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Installing Windows 98 after formatting hard drive



 
 
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  #1  
Old December 29th 04, 04:31 AM
Matt
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Installing Windows 98 after formatting hard drive

Hi
My dad says it would be a huge risk to format the hard drive and reinstall
windows 98. He has done this before with the help of a thechnician on the
phone. That was when the computer was under warranty.
Now, there are many problems that could be solved if I could format the hard
drive and reinstall windows. We don't want to pay for a technician to help
us, so can I format the hard drive and reinstall Windows by following the
directions at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221829/EN-US/ or is there a
chance that I can't install windows and make the computer useless.
Right now, half of it is useless, so I want to start over.
Does anyone have any advice on how to install 98 properly and convince my
dad that it IS possible to reinstall without spending money for technical
sopport and being on the phone for a day.
  #2  
Old December 29th 04, 04:33 AM
Timothy Cassels
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I would go ahead and format the hd. I have had to do this on many ocations
and nothing bad has happened. I have formatted and installed win98se on 5
computer and am working on my 6.
"Matt" wrote in message
...
Hi
My dad says it would be a huge risk to format the hard drive and reinstall
windows 98. He has done this before with the help of a thechnician on the
phone. That was when the computer was under warranty.
Now, there are many problems that could be solved if I could format the

hard
drive and reinstall windows. We don't want to pay for a technician to

help
us, so can I format the hard drive and reinstall Windows by following the
directions at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221829/EN-US/ or is there a
chance that I can't install windows and make the computer useless.
Right now, half of it is useless, so I want to start over.
Does anyone have any advice on how to install 98 properly and convince my
dad that it IS possible to reinstall without spending money for technical
sopport and being on the phone for a day.



  #3  
Old December 29th 04, 04:42 AM
Robert
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

With the help of the "Pros" on this board I have done this myself. Be sure
to have the product Key (available in the registry of your machine) before
you format.


"Matt" wrote in message
...
Hi
My dad says it would be a huge risk to format the hard drive and reinstall
windows 98. He has done this before with the help of a thechnician on the
phone. That was when the computer was under warranty.
Now, there are many problems that could be solved if I could format the

hard
drive and reinstall windows. We don't want to pay for a technician to

help
us, so can I format the hard drive and reinstall Windows by following the
directions at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221829/EN-US/ or is there a
chance that I can't install windows and make the computer useless.
Right now, half of it is useless, so I want to start over.
Does anyone have any advice on how to install 98 properly and convince my
dad that it IS possible to reinstall without spending money for technical
sopport and being on the phone for a day.



  #4  
Old December 29th 04, 04:44 AM
Timothy Cassels
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Yes, don't forget the key!!!WINxp requires the key even if you are only
doing a repair.
"Robert" wrote in message
...
With the help of the "Pros" on this board I have done this myself. Be sure
to have the product Key (available in the registry of your machine) before
you format.


"Matt" wrote in message
...
Hi
My dad says it would be a huge risk to format the hard drive and

reinstall
windows 98. He has done this before with the help of a thechnician on

the
phone. That was when the computer was under warranty.
Now, there are many problems that could be solved if I could format the

hard
drive and reinstall windows. We don't want to pay for a technician to

help
us, so can I format the hard drive and reinstall Windows by following

the
directions at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221829/EN-US/ or is there

a
chance that I can't install windows and make the computer useless.
Right now, half of it is useless, so I want to start over.
Does anyone have any advice on how to install 98 properly and convince

my
dad that it IS possible to reinstall without spending money for

technical
sopport and being on the phone for a day.





  #5  
Old December 29th 04, 04:57 AM
Timothy Cassels
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Win 98 did not come with a restore cd.The ordering cd might work but
personally downloading it works better, just let it run over night and leave
your cell on.
"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in message
...
More info on your system would help. Make/model, basic hardware specs, etc.
Do you have a "Restore CD" from the maker, or do you have a standard Windows
98 installation CD (Says Microsoft Windows 98, or similar, right on the CD,
with a Windows logo, etc.)

The biggest problems with reinstalling from scratch are that you need to
devise a method for backing up personal files, you need to make sure,
*ahead_of_time* that you have all the hardware drivers and applications
installation CDs, you need to make sure that all the installation CDs, etc.,
are in good working order. You also need to remember that to bring a Windows
98 installation up to date takes hundreds of megabytes of downloads to
accomplish, though you can get around most of that by calling MS and
ordering a Security Updates CD. The CD is still available for
Win98/98SE/ME/2K, if
requested by phone from the Microsoft Order Desk in the US and the UK only.

