Windows 98 Folder

[FZWG]

Appreciate some feedback.

In a system with Windows 98 installed, is it possible to rename the Windows 98 folder to '.old', then copy a new Windows 98 folder to the hard drive, and install W98 from there?

Thought I read about something along these lines, but cannot recall where!!! (Senior moment)

Any thoughts are welcome.

[andyms18a]

in your c drive you will have a folder named windows this is whare windows is instaled to if you have a folder named win98
then normaley the win98 setup files are in that you can copy the win98 cd to the hard drive and put it in to the win98 folder and run setup from it but you can allso boot from the 98 cd and run setup from that all this will do any way is reinstall windows over the top so all your program and data will be the same if you want to clean instal then boot with a win98 boot disk and format the c drive then at the c prompt type md win98 and hit enter next type copy e:\win98*.* c:\win98 and hit enter it will copy all the setup files from the cd to the hard drive when it finishs remove the win98 cd then type cd win98 and hit enter then type setup and hit enter and your computer will install windows from the hard drive

[FZWG]

Read somewhere that if Windows is giving problems, the Windows folder can be renamed to 'old' and a new Windows folder can replace it. Might be all wrong on this one, but that is what stuck on my mind. How the heck you do this, don't have a clue.

[EzyStvy]

Just pop in the cd to do the reinstall. It'll prompt you that it's detected a previous version and will "attempt" to use the folder Windows.000. You can rename it if you want.

[HAL9000]

Renaming the WINDOWS.000 back to WINDOWS will keep your original installation and hopefully repair whatever problems you were having.... not renaming it will give you a clean installation, but it is possible to revert back to the original installation... I have details of this in the tips and tricks forum.

[FZWG]

These are the steps given for an installation, not an upgrade:

1. Installation

Restart/Power computer using Windows 98 boot disk

Select "Boot with CD-ROM Support" from the Win98 boot up menu

Rename the Windows and Program Files directory, as follows:
At the A:\> prompt, key in:
C:
Press Enter.

At the C:\> prompt, key in the following:

rename windows windows.old
Press Enter.

Again at C:\> prompt:
rename progra~1 programs.old
Press Enter.

Again at C:\> prompt:
dir/w (Checks if files were renamed correctly)

Next, copy the Win98 installation files from the Windows 98 to the hard drive. This negates the need for the actual Windows CD when installing any Windows component, new hardware, etc.

First, create a directory called: Win98, and place it under C:\

At the C:\> prompt, key in:
md\Win98
Press Enter.

Copy the Win98 installation files from CD to hard drive.
Again at the C:\ prompt, key in:
copy d:\Win98 c:\Win98 (where d:\ is the CD-ROM drive)
Press Enter.

Go to the directory where the setup files were copied to by keying in: C:\Win98.

Start Windows setup by keying in:

setup /is

The setup process scans the hard drive and finds the Windows.old folder to install to that folder, even though it is renamed. Instead, when it says "Install Windows in C:\windows.old", clear out the "windows.old" portion and type in "Windows" for the destination folder.

Windows is installed, without erasing the hard disk and all its data. After the installation, reboot the computer and restore any drivers.

Programs will need reinstalled, and the hard drive may be fragmented. Once data is salvaged, etc., delete the windows.old and programs.old folders, and defragment the hard drive.


Any thoughts??

[GaryRouth]

fzwg - seems like that's harder than it needs to be. Here are the links from the Tips & Tricks section for a guide to "over-the-top" reinstalls, and Hal's guide with even more details:

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=70846

http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=38140

Let us know if that doesn't answer your questions.
. . . Gary

[FZWG]

Thanks for the links.

In Hal's approach, only the win.com file, which is part of the C:\Windows directory/folder, is renamed.

In the approach posted above (08-29-2003 09:52 PM), the entire Windows directory/folder is renamed.

Presume the renaming of win.com does not require the installation of programs, etc.?

[GaryRouth]

Yes, the two procedures in the links I posted don't require reinstalling programs or drivers. The procedure you posted, while harder, probably provides you with the option to go back to your previous installation.

There's one other, undocumented, procedure you can try = often called a "System Files Refresh". You boot with either a bootable floppy or your Windows CD - "start computer with Cd-rom support", and from the drive letter of your cd, type the command Setup /p f

I hope glc doesn't mind me quoting an older post of his - here's his detailed version:
______________________
"Another documented but little-known switch is Setup /p f (the space between "p" and "f" is necessary). This builds a new Windows Registry. Running Setup with this switch deletes existing settings that may have been in the root branch of your Registry. For this reason, Setup /p f is useful only if your Registry is hopelessly corrupted and you cannot fix it with a backup. But in that event, this switch can be very, very useful indeed.

This switch enables Clean Registry mode. It forces Detection to clean the root branch of the registry before starting. This switch is ignored when Setup is run in the Windows 95/98 graphical user interface (GUI)."
___________________

. . . one of my favorite guitarists (the bossa-nova chap from the L.A.Four)...likes to say that when he refers to themes from other musicians, it's "not plagarism, it's Research!" :)
. . . Gary

[FZWG]

Thanks for the 'undocumented' procedure.

Had read about the /p f switches <A HREF="http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;[LN];186111">here</A>

Might come in handy sometime. ;-)

Guess choosing to rename the Windows directory or the win.com file depends on the circumstances, and is basically the choice of the person having the problems.

Thanks again.

[GaryRouth]

Nice link for all the switches - think that's a keeper. So I guess it's not as "undocumented" as I thought! :) ;) :D

[FZWG]

Gave you one link for your two. Call it about even? ;-)

Have a good holiday.