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Thread: How do you install Windows 98 on a notebook PC

  1. #1
    Ultimate Member muchmark's Avatar
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    How do you install Windows 98 on a notebook PC

    How do you install Windows 98 on a notebook PC which can have either the floppy drive or the CD ROM connected but not both at the same time? HD is already formatted.

  2. #2
    EX Moderator-May He Rest in Peace rangeral's Avatar
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    There are adapters available to plug in the laptops hdd to a regular pc and copy the win98 folder to it then put it back and start the install from the floppy bootdisk or connect the laptop with a crossover cable to a serial connection to another pc for the same copy process.

    http://www.wown.com/j_helmig/dccmain.htm

    can't find that adapter link I had, try a search on google for cables and hdd adapters.

    Forgot to add you might want to make 2 partitions if there isn't one there already to put that win98 folder in plus any drivers you might need for future use.
    Last edited by rangeral; 12-18-2003 at 04:01 PM.

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    Ultimate Member Rocketmech's Avatar
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    Is the W98 cd or cd drive bootable?

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    Ultimate Member muchmark's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Rocketmech
    Is the W98 cd or cd drive bootable?
    NO, that would have been sweet

    Found this topic by our Vernon Frazee but looks like a lot of heavy lifting:

    http://www.computerseasy.com/easydos/messages/3069.html

  5. #5
    Ultimate Member Direct1's Avatar
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    I would do as Vernon Frazee suggested in that article except when he came to installing. I would make a folder on the hdd called Win98 (or whatever you want) and then change to the WIN98 folder on the cd and copy all the files from there to the folder you created on the hdd. Then run setup.exe from the hdd. If you have enough space that is. Also, like rangeral suggested, you could put the installation files on a seperate partition. Good luck!

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    Ultimate Member rraehal's Avatar
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    Originally posted by Rocketmech
    Is the W98 cd or cd drive bootable?
    Originally posted by muchmark
    NO, that would have been sweet
    I have never run across a Win98 CD that was not bootable. The only CD's that were used to install 98 that were nnt bootable were not legit.

    If you have a CD-Burner you could copy the WIN98 folder to your hard drive and create a new bootable CD in Roxio or Nero. When it asks for the floppy, put in the original Win98 floppy to use as a boot image and then put the entire win98 folder in the cd layout. Burn the CD and you should be able to boot and install off cd.
    -- Mathias

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    Ultimate Member Ol'Tunzafun's Avatar
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    Are the drives hot-swappable?

  8. #8
    Ultimate Member Billforce's Avatar
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    On my Compaq Laptop I have a second partition that's quit small and just hold some of my programs that I want to reinstall including Win98SE. I keep them in folders on "D" drive along with the device drivers.
    Create a folder win98 on "D" and copy the win98 portion of the Win setup disk to the folder and install from that folder. I do it at least once a week especially with a cd that's sometimes less than perfect or a flakey drive. For some reason it will copy from DOS even if you can't install from it. With Win98, I have better luck installing from the HD than I do installing from a CD drive.
    Good Luck!
    "Never corner something that's meaner than you are"

  9. #9
    Ultimate Member herosrest's Avatar
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    Any bootable cd that gets u to a command prompt and loads cdrom drivers and mscdex will do the job if hd is formatted.

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