Microsoft Order Desk (US)
1-800-360-7561, Monday through Friday, 5:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Pacific time.

And, yes, the first time out you are likely to run into gotchas. Having
another computer available with which to contact this group or to access
downloads and other Support sites is almost a requirement. But if you go
slow, prepare well, and cover as many bases as you can before actually
formatting the hard drive, it is always well worth the effort.

You can explain to your Dad that if you do it a few hundred times on a few
dozen computers, you would almost certainly learn enough to start charging
other people to reformat and reinstall their PCs. You can also tell Dad that
I suggest that if you fail miserably and never get his machine back into
good working order, he needed a new one anyway, and you can keep trying to
fix this one until you get it right ;o)

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User

"Matt" wrote in message
...
Hi
My dad says it would be a huge risk to format the hard drive and reinstall
windows 98. He has done this before with the help of a thechnician on the
phone. That was when the computer was under warranty.
Now, there are many problems that could be solved if I could format the

hard
drive and reinstall windows. We don't want to pay for a technician to

help
us, so can I format the hard drive and reinstall Windows by following the
directions at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221829/EN-US/ or is there a
chance that I can't install windows and make the computer useless.
Right now, half of it is useless, so I want to start over.
Does anyone have any advice on how to install 98 properly and convince my
dad that it IS possible to reinstall without spending money for technical
sopport and being on the phone for a day.



  #6  
Old December 29th 04, 04:58 AM
Gary S. Terhune
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

More info on your system would help. Make/model, basic hardware specs, =
etc. Do you have a "Restore CD" from the maker, or do you have a =
standard Windows 98 installation CD (Says Microsoft Windows 98, or =
similar, right on the CD, with a Windows logo, etc.)

The biggest problems with reinstalling from scratch are that you need to =
devise a method for backing up personal files, you need to make sure, =
*ahead_of_time* that you have all the hardware drivers and applications =
installation CDs, you need to make sure that all the installation CDs, =
etc., are in good working order. You also need to remember that to bring =
a Windows 98 installation up to date takes hundreds of megabytes of =
downloads to accomplish, though you can get around most of that by =
calling MS and ordering a Security Updates CD. The CD is still available =
for Win98/98SE/ME/2K, if
requested by phone from the Microsoft Order Desk in the US and the UK =
only.

Microsoft Order Desk (US)
1-800-360-7561, Monday through Friday, 5:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Pacific =
time.

And, yes, the first time out you are likely to run into gotchas. Having =
another computer available with which to contact this group or to access =
downloads and other Support sites is almost a requirement. But if you go =
slow, prepare well, and cover as many bases as you can before actually =
formatting the hard drive, it is always well worth the effort.

You can explain to your Dad that if you do it a few hundred times on a =
few dozen computers, you would almost certainly learn enough to start =
charging other people to reformat and reinstall their PCs. You can also =
tell Dad that I suggest that if you fail miserably and never get his =
machine back into good working order, he needed a new one anyway, and =
you can keep trying to fix this one until you get it right ;o)

--=20
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User
=20
"Matt" wrote in message =
...
Hi
My dad says it would be a huge risk to format the hard drive and =

reinstall=20
windows 98. He has done this before with the help of a thechnician on =

the=20
phone. That was when the computer was under warranty.
Now, there are many problems that could be solved if I could format =

the hard=20
drive and reinstall windows. We don't want to pay for a technician to =

help=20
us, so can I format the hard drive and reinstall Windows by following =

the=20
directions at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221829/EN-US/ or is =

there a=20
chance that I can't install windows and make the computer useless. =20
Right now, half of it is useless, so I want to start over. =20
Does anyone have any advice on how to install 98 properly and convince =

my=20
dad that it IS possible to reinstall without spending money for =

technical=20
sopport and being on the phone for a day.

  #7  
Old December 29th 04, 05:22 AM
Timothy Cassels
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

When I built mine the basic computer came with the win98se cd, no restore
cd. win98 did not have a restore cd, they came out for 2000 and above. PS
Call me Tim Please.

--
TC Computer

http://casselsfunnystuff.tripod.com
The BEST place to see funny videos
"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in message
...
Timothy, what you said makes absolutely no sense. Or is just plain wrong.

Many major brands of computers do not ship with "standard" Windows
installation CDs. They ship with "Restore" CDs that use any number of
different methods for restoring the machine to factory specs. Some of those
can be tricky to use, especially if you wish to save part of your data on a
separate partition. On the other hand, if saving data is no concern, then
reformatting and reinstalling using a Restore CD is actually easier than
using a generic installation CD. There are also different kinds of standard
Windows installation CDs, and knowing which one is being used makes a
difference when instructing others how to do it.

