Installing Win98 and Making a Boot Disk
This will provide information on how to make a Win98 boot disk and also discuss different type of installations.
Install on Top
NOTE: A clean install is recommended as the preferred approach specially if you are presently running a win98 beta version
Clearly the faster and easier way is to install on top of the existing installation, whether that is a Win3.1 or a win95 installation or maybe even a Win98 beta version. This is very easy - Just insert the win98 CD in the CD-ROM drive and away you go. Some 30-60 minutes later Win98 will be installed. There is nothing more to it.
After finishing the installation you can use the converter to convert to FAT32.
Benefits:
Easy and simple
Do not need to reinstall applications. They are all carried over.
The Hardware and hardware setup is carried over. You may get new drivers form the win98.
Disadvantages:
The most likely installation approach to create problems. Installing over an existing installation of Win 3.1 can be a challenge. There have been more problems reported with failed install than there has been with clean installs. Personally, I have not had any significant problems with either.
You are carrying a lot of extras. The installation will not clean up past stuff thus the final result is likely to be a computer with a lot of none needed files and registry entries. This will tend to affect overall performance of the system.
This approach does not allow you to change your partitioning of the hard drives. If you have a large drive like 6.4G divided into three partitions of 2.1G. You may convert to FAT32 to save space but you cannot combine the partitions into one large partitions.
Note: You can combine partitions later using tools like partionmagic from Powerquest.
First order of business is to make a boot disk for win98. While the FAT32 conversion may be done after install, it does not allow re-partitioning afterwards. Thus, it is better to use a FAT32 boot disk to lay out the drives using FAT32 prior to install. If you plan on using FAT16, then you may use your Win95 or and DOS boot disk with CD support to start installation.
Note: If you have multiple boot system then you need to leave the boot drive as a FAT16. Win NT 4.0 or Linux cannot boot off a FAT32 partition. This does not mean you cannot use FAT32. It just means you need at least a small primary partition C: which is FAT16. Win98 can be installed on another partition.
The Win98 boot disk can be made from Win98 or from a DOS boot with CD-ROM support. Just insert a blank formatted disk in the A drive. Insert the Win98 CD in the CD-ROM drive and go to CD-ROM\Tools\mtsutil\fat32ebd.
Run the file fat32ebd and it will create a Win98 boot disk with CD-ROM support and the necessary files to run setup from the CD-ROM.
Try the boot disk by shutting down and using it to boot. Make sure BIOS is set for booting A: then C:.
4. Clean Install
We have backed up everything we need to save and the boot disk works. Items you may consider backing up is all data files - music files - mail and address lists - special drivers -application program updates - picture files. Make sure you have all your passwords and phone numbers for connections. If passwords are stored and you don't remember them then one potential is to change them all prior to shutting down and write down the new password.
NOTE: If you have multiple drives then the other drive might be the place to store information while you re-partition and reformat the first drive. If you want to change the second drive too, you can do that after having installed win98 on the first drive.
Reboot the system to the boot disk and type in Fdisk at the prompt. You can answer N when it asks if you want large disk support. We are deleting first.
Select 3 from menu - Delete ......
Select 3 from next menu to delete logic DOS drives first
Next delete the extended DOS partition (menu item 2) and then the primary partition (menu item 1) both on the second menu after selecting 3 delete from the first.
Reboot.
Again type Fdisk from the A: prompt. At this time you need to have figured out how you want your drive partitioned. If you want to use FAT16 or a primary FAT16 partition answer the question about large drive support N. Make a primary partition (menu item 1 then 1). Select the partition size. Max is about 2.1G. Only create the partition that will use FAT16 at this time. The whole drive if that is what you want (primary -extended - logic drives) or just primary. If you do not plan on using FAT16 at all just skip this to the next step. Use ESC a few times to exit fdisk and reboot.
Again type Fdisk. This time answer the question about large disk support Y. Use menu item 1 and then 1 (if you did not create a primary partition using FAT16 above). Next use Menu item 1 and then menu item 2 to create an extended DOS partition. Make this the size of the rest of the drive. (this is not needed if you made the whole drive a primary partition)
Next select menu item 1 'create ...." then menu item 3 to make logic DOS drives. Make the size whatever you want up to whatever space is available. You may create one or more logic drives.
Make sure you use menu item 2 in fdisk to set the primary partition as active.
Reboot - and now format the partition<s> you have made. Format c: /s.
Reboot to the a: prompt after formatting and verify that the drive(s) that you fdisked are accessible and readable.
Insert the win98 CD-ROM and change to the CD-ROM drive and type Setup. The Win98 installation will start. You will be asked for you win95 CD-ROM or the win 3.1 disk for verification if you are using an upgrade version. The installation should take anywhere from 30-60 minutes depending on your computer.
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Last revised: 06/07/99