Windows works. Even in an all EIDE system, the ATAPI drivers make
EIDE devices look like SCSI devices. Read this article for more information:

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;161563

You might have a messed up boot sector from a previously failed install. You
can use DEBUG.EXE (a DOS utility) to clean that up and make it sort of
appear as a virgin drive to the Win2K installer. With your trusty DOS boot
diskette in the floppy drive (you DO have a trusty DOS boot disk with
DEBUG.EXE on it, right?), reboot the machine. Below is a DEBUG session for
blowing off the boot sector of the PRIMARY MASTER drive. (The script changes
slightly for going after a Primary Slave, Secondary Master or Secondary
Slave.)

A:\> DEBUG
-F 200 L1000 0
-A CS:100
xxxx:0100 MOV AX, 301
xxxx:0103 MOV BX,200
xxxx:0106 MOV CX,1
xxxx:0109 MOV DX,80
xxxx:010C INT 13
xxxx:010E INT 20
xxxx:0110 (BLANK CARRIAGE RETURN)
-G

Program terminated normally
-Q
A:\>

(power off and try the Win2K install again)

Depending on how far you got with the original failed Win2K install, you
might have to go a bit further and mess up the supposedly deleted contents
of the drive. In this case, after going through that DEBUG script above,
fire up a DOS copy of FDISK, create a primary partition and activate it,
reboot to DOS, format it and redo the DEBUG script prior to attempting the
Win2K install.

You might want to also check your jumper settings on the IDE drive to ensure
it is correct for your configuration. I tend to avoid using "Cable Select"
and prefer to specify via jumpers a standalone drive or which is the Master
and which is the Slave. Check the label on the drive for the jumper options.