Miscellaneous Challenges

This section covers some tasks (we like to call them "challenges") that you might need to perform. If you don't find the solution here, don't panic; check the Microsoft Knowledge Base—the definitive source for information about problems with Windows.

Adding a Processor to the System

Occasionally you might find yourself adding a second processor to a dualprocessor-capable system. The procedure for doing this is a little different in Windows 2000 than it was in Windows NT 4.

Upgrading from a single-processor Windows 2000 system to a multiprocessor system is actually a major change, causing Windows to alter its entire hardware abstraction layer (HAL). Thus, it is very important that you don't mess around when choosing a HAL. Stick with the one Windows picks, because if you choose an incompatible HAL, the only way to recover is to perform a clean install of Windows 2000.

After installing your additional processor, use the following procedure to switch HALs from uniprocessor to multiprocessor:

1. Launch the Computer Management snap-in from the Administrative Tools folder on the Programs menu.
2. Click Device Manager in the console tree.
3. In the details pane, expand the Computer branch of the Device Manager tree, as shown in Figure 38-7.
4. Right-click the computer item (most likely ACPI Uniprocessor PC) and choose Properties from the shortcut menu.
5. Click the Driver tab and then click Update Driver.
6. Use the Upgrade Device Driver Wizard to locate a more suitable HAL for the multiprocessor system. If Windows doesn't automatically find a different HAL, contact the system manufacturer for an updated HAL or system BIOS. Do not manually choose a HAL, as it might render the system inoperable.

Figure 38-7. The Computer Management console.

Windows Hangs When Shutting Down

Although the Windows 2000 Server family usually shuts down reliably, it can occasionally hang up during shutdown. Here are some suggestions for solving the problem (for more in-depth information, use the Help system's Startup and Shutdown Troubleshooter or search the Microsoft Knowledge Base):

• Disable antivirus programs that might be scanning floppy drives. Try uninstalling the program and restarting.
• Go back to an older video driver or to a standard VGA driver.
• Disable sound cards.
• Disable network cards and modems.
• Check to see if the Exit Windows sound file is damaged. If it is, change the Exit Windows sound to none, extract a new copy of the file from the Windows CD, or copy it from another computer.

Uninstalling Windows

Yes, there are times when you want to uninstall Windows. Perhaps you need to perform a clean installation without reformatting the hard drive. Or maybe you've decided that you'd rather have the raw power of MS-DOS 4 again. To remove Windows 2000 follow these steps:

1. Verify the location of Windows 2000 and the partitioning of the hard drive. (The Disk Management snap-in located in the Computer Management console shows the partition information.)
2. Make sure that no valuable files are located in the %SystemRoot% or Program Files folders.
3. Determine what you want to do with the partitions. If you will be using an operating system other than Windows XP, Windows 2000, or Windows NT 4 with Service Pack 4 or later, you'll need to repartition and reformat any NTFS partitions that you want to be able to access from that operating system.
4. To completely remove Windows 2000 from the system, replace the Windows 2000 boot sector with that of the operating system you want to use. (See the operating system's manual. For MS-DOS or Windows 95/98, boot from a floppy and type sys c: at the command prompt. Windows NT users can use the emergency recovery process.)

   Alternately, you can leave the Windows 2000 boot sector intact and simply edit the Boot.ini file to remove the Windows 2000 installation you're uninstalling, set the default to the desired operating system, and optionally set the timeout to 0 to boot the default operating system without displaying the Boot menu.

5. Delete the %SystemRoot% folder in which the Windows 2000 installation was located, as well as the Program Files, Documents and Settings (be careful with the data though!), Recycler, and System Volume Information folders, as desired, to free up disk space.
6. Delete the following files in the root directory of the boot partition:
   • Pagefile.sys
   • Ntdetect.com
   • Ntbootdd.sys (if you're using a SCSI system)
   • Cmldr
   • Cdldr
   • Arcldr.exe
   • Arcsetup.exe
   • Boot.ini (do not delete if you want to keep using the Windows Boot menu)
   • Ntldr (do not delete if you want to keep using the Windows Boot menu)

   Uninstalling Windows 2000 isn't a consumer-level process like that offered by some Microsoft operating systems in the past. If you've upgraded to Windows 2000, you're out of luck if you want to switch back to the old operating system. Fortunately, few of us will ever feel the need to uninstall Windows 2000, making the inconvenience manageable.