1. "i started with fdisk to partition and format (which took forever as it kept looking for allocation units)"
That's an ODD way to install Windows 2000. The 2000 CD is bootable and has its own tools to delete, create partitions to install to. You may be defeating the install by using DOS in some fashion?
Using JUST the Windows 2000 CD, boot off the CD and use its tools.
2. "i asked it to do a scandisk.....it showed almost instantly BB bad sectors on c drive....i have now come home for the night wondering what the hell to do to get the windows2000 disk to install"
Windows 2000 may not like having a bad hard disk. Try the Windows 2000 installer with it's partition method and failing that, repair the machine.
Bob
my friend has a 2 year old Gateway pc that has died a few times and had recently received a bad virus. (gateway withdrew all support from australia shortly after buying it on a rental plan and cannot get help from them) she asked if i could format and re-install win2000pro for her. as i've done this to my own pc a few times i thought it would be no problem.
her pc is intel p4.....40G.....
i started with fdisk to partition and format (which took forever as it kept looking for allocation units)
finally it had finished and i came to the stage where you restart the pc and boot using cd rom support. on my pc this always brings up the op startup screen to install win2000.....
but this just tells me what the drives are then stops at a:/>.....then nothing.
help on bootdisk suggested i transfer updated sys files which transferred successfully. but still no loading. i also tried safe mode but it jumps to c:/> then nothing......any attempts to get it to do something else say invalid etc.
also when it showsme what the drives are...it says the virtual info is on d:.....and that i have a e: and a f: drive which are the cd roms.....e drive doesn't work and when old op was on she always had to use the f drive. now i have the op in f drive to install, and if i ask to read the directory of F: while in bootdisk it shows all the windows 2000 files but when i ask it to run f: it tells me it has an error reading e drive.
finally after leaving her place i asked it to do a scandisk.....it showed almost instantly BB bad sectors on c drive....i have now come home for the night wondering what the hell to do to get the windows2000 disk to install .
i hope this makes sense...i'm very tired and its nearly 2am!

Chowhound
Comic Vine
GameFAQs
GameSpot
Giant Bomb
TechRepublic