Installing Windows 98

[mayorredbeard]

Okay well my sisters computer is really messed up. Its an old Compaq Presario, (at least 7 years old), and it had Windows XP illegally installed on it. A combination of my own morals and the sluggish peformance of the computer made me want to reformat it using Windows 98.

So I throw in the Compaq restore disc, and it starts doing its thing. It formats the drive, then after a while this screen comes up:

Starting Windows 98...
Microsoft RAMDrive version 3.06 virtual drive C:
-----Disk Size: 3,072k
-----Sector Size: 512 bytes
-----Allocation Unit: 2 Sectors
-----Directory Entries: 64

ATAPI IDE CD-ROM device driver version V.123A
1 drive detected
-----Unit 1, SLAVE, IRQ15, I/O address 0x0170

Mode prepare code page function completed

Mode select code page function completed
MSCDEX Version 2.25
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp. 1987-1995 All Rights Reserved
-----Drive N: = Driver IDECD001 unit 0

A:\>

Then i can type in commands after the "A:\>" but I can't get past this stage of the setup. Any ideas?

 

[Atomic Rooster]

Have you tried typing "X:\setup", where X is the drive letter that is assigned to your CD-ROM drive?

 

[borat_sagdiyev]

is it from a floppy or a cdrom?

 

[mayorredbeard]

The restore is being run from cd

 

[dude_se]

usually d:\setup.exe works for me
but im not sure how the old compaq recovery cd's work. i just know thats the usual thing for normal 98 discs

 

[mayorredbeard]

usually d:\setup.exe works for me
but im not sure how the old compaq recovery cd's work. i just know thats the usual thing for normal 98 discs

I've been getting a "Disk cannot be found" error. Which means that it can't find the drive that the cd is in. So the three things that could be causing this is:

1. Physical Connectivity
2. Drivers
3. CD Drive is physically broken

I've checked physical connectivity, and the drive I put the CD in was working before I formatted the computer, so my guess is that it's the drivers. But that doesn't make sense to me, if the restore disk cleared the drivers, how can I be expected to reinstall the drivers if I can't boot up my computer? Any ideas?

FYI: Compaq is no help. They "No longer carry technical support for products this old".

 

[dude_se]

the disk does still work doesnt it?
not scratched is it?
try typing in "cdrom" without the quotes then setup.exe
thats off the top of my head, but im sure typing "cdrom" or something will change to the cd drive, i dunno.

 

[muz]

In the bios is there not an option to boot from CD I havent played with 98 for a while now but give that a try

 

[mayorredbeard]

There is, and I have selected that. It brings me to the screen that I quoted in my first post, then gives me a command prompt that looks like this:

'A:>'

In which I