Actually your system may be able to handle XP. It usually requires 300MHZ cpu or better but I have seen it installed on 233's before.
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Formatting drive C and installing Windows 98
THE FIRST PART IS JUST A STORY EXPLAINING HOW IT HAPPENED:
Hi, I have an old, slow computer that is really corrupted. I managed to avoid formatting the C drive many times in the past by reinstalling Windows and copying missing files from the Windows CD, etc.
However, I recently reinstalled Windows 98 again but this time it didnt work. After I reinstalled Windows 98, it got stuck at a blue screen, but I could still move the mouse. When I pressed Ctrl-Alt-Del, the screen suddenly looked very strange with colourful squares and flashing colours... So I pressed the Computer's restart button. The same thing happened with Safe mode, but I didn't try Ctrl-Alt-Del this time.
Then I went into DOS mode and the files and directories were still there. I typed Win in C:, but it said himem.sys was missing, even though it was in the Windows folder. I copied himem.sys and config.sys into multiple Windows subfolders, and typed Win again but it still didnt work. Then I restarted using the Computer's restart button and let it load Windows. It froze, and the mouse cursor was visible but frozen, so I pressed Ctrl-Alt-Del and it restarted.
This time, I went into DOS using a boot disk because it couldn't boot from the C drive. When I used the DIR command in C:, there were only a few folders there and all of them were corrupted. They all had strange ASCII names like ñ¥ƒä etc. There wasn't even a Windows folder. Obviously, my C drive is screwed beyond repair this time. I tried Scandisk but it said there was an error in the C drive, something to do with the FAT thing...
THIS IS WHAT I NEED HELP WITH:
I need to format my C drive and reinstall Windows 98. Can someone please give me step by step instructions on how to format my C drive, and then reinstall Windows 98? If possible, please tell me how to install the necessary drivers, unless Windows does it automatically?
The following is just for your information:
I have a Windows 98 boot disk with DOS and CDROM drivers. I have a Windows 98 installation CD. I cannot get into Windows (as can be read in the story above), but I can get into DOS using the Boot disk. Also, I have the driver CDs for the sound card (not sure, but something like A3D) and the video card (SiS 6326). My computer is a PII 233mhz with 160mb SDram, and the C drive has a capacity of 3.2GB (it currently has about 500MB of free space).
THANKS!
By the way, I also have a Windows XP CD. I'm assuming that my computer is too slow/old to handle this OS, but if it is highly worth considering, please say so.
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Answers
Also you may have a problem with the hard drive try using the free diagnostic utility from the vendor of your disk to check for problems with the disk.
fujitsu
http://www.fcpa.fujitsu.co
IBM and Hitachi
http://www.hgst.com/hdd/su
Maxtor/Quantum
http://www.maxtor.com/en/s
Samsung
http://www.samsungelectron
Seagate
http://www.seagate.com/sup
Western Digital
http://support.wdc.com/dow
www.westerndigital.com
Test the RAM
If you can swap out the RAM with known good modules for testing first if you can't do that then test the machine with one RAM module at a time until you tested every module. Other wise run the the following RAM testers.
--------------------------
NOTE IF THIS DOESN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE RAM THIS DOESN'T MEAN THE RAM IS GOOD you would need to swap out the RAM with known good modules for testing. However if it does find something wrong then chances are the RAM is bad.
DocMemory PC RAM
Diagnostic Software
http://www.simmtester.com/
or
http://www.memtest86.com/
or
GoldMemory
http://www.goldmemory.cz/
HOW TO: Install Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.c
A Guide to Installing Windows XP
http://www.pro-networks.or
Clean installing Windows XP
http://www.webtree.ca/wind
Upgrading to Windows XP
http://www.aumha.org/a/xpu
XP Home Install step by step for new hard drives
http://www.windowsreinstal
XP Pro Install step by step for new hard drives
http://www.windowsreinstal
Windows XP Home Upgrade Install Step by Step
http://www.windowsreinstal
Windows XP Pro Upgrade Install Step by Step
http://www.windowsreinstal
Windows XP OEM Installs
http://www.windowsreinstal
HOW TO: Start Setup from MS-DOS in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.c
--------------------------
http://www.techtv.com/scre
Just look here
http://www.experts-exchang
for my accepted answer, it seems that only a very few people know about this undocumented format-parameter "u".
Thanks everyone, I followed the instructions on http://www.hexff.com/win98
However, when it loaded Windows for the first time after the installation, it froze at a black screen before it showed the desktop. I remember that this always happened before the format, when my C drive was still corrupted. However, I did not expect it to happen now. So I restarted, and it told me to scanreg, and I did. It fixed the registry, and I restarted again. This time, it told me to go into Safe Mode because "Windows didn't finish loading last time". When the blue Safe Mode screen appeared, it froze. I could see the cursor, but it was frozen in the centre of the screen.
There's obviously still problems in my C drive, so I'm formatting it again right now. I'm going to include the parameters /u, /c, and /s. Thanks for the link, meinein. Also, is it bad to format the hard drive too many times?
