Windows 2000 Can Be Installed on Large Removable Media (199019)

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You can use this capability, for example, to install Windows 2000 on one removable disk or cartridge and Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 on another. This separates the registry information so that programs that write to the registry are completely separate in the two operating systems. The name and physical location are recorded by the separate operating systems for the Windows NT Loader (NTLDR) to display when the computer is started.

NTLDR checks the registered path to the %SystemRoot% folder for Windows 2000 to start, whether it is on a hard disk or on removable media. If it exists, the operating system starts. If it does not exist, an error message is generated. Insert the correct disk or cartridge and then reset the computer.

Windows 2000 Setup does not indicate whether the media to which you are installing is removable. Setup checks for necessary disk space and the ability to write to the device (eliminating floppy disk drives, CD-ROM drives, and so on).

In versions of Windows NT earlier than 4.0, Setup checks to verify that you are installing to a fixed hard disk. Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 corrects some limitations of MS-DOS-based programs and allows you to install to removable media.