Windows 95/98/Me "Over-the-top" Reinstall

[GaryRouth]

Seems like I've been cutting and pasting these instructions a lot lately, so I thought I'd post them down here [now I only have to cut & paste the link!]

Sometimes an over-the-top reinstallation of Windows can be a timesaver. On most recent computers the whole procedure can take as little as 30 or 40 minutes. A nice feature of this procedure is that your programs do not have to be reinstalled, and your data is not lost. You likely will need to visit Windows Update when finished, though, to download and reinstall some of the Security Updates.

*Note* - while doing all this, you'll need to temporarily disable the Bios virus protection that is usually running on most modern motherboards. Enter Bios Setup by pressing the key displayed during startup, and somewhere on the first or second menu should be an item to Enable or Disable Bios Virus Protection (might be called BiosShield, or VirusGuard, or whatnot) ---> then, when you're finished with your uninstalls & reinstalls, re-Enable the Bios protection feature.
____________________________
Over The Top ReInstall:

Boot with a bootable floppy or CD - "with CD-rom support", and from DOS rename the win.com file to win.bak. Like this

C:
cd \Windows
rename win.com win.bak

Then switch to the drive letter of your CD drive [often drive D:] -->OR switch to C:\Windows\Options\Cabs (if you're lucky enough to have the cabs copied onto your hard drive there), and start setup (by simply type the command: setup) When Windows asks if you want to use the directory C:\Windows.000, instead choose "Other" and type in C:\Windows [without the .000 following]. You'll need your CD-key handy.

If you've lost your CD-key: before you start the reinstall look for it by starting regedit from the Start/Run box, then navigate to the key (you navigate in regedit like you do in Windows Explorer) HKEY_Local_Machine/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion . . . if you click on "Current Version", you should see a list of keys and values in the box displaying on your right. One of these will read "ProductKey" and will consist of 5 sets of 5 alphanumeric characters = your CD key. Be careful when in regedit just to look at things and not make accidental changes.
_________________

If you forgot to rename the Windows.000 directory, don't worry, Hal has a tip posted in this same Tips & Tricks board that can fix that for you. His thread also explains how to use a procedure very similiar to this 'over-the-top' for upgrading within the Win9x series.

Should I have mistyped anything, or if you find errors or encounter problems with the procedure - post with your experience. Thanks!
. . . Gary

[Parangles]

Hi Gary - I followed this proceedure to try to cure the problem at my other post that you replied to:
http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.php?threadid=80082

But it caused a major mess and after days and days of working on it I gave up and had to get a pro on it today for 4 hours .
Ouch ! $$$$!

When I did the over the top following these instructions, I lost numerous drivers, ( no sound, video in 16 colors,etc) lost all personal preferences, configurations, and settings. No network, so no internet etc, desktop icons didn't work etc etc. I am still trying to get other stuff working. Like MsWorks
just will not open at all even after re installing it. Aaaah!

It seems to me that these instructions are missing advice on
backing up files that are going to be wiped out by a reinstall.
Ive decided to buy a larger 2nd hard drive and keep a frequently backed up, complete copy of C drive on it. This is the last time.

Cheers,
Chris

[Redo40]

Hey Gary,
I had a friend do the over-the-top install just this past weekend (when everything else failed) so he could backup his data before doing a clean install and everything went great. Without this tip, he would have lost all of his data.

Parangles incident just proves that there is always a chance you can lose your data and backups should be part of regular maintanance.

Thanks for the tip.

[GaryRouth]

Hi all -

Parangles - I'll have to check in my books, and do some extra research to see why your situation turned out like it did. If I can find out what situations extra precautions apply, I'll post them here.

There are some programs that will allow you to backup all your existing drivers to removable media ---> these are pretty handy even when not reinstalling [though Norton Ghost type programs cover a lot of this same ground, too]. Again, I'll have to check for the links & post them a bit later on [It's late here on the West Coast].

If for some reason, the over-the-top reinstall accidentally became a fresh install [to the Windows.000 folder, for example] that would explain your trouble with your installed programs.

I like the many options of the over-the-top, but perhaps I should add for other readers in this link who only need to verify and reinstall operating system files from their same-version Windows 9x installation CD, that there is the procedure whereby you boot from the installation CD ("start computer with CD-rom support"), switch to the drive letter of the cd-drive that the installation CD is in (or to the folder on the hard drive that holds the .cab files), and type
setup /p f
Make sure that there's a space between "setup", "/p", and "f".