If, in your second sentence, you're referring to the Security Updates CD,
and if you're talking about a person using dial-up internet connection to
download all the updates for a Windows 98 system--that can take one or two,
or even three or more *days*, not just overnight. In fact, many dial-up
modems will not be able to handle the massive size of some of these
updates--they won't be able to stay connected long enough to finish the
download. Compare that to calling Microsoft and getting a CD within three
business days (or less, usually) that will bring your system up to date as
of October 2003, leaving very few updates remaining to be installed.
Especially handy if you happen to need to reinstall the system five days
later because something you did the first day turned out to not be what you
wanted.

Leave what "cell" on?

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User

"Timothy Cassels" wrote in message
...
Win 98 did not come with a restore cd.The ordering cd might work but
personally downloading it works better, just let it run over night and

leave
your cell on.
"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in message
...
More info on your system would help. Make/model, basic hardware specs,

etc.
Do you have a "Restore CD" from the maker, or do you have a standard

Windows
98 installation CD (Says Microsoft Windows 98, or similar, right on the

CD,
with a Windows logo, etc.)

The biggest problems with reinstalling from scratch are that you need to
devise a method for backing up personal files, you need to make sure,
*ahead_of_time* that you have all the hardware drivers and applications
installation CDs, you need to make sure that all the installation CDs,

etc.,
are in good working order. You also need to remember that to bring a

Windows
98 installation up to date takes hundreds of megabytes of downloads to
accomplish, though you can get around most of that by calling MS and
ordering a Security Updates CD. The CD is still available for
Win98/98SE/ME/2K, if
requested by phone from the Microsoft Order Desk in the US and the UK

only.

Microsoft Order Desk (US)
1-800-360-7561, Monday through Friday, 5:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Pacific

time.

And, yes, the first time out you are likely to run into gotchas. Having
another computer available with which to contact this group or to access
downloads and other Support sites is almost a requirement. But if you go
slow, prepare well, and cover as many bases as you can before actually
formatting the hard drive, it is always well worth the effort.

You can explain to your Dad that if you do it a few hundred times on a few
dozen computers, you would almost certainly learn enough to start charging
other people to reformat and reinstall their PCs. You can also tell Dad

that
I suggest that if you fail miserably and never get his machine back into
good working order, he needed a new one anyway, and you can keep trying to
fix this one until you get it right ;o)

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User

"Matt" wrote in message
...
Hi
My dad says it would be a huge risk to format the hard drive and

reinstall
windows 98. He has done this before with the help of a thechnician on

the
phone. That was when the computer was under warranty.
Now, there are many problems that could be solved if I could format the

hard
drive and reinstall windows. We don't want to pay for a technician to

help
us, so can I format the hard drive and reinstall Windows by following

the
directions at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221829/EN-US/ or is there

a
chance that I can't install windows and make the computer useless.
Right now, half of it is useless, so I want to start over.
Does anyone have any advice on how to install 98 properly and convince

my
dad that it IS possible to reinstall without spending money for

technical
sopport and being on the phone for a day.





  #8  
Old December 29th 04, 05:23 AM
Gary S. Terhune
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Timothy, what you said makes absolutely no sense. Or is just plain =
wrong.

Many major brands of computers do not ship with "standard" Windows =
installation CDs. They ship with "Restore" CDs that use any number of =
different methods for restoring the machine to factory specs. Some of =
those can be tricky to use, especially if you wish to save part of your =
data on a separate partition. On the other hand, if saving data is no =
concern, then reformatting and reinstalling using a Restore CD is =
actually easier than using a generic installation CD. There are also =
different kinds of standard Windows installation CDs, and knowing which =
one is being used makes a difference when instructing others how to do =
it.

If, in your second sentence, you're referring to the Security Updates =
CD, and if you're talking about a person using dial-up internet =
connection to download all the updates for a Windows 98 system--that can =
take one or two, or even three or more *days*, not just overnight. In =
fact, many dial-up modems will not be able to handle the massive size of =
some of these updates--they won't be able to stay connected long enough =
to finish the download. Compare that to calling Microsoft and getting a =
CD within three business days (or less, usually) that will bring your =
system up to date as of October 2003, leaving very few updates remaining =
to be installed. Especially handy if you happen to need to reinstall the =
system five days later because something you did the first day turned =
out to not be what you wanted.

Leave what "cell" on?

