installation of windows 98se

I recently puchase a copy of window 98se full version to
upgrade from windows 98. I should have purchase the
upgrade but accidently bought the full version. Can I
install this without losing all other prorams on my pc?

Maybe but you should always back up important data when you are tinkering
with a system just in case something goes wrong. If you have an OEM version
(says on the disk, to be distributed with new PC or words to that effect),
go he http://home.satx.rr.com/badour/html/upgrade.html

If you have a retail version of W98, it will upgrade or install to a blank
hard drive.
--
Regards

Ron Badour, MS MVP for W98
Tips: http://home.satx.rr.com/badour
Knowledge Base Info:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbinfo

"w. austin" wrote in message
...
I recently puchase a copy of window 98se full version to
upgrade from windows 98. I should have purchase the
upgrade but accidently bought the full version. Can I
install this without losing all other prorams on my pc?

You mistakenly did the best thing possible. Although you'll hear stories
about successful upgrades, there seem to be far more disasters. Read some of
the messages about the subject in this newsgroup. Here's a beauty: Look for
the subject line "won't boot", from "anonymous user". If that doesn't
convince you, then you're a glutton for punishment.

Onward:
Back up your DATA files. That means documents, spreadsheets, photos,
music....anything you've created that you don't want to lose. It means
copying them to floppies, zip drive, tape drive, CD-ROM, or another
computer. Something OTHER than the computer you're going to work on.

Next: You said "all other programs". Presumably, you have the original
installation disks for those programs, so reinstalling them will not be a
problem. If you're concerned about all the time it'll involve, forget about
it. At least it's an orderly process with reasonably predictable results.

Next: You'll reformat your hard disk (which erases everything) and install
Win98SE from scratch. Spend some time reading at this site:
http://www.cyberwalker.net/faqs/how-...stall-faq.html

Come back with questions. If there are no questions, something's wrong.

When you've been through this process, you will be EXTREMELY pleased with
the results. On the other hand, if you decide to upgrade rather than do a
clean install, you'll probably be EXTREMELY ****ed off by sometime this
weekend.

"w. austin" wrote in message
...
I recently puchase a copy of window 98se full version to
upgrade from windows 98. I should have purchase the
upgrade but accidently bought the full version. Can I
install this without losing all other prorams on my pc?

On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 16:04:02 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

Next: You'll reformat your hard disk (which erases everything) and install
Win98SE from scratch.

Having installed Win98SE from scratch and reinstalled all application
programs and hardware, is it possible to back up all of that (on to a
CD) so that it can be copied back regularly without going through an
install process?
It's just a bunch of files, right? If not, why not?
My application data can be backed up separately.

wrote in message
...
On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 16:04:02 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

Next: You'll reformat your hard disk (which erases everything) and
install
Win98SE from scratch.

Having installed Win98SE from scratch and reinstalled all application
programs and hardware, is it possible to back up all of that (on to a
CD) so that it can be copied back regularly without going through an
install process?
It's just a bunch of files, right? If not, why not?
My application data can be backed up separately.

Maybe....sort of. But, depending on the reason you're reinstalling, it may
defeat the purpose. Example: I just bought a slightly larger fishing tackle
box yesterday. No more lures - just the box. After I'd transferred
everything that was useful, the old box still contained about 3 cups of dead
bugs, little pieces of fishing line which I prefer not to toss in the water,
and some very rusty hooks, all combined into a mass in the dark bottom
corners. This is analogous to how many computers end up after a few years of
use. We (but not I) often download all sorts of crap that we end up never
using, and maybe uninstalling. Or not. And, every time you update software,
something in the registry may change. One day, you may find that your
machine's doing something nasty. Maybe a piece of software is suddenly
crashing or freezing the machine, after being nothing but dependable for the
past 3 years. Or, perhaps the computer seems deathly slow. So, you decide to
reinstall the OS.

Why would you want to copy garbage to the new installation?

I think you will have pleasanter fishing, if...

