Easy Guide to Installing Windows 98: Step-by-Step Instructions

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around troubleshooting the installation of Windows 98, focusing on issues encountered during the setup process. Participants share their experiences and configurations, exploring various potential causes for installation failures.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes their setup process, mentioning they have partitioned and formatted the drive but encounter a reset when attempting to run the Windows 98 setup.
  • Another participant requests additional details about the PC's configuration, including CPU, memory, and motherboard specifics.
  • Questions arise regarding the method of partitioning the hard drive, specifically the type of file system used (FAT16 or FAT32).
  • A participant provides a detailed step-by-step guide for installation, suggesting the deletion of all partitions and the creation of a new partition for system files.
  • Concerns are raised about the possibility of a bad installation CD or issues related to power supply and RAM seating affecting the installation process.
  • One participant suggests an alternative method of installation by copying the installation files to the hard drive and running the setup from there.
  • Another participant shares their success in resolving the issue by changing the power supply, indicating that it may have been faulty.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various hypotheses regarding the installation failure, with no clear consensus on the root cause. Some suggest hardware issues while others focus on installation methods.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include uncertainty about the specific configurations and conditions under which the installation fails, as well as the potential impact of using a startup disk created on another computer.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals attempting to install Windows 98, particularly those facing similar installation issues or seeking troubleshooting advice.

slim
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Can someone tell me how to install win 98 please.

I have :-

Partisioned the drive,
Formated the drive,

Done everything it says in the book, up to runing setup from the win 98 cd, then pc resets itself.

Can someone help me it s driving me nutts
 
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We need more details

Well, if that's everything you are willing to share with us, I'm afraid we can't help you.

What's your PC's configuration, CPU, memory, mainboard, etc?
 
and how did you partition your HDD? how many partitions? Fat16 Fat32?
 
Well i don't know much about these things but here goes.

Mother board: Gigabyte GA 7VRXP ATA133 Socket A
CPU: AMD Athlon 1900+
Video: Nvidia 128 MB DDR Geforce 4 Ti 4200
Memory: 256 MB PC 2100 DDR 266 DIMM
Drives: WD IDE 60 GB 5400rpm (which is set as single)
Lite on IDE Rewriter (set to master)
Floppy disk drive
Cards: Sound blaster live 5.1
jetway 56k rockwell pci
with 300W power supply.

Does this help?
I hope so :wink:
 
By the way the startup disk i am using was made on my other pc, does this matter?

I get up to typing in E:\setup (E is the cd drive the win 98 cd is in). Then it resets itself .

I think this is the right drive letter because if i do E:\ (at the A:\ prompt) then type dir I can see the setup exe file in the list.

Any ideas what I can try next?

Thanks for any help
 
all that I can imagine is either the CD is bad, either change the source. AMDs use more power than the Intel
 
How to install

1. Using a startup disk from another computer will not affect anything.

2. Boot your computer from the startup disk. Make sure to select the start with CD Rom drivers option.

3. After the computer boots enter "fdisk" (without quotes) at the A:\

4. In Fdisk make sure to delete all partitions! Create a new 2GB partition for your system files. You can always make data partitions later with a windows program (partion magic, etc.)

5. Exit fdisk and return to the A:\ prompt. Type "fdisk /mbr" this wipes the slate clean on your master boot record.

6. Restart.

7. At the A:\ "format C:" after it has formated enter label and restart.

8. After computer boots with the CD option type E:\setup. This should start the process. First it will do a scan on your disk to make sure it has the correct file structure and then it will start to install.

If all this doesn't work you may have a bad cd. They say that you can't use a OEM disk to install, but I have done it literally 50 times or so.

Feel free to PM me if you have any more trouble, I would be more than happy to help you out.

One more thing, if you have mismatched ram, a bad stick, or one is not seated properly it can cause problems in the install phase so double check.

Good Luck!
 
Originally posted by slim
By the way the startup disk i am using was made on my other pc, does this matter?

I get up to typing in E:\setup (E is the cd drive the win 98 cd is in). Then it resets itself .

I think this is the right drive letter because if i do E:\ (at the A:\ prompt) then type dir I can see the setup exe file in the list.

Any ideas what I can try next?

Thanks for any help
You might try running the setup.exe located inside the win98 folder.

I don't like to be nagged to enter the win98 CD when I make changes to my system so following the format I create a folder on the C: drive called win98, copy all the files from the win98 folder on the installation CD into it, perform a sys c: operation to make the hard drive bootable, then reboot the computer and run the setup.exe located inside the win98 folder on the hard drive. This is slick little trick you might want to give a try.

Good luck
 
Thanks all. Changed the power supply and it now works! I think the 12V line was iffy :frown:
 
  • #10
Alright !

How did you finally decide to partition the drive, and did you install from the CD or copy the win98 files to a folder on the hard drive first?
 
  • #11
Good!

It is almost always something simple!
 
  • #12
Originally posted by slim
Thanks all. Changed the power supply and it now works! I think the 12V line was iffy :frown:
My 2500+ just killed a power supply. It had been running fine for months before suddenly shutting off. Scared the crap out of me too, until I figured it out.
 
  • #13
slim: you should try Linux sometimes...:smile: :wink:
 
  • #14
hah, that's almost mean Guy.

:smile:
 

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