I'll post again later after I format with the extra parameters and do another clean install of Windows 98.
This is very strange...
I formatted using the extra parameters. I did a full scandisk with surface scan. There were no errors. Then I tried installing Windows. When it was "setting up the installation", it froze when it was 98% done. So i restarted the computer.
When it booted to DOS, it could not detect the hard drive. The C drive was changed into the ramdrive. I tried going into the BIOS and making it "auto detect harddrive", but it said the hard drive is not installed. So I just pulled the plug, shook the computer a little bit, and plugged it in again. This time, it detected the hard drive and booted up normally. I'm going to format and install Windows again...
It sounds like the hard drive has low level errors, probably in the boot sector or file allocation table. It was a good drive, but it sounds like its time is done. It sounds like budget is a concern. The cheapest thing you can do is to look at someplace like www.gotapex.com, www.techbargains.com, or www.pricewatch.com and get the cheapest hard drive you can find. Likely you can get a drive for under $40. I would then go through and follow CrazyOne's excellent instructions above for the reinstall.
I would avoid putting XP on that box. While there are XP boxes running with your hardware or less, they are usually lab boxes that just need to keep their heads above water, and aren't used for any real production purposes. You will be more satisfied with Win98 on this box, until you can afford to upgrade to a newer one.
Hi man why don't you try to format your hard disk in low lewel format, give me your email and I'll send you my low level format program, with this program your hard disk will become as a new one. This is so useful...
After you have format your hard disk with this software you have to boot with your floppy system disk and make your main partition with the fdisk command and after that you have to use the format command.
Definitely do not try windows XP, you need at least 256 Megs of RAM, and processor should be above 400Mhz. for it to actually be an improvement on Windows 98 SE.
After much frustration with similiar problems I finally threw away 2 computers similiar to the one you are describing.
Chances are if you look on www.ebay.com to the actual value of the machine you will realize that if you could sell the time you are putting into it (i.e. get payed to work for someone else), and spend that cash on a newer machine, you will end up investing fewer hours, and owning a better computer. Not to mention avoiding all the hassle and frustration. I used to think I would learn more about computers by doing it the hard way, I did learn: dont bother with old computers which are starting to go bad.
Your hard drive definitely sounds like it has reached retirement age. If you cannot change the whole comp, then try getting another drive.
1. start pc
2. keep on pressing F8 to get startup options
3. choose command prompt
4. type after c:\ the following: format c:\u
5. reboot when format is done
6. goto system bios (usually by hitting the Del key - or read the first page that appears when you startup your pc depending on the brand)
7. goto "boot sequence" and let the CD ROM be the first.
8. Put Win98 CD and follow instructions
Omanca
The CD ROM is already set as the first boot option, but it doesnt boot from it.
I've tried installing Windows 98 many times already (formatting the drive each time), and everytime there's always something wrong, like error messages or missing files, etc.
I don't think the hard drive is very reliable, even if I do get Windows to work. I may consider buying a new drive. However, do you think these problems are a result of an incomplete format? What is a "low level format"? Thanks.
Good question, because a low-level format can fix many things. First of all, you should determine the manufacturer of the hard disk. Each has its own diagnostic program and can be used to perform the low-level format (Sometimes called zeroing the drive). I have had both Western Digital and Seagate drives that were diagnosed as no good, and after the zero process, they were fine.
Check the drive's manufacturer and go to http://www. its name.com.
Post if you need more on this one.
Joe
fujitsu
http://www.fcpa.fujitsu.co
IBM and Hitachi
http://www.hgst.com/hdd/su
Maxtor/Quantum
http://www.maxtor.com/en/s
Samsung
http://www.samsungelectron
Seagate
http://www.seagate.com/sup
Western Digital
http://support.wdc.com/dow
www.westerndigital.com
I'll just get the programs from the fujitsu site. I assume the "erase utility" is the low level formatter? I couldn't find any other fujitsu programs that formats your hard drive. Also, there are only two diagnostic utilities at the fujitsu site, and they are only for EIDE and SCSI hard drives. I think mine is IDE, but will it work with the EIDE diagnostic utility?
I used the diagnostic utility and it said there were no errors. Then I used the erase utility to do a low level format, I partitioned it to fat32 using fdisk, and I did a normal format. I copied the CD's win98 directory to the hard drive and tried installing it from there, but there were still errors at the beginning of the install.
I don't think I'll be able to get the drive to work. I'll probably just eventually replace the drive.
Thanks for all your help, everyone, even though it didn't work... It wasn't fixed though, so can an admin please refund my points?
Sorry I couldn't give everyone some points.
Too bad. Like I said, I have recovered at least two drives that had errors with the low level format. Get the serial number from the drive and check Fujitsu's web site for warranty. Likely it has a three year one. This time buy a Western Digital or Maxtor as they seem to be more dependable than the Fujitsu.
Good luck.
