To do a clean install, either boot the Windows 2000 install CD-Rom or setup
disks. The set of four install disks can be created from your Windows 2000
CD-Rom; change to the \bootdisk directory on the CD-Rom and execute
makeboot.exe (from dos) or makebt32.exe (from 32 bit) and follow the
prompts.

(Note: If your drive controller is not natively supported then you'll want
to boot the Windows 2000 install CD-Rom. Then *F6* very early and very
important (at setup is inspecting your system) in the setup to prevent drive
controller detection, and select S to specify additional drivers. Then later
you'll be prompted to insert the manufacturer supplied Windows 2000 driver
for your drive controller in drive "A")

Setup inspects your computer's hardware configuration and then begins to
install the Setup and driver files. When the Windows 2000 Professional
screen appears, press ENTER to set up Windows 2000 Professional.

Read the license agreement, and then press the F8 key to accept the terms of
the license agreement and continue the installation.

When the Windows 2000 Professional Setup screen appears, all the existing
partitions and the unpartitioned spaces are listed for each physical hard
disk. Use the ARROW keys to select the partitions Press D to delete an
existing partition, If you press D to delete an existing partition, you must
then press L (or press ENTER, and then press L if it is the System
partition) to confirm that you want to delete the partition. Repeat this
step for each of the existing partitions When all the partitions are deleted
press F3 to exit setup, (to avoid unexpected drive letter assignments with
your new install) then restart the pc then when you get to this point in
setup again select the unpartitioned space, and then press C to create a new
partition and specify the size (if required). Windows will by default use
all available space.

Be sure to apply SP4 and these two below to your new install before
connecting to any network. Internet included. (sasser, msblast)
http://download.microsoft.com/download/E/6/A/E6A04295-D2A8-40D0-A0C5-241BFECD095
E/W2KSP4_EN.EXE
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-043.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-049.mspx

Then

Rollup 1 for Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 4
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?amp;displaylang=en&familyid=B547
30CF-8850-4531-B52B-BF28B324C662&displaylang=en

Hi John,

What name brand 300 GB IDE drive did you buy?
If it came with a utility disk, run it and see if you can write Zeros to the
drive. Also if you Google again, try the follow and nothing else in your
search......

0000AA00

Id also check ALL cables in the system as it's possible something is loose
but you can't see it enough to tell.

Sorry, it's taken me so long; I had to buy a USB floppy drive before I could
do anything else, and Xmas shopping season being what it is...

Anyway...

@SG: It's a Western Digital. I haven't had problems with them, despite their
reputation.

And just 0000AA00 pulls up either stuff in German (darn it), or this post.
I'll double check the connectors, just to be sure.

@SG and Dave:
Well, I've *tried* to run the diagnostics, but the program keeps complaining
about a version/drive mismatch. Mind you, according to WD the things are
supposed to be golden. (I.e. I downloaded the ones they say should work.) I'm
tempted to go talk to WD, but I'm not sure it's worth the trouble.

The non-diagnostic tools *do* work, and don't indicate any problems.

I'm still not quite ready to buy a new drive, as I'm sure it's just a SW
issue somewhere, and not a mechanical one. I'm tempted to boot back into a
Linux live CD and use dd to write zeroes to the entire disk. (Since the WD
tools don't work.)

I *have* made some progress, however - the problem is definitely on the
disk, not the CD. Not that I didn't think that before, but now I'm *sure* of
it.

So, I know the problem's on the Disk, I still don't know what the problem
is, or how to fix it. And I still don't know what the error message means
(exactly).
--
What do you want?
Information.

The Saga Continues...

Well, after taking a break from it for a bit, I revisited the problem. My
first thought was to buy a 120 GB HD, but apparently, that's not possible
anymore.

So I tried slipstreaming SP4 into my install CD, to take care of the
potential "large disk" problem. I still get the same result.

I'm rapidly approaching the point where I just give up entirely on this, and
using Windows on my home computers. If I do that though, I'll lose access to
a few important programs.

So after lots of wheel spinning, I still don't have a Windows Desktop and
the Win2k disk still bombs with the indecipherable "Disk IO: Status:
0000AA00" message.

Any more ideas?
--
What do you want?
Information.