Format Hard drive & install Windows98

Homer J Simpson

Hello,

I am looking for some advice regarding wiping my parents existing Dell pc and installing the Win 98 operating system on it.

It currently has XP( factory installed) installed on it however the disk has gone missing and I do have a full copy of Windows 98.

As I have never done this before can someone guide me as to the following:

1) What kind of bootfile \ bootdisk would I need and where would I get same?

2) They do not have a floppy drive so what way could I load a bootfile? Would this be through a CD or a memory stick?


This PC is only used for browsing purposes however it is practically at a standstill when trying to open any applications at all.

I have already backed up any files they need to hold onto.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards.

massy086

if u pm me i can lend u a dell xp disk if that is easy,r 4 you

Effluo

can you not just make a back up/recovery disc from within the xp install?

And reinstall xp that way!

cpu-dude

Homer J Simpson wrote: »

Hello,

I am looking for some advice regarding wiping my parents existing Dell pc and installing the Win 98 operating system on it.

It currently has XP( factory installed) installed on it however the disk has gone missing and I do have a full copy of Windows 98.

As I have never done this before can someone guide me as to the following:

1) What kind of bootfile \ bootdisk would I need and where would I get same?

2) They do not have a floppy drive so what way could I load a bootfile? Would this be through a CD or a memory stick?


This PC is only used for browsing purposes however it is practically at a standstill when trying to open any applications at all.

I have already backed up any files they need to hold onto.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards.

Going from XP to Windows 98 is a bad idea (unless it was upgraded to it).

You would need the Windows 98 CD, I can't imagine the PC is USB Bootable.

It's all the same prodecure as Windows XP (format > FAT32 > install).

The Windows 98CD should be bootable, make sure the BIOS is set to load the CD drive first.

If your going to 98 just because you've no XP CD - wait, ask a friend or massy for his.

Joeface

Even downloading Linux Ubuntu and installing it makes better sense than installing windows 98

Where abouts are you , I have Dell XP disk you can have , came with a system that is long gone in the bin.

syklops

Homer J Simpson wrote: »

Hello,

I am looking for some advice regarding wiping my parents existing Dell pc and installing the Win 98 operating system on it.

It currently has XP( factory installed) installed on it however the disk has gone missing and I do have a full copy of Windows 98.

As I have never done this before can someone guide me as to the following:

1) What kind of bootfile \ bootdisk would I need and where would I get same?

2) They do not have a floppy drive so what way could I load a bootfile? Would this be through a CD or a memory stick?


This PC is only used for browsing purposes however it is practically at a standstill when trying to open any applications at all.

I have already backed up any files they need to hold onto.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards.

Homer,

Windows 98 is 11 years old. Most people don't have cars that old. It is very insecure, and while like Windows XP vulnerabilities are still being found for it, unlike XP, patches are no longer being issued for it. There are various features which you take for granted on XP which are not available on 98, and it is certain that alot of your devices will not work, as there are no windows 98 drivers available for them.

From a legal/licensing point of view, you bought a computer, and paid for a copy of Windows XP OEM. OEM stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer, which means you have paid to use windows XP on this computer. Somewhere on the computer should be a sticker, with a license number. That license number is your authorisation to use windows. All you need is get your hands on a Windows XP OEM CD and you can install it using that serial number.

I don't have one anymore but I am sure someone here can send you one.

Effluo

syklops wrote: »

Somewhere on the computer should be a sticker, with a license number. That license number is your authorisation to use windows. All you need is get your hands on a Windows XP OEM CD and you can install it using that serial number.

Yeah that's not exactly true...
Or at least i'm pretty sure it's not!

When reinstalling an oem operating system from a manufacturer do you not need to make some kind of back-up/recovery disc to be able to reregister your version of windows? (this disc has the details of the original manufacturer)

Also i'm pretty sure that the oem key will only work for the same version be it xp, xp SP1 or SP2 xp.
I looked into this a couple of months ago as i had a problem myself with a laptop.

Which i actually never resolved....
hmmmmmmmmm

syklops

Effluo wrote: »

Yeah that's not exactly true...
Or at least i'm pretty sure it's not!

When reinstalling an oem operating system from a manufacturer do you not need to make some kind of back-up/recovery disc to be able to reregister your version of windows? (this disc has the details of the original manufacturer)

No. Generally you are given a disc which you can use to reinstall windows. The OP has lost this disc. When you install windows for the first time, certain pieces of information are gathered by the installation that are specific to your computer. The serial number of the CPU, the MAC address of the network card etc, and a unique key is created, this key is compared against the serial number on the PC, so when you reinstall windows, assuming you have not changed very much the hardware in your PC, the installation will authenitcate your installation and you can use it as normal. If you have changed certain pieces of hardware the keys will not match and you will have to ring Microsoft to authenticate your installation.

Also i'm pretty sure that the oem key will only work for the same version be it xp, xp SP1 or SP2 xp.
I looked into this a couple of months ago as i had a problem myself with a laptop.

Which i actually never resolved....
hmmmmmmmmm

It will only work for the same version. The OP said that XP was factory installed, so he just needs the disc, but he has the serial key already.

Effluo

syklops wrote: »

It will only work for the same version. The OP said that XP was factory installed, so he just needs the disc, but he has the serial key already.

Ohhhhh right so then obviously the only reason it won't work on my laptop is cause i had put the wrong service pack of xp on it...

So the question for the op is, "which xp cd does he need?".

Solitaire

Service pack doesn't even enter into it. If you have an OEM key for a particular type of XP (Home, Pro, 64) then you can use any disc of the same type regardless of hardware or Service Packs (it really helps to use a disc that's SP2 or later, given the improvements you'll get over SP1) - they're just glorified patches after all! So long as you have the same type of disc as the original key (i.e. Home 32 CD for Home 32 key) it'll go on. If the hardware is significantly changed then you'll have to reactivate. Big deal, its all automated nowadays just follow the annoying process and you'll be up and running in five minutes

Only exception is for keys belonging to extinct license volumes and OEMs (e.g Gateway, the "old" eMachines, couple of others). Those are often pirated and as a result Microsoft stick the keys on a banlist