Neuville:
This old question needs to be finalized -- accept an answer, split points, or get a refund. For information on your options, please click here-> http:/help/closing.jsp#1
EXPERTS:
Post your closing recommendations! No comment means you don't care.
Oops, I forgot about this thread. I kept on getting error messages when I tried to install Win98, so I installed Linux (Lindows). That worked well, so I have that installed currently. Anyways, I got a new computer (P4 2.66ghz, 512 ram, Radeon 9800, 120gb :) so I'm not using the old computer any more. Thanks for all your help, but I accepted CrazyOne's first post because it helped me format my old computer.
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by: CrazyOnePosted on 2003-07-14 at 16:06:57ID: 8921390
http://www.firmware.com/su
http://www.geocities.com/~
1st you need to "Delete Existing Hard Drive Partition with FDISK"
1.Make a boot disk with your CD-ROM driver, FDISK, edit, himem.sys, Format. (www.bootdisk.com)
2.Place the Windows 9x boot disk into the floppy drive.
3.When presented with the utility menu select option 1 for FDISK.
4.When prompted press any key to continue.
5.Type Y to enable 32bit FAT. N for FAT16 (note: you will be limited to creating partions of 2.0gig in size.
6.Type 3 to delete existing DOS partition.
7.Type 1 to delete the PRIMARY DOS PARTITION.
8.Type 1 to select PRIMARY DOS PARTITION.
9.When prompted for VOLUME LABEL, look at the partition information at the top of the screen. Type in exactly what is written under Volume Label for the first partition. If there is nothing there, press the Enter key.
10.Type Y to verify deletion of the partition.
11.The primary DOS partition has been deleted. Press the Esc key and the system should reboot to the utility menu.
Create a New DOS Primary Partition
1.Type FDISK the at the command prompt and press ENTER:
2.Click #1. Create DOS Partition or Logical DOS drive' and press ENTER.
3.Click #1. Create Primary DOS Partition' and press ENTER.
4.Follow the instructions to create a primary partition of the desired size.
5.Set your Active Partition. Select 2 from the FDISK Main menu, and set your active partition drive. It should be your primary partition.
6.Now that's done, get out of FDISK and reboot your system and boot from your boot disk. When you again arrive at the DOS prompt, you can use the format command to format your hard disk drives:
7.At the A:\ type Format X: Where X: is the drive you want to format and press ENTER.
8.Format will ask you if your sure you wish to continue and at this point the data been long gone so just hit the Y key.
9.After the format, you can switch to your CD-ROM drive and run setup.exe.
Create a New DOS Extended Partition and Logical drives
Note: When creating the primary partition do not choose to use 100% of the hard drive for C:
Example 1: using a 4.3gig Hard Drive
1.During the Primary partion creation stage select 50% of the drive that will give you a 2150gig partion for a majority of your needs. Finish the motions of this process except the exiting FDISK
2.Reenter option 1 select create extended partion, usage for this you should input 100% usage.
3.Reenter option 1 select create logical drive, usage for this should be a percentage of the extended partion created for the first logical drive created.
4.Reenter option 1 select create logical drive, usage for this should be a percentage of the extended partion created minus the amount of space taken by the other logical drives
5.The drive sizes should go from largest to smallest. If not you need to delete the partions and start over. What will happen if not? The partions will disappear without a chance to save the data once used.
6.The table above is only an example but I do recommend creating a table similar to this when creating multiple partions.
See: How to make a Extended/Logical Partitions
Format Hard drive and Logical Partions
1.After the FDISK reboot at the A:\ type Format X: Where X: is the drive you want to format and press ENTER.
2.Format will ask you if your sure you wish to continue and at this point the data been long gone so just hit the Y key.
3.Follow steps 1 & 2 for each logical partion created inside of the extended partion.
4.After the format, you can switch to your CD-ROM drive and run setup.exe.
Note: Don't worry about the volume label for the drive(s) at this time.
Install Windows 9x Operating System
1.Power up the system and insert the Microsoft Windows 9x CD and wait approximately 20-30 seconds to allow the CD-ROM drive to spin up.
2.Press the Enter key and Setup will copy the files needed for installation to your hard drive (this will take a few minutes).
Press the Enter key when this is complete.
3.Windows 9x installation will now begin. When asked, choose Typical from the options given.
4.Enter the Product ID and your name when prompted.
5.Click on Next when Setup asks you which Windows Components you want to install.
6.When prompted, choose No, I do not want a startup disk.
7.Click on Next again and then wait for the percentage bar to reach 100%.
8.The computer will restart and ask you to wait again.
9.Eventually it will ask you for your time zone. Pick the appropriate zone for your location.
10.It will then ask you to set up a printer. If you do not have a printer connected to the computer at this time, just click on Cancel. You can set-up a printer later.
11.After this, the computer will restart again.
12.Windows 9x is now installed.
How to Use the Fdisk Tool and the Format Tool to Partition or Repartition a Hard Disk
http://support.microsoft.c