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Moving Your CD to the Hard Drive
By moving the contents of the Windows installation CD-ROM's WIN98 folder to your
hard drive you can eliminate the need to find your Windows CD each time you
install something that needs to load a new component from the installation CD.
1.
Using Windows Explorer find and highlight the folder on the Windows CD-ROM
titled WIN98. Drag and drop it on the root of your C: drive. It may take several
minutes to copy all 100 megabytes or so to your hard drive, but it's worth it.
2.
We now need to change the registry so Windows knows where to look for its files.
From the start button click on Run and type REGEDIT into the run
field and press Enter.
3.
Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
\SOFTWARE
\Microsoft
\Windows
\CurrentVersion
\Setup
4.
In the right pane, next to SourcePath, you'll see the path D:\win95 (or
the path from which you installed Windows originally). Right-click
SourcePath, select Modify, and type the path of the folder to which
you copied the CAB files on the Value Data line, ( C:\WIN98 ).
Click OK.
5.
If you are running Windows 98 you will need to also change the OLSSrcPath
(found just below the SourcePath) to read: C:\WIN98\OLS
Remember, those are Back-slashes not forward-slashes.
6.
Close the regedit program and restart your computer so the changes can take effect.
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STARTING OVER
With Windows 95 or 98
So you want to clear off your hard drive and start all over.
The repeated installation and removal of computer programs, or some of the more virulent computer viruses, can create a condition where the only way to put your computer back in acceptable order is to completely clean and reload your hard drive.
This page is intended for those re-installing Windows 95 or 98. If you are installing XP, click the following link:
For Windows XP CLICK HERE
CAUTION
Print and read this web page carefully and in its entirety (Especially the disclaimer at the end) before starting this procedure. Errors in this procedure, or your skill levels, could turn your computer into, what we in the trade call:
A Rope-Less Boat Anchor!
This procedure assumes some computer knowledge of the user, and should be used as a series of guidelines, not absolute step-by-step instructions. If you have any doubts about your ability to perform ANY of the following procedures, DON'T START THIS PROCESS!
If you are interested in upgrading your operating system, I recommend Windows98SE (Second Edition), it seems to be the most stable version of Windows yet to come out of Microsoft. If you are considering upgrading to 98SE don't buy the 98SE upgrade! The upgrade requires that a previous version of Windows be already on the hard drive. Not the way to go. Purchase the OEM "Original Equipment Manufacture" version. It will say: For Distribution with a New PC Only on the package. Technically, Microsoft requires that a new hard drive or main board be sold with the OEM version, but many dealers ignore this restriction. Of course this could be your opportunity to move up to a bigger hard drive or faster main board.
Windows XP (Preferably the Professional version) is by far the best version of Windows yet. But only if you have enough computer!
Any computer less than 700MHz. and 256-Megabytes of memory, is unsuitable for XP. If, on the other hand, your computer's CPU is 700MHz or faster, and it has at least 256-Megs of RAM (512 or 1024 preferred.) Windows XP-Pro would be your best bet. Like 98, above, don't install an UPGRADE - use only the OEM version. Clear your hard drive with WDCLEAR, and then set the CMOS to boot from the CD-ROM drive, pop the new XP CD in your reader and restart your computer.
What You Will Need Before You Start:
Bootable floppy disk, with WDCLEAR. (See note 1)
Windows CD-ROM & Product Number. (See note 2)
CD-ROM Drivers (See note 3).
Video Card Drivers.
Sound Drivers.
Modem Drivers.
Printer Drivers.
Other Drivers (See note 4)
Installable copies of ALL your programs.
Two blank floppy disks.
Internet setup and login information (See note 5)
If you only have one computer, and it's the one you are currently using to read this web page, before you start this process you must first use your working Internet connection to download, to floppies or other removable media, drivers and other applications you will need to complete the re-load. You can find drivers for many devices at DriverFiles.net and/or DriverGuide.com.
Of course, if you can, backup to floppies or other removable media, all the data you wish to keep from your old hard drive. Remember, you can't backup programs, only data! You will need to re-install your programs from their original CDs or floppies.
I recommend that you do a little more than just re-format your hard drive. WDCLEAR is a free tool that will work on many IDE & EIDE hard drives, and will restore the drive back to a factory-fresh condition. Make a Bootable Floppy Disk and place a copy of WDCLEAR.exe on it. (See NOTE 1 on the right.)
After you have all the tools, drivers and software at the ready and have backed up all your important data, do the following: Remember, once you start this process it is irreversible, you MUST complete it or you will not have a working computer.
After booting from the floppy, type WDCLEAR and press enter. REMEMBER This will destroy ALL data on your hard drive, and return it to a factory fresh condition.
Special Note: If you are installing Windows 98 and expect to boot from the CD-ROM, and have more than one physical hard drive installed in your computer, you will need to temporarily disable all but the first H/D. Windows 98 expects the CD-ROM to be drive D: during the install process. (You can disable a hard drive by simply unplugging the logic cable from the drive.)
1.
Set the CMOS so your computer will boot from the floppy disk first.
For more information on setting the CMOS see the lower right sidebar.
2.
Insert the bootable floppy, with WDClear on it, into the floppy and boot the computer.
3.
Run WDClear which will clear and write zeros to your hard drive.
4.
If you are installing Windows 98 AND your computer's BIOS supports booting from the CD-ROM: Set your computer's BIOS to boot from the CD-ROM first, then insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM and reboot your computer. Boot from the CD-ROM and follow the instructions. If you are asked about large drive support, select "Yes". Skip to step 11.
5.
If your computer does not support booting from the CD-ROM or you are installing Windows 95, do steps 6 through 10.
