This article will show you how to install Windows 2000 OS on a new virtual machine using Microsoft Hyper-V software. This OS came out in 2000, and it was better than Windows NT 4.0 and meant to replace Windows 95 and 98. Even though it looked like Windows 98, it was much safer and more stable.
Follow these steps to run Windows 2000 on a VM using Hyper-V, which you can now use on newer systems like Windows 10. Let’s start by figuring out how to do it on your computer.
Credit: Microsoft
A Look into the Features and Advancements of Windows 2000
On February 17, 2000, Microsoft launched it. It replaced Windows 95 and 98. It was better than Windows NT 4.0 and came in four versions: Professional, Server, Advanced Server, and Data Center Server.
Win2000 was way better than Windows 98. It was safer and more stable. It had a feature that only allowed users to access files, printers, or other computers. This made sharing data more secure. Also, it worked well with different types of networks, like TCP/IP, NWLink, and AppleTalk.
This OS lets you set up workgroups and domains. This made it easy for different groups to share data. It was a significant improvement over older versions because it was more secure, stable, and worked well with many types of networks.
Installing Windows 2000 in Hyper-V
Nowadays, instead of using Windows 2000 on actual PCs, you can use Hyper-V on newer systems like Windows 10. You can watch this video or follow these steps to set it up on virtual machines.
- To install the Hyper-V app on your Windows 10 PC, click on the Start area and open “Turn Windows Features On or Off.” Then, check the box next to Hyper-V, click OK, and restart your PC once the program files are installed.
- Before you install a Windows system with Hyper-V, you need to make an External Switch. This lets your guest machines connect to your local network. If you use the Default Switch, VMs won’t get an IP address from your local network’s IP block. So, it’s better to use the External Switch because it lets you assign an IP address from the local DHCP server to the VM. To do this, open the Virtual Switch Manager tool from the Actions section and make the External adapter.
- Here’s a simple way to set it up: Go to Virtual Switch Manager and select “External.” Then, hit on the “Create Virtual Switch” button. After that, pick your computer’s Ethernet or Wi-Fi adapter in the External Network setting. Lastly, click OK to close the window.
- Because Windows 2000 is an old operating system, you need to make a particular VHD virtual disk to run it smoothly in the VM. Just click “New” and “Virtual Disk” in the Actions menu to open the wizard. Then, create a 2 GB VHD disk.
- After you’ve set up the external adapter and virtual disk, here’s what to do next: Click on “Actions,” then “New,” and finally, “Virtual Machine.” Follow things in the wizard to start creating your virtual PC.
- In the “Before You Begin” window, click “Next” to make a manual VM.
- In the “Specify Name and Location” window, type in the name of the system you’re installing. Then, click “Browse” to choose a spot on your external disk where you want to save the VM backup.
- In the “Specify Generation” window, select Generation 1. This one works with BIOS firmware, which is what Win2k 2000 needs.
- In the “Assign Memory” window, give the Windows 2000 virtual computer an appropriate amount of memory based on how much RAM your computer has. If you plan to run more than one Win2K virtual machine in Hyper-V, you can turn on Dynamic Memory. This helps manage memory better. But if you’re only using one guest OS, don’t turn on Dynamic Memory. Just give the VM a fixed size of 1024 MB (1 GB).
- When you’re setting up your network, go ahead without attaching any extra pieces to your virtual device. This means your VM won’t be linked to any outside networks or devices and will work on its own. Just make sure this setup works for what you need, as it could restrict what your device can do or who can use it.
- In the “Connect Virtual Hard Disk” window, tick the box that says “Use an existing virtual hard disk.” This will let you add the 2 GB virtual disk you made earlier with the VHD extension for your virtual system. Click “Browse” to find where the disk file is located.
- Look at all the settings for your virtual machine on the summary page. When you’re done, close the wizard.
- Go to the settings of the virtual machine, then choose “DVD Drive.” Check the box next to “Image File,” and then add the Windows 2000 ISO file to the virtual machine.
- Take out the new network adapter from the virtual machine. Then, put in a legacy network adapter by clicking on ‘Add Hardware.’ Change the setting for Virtual Switch to External.
- Once you finish what you have done before, the next thing to do is connect to Windows 2000. Once you’re connected, find and click the Start button to start installing.
Conclusion
To sum up, even though Windows 2000 is old, it has excellent features worth checking out. So, you can use virtualization software like Hyper-V on newer systems like Windows 10.
Just follow this article to install it on a virtual machine easily. Whether you’re into OS history or need to run old software, give Win2K a shot in a virtual machine with Hyper-V.
Suppose you want to use an old version of Windows on a virtual machine. In that case, you can read our article about installing Windows Vista on Hyper-V. Vista is like other old Windows versions that Microsoft doesn’t support anymore. But some people still like its features. Our guide helps you set it up on a virtual machine easily. Then, you can enjoy the memories of using an old Windows version.
Additionally, you want to test a newer Windows version on a virtual PC. In that case, you can read our article about installing Windows 8 on Hyper-V. This OS was also a big deal for Microsoft because it had a new interface made for touchscreens and other cool stuff. Our guide shows you how to make a VM and put Win8 on it. That way, you can try out its features yourself, even if your PC setup is different.