Availability of Complete Version Window's 98

I have '95-vintage Sony machine w/300 Meg processor.
Machine came equipped with Window's 95 and later upgraded
to Window's 98. Machine's been used on internet by
grandchildren and has been greatly slowed down with lots
of label pop-ups. Would like to dump hard drive and start
over. Is full version of window's 98 still available to
allow hard drive dump and what would this version of
Window's 98 cost?

Tom C.

A reinstall of Windows may not be necessary. Spyware/scumware/adware are
causing numerous system problems. I recommend you download and use the
following programs and consider removing everything these programs identify.
Be aware that there are frequent updates to these programs and you need to
check for them before every use.

AdAwa http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

CWShredder: http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/cwschronicles.html (download
link near the bottom)

Spybot: http://www.safer-networking.org/
************
Do you still have the W95 and W98 CDs? If so, you might be able to load W98
and during the installation's compliance check for a previous system, show
it the W95 CD. For information on installing W98, go to:
http://home.satx.rr.com/badour/html/w98_restore.html
*********

Here is some info:

MS can no longer sell W98 disks as an initial purchase so your best bet is
to try to find another source; however, supplies of W98 are becoming very
limited. Go to http://www.pricewatch.com, scroll to the software section,
click on Operating Systems and click Windows 98. They may have listings on
boot up floppy disks, CDs but no license, a license but no CD, OEM versions,
W98 and W98SE CDs, update from W98 to W98SE only and so on. Pay ATTENTION
to what the listings say or you may end up with something you don't want or
need. You can also check on EBay or other auction sites. Be aware that
only paid support for W98 still exists. Here's some info about the various
types of W98SE CDs:

RETAIL FULL INSTALL: This CD will either upgrade W95/98 to SE or you can
install it to a blank hard drive.

RETAIL UPGRADE INSTALL: This CD will either upgrade W95/98 to SE or you can
install it to a blank hard drive; however, when installing to a blank drive,
install will ask to see the qualifying system (i.e., W95) disk(s).

OEM FULL INSTALL. This SE CD is designed to be installed to a blank hard
drive; however, there is a possibility that you can trick it into upgrading.
For info, go to: http://home.satx.rr.com/badour/html/upgrade.html Be aware
that if you buy an OEM disk, it might be customized for installation on a
particular computer; however, this will probably be primarily with a used
disk.

UPDATE CD: This CD will only update a functioning copy of W98 to W98SE.
When MS sold them, they were $20 and came with a ProductKey. Some venders
were selling them and advising customers to use the W98 ProductKey which may
or may not work--don't get stung.

RECOVERY CD: Some companies will brand an OEM CD and call it a recovery CD.
You should avoid these unless it is the exact recovery CD you are looking
for. Many recovery CDs will only install on the equipment they were
intended for.

--
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

"Tom C." wrote in message
...
I have '95-vintage Sony machine w/300 Meg processor.
Machine came equipped with Window's 95 and later upgraded
to Window's 98. Machine's been used on internet by
grandchildren and has been greatly slowed down with lots
of label pop-ups. Would like to dump hard drive and start
over. Is full version of window's 98 still available to
allow hard drive dump and what would this version of
Window's 98 cost?

Tom C.