windows..95..2 ..windows..98

[jas4u1]

Hi....can any 1 tell me how 2 go from windows 95....2 ...windows...98 ...I have the full version of 98...but when I tried 2 install it....it tells me that I need 2 buy or get the 98 upgrade ....could any 1 help me plz....thanks

[azscary]

The version you have assumes that there is no Operating System already installed. The only way to use it is to completely erase your hard drive and start from scratch. THIS WILL ERASE ALL PROGRAMS AND FILES ON YOUR COMPUTER! If you do not wish to erase your entire drive then you will have to purchase the upgrade version. If you do not mind losing everything on your computer, then make a startup disk from Windows. You may already have one from the initial install but it is always good to make a new one. If your hard drive is a Seagate, you will have to get their hard drive utility to format the drive. Boot from the floppy Win 98 start up disk if it is not a Seagate and at the A:> prompt type FDISK and select the option to delete the primary DOS partition. Then go back into FDISK and Create a new partition, use the entire drive, and set the partition active. THen exit FDISK and reboot with the floppy disk again. THis time at the A:> prompt type Format C:/u. This will now format the new partition to acept data. After the format, put the CD for the Windows Operating System you want to install in the CD ROM drive and Reboot. Before it gets booted enter your BIOS settings and set the boot order to boot first from CD ROM, Then Harddrive, then A Drive floppy. Exit NBIOS and the computer should boot from the OS install disk and proceed with the install from there.
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REMEMBER THIS PROCEDURE WILL ERASE EVERYTHING ON YOUR HARDDRIVE AND YOU WILL HAVE TO REINSTALL ALL OF YOUR PROGRAMS. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE THE ORIGINAL INSTALL DISKS FOR YOUR PROGRAMS OTHER THAN THE OS YOU CANNOT USE THEM AGAIN.
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[reboot]

Well,
<font size=7>Ignore everything above!</font>
azscary, it's nice that you went to all that trouble, and typed such good instructions, but they are totally unnecessary.
You do NOT have to format and reinstall.
Look in the c:\windows folder for the file called win.com
Rename it to win.bak
Install windows98, right over top of 95.
Don't restart, or you'll have to start with a startupdisk containing CD-ROM drivers to install 98.
The other way, is to copy the .cab and setup files from the win98Cd to a folder on the HD, and install from there.
Either way, you just rename win.com and run setup.exe

[azscary]

Thanks Reboot.

I was aware of the instructions you have entailed, and have used that very procedure before. HOWEVER I never had a lot of luck with it, among other reasons, because of the occaissonal inherant trait of Win 98 to hash the TCP/IP stack necessitating the uninstall and reinstall of the Communications package. You almost always run into version conflicts with the old OS. You can do what you suggest, but I ALWAYS have better luck with a clean fresh install.

js4u1,
You of course are free to do what you wish, but if you are the least bit uncomfortable with either suggestion, consider finding a local computer geek to help you out.
GOOD LUCK!

[courto]

Renaming win.com needs to be done in DOS mode, as far as I know. At the prompt type:> ren c:\windows\win.com win.bak
At least thats what I did a few days ago ;)
I had an IBM Aptiva and I was trying to do a clean install of Windows 98SE. It failed to completely install maybe 3 times, then I finally gave up and installed Windows 95 which installed like a dream and then installed Windows 98 SE (full version not upgrade) over the top which also went without a hitch.

[HAL9000]

Reboot, you're getting as bad as me leaving out one important step. You will be prompted for an installation directory. It will be defaulted to C:\WINDOWS.000, make sure to rename this back to C:\WINDOWS or the installation will appear to be clean. This is a reversible situation should you forget though.

I have used that same method literally hundreds of times with customers machines and never had a problem with it. My bench machine has actually gone through that process to go from Win95, to Win98, to Win98SE to WinME.

[reboot]

HAL, no matter how many times I type that, I know you'll come along and fill in the bits I miss... ;)

[HAL9000]

That's OK, I think you've caught me a couple times too, I'm FINALLY starting to remember it. Told my wife how to do that for one of the real estate agents that she works with and forgot that one little bit. Boy, did it send her into a panic when it appeared as a clean install. I ended up going over there to iron out the wrinkles.