Once you have a functioning system, especially one close to a clean
install, do a full system backup. If you have multiple partitions, I
guess a backup is a bit more complex. It depends upon the ties between
the Registry & the other partitions, as to whether they must be backed
up concurrently. Also, if you've changed the hardware since the backup,
you may need to change it back before a restore.

http://home.satx.rr.com/badour/index.html Backup & partitioning strategy
http://home.wanadoo.nl/geurt/home.html Extended Operating System Loader
http://powerquest.com/driveimage/ Drive Image
http://www.acronis.com/products/trueimage/ TrueImage
http://www.arjsoftware.com ARJ Archiver
http://www.betterbackup.com/ Retrospect CD Backup
http://www.bootitng.com/ 's BootIt NG, has a variety of backup
capabilities: Copy to HDD, or Image to HDD or to CD. (TBIView, freely
downloadable, can retrieve individual files from an Image.)
Shrink/expand your partitions without data loss. Multi-boot, if you
dare. Free, run from floppy, but pay up as I did if satisfied. To
install & use beyond 30 days, $34.95.
http://www.cdrfaq.org/ CD R/W Backup
http://www.cyberiapc.com/backup.htm MyOwnBackup (MOB) (Free)
http://www.han-soft.com/habt.php Auto Backup (30-day free trial)
http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/cposupport...&p=hpcdwriter2
Simple Backup
http://www.karenware.com/ PtReplicator (Free)
http://www.lifesaverbackup.com/
http://www.mvps.org/links.html Should have good info
http://www.pcmag.com/ Lots & lots of sturdy downloads. There is a $20
yearly charge now.
http://www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic Partition Magic
http://www.ranish.com/part/ Ranish Partition Manager
http://www.rescue-me.net/gold.html
http://www.simtel.net/pub/dl/58307.shtml Backups
http://www.stompinc.com/bump/bump_details.phtml?stp Backup MyPC
http://www.thirdstar.net/thirdstar_datarecovery.htm Data recovery
http://www.tomsterdam.com/ BU process, performance, etc.
http://www.v-com.com/product/pc_ind.html Partition Commander
http://www.veritas.com Backup apps
http://www.xxcopy.com/ Detailed Procedure Copy (Free)
http://www.zeleps.com/ Partition re-sizer (Free)

All gathered at this site. Whichever you choose, approach it carefully
and verify all is well. After making a copy, run Scandisk/Defrag on it.
If it's an Image, use it's verify option; perhaps, restore it and do a
Scandisk/Defrag.

http://www.pchelpandconsulting.com/links/windows.html WinDrvExpert
http://www.jermar.com/wdrvbck.htm WinDrvBckup free version

Those last two supposedly back up all currently installed drivers, such
that they can be reinstalled. I never tried it but have seen a favorable
report.


--
Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
should things get worse after this,
PCR

wrote in message
...
| On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 16:04:02 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
| wrote:
|
| Next: You'll reformat your hard disk (which erases everything) and
install
| Win98SE from scratch.
|
| Having installed Win98SE from scratch and reinstalled all application
| programs and hardware, is it possible to back up all of that (on to a
| CD) so that it can be copied back regularly without going through an
| install process?
| It's just a bunch of files, right? If not, why not?
| My application data can be backed up separately.

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 13:20:29 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 23 Jul 2004 16:04:02 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

Next: You'll reformat your hard disk (which erases everything) and
install
Win98SE from scratch.

Having installed Win98SE from scratch and reinstalled all application
programs and hardware, is it possible to back up all of that (on to a
CD) so that it can be copied back regularly without going through an
install process?
It's just a bunch of files, right? If not, why not?
My application data can be backed up separately.

Maybe....sort of. But, depending on the reason you're reinstalling, it may
defeat the purpose. Example: I just bought a slightly larger fishing tackle
box yesterday. No more lures - just the box. After I'd transferred
everything that was useful, the old box still contained about 3 cups of dead
bugs, little pieces of fishing line which I prefer not to toss in the water,
and some very rusty hooks, all combined into a mass in the dark bottom
corners. This is analogous to how many computers end up after a few years of
use. We (but not I) often download all sorts of crap that we end up never
using, and maybe uninstalling. Or not. And, every time you update software,
something in the registry may change. One day, you may find that your
machine's doing something nasty. Maybe a piece of software is suddenly
crashing or freezing the machine, after being nothing but dependable for the
past 3 years. Or, perhaps the computer seems deathly slow. So, you decide to
reinstall the OS.

