System Boot Diskette Unable to Load Operating System on Partitioned Hard Drive

Issue: System boot diskettes are unable to load the operating system on a partitioned hard drive. The hard drive will be formatted and fdisked but the system will not recognize that the operating system CD is in the CD-ROM and will not install the software. An error message "Did you forget something?" may be seen during an attempted installation. This issue is common on a system containing the Western Digital 2.5 Gig Hard Drive because of the partitions. This issue does not indicate a defective boot diskette or a "wrong" boot disk.
Resolution: To overcome the limitations of the boot diskette and successfully install the operating system on a large partitioned hard drive, follow the steps below:

Boot the system to the diskette.
Select option 4 (Exit) from the menu.
FDISK the hard drive and set up two partitions.
Save the changes made for the partitions, and reboot the system.
Boot the system to the diskette again.
Select option 4 (Exit) from the menu.
Format both partitions.
Boot the system to the diskette again.
Select option 2 (Load CD-ROM drivers).
After the drivers install, remove the diskette and boot the system to the hard drive.
Load the operating system from the CD-ROM.

Note: Choosing to load the operating system from the diskette may result in an incomplete installation. Steps may be missed. By following the steps above, all areas are covered to ensure a complete installation of the operating system.
The information in these articles is provided "as-is" without warranty of any kind, and all warranties are hereby disclaimed, whether express or implied, including, without limitation, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. Gateway 2000 will not be liable for any damages whatsoever, whether direct, special, indirect, incidental, or consequential (including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss) arising out of, or related to your use of, or inability to use the information in any such article,even if advised of the possibility of such damages. Because some states and jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, the above limitation may not apply to you. You may not further distribute, reproduce, rent, sell, transfer or license these articles.

If our documentation hasn't helped you,
this might be a good time to
send an e-mail to Technical Support.