# Loading Win98 **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 7, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loading-win98/307354 "2005-06-07T21:01:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loading-win98/307354/1 "2005-06-07T21:01:40Z")
As I’ve mentioned in other threads, I still have my first laptop. It’s running Win95, making it pretty useless. It has a 1.3gb hard drive. I tried to install Win98 on it (because I have a copy), but it said that it could not install it because there’s already a version of Windows on it (it says I need to obtain the Win98 upgrade). Is there a way I can ‘wipe’ the hard drive and install the Win98 I have on it? What are the steps? _Why_ do I want to do this? I’m not even going to use it! (I haven’t figured out how to make use of the iMac either – which, BTW, I was finally able to connect to the Internet.) But I like the idea of having something that I can use, rather than something I can’t. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loading-win98/307354/2 "2005-06-07T21:13:08Z")
I forget if the 98 CD is bootable… Create a bootable floppy _with CDROM support_ and boot the PC with that. (It may be easiest to visit [http://www.bootdisk.com/](http://www.bootdisk.com/) Format the drive Run the setup program from the CD. [Microsoft article here](http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q221829/) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loading-win98/307354/3 "2005-06-07T21:24:06Z")
Thanks. I’ll have to see if I can find a floppy around this place so that I can go to the link and make a start-up disc. ---
**Author:** ![sewalk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@sewalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sewalk)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loading-win98/307354/4 "2005-06-07T21:41:50Z")
An OEM Windows98SE CD is bootable. Usng the bootmenu, you can boot into MS-DOS, FORMAT /Q/U/S/C/V:volumename, reboot, and allow the installation program to run. Done it hunnerds of times. Literally. Of course if your laptop cannot boot from the CD-ROM drive… [bootdisk.com](http://bootdisk.com) is the answer. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loading-win98/307354/5 "2005-06-14T22:15:54Z")
I attempted to start the installation using the instructions in **Nanoda** ’s second link. I made a boot disc on my other PC. > [@](#): > > How to Partition the Hard Disk > > After you decide which file system you want to use, run the Fdisk tool: > > 1. Insert the Windows 98 Startup disk in the floppy disk drive, and then restart your computer. I put the boot disc (downloaded from **Nanoda** ’s first link) into the laptop and restarted the computer. Result: > [@](#): > > Non-System disk or disk error > Replace and strike any key when ready So the very first thing I tried to do, didn’t work. ☹ Oh – I thought my laptop was 133mHz. Actually it’s 166mHz. Woohoo! That’s cooking with fire! ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loading-win98/307354/6 "2005-06-16T04:49:17Z")
Hrm. Well, either the floppy didn’t get made right, it’s defective, or the laptop is booting from something other than the floppy drive. If you access the BIOS of the laptop, you should be able to set the boot order. (When troubleshooting, I like Floppy-\>CDROM-\>HD) That might make a difference. If the Win98 CD is retail Microsoft, it’s probably easier to boot from the CD like **sewalk** says. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loading-win98/307354/7 "2005-06-16T04:56:05Z")
I know you can set the boot order, but I don’t remember how to do it. It _seems_ to be trying to boot from the floppy when the disc is in. > [@Nanoda](#): > > If the Win98 CD is retail Microsoft, it’s probably easier to boot from the CD like **sewalk** says. It’s the OEM CD that came with my desktop. Will a Win95 machine boot from a Win98 disc? It wouldn’t let me update from the CD. Actually, my first priority is going to be the desktop. I was going to buy an external drive and move my important files onto it, then reformat the hard drive, re-install Windows, and move the files back over. Instead, I think I’ll buy an external drive and put the drive in the tower and put the existing drive into the external drive. That way I don’t have to move any files, reformat, etc. I can just put Win98 onto the new drive. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loading-win98/307354/8 "2005-06-16T06:12:53Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Will a Win95 machine boot from a Win98 disc? It wouldn’t let me update from the CD. When you boot from the CD, what’s on the hard disk is irrelevant. It’s not a win95 machine, it’s a win95 hard disk. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loading-win98/307354/9 "2005-06-16T06:15:59Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > It’s not a win95 machine, it’s a win95 hard disk. It’s easier to type ‘Win95 machine’ than it is to type ‘a machine running Win95’. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loading-win98/307354/10 "2005-06-16T08:14:28Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > It’s easier to type ‘Win95 machine’ than it is to type ‘a machine running Win95’. My point was that there is nothing about the hardware that “knows” it’s running win95. When you boot off the win98 CD, it’s a “win98 machine”, it’s “a machine running win98”. Win95 is sitting there unconscious on the hard disk. So it’s not possible for win95 to stop you booting from a win98 CD: win95 never gets activated in any way.