Tom's Hardware > Forum > Windows 95/98/ME > Windows 95/98/Me General Discussion > installing win98
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poorboy   06-21-2002 at 07:47:07 AM

Please excuse this dumb question, but I've not installed Win98 before...

Is the Windows 98 CD bootable, or does one need to use a floppy disk to install to a blank hdd?

I've got to help a sister install over the phone, so any info is appreciated.

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Arrow   06-22-2002 at 12:49:11 AM
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I've always done it with a Win98 Startup Disk.

Rob
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orbz   06-22-2002 at 01:34:50 AM
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Not too sure, but I too have always used a floppy boot disk too.

I have heard some are bootable while others are not. It depends on how old you got your Win98 cd.

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4ryan6   06-22-2002 at 03:27:47 AM
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Its more difficult to do with the CDROM, you will have to run FDISK to prepare the hardrive, then restart and FORMAT the hardrive, but you'll not be able to pull it off, unless you know how to manually get the files from the CD. The best alternative is to go to www.bootdisk.com and download a WIN98 startup disk creator, and create a 3 1/2 floppy boot disk for the operating system whether its WIN98 or WIN98SE, even after creating the bootdisk its hard enough to talk someone through a bootup over the phone when you know it by heart. The bootdisk site has detailed instructions on how to make the bootdisk, if she gets a bootdisk post back and I'll keep checking back, if you need it I'll give you a detailed walkthrough.

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poorboy   06-22-2002 at 05:01:25 AM
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the reason for it was that we are waiting for a fdd to arrive for her laptop. the Win98 cd she has apparently isn't bootable, so it looks like Win2K or Linux is gonna go on, either of which will be better anyway. cheers for the input.

edit: the laptop was an ex-lease machine, sold "empty" - eg no os, no nothing on the hdd. If IBM can sell the lappy with a MS OS, but the next owner can't onsell it with same OS, current end user licensing sux. Besides, how much different is this from a retail distribution chain? It's just transferring ownership of a litle PC. I bet MS would like to have everyone on the planet pay a fee everytime they even USE a Windows PC, let alone buy one. Grr. Rant mode off...

<i>Do I look like I care?</i><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by poorboy on 06/22/02 05:10 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

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liufang0210   06-22-2002 at 06:39:04 PM
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The win98 CD can't boot I think.So I think you should make a bootable flooy disk first.Then run fdisk,then format the hdd.Maybe you need to install a CDROM device,so that you can use your CDROM in DOS mode.Once you can use your CDROM in DOS mode and get your hdd prepared,you can simply run setuo on the Win98 CD.

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Toejam31   06-23-2002 at 05:56:08 AM
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The majority of Win98 CD's are bootable. But most people don't know how to change the boot order of the devices in the BIOS, causing this feature to be inoperable.

However, I agree that the best method of installing the operating system of a blank disk is by booting with a startup disk, and running FDISK. But it's perfectly acceptable to allow the Win98 CD to format the active partition, and then to format any other logical partitions from within the GUI. It'll save time ... there's no need to format the active partition twice.

Toejam31

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