I've heard techs refer to this as a sort of Win9x version of a "repair install".

I'll check back in again after a bit more research.
. . . Gary

[Parangles]

Gary, it probably was my fault why this didn't work for me:

a) I forgot to change the C:\Windows.ooo to just C:\windows
and I hit the back button a couple of screens later and changed it. This resulted in a
C:\windows folder with all the data in it , PLUS an empty
C:\windows.000 folder which although empty, may have
' confused ' the issue.

b) I didn't see those 'p' and 'f' qualifiers and just entered
'setup'. ...... I didn't lose any data files, just all the preferences, configuration, etc. Eg ..Outlook express that I use only for newsgroups is gone- all the subscriptions,
server info etc. and many programs and hardware still will
not work.

c)Backups- I had made a back up of system .dat and user.dat
but didn't have the nuts to just change them.
Is it too late to substitute them ? I'm still in a mess- see my
'Scanner reinstall problems " post.

I don't think there is an alternative to a partial reinstall of the OS when someone gets where I was... the proceedure just needs to be refined for lame geezers like me !

Thanks!

[GaryRouth]

I'm visiting here a bit later today than usual, been busy with Kindergarten ThanksGiving projects! . . .

So - I haven't really done all the research I'd like to yet: there are still some details I'd like to find over at Microsoft. [I have a tendency to start looking for one thing, then notice something interesting, then it's three hours later . . . ! almost too many things to explore on the MS site]

Just in case there is something that might help your current system, take a look at Hal's tip about reversing the Windows.000 thing http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.p...threadid=38140

. . . and I'll head over to check out your scanner thread.

[I rather fall into the lame geezer category myself - just ask my family ] . . . Gary

[jankohrasko]

Hi Everybody,
So I tried to make this over-the-top reinstall of Windows 98SE yesterday. Everything went exactly how you described with one small difference : I didn't have to type CD-key in, I wasn't asked to do so. Everything else went OK, all icons are there, all programs are there, screen resolution was set to its original.
Nice and simple when you know how to do it.

Gary, thanks for another lesson in PC building.

jankohrasko

[fisher]

Ok i am a real PC dummy here, i don't have a boot disc?? all i have is the original win 98 cd will this work?

[fisher]

Ok this does not work? iam getting a error file win.com not found?

[GaryRouth]

Hi fisher - did you change to the \Windows directory first? If not, it won't find win.com

. . . Gary

(I'll reply to your other questions in your thread up in the Win9x forum)

[fisher]

Sorry Gary i don't know how to do that??? I tried to but ???? I just shoved the win 98 Se cd in, opened it up and hit set up and let it do its thing? It seems to be working, but what do i know. LOL

[GaryRouth]

Well, in case you ever need to switch to a directory in DOS in the future, it's the command "cd" ---> which stands for "Change Directory". So, if you start the computer with a Win98 bootdisk (either a floppy diskette or an installation CD), from the A: prompt, you type the commands below just before starting an over-the-top:

C:
cd \Windows
rename win.com win.bak

Then you can either type setup, or simply let the Windows Installation CD continue with setup after that.

Glad things went well for you after all!

[Coretys]

Hi there,

I saw all your instructions above, but I don't dare to do it, because my computer has a partition. And when I insert the CD-Rom or Floppy and then start the computer, the boot magic doesn't start. And I don't know if this will influence the other partition. It is my wifes part and I don't want to mess with this part at all.

So I tried ...

Start computer, choose partition, hold down CTRL key and then insert the disc and the cd-rom to fix the problem. But I don't know how to go on. I can't access the cd-rom. and on the floppy I don't know what application to start a reinstall.

So my questions are ...

How do I reinstall only one part of the partition WITHOUT influencing the other?
What app do I have to choose from the floppy disk?
What are the dos commands to REINSTALL (without data loss) and not INSTALL Windows?

Any idea ??? Thanks ...

Coretys

[GaryRouth]

Hi Coretys

. . . and Welcome to the PC Mechanic forums.

