Windows 98

BigDude · Post by **BigDude** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 7:50 pm

My old computer, got it in 98 ironically, went into some virus troubles a good few years back. Never did find anyone to fix it for me.

Now, Im sick of that junker sitting around and want to put it to some use. Dose anyone know how to completely wipe the drive, so that from there I can reinstll everything and do all that nice jazz? I never figured out how to do this with Win98.
I wanna wipe the drive so I can be rid of any evil-doing bad things as well.

Condition:
CD-ROM -- for some reason the driver is not installed and wont re-install. So I have no working cd-rom drive.
And theres other little bugs here and there, but not a big deal.

Any help is greatly apreciated. ^_^

Corran · Post by **Corran** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 8:02 pm

http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

Using those you can create a floppy bootdisk that includes CD-Rom Drivers

Simply stick the bootdisk in the floppy drive and startup the computer. It should boot to Dos

Next type:
Format (drive letter):

It will then prompt you whether or not you really want to format that drive.
After it is done formating stick in your disk and install the OS.

Alex_Dragon · Post by **Alex_Dragon** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 8:11 pm

Well you obviously will need 1.A Windows install CD(I assume you want to keep 98) and 2.(not quite as obvious) a boot disk.

You can get a bootdisk here You will want the first Windows 98 SE bootdisk open the file and it will ask for a disk to be in your drive put it in and it will make a Windows 98 bootdisk general Cdrom driver included. now you'll want to put that disk into your old dead computer and turn it on.It will go through a bunch of crap and you will end up at a DOS prompt where you will need to type Format C:\ then press enter

It will then go though more crap that isn't hard to figure out after it completes restart the computer with the disk in and the Windows 98 CD-Rom in the drive your cd drive letter may be different than it usually is becauase that disk creates a RAMdrive on the computer temporarliy so if your normal cd drive letter is D: it will now be E: so once you get back into the Dos promt after the restart type E: and hit enter (or what ever that drive is now) then type Setup and hit enter you should be at the Win98 install screen.

BigDude · Post by **BigDude** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 10:44 pm

>_<

When I type in "Format C:\" it says "Bad command or file name".
Now I know why I left it alone for so long...

Kalium · Post by **Kalium** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 10:48 pm

BigDude wrote:>_<

When I type in "Format C:" it says "Bad command or file name".
Now I know why I left it alone for so long...

You could try using Linux to reformat it. That should word. Anyway, I thought the command was 'fdisc'... Or was it 'fdisk'....

I'm sure you can find a Linux bootable floppy with CD drivers that would come in handy somewhere. I just don't know where offhand.

madmag9999 · Post by **madmag9999** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 10:59 pm

why not take the hdd out of the 98 machin put it on the comp ur useing now and format it there.
and the comand in dos is fdisk to format

BigDude · Post by **BigDude** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 11:04 pm

madmag9999 wrote:why not take the hdd out of the 98 machin put it on the comp ur useing now and format it there.

I'd do that, but this one I am using now is stock, came with everything installed and what not. So there is absolutly no extra prots or drives left in this thing.

Corran · Post by **Corran** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 11:05 pm

madmag9999 wrote:the comand in dos is fdisk to format

It depends on what utilities are loaded by the bootdisk.

BigDude: I'd give the WinME boot disk a try. I've used that one myself a few times. If all else fails just do what madmag9999 said and put it the other computer to format it.

Alex_Dragon · Post by **Alex_Dragon** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 11:35 pm

oh i am sorry i forgot to tell you before you type in format C: type in a: and press enter the try format.

madmag9999 · Post by **madmag9999** » Thu Mar 25, 2004 11:37 pm

BigDude wrote:
madmag9999 wrote:why not take the hdd out of the 98 machin put it on the comp ur useing now and format it there.
I'd do that, but this one I am using now is stock, came with everything installed and what not. So there is absolutly no extra prots or drives left in this thing.

so unplug one of the cd drives and put the hard drive there