Why would you want to copy garbage to the new installation?

The reason for reinstalling regularly is to get rid of the thousands
of files, logs, registry entries etc that grow and grow with Windows
(what bad programming is that?), and also in case of infection by
viruses and trojans etc.
What I was wanting to do is to reformat the disk, have a clean install
of Win98SE, install the applications that I've been using for years,
then back all that up before I use anything. Then every few months I'd
like to reformat the disk and restore that backup.
So there should be no "garbage".
What I'm really wanting to know is if a backup and restore will
correctly copy the registry and any other devious system files.

I will backup my application data separately.
Before I update any software I will restore the system backup, then
backup that new system.

I have a friend who has a Linux system which can be re-installed in 11
minutes. If Windows is capable of that, well and good, but I doubt it.
I really can't face a whole day reinstalling Windows and all my
applications, too often.
The way Windows, its registry and applications are tied together
inextricably is quite ridiculous. Each application should be entirely
independent of others, and able to be separately backed up and
restored. But no, files are thrown everywhere, including into that
damned registry. There are hidden files. There are routines that are
shared between applications but which require different versions.
Uninstalls don't delete everything that was installed.
What an absolute mess.

wrote in message
...

What I'm really wanting to know is if a backup and restore will
correctly copy the registry and any other devious system files.

The answer is "sometimes". Any backup software can be set up to grab
whatever files & folders you want. But there are also products which are
designed to create a COMPLETE copy of your entire system. These things were
originally designed for corporate settings where IT staff wanted a quick way
to clone a computer setup with all the necessary apps, settings & desktop
arrangements. This way, when a new employee arrived, his/her machine could
be "created" without someone having to sit through a whole series of
installations. One or both of these products will handle this task - I
haven't read either page in enough detail.

http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/ghost_personal/
http://www.powerquest.com/driveimage/

I'm not sure why you'd want to reformat every few months, as you stated. If
a computer actually NEEDS it that often, it means it's been used either by a
child or a very sloppy adult who installs and uninstalls too many things. It
sounds like you don't fit that profile.


There are routines that are
shared between applications but which require different versions.

It's called "DLL Hell". Good article:
http://www.developerfusion.com/show/1719/9/

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 12:06:46 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/ghost_personal/
http://www.powerquest.com/driveimage/

Thanks for that.

I'm not sure why you'd want to reformat every few months, as you stated. If
a computer actually NEEDS it that often, it means it's been used either by a
child or a very sloppy adult who installs and uninstalls too many things. It
sounds like you don't fit that profile.

I have a number of friends who keep asking me for help, not that I
know much about Windows, since I first wrote Fortran nearly 40 years
ago.
They are not computer literate, and they constantly foul up their
machines, or their visitors do. Despite that they have run businesses
or have been high-powered managers etc, they still sometimes believe
that Microsoft sends them emails that need action, and sometimes don't
notice that they are trying to close a window with a hand instead of
an arrow.

wrote in message
...
On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 12:06:46 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:

http://www.symantec.com/sabu/ghost/ghost_personal/
http://www.powerquest.com/driveimage/

Thanks for that.

I'm not sure why you'd want to reformat every few months, as you stated.
If
a computer actually NEEDS it that often, it means it's been used either
by a
child or a very sloppy adult who installs and uninstalls too many things.
It
sounds like you don't fit that profile.

I have a number of friends who keep asking me for help, not that I
know much about Windows, since I first wrote Fortran nearly 40 years
ago.
They are not computer literate, and they constantly foul up their
machines, or their visitors do. Despite that they have run businesses
or have been high-powered managers etc, they still sometimes believe
that Microsoft sends them emails that need action, and sometimes don't
notice that they are trying to close a window with a hand instead of
an arrow.

I've been through what you've described. You're wasting your time. Morons
will always find a way to screw things up. It's an exercise in frustration,
especially with Win98. Set these people up with Windows XP, which provides
plenty of ways to keep knuckleheads out of trouble, not the least of which
is the ability to give one knowledgable person (you, maybe) an admin
profile, and all others users a limited profile, so they can do much less
damage.

If your friends don't want to buy the new operating system, tell them your
visits are worth $250 each from now on. :-)