hi,
i am trying to install windows 2000 on a compaq presario 7000 system and encounter this error while bootup: "
couldn't open partition to check signature"

any help?

hmm need a little more info:

What OS is on the drive?

Have you run any diagnostic programs on the drive: eg scan disk/chkdsk?

Have you tried just a straight format on the drive?

Try running a scandisk on the drive 1st to make sure there are no errors, and/or bad sectors is the 1st thing i would recommend. Other than that without a little bit more info i can't help ya.

i have formated this drive using ntfs and trying to install win2k pro on it

Have you tried using PM8, the rescue boot disks option yet? I use this at work and at home for problem HD's like this. Once booted via the rescue disks, you can check the disk info and file system for errors and such. If need be you can do a quick or full format in many different file systems as well