6.
Reboot your computer from the bootable floppy disk and type FDISK and press Return. If you are asked about large drive support, select "Yes". Then take the defaults by pressing Enter on each screen.
7.
After FDISK is complete, reboot your computer with the bootable floppy and type: FORMAT C: /S /U /V:DRIVE_1 and press Enter. (One space between each switch. /V is a forward-slash-V and NOT an "N") Remember these are forward-slashes NOT back-slashes and colons NOT semicolons .
8.
After the format is complete, remove your floppy and reboot your computer. It should come up a C:> DOS prompt.
9.
Install your CD-ROM drivers and reboot your computer.
Many CD-ROMs require that, before you install their drivers, you have an AUTOEXEC.BAT & CONFIG.SYS file, as well as a copy of MSCDEX.EXE, in the root of your C: drive.
I make a floppy, on another machine, or before I start, and place a copy of MSCDEX.EXE, which you should find somewhere on any working PC, and an empty (0-byte) AUTOEXEC.BAT & CONFIG.SYS file on the floppy. Then I simply pop that floppy in the drive and type
COPY A:\*.* C:\
then press enter. After this you should be able to install the CD-ROM drivers. If, during the CD driver install, you are asked where the MSCDEX is located, respond with: C:\
10.
Insert your Windows CD and type d: (Where "d" is your CD-ROM drive) and press Enter. Type Setup and press Enter.
If your computer complains that some things are missing for the test it wants to do, by-pass the test by reading the on-screen instructions.
Follow the on-screen instructions to install Windows.
11.
Your computer may need to restart once or twice throughout the install. If you are installing Windows 98SE by booting from the CD-ROM, there will come a time where you must select Boot from the Hard Drive at about the second or third restart.
12.
The basic installation of Windows should now be done. Remove the CD-ROM and do a normal shut down then, restart your computer. During the memory test, get into the CMOS setup and change the boot sequence to boot from the C: drive first.
Helpful Hint
To eliminate the need for the Windows CD-ROM during the installation of drivers and other programs, copy the WIN folder from the CD to your hard drive. See the sidebar Moving your CD to the Hard Drive.
13.
Windows 98SE will likely detect many of your peripherals such as video, sound, modem, etc, and install basic drivers for them. Some may not be detected, or if you are installing another version of Windows, you will need to install the drivers for your particular devices. I suggest you check and/or install the drivers in the following order. 1. Video. 2. Sound. 3. Modem. 4. All others.
Even if Windows 98SE installs basic drivers, you may want to reinstall them from the latest versions you previously downloaded.
14.
Once all the drivers are installed and tested, you are now ready to setup your Internet account and reinstall all your programs and data.
15.
We recommend, as with drivers, that before you reinstall any of your old programs you check with the manufacture of each to see if they have an upgraded version available.
Congratulations! If all went well, you should now have a stable and well running computer.
You Are On Your Own!
Due to my workload and limited time, I cannot help you with this reloading process. If you need help, I would recommend you find a competent and honest computer technician, (Not an easy task) See: Watch Out
Please read the disclaimer at the bottom of this page before proceeding.
Print this page so you can follow it during the re-load process.
Use the above procedure(s)
at your own risk!
J.R. has been building and repairing computers for over 30 years, and has personally used the above procedure(s) on thousands of computers. Each computer is different and the competence of the user can vary. J.R. Whipple, in no way warrants the above procedure(s), nor can he be held responsible for any problems, loss of data, loss of business, or any other damages caused by the application of the above procedure(s). If you are not comfortable with ANY of the above procedures, DON'T DO THEM.
We Can Do It All For You!
If you'd rather not do the above clearing and reloading yourself, we can do the job fast and professionally. If you have all the drivers needed, and few programs you want us to reinstall for you, the reload procedure will run from about $100 to $200 USD, plus shipping. Click Here for shipping instructions.
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NOTES
Note 1:
Make a bootable floppy by double clicking your My Computer icon,
then double click the Control Panel icon, double click the
Add/Remove Programs icon, and select the Startup Disk tab
and follow the instructions.
CAUTION:
Don't make a boot floppy on any computer that is suspected of having a BOOT SECTOR VIRUS. Doing so will propagate the virus to your new load.
WDCLEAR
Western Digital no longer offers WDCLEAR from their web site, but you can download a ZIPed copy Here
Note 2:
The Windows Product Key number is unique for each CD-ROM.
This 25 character string, composed of letters and numbers, can be found on the
front cover of the Windows manual or on the Certificate of Authenticity.
Windows cannot be installed without the proper Product Key!
Note 3:
If you are installing Windows 95 OR your computer does not support booting from
its CD-ROM, you will need to have and install the CD-ROM drivers on your newly
formatted hard drive.
Note 4:
If you have a ZIP drive, writable CD-ROM drive, or other non-standard
devices inside or connected to your
computer, you will need to have the current drivers for these devices.
Note 5:
You will need to know your Internet login name, password, and dial-in
number, as well as the names of your ISP's mail & news servers.
You may need to contact your ISP for this information.
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CMOS Settings
Setting your computer to boot from the floppy disk first.
The following procedure will work on most computers. Your computer may vary
and you may need to consult your owner's manual.
1.
From a power-on restart, press the delete key (Del) during the memory
test several times. (This should present the CMOS setting screen.)
2.
With the arrow-keys, select the BIOS FEATURES SETUP and press Enter.
3.
Select Boot Sequence. With the Page Up & Page Down
keys, select A,C (If your page keys don't work, try pressing the enter key.)
4.
Check the bottom of the page for instruction on how to Save and exit the CMOS setup.
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