# Need Windows 2000 Pro help **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 4, 2001, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-windows-2000-pro-help/96913 "2001-12-04T22:43:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-windows-2000-pro-help/96913/1 "2001-12-04T22:43:58Z")
I have Windows 2000 Professional OS on my computer at home. I have no access to the internet through my browser (IE) or through my e-mail (Outlook Express). I can ping through DOS, though, according to tech help at my ISP. My question here - how on earth can I fix this? I haven’t got a tech on hand, and I know very little about how to fix this sort of thing. Can anyone help me? Please? I do not have a boot disk. I have a copy of Win 2000 Pro and I have Win 98 - which I much preferred. How can I wipe my (relatively new) hard drive and install Win 98 without a boot disk? Is there any way at all I can repair this without losing everything I’ve done? I would greatly appreciate any help that you can provide, O Teeming Millions. ---
**Author:** ![Rasa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rasa/32/3578_2.png) [@Rasa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rasa)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-windows-2000-pro-help/96913/2 "2001-12-04T22:48:37Z")
When you say “can’t reach the internet”, do you get error messages? What kind of connection to the internet? ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@Jet\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Black)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-windows-2000-pro-help/96913/3 "2001-12-04T22:50:07Z")
Buy a Mac. Jet Black ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-windows-2000-pro-help/96913/4 "2001-12-04T23:01:22Z")
I get an error message when I open the browser window. If anyone can help me out here, email me your phone number and I’ll call you. I only have internet connection until 4:30 pm MST. No, I’m _not_ a Psycho Nutbar[sup]TM[/sup]. I will not stalk you. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecc23a/32.png) [@Jet\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Black)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-windows-2000-pro-help/96913/5 "2001-12-04T23:13:54Z")
Ginger, I was just joking about the Mac crap. I hope you get some answers to your problem. If there’s anything that pisses me off, it’s computer crap. What should be a simple task, drawn out over endless hours. I’m not sure if this is the right place [forum] for the question. Is there a “technical” forum on SDMBs?? Jet Black ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-windows-2000-pro-help/96913/6 "2001-12-04T23:36:26Z")
If there was a tech crap forum, you can be sure that I would have posted it there. I’m now out of internet access until tomorrow morning. If you know how to reach me by phone and can help me, please do. ---
**Author:** ![Kwyjibo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/59ef9b/32.png) [@Kwyjibo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kwyjibo)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2001, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-windows-2000-pro-help/96913/7 "2001-12-04T23:40:55Z")
Sorry Ginger. Traffic, I got home late. If you are going back to Win98 and your drive is NTSC, then you will loose anything that is on there. You may be able to reformat the drive in Fat32 using the CD. Check to see if you can boot from the CD. (It’s in your BIOS) If you can, plop the CD in and boot from there. ---
**Author:** ![Kwyjibo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/59ef9b/32.png) [@Kwyjibo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kwyjibo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2001, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-windows-2000-pro-help/96913/8 "2001-12-05T00:12:29Z")
You’ll probably get this too late, but better late than never. Try renewing your IP: Start\>Run\> “ipconfig /release” (No Quotes) then Start\>Run\> “ipconfig /renew” (No Quotes) This will try and renew all the IP settings from the DHCP server.