The story tells us that Windows 2000 lost extended support in July 2010, but many companies continued using it after that deadline, and it also became a very popular OS in the community for modifications and experiments. What does that mean exactly? That today we have precise instructions to install Windows 2000 in 2021, modernize its components, and run software that under normal circumstances would never work.
When installing an old operating system, we usually have two options: Use a standard copy with the latest available updates, or apply several modifications to extend its compatibility. The first is simple because it doesn't require much surgery. If you limit your software selection to compatible programs, the environment should work without issues.
But if you prefer the second option... you have to work. Not only are you dealing with the lack of official updates, but in some cases you will need to build your own patches, transferring and replacing files. That's what happens today with Windows 2000. Microsoft's classic operating system turned 22 years old a couple of weeks ago, but the phreaknet.org portal offers a "modernization guide" with 27 steps. If you want to know how to install Windows 2000 in 2021, you definitely should read it:
Steps to install Windows 2000 in 2021
The original guide has the potential to melt a couple of brains, but what I can offer in return is a condensed version with its general parameters:
- The first thing is to obtain a copy of Windows 2000 Professional SP4, extract its content and integrate HFSLIP in a process known as slipstream. This allows us to merge a good number of updates into the operating system and save time.
- Then we proceed to install this modified version of Windows 2000, download and install KernelEx (site in Japanese, but there are other versions), a compatibility layer that enables running modern programs on Windows 2000. I have crossed swords with KernelEx before, and it can be quite temperamental in some cases.
- The central steps focus on preparing Windows 2000 to install Office 2007. We can easily avoid all this if we install Office 2003, which has native compatibility with Windows 2000, but whoever wants the 2007 version will need to install the fcwin088 module, use its executable fcwin2k to fake a compatible installation environment, and finally open NNN4NT5, which extends that fake to the whole system.
- The next phase helps us install the Unofficial Service Pack 5.1, activate Office 2007, check the operation of the Calibri font, download several cryptographic updates for XP, extract the necessary files from those patches, inject them into the correct locations, and perform a couple of hexadecimal edits.
- The adventure concludes with downloading and installing the latest root certificates, and enabling font smoothing.
In summary
This modernization guide also has an extension that explores the possibility of installing Office 2010 on Windows 2000... but to be honest, I think the complete experience will be much more pleasant if you decide to avoid Office 2007 and install Office 2003, which can still create compatible documents and templates without too many hiccups.
Finally, if you really want to do something crazy with obsolete operating systems, I would like to offer you another alternative: Installing Windows XP in 2021.
Official site: Click here
