Windows 98 SE Help in installing

Hi everyone,

I am hoping you guys can help in some way. 

So, I have an old machine with software requiring windows XP. I have a disc to load but it requires a previous windows version - I have a 98SE install disc and all my products have their OEM Codes.

However, my 98SE will not install, the disc is damaged and does not read half way through so the process crashes.

I am hoping that someone with either give me a work around or, if someone has a perfect disc they can copy and post me, I would ne most grateful - can send address etc to our private emails. Happy to pay for postage and disc etc

To be clear, I have a clear unused, unformatted HDD and simply need to have a disc I can route Dos to d:\ and run set up

btw, I did download the ISO and used my windows 11 pc to burn a disc, but this doesn't seem to work?!?!  Thanks micorsoft, although I suppose I could be doing something wrong . . . 

Any all help gratefully received

Many thanks

MeinNottm

Edited by hamluis, 25 February 2024 - 08:58 AM.
Moved from Gen Chat to W98 - Hamluis.

You want Windows 98SE Full OEM, second from the top. This version will boot from the CD and does not need a startup floppy.

https://winworldpc.com/product/windows-98/98-second-edition

If you need a XP iso see the first link in this post.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/t/627328/where-do-i-download-windows-xp-sp3-in-iso/?p=4087925

Edited by JohnC_21, 25 February 2024 - 09:32 AM.

Thank you for this JohnC will give this a go!!!

You're Welcome

OK, so I followed the link above, used a new CD in the drive, used WIn11 to burn ISO to disc. (Checked online using the right process.) On the old pc, set to boot from CD and all I get is 'invalid system disc'?  Help

When you look at the files on the CD it shows a number of files and not a single iso file, correct? On Windows 11 to burn a iso file you right click the iso and select Burn iso?

I would use a software called Imgburn and burn it at the slowest speed, Opt out of any software it asks you install or you can extract the exe file to a folder on your desktop using an archiver like 7zip then double click the Imgburn exe file to launch the program.

https://forum.imgburn.com/topic/61-how-to-write-an-image-file-to-a-disc-using-imgburn/

Edit: It almost sounds like the computer is attempting to boot from the hard drive first and not the CD drive. Make sure the optical drive is listed as the first boot device in BIOS.

Edited by JohnC_21, 25 February 2024 - 03:22 PM.

Yes - I set the bios to boot from CD Rom first, it seems like the CD Rom doesn't even spin up. I had the same issues with the downloads from microsoft. Motherboard is a WInFast 760M02-GX and I have had WIn98 and WInXP running fin in the past

Can the MB boot from a USB flash drive or if not does it have a floppy disk drive?

I will need to check the settings for USB drive, but I have managed to get a dos partition set up on the HDD from floppy

What is the computer or motherboard model number?

It was listed earlier as a Foxconn Winfast 760M02-GX, which is apparently the same thing as a 760GXK8MC from the quick search I did.

My first thought would be a failing optical drive. This board is new enough to have SATA, but I don't know if Windows 98 can handle installing from a SATA optical drive. Maybe it will work with the right BIOS settings.

Yes - this is the page where I set it to boot from CD Rom first, then HDD, then floppy. I know about the basics of BIOS - have built many machines, just not had this issue of the CD Rom ISO not booting . . .  Followed this process on partner's PC - set it to boot from CD when I loaded her Win10. That worked fine, just rusty on older operating systems, floor by my old 98SE being too scratched to ready fully. Tried the process again tonight using the CD's from above link, just failed.

It's probably the optical drive but you can get an iso of 98SE here

https://archive.org/details/windows-98-se-isofile

Scroll down for the correct key in the comments section.

Edited by JohnC_21, 25 February 2024 - 08:27 PM.