--=20
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User
=20
"Timothy Cassels" wrote in message =
...
Win 98 did not come with a restore cd.The ordering cd might work but
personally downloading it works better, just let it run over night and =

leave
your cell on.
"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in message
...
More info on your system would help. Make/model, basic hardware specs, =

etc.
Do you have a "Restore CD" from the maker, or do you have a standard =

Windows
98 installation CD (Says Microsoft Windows 98, or similar, right on =

the CD,
with a Windows logo, etc.)
=20
The biggest problems with reinstalling from scratch are that you need =

to
devise a method for backing up personal files, you need to make sure,
*ahead_of_time* that you have all the hardware drivers and =

applications
installation CDs, you need to make sure that all the installation CDs, =

etc.,
are in good working order. You also need to remember that to bring a =

Windows
98 installation up to date takes hundreds of megabytes of downloads to
accomplish, though you can get around most of that by calling MS and
ordering a Security Updates CD. The CD is still available for
Win98/98SE/ME/2K, if
requested by phone from the Microsoft Order Desk in the US and the UK =

only.
=20
Microsoft Order Desk (US)
1-800-360-7561, Monday through Friday, 5:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Pacific =

time.
=20
And, yes, the first time out you are likely to run into gotchas. =

Having
another computer available with which to contact this group or to =

access
downloads and other Support sites is almost a requirement. But if you =

go
slow, prepare well, and cover as many bases as you can before actually
formatting the hard drive, it is always well worth the effort.
=20
You can explain to your Dad that if you do it a few hundred times on a =

few
dozen computers, you would almost certainly learn enough to start =

charging
other people to reformat and reinstall their PCs. You can also tell =

Dad that
I suggest that if you fail miserably and never get his machine back =

into
good working order, he needed a new one anyway, and you can keep =

trying to
fix this one until you get it right ;o)
=20
--=20
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User
=20
"Matt" wrote in message
...
Hi
My dad says it would be a huge risk to format the hard drive and =

reinstall
windows 98. He has done this before with the help of a thechnician =

on the
phone. That was when the computer was under warranty.
Now, there are many problems that could be solved if I could format =

the
hard
drive and reinstall windows. We don't want to pay for a technician =

to
help
us, so can I format the hard drive and reinstall Windows by =

following the
directions at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221829/EN-US/ or is =

there a
chance that I can't install windows and make the computer useless.
Right now, half of it is useless, so I want to start over.
Does anyone have any advice on how to install 98 properly and =

convince my
dad that it IS possible to reinstall without spending money for =

technical
sopport and being on the phone for a day.

=20

  #9  
Old December 29th 04, 05:23 AM
Timothy Cassels
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On the note of downloading, I have a dial up connection that connects at
155.2k/sec.

--
TC Computer

http://casselsfunnystuff.tripod.com
The BEST place to see funny videos
"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in message
...
Timothy, what you said makes absolutely no sense. Or is just plain wrong.

Many major brands of computers do not ship with "standard" Windows
installation CDs. They ship with "Restore" CDs that use any number of
different methods for restoring the machine to factory specs. Some of those
can be tricky to use, especially if you wish to save part of your data on a
separate partition. On the other hand, if saving data is no concern, then
reformatting and reinstalling using a Restore CD is actually easier than
using a generic installation CD. There are also different kinds of standard
Windows installation CDs, and knowing which one is being used makes a
difference when instructing others how to do it.

If, in your second sentence, you're referring to the Security Updates CD,
and if you're talking about a person using dial-up internet connection to
download all the updates for a Windows 98 system--that can take one or two,
or even three or more *days*, not just overnight. In fact, many dial-up
modems will not be able to handle the massive size of some of these
updates--they won't be able to stay connected long enough to finish the
download. Compare that to calling Microsoft and getting a CD within three
business days (or less, usually) that will bring your system up to date as
of October 2003, leaving very few updates remaining to be installed.
Especially handy if you happen to need to reinstall the system five days
later because something you did the first day turned out to not be what you
wanted.

Leave what "cell" on?

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User

"Timothy Cassels" wrote in message
...
Win 98 did not come with a restore cd.The ordering cd might work but
personally downloading it works better, just let it run over night and

leave
your cell on.
"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in message
...
More info on your system would help. Make/model, basic hardware specs,

etc.
Do you have a "Restore CD" from the maker, or do you have a standard

Windows
98 installation CD (Says Microsoft Windows 98, or similar, right on the

CD,
with a Windows logo, etc.)

