Windows 98 Re-Install?

[EmTSea19]

Hi, I have a friend with Windows 98 and she needs to do a fresh reinstall. She has never re-installed anything before. The computer is bogged down with junk. I have only done Windows XP, so please give me a sure proof step by step for re-installing 98. The computer is either a Dell or a Gateway, I can't remember.

Edit to add: Please include how to delete the existing partition, and start from scratch, and then make the new partition. Not sure if it's 98 or 98 SE.

[thefly]

1. Create windows start up diskette under windows 98.
2. back up all data.
3. Reboot computer with win startup diskette with cdrom support.
4. fdisk and format the harddrive.
5. run setup from windows 98se cd rom drive.

You don't need to delete the partition (fdisk). Formatting it will be enough. Fdisk will del the partition if you feel you must. :)

[ThePerfectCore]

Since you aren't repartitioning, you can save yourself a few minutes by using

format c: /q

instead of

format c:

[EmTSea19]

I've only ever reformatted using XP. All that takes is putting in the CD, and pressing a couple keys. 98 seems way more difficult. I am telling the person how to do this through e-mail.

So, please tell me, how do you:

1. create a windows start up diskette under windows 98.

2. back up all data

3. what do you mean disk with cd rom support?

4. fdisk?

I have no idea what format c: q is either?

Thanks.

[powerme]

Originally posted by EmTSea19
I've only ever reformatted using XP. All that takes is putting in the CD, and pressing a couple keys. 98 seems way more difficult. I am telling the person how to do this through e-mail.

So, please tell me, how do you:

1. create a windows start up diskette under windows 98.

2. back up all data

3. what do you mean disk with cd rom support?

4. fdisk?

I have no idea what format c: q is either?

Thanks.

1- "add/remove" in control panel. Look into "add/remove" it should have 1 button "creating start up disk " or something

2-use drive image or ghost. You have to do this before format

3- don't know what that mean

4-when you have "windows 98 start up " and it is start, type fdisk and go from there

if fdisk is so confusing and you don't know how to use it, get partition magic.........it is easy to use

[skab]

If that's a Dell or Gateway there's probably a recover disk that will have Win98 embeded on it. Ask your freind if they got a system disk, if they did a lot of times they can just put the disk in the cdrom drive then shut the computer off and restart it and the recover disk shuold take off. If it's Win98 and they don't have a cd burner just have them put their vital files to a floppy disk. If the computer is all boggy now you probably don't want to do an image or anything as you'll just put back on what you took off. Realy need to know what brand it is and if it has a Manufactures disk before going any further.

[Karbon]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by powerme
[B]


2-use drive image or ghost. You have to do this before format

i usually reformat like once a month, you don't have to back everything up ;o it takes me about an hour to install XP and put on drivers, games, apps, etc

its not as bad as most people think to lose all your stuff
i just put some music on a cd-rw and im good to go

its a lot easier to make 2-3 partitions on your hdd, if you want to clean everything out, you only have to do one partition at a time

[EmTSea19]

biggestn00bever, Yah, but you have XP, that is so easy to reformat, even I can do it, *lol*. It takes me less than an hour to reformat XP, and about another hour to install all my other software, tweak all my settings, etc... I don't use partitions, so I reinstall everything. I reformat XP about every 3-4 months, or if the computer is acting up for some reason.

I would love to do it once a year, but I think once you start reformatting it gets in your blood, *lol*. You just have to keep doing it.

My first computer I had for over 5 years and I never reformatted. Then I built my first computer after finding this place, learned about reformatting, and the rest is history! :)