Does this describe your situation? --
. . .You have a computer that you share with your wife. At some point, you've installed BootMagic to provide a Boot Menu of Operating Systems at startup, so that you can easily choose which one to start. One of the systems is a Win9x system, and BootMagic is installed on the first portion of it's FAT32 partition, and has written it's BootMagic MBR onto the primary drive (MBR = Master Boot Record). Therefore, when you boot from either the Windows CD, or a bootable Windows floppy diskette, you bypass the BootMagic MBR and menu, and go straight to the default Windows operating system on the drive. And you're worried if an over-the-top reinstall will harm the other operating systems on the computer, because you didn't see the Boot Magic menu.

The short answer is: don't worry. If the other operating systems on the Boot Magic menu are either NTFS-based, or Unix/Linux based, a reinstall of the Win9x on the FAT32 partition shouldn't harm them at all - especially since Win9x doesn't really even know that they are there (without the help of third-party software, Win9x can't "see" NTFS, Unix, or Linux based partitions). There's no partitioning happening, either, in the Win9x reinstallation. In Win9x, partitioning needs to be done ahead of any installation processes using a tool such as the DOS tool fdisk. And all the partitioning on your current drive is already in place.

If there are other Win9x operating systems on the computer, just make sure that when you start your over-the-top that you are on the correct partition: the one containing the Win9x you want to fix. To make things as simple as possible: if there's enough room on that partition, just create a folder on that partition and copy the Win9x .cab files into it --> then start the setup from there. The simplest method for you in that case would be to try the simpler "setup /p f" command. Basically, switch to the drive letter for that partition [by typing that drive letter followed by a colon at the command prompt - for example E: K: This would switch from drive/partition E: to drive/partition K:] and then change to the directory in which the .cabs are placed [for example K: cd\CoretysReInstallCabs] and type the command "setup /p f" --- don't type the quotes, and be sure to include a space between the "setup" the "/p" and the "f". This procedure verifies the system files.

What trouble is causing you to consider an over-the-top?
. . . Gary

[p.s. ....the reason you couldn't reach your CD drive after holding down the CTRL key, is that you booted into Safe Mode.]

[Kiwi]

Originally Posted by GaryRouth (...) Sometimes an over-the-top reinstallation of Windows can be a timesaver. On most recent computers the whole procedure can take as little as 30 or 40 minutes. A nice feature of this procedure is that your programs do not have to be reinstalled, and your data is not lost. You likely will need to visit Windows Update when finished, though, to download and reinstall some of the Security Updates. Over The Top ReInstall: Boot with a bootable floppy or CD - "with CD-rom support", and from DOS rename the win.com file to win.bak. Like this C: cd \Windows rename win.com win.bak

Right there. The only time I've faced a need to do that is using an OEM version that wants to load to a fresh drive, but can be convinced to do otherwise when it doesn't find any Win.Com file. I might've still known about the two switches you suggest further down in the original tutorial, but that would've been both when "Secrets of Windows98" by Livingston & his partner was fresher in my mind, and before "OLD-Heimers" syndrome appeared and started to affect the HUMAN memory systems at this location!

As it is, I went ahead and printed this thread out so I can remember at least where I put the fresh printouts, I hope. And that was only after I wondered why the inkjet didn't start printing, and before the internal WinSpooler told me that my LaserJet wasn't responding (I forgot that the Inkjet is only available via the LAN, and the PC it's attached to is currently 'hors d' combat' or whatever the phrase is! So I still had to TURN ON the L-J 4MP, which doesn't have the modern auto-sleep setup that the inkjet offers.)

[lovesranch]

HI Gary,
I did the reinstall win98 1st edition, but had a restore cd (emachine). I renamed win.com to win.bak, then when i tried to switch to my drive d: it said invalid drive. Can't remember how, but found my drive letter was r: not d:? So i changed to drive r: and typed "setup". It said " cannot be run from DOS. So i rebooted to the disk and just did a "reinstall, will not format hd". This seemed to work but i'm not sure if it was an actual "over-the-top-reinstall". The reason i say this is because i had to reinstall MS Word and EXCEL. It also wiped out my Outlook Express address book and my email settings.Now i find that my CDROM, nor my CDR-RW drive can accesss my backup files. I downloaded the latest driver for the CDR-RW but there were none i could find for the CDROM drive. How do i get my drives to read the disk?
Ray

[glc]

Answered in your thread in the other forum.

No, you did more than an "over the top" - you cannot do that with a restore CD. You need to give us more details up front to get accurate assistance.