The biggest problems with reinstalling from scratch are that you need to
devise a method for backing up personal files, you need to make sure,
*ahead_of_time* that you have all the hardware drivers and applications
installation CDs, you need to make sure that all the installation CDs,

etc.,
are in good working order. You also need to remember that to bring a

Windows
98 installation up to date takes hundreds of megabytes of downloads to
accomplish, though you can get around most of that by calling MS and
ordering a Security Updates CD. The CD is still available for
Win98/98SE/ME/2K, if
requested by phone from the Microsoft Order Desk in the US and the UK

only.

Microsoft Order Desk (US)
1-800-360-7561, Monday through Friday, 5:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Pacific

time.

And, yes, the first time out you are likely to run into gotchas. Having
another computer available with which to contact this group or to access
downloads and other Support sites is almost a requirement. But if you go
slow, prepare well, and cover as many bases as you can before actually
formatting the hard drive, it is always well worth the effort.

You can explain to your Dad that if you do it a few hundred times on a few
dozen computers, you would almost certainly learn enough to start charging
other people to reformat and reinstall their PCs. You can also tell Dad

that
I suggest that if you fail miserably and never get his machine back into
good working order, he needed a new one anyway, and you can keep trying to
fix this one until you get it right ;o)

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User

"Matt" wrote in message
...
Hi
My dad says it would be a huge risk to format the hard drive and

reinstall
windows 98. He has done this before with the help of a thechnician on

the
phone. That was when the computer was under warranty.
Now, there are many problems that could be solved if I could format the

hard
drive and reinstall windows. We don't want to pay for a technician to

help
us, so can I format the hard drive and reinstall Windows by following

the
directions at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221829/EN-US/ or is there

a
chance that I can't install windows and make the computer useless.
Right now, half of it is useless, so I want to start over.
Does anyone have any advice on how to install 98 properly and convince

my
dad that it IS possible to reinstall without spending money for

technical
sopport and being on the phone for a day.





  #10  
Old December 29th 04, 05:31 AM
Matt
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I have a Gateway G6-266 and there only one new peice of hardware that didn't
come with the computer which i have the disk for. I have a Systen
Restoration CD with instructions on how to install Windows 95 and a Windows
98 installation disk. The computer came with these and 98 installed. Do I
have to install 95 before 98?
It has a Toshiba DVD-ROM SD-M1402 (windows can't find the driver, but i can
boot from it) and a floppy drive
Anything else you should know?

p.s i don't have a cell phone.
however, i don't take calls ay night

"Gary S. Terhune" wrote:

More info on your system would help. Make/model, basic hardware specs, etc. Do you have a "Restore CD" from the maker, or do you have a standard Windows 98 installation CD (Says Microsoft Windows 98, or similar, right on the CD, with a Windows logo, etc.)

The biggest problems with reinstalling from scratch are that you need to devise a method for backing up personal files, you need to make sure, *ahead_of_time* that you have all the hardware drivers and applications installation CDs, you need to make sure that all the installation CDs, etc., are in good working order. You also need to remember that to bring a Windows 98 installation up to date takes hundreds of megabytes of downloads to accomplish, though you can get around most of that by calling MS and ordering a Security Updates CD. The CD is still available for Win98/98SE/ME/2K, if
requested by phone from the Microsoft Order Desk in the US and the UK only.

Microsoft Order Desk (US)
1-800-360-7561, Monday through Friday, 5:00 A.M. to 7:00 P.M. Pacific time.

And, yes, the first time out you are likely to run into gotchas. Having another computer available with which to contact this group or to access downloads and other Support sites is almost a requirement. But if you go slow, prepare well, and cover as many bases as you can before actually formatting the hard drive, it is always well worth the effort.

You can explain to your Dad that if you do it a few hundred times on a few dozen computers, you would almost certainly learn enough to start charging other people to reformat and reinstall their PCs. You can also tell Dad that I suggest that if you fail miserably and never get his machine back into good working order, he needed a new one anyway, and you can keep trying to fix this one until you get it right ;o)

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User

"Matt" wrote in message ...
Hi
My dad says it would be a huge risk to format the hard drive and reinstall
windows 98. He has done this before with the help of a thechnician on the
phone. That was when the computer was under warranty.
Now, there are many problems that could be solved if I could format the hard
drive and reinstall windows. We don't want to pay for a technician to help
us, so can I format the hard drive and reinstall Windows by following the
directions at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221829/EN-US/ or is there a
chance that I can't install windows and make the computer useless.
Right now, half of it is useless, so I want to start over.
Does anyone have any advice on how to install 98 properly and convince my
dad that it IS possible to reinstall without spending money for technical
sopport and being on the phone for a day.


 




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