I have used win98se for 8 years or longer and this last year i installed xp upgrade and i didn't like it so i formated my HD and installed 98se with ease and this year i needed to try xp again for this game but it wasn't an upgrade but an OEM version. I formated my HD and then used fdisk and all that to try and get 98se back but it will not reinstall at all. It starts up and stops at either 7, 57 68% all the time. Can anyone tell me how to get this 98se back on my system? I have tryed all the tools like the one from my HD maker to delete my HD back the way it was when it came new but that won't help either and i was told by someone on the internet to put my HD in the freezer, what a joke so can anyone reallt tell me what i can do? thanks

Hi,

Windows XP alters some of the BIOS settings. Restart your PC and press DEL to enter your BIOS. You need to go through your bios and note down some of the BIOS basic settings like your HD, Video Card, etc. Once these are noted you need to 'Reset BIOS to default settings' and then save your settings then turn your PC OFF. Once you restart your PC, enter the bios again and make sure that all your HD, Video Card, etc are recognised and try to reload Win98 from there. You should now be able to re-install.

I had the same problem some years ago and it had me beat for ages before someone mentioned in passing that XP did this.

Please post your outcome.

Thanks i will try this to see if it will work. I sure hope it will work and i will let you know one way or the other. James

"... but it wasn't an upgrade but an OEM version."


If you used an OEM disc on a machine it wasn't meant for, you'd better start from scratch. Use a Win98SE Boot Disk* and use fdisk to delete all partitions (DOS and NON-DOS). Create a new FAT32 partition(s), exit, reboot, then format. 98 should then install.


The "hard disk in the freezer trick" would be an attempt to tighten up loose spindle bearings in the off chance the drive will spin up for quick data retrieval.


The option for an O/S to alter bios settings is set by the user. (Better word is "control IRQ's/resources" etc.) ie; "PnP Aware O/S" Default/factory settings usually disable this function and you must enable it.


Post back with your results and any further questions.


*The above bootdisk image file is a self extracting file and has to be executed (run) from a running Windows machine in order to create the actual startup diskette on one of your floppy disks. (This image file produces the same bootdisk which 98SE creates.) This downloaded image file will format the floppy disk to ensure its integrity, write the files to the disk, then verify the file write, so it'll take a minute or three to create the bootdisk.

Ensure the floppy drive is set as the first boot device in the bios.

NOTE: When you boot a machine with this boot floppy, it creates a RAMDRIVE in system memory to contain DOS system tools/drivers. Thus it will move your "normal" CDROM device/drive letter "up" one level. (If your CDROM is normally E: it will be F: when booting with this bootdisk.)

The path to the found CDROM will be set with the bootfiles, so entering A:\>f:\setup is the same as entering A:\>setup at the A:\> prompt. There is no need to include the cdrom drive letter. The CDROM device letter will be assigned near the end of the floppy boot process, right after MSCDEX is loaded.

Yes the windows 98se was an oem verson i had in here but the xp was also but it ws for a dell computer i forgot to say cause i had a dell a year before i built this computer. I clicked on blue window 98 boot disk you placed on here and downloaded it and installed it to a floppy but after extracting it, a window popped up saying the file was corrupt so it isn't good. I have a few boot disk for 98 but each one has different files on them and i have tryed them all when i tryed installing 98se. I'm going to try and format this thing tomorrow if i have time and HOPE i can get it in here once and for all cause i have more disk space with 98 than xp and this 12 gb HD doesn't hold that much files now unless i have 98 in which i should never installed xp at all in the first place. I know people learns this way and i have built computer from the bottom up and install software no telling how many time but never had this type of a problem before. Thanks for tring to help with this matter and i will try what you said step by step and hope for the good. have a good nite and a better tomorrow. James:helpme:

"... window 98 boot disk you placed on here and downloaded it and installed it to a floppy but after extracting it, a window popped up saying the file was corrupt so it isn't good."

Did you download the file to your hard drive, then click on it to run it?

Is your floppy disk itself error free?

Yes i downloaded it to my HD first and then ran a virus scan on the floppy and it was clean and then ran a format on it and it was nothing on there and no bad sectors and then extracted it to the floppy and while it was coping to the floppy that's when i got the error about 1/3 the way thru is when the pop up showed up. I have downloaded startup disk from bootdisk.com and a few other sites and they were corrupt as well so there isn't any good place on here to find one at all.

Hmm. It seems rather odd that every bootdisk you download comes up with errors.

Run scandisk (or chkdsk if you're on a NT based system) on the drive you're downloading these to. As well, your floppy drive may be faulty.

Originally Posted by Dan Penny

Hmm. It seems rather odd that every bootdisk you download comes up with errors.

Run scandisk (or chkdsk if you're on a NT based system) on the drive you're downloading these to. As well, your floppy drive may be faulty.

i have several new floppy drive and HD's as well as my two computers and i can installl 98se on the other and no i'm not running an NT at all and i have used Killdisk to get rid of everything on here with 20 runs thru and my HD was just like new and i have changed my settings on my Motherboard as well as it came new and i have also checked my bios and done changing in there also but still no luck at all. I'm going to try once again today cause i have caught up on my work and i have the time and i will do everything there is to try and get it loaded.

OK, I'll be watching for your further update.