[Snake420]

I have a Question .......
I've had a persistent problem, that NOONE has been able to fix thus far, at 6 different Forums....so I'm following through on most of their suggestions, to reinstall Windows over top of itself...so, here goes.......
My Norton protection is disabled, and I'm going to reinstall Win98 over top of itself. I am going about it by the faster way, by typing in from COMMAND: SETUP /P F
I was told this replaces the bad areas of my Win98, rather than doing a full reinstall over top.
Here's my question.......when it gets into the Setup, it asks me where I want my CAB Files to go ? I was told not to send them to C:\Windows.000 , but use Other, and on the next screen type in C:\Windows . Yes ? .....but, My existing Win98 CABS are in C:\Win98 on my system. What should I do ??

[GaryRouth]

I posted a longer reply over in your Win9x forum thread, but here's the short version:

I think what you mean is what to answer to the "where to install Windows"? prompt, which happens fairly early on in Setup: often Windows will suggest C:\Windows.000 if it has detected files already present. We recommend choosing "Other", and typing in "C:\Windows" (without the quotes).
. . . Gary

[Carl Price]

If you copy the win 9x directory from the cd directly to the harddrive, you can then do an over the top installation by changing to the directory and running setup. All other comments remain the same(especially the one on changing the directory name from win.000). This also will change your installation drive to this directory so you won't need to find your cd anytime you want to change the settings.

[jswick]

Originally Posted by GaryRouth Seems like I've been cutting and pasting these instructions a lot lately, so I thought I'd post them down here [now I only have to cut & paste the link!] Sometimes an over-the-top reinstallation of Windows can be a timesaver. On most recent computers the whole procedure can take as little as 30 or 40 minutes. A nice feature of this procedure is that your programs do not have to be reinstalled, and your data is not lost. You likely will need to visit Windows Update when finished, though, to download and reinstall some of the Security Updates. *Note* - while doing all this, you'll need to temporarily disable the Bios virus protection that is usually running on most modern motherboards. Enter Bios Setup by pressing the key displayed during startup, and somewhere on the first or second menu should be an item to Enable or Disable Bios Virus Protection (might be called BiosShield, or VirusGuard, or whatnot) ---> then, when you're finished with your uninstalls & reinstalls, re-Enable the Bios protection feature. ____________________________ Over The Top ReInstall: Boot with a bootable floppy or CD - "with CD-rom support", and from DOS rename the win.com file to win.bak. Like this C: cd \Windows rename win.com win.bak Then switch to the drive letter of your CD drive [often drive D:] -->OR switch to C:\Windows\Options\Cabs (if you're lucky enough to have the cabs copied onto your hard drive there), and start setup (by simply type the command: setup) When Windows asks if you want to use the directory C:\Windows.000, instead choose "Other" and type in C:\Windows [without the .000 following]. You'll need your CD-key handy. If you've lost your CD-key: before you start the reinstall look for it by starting regedit from the Start/Run box, then navigate to the key (you navigate in regedit like you do in Windows Explorer) HKEY_Local_Machine/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion . . . if you click on "Current Version", you should see a list of keys and values in the box displaying on your right. One of these will read "ProductKey" and will consist of 5 sets of 5 alphanumeric characters = your CD key. Be careful when in regedit just to look at things and not make accidental changes. _________________ If you forgot to rename the Windows.000 directory, don't worry, Hal has a tip posted in this same Tips & Tricks board that can fix that for you. His thread also explains how to use a procedure very similiar to this 'over-the-top' for upgrading within the Win9x series. Should I have mistyped anything, or if you find errors or encounter problems with the procedure - post with your experience. Thanks! . . . Gary

I tried your method and it did not work. Any other suggestions?

[glc]

Post a new thread in the appropriate forum stating your problem in detail.

[Obstacle2]

Hi Gary,

I followed your instructions to a T for the over the top reinstall, and it takes me into Windows Setup. It gets to the Setup Options screen where you pick what kind of install you and then it stops. A message pops up that says:

"Application Error

Call to Undefined Dynalink"

Upon clicking the Close button, it exits setup and goes to a blank screen with the cursor flashing in the upperleft corner. What now?

[GaryRouth]

Hi Obstacle2

You'll usually want to open a thread over at the Win9x forum for your situation - but I'll give a quick answer here:

See if the Microsoft Knowledge Base article for your error helps (most likely, you'll be renaming the Aolndi.dll file) http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q188970/

If that doesn't do it, post a thread for us in the Win9x forum, & we'll go from there.

Best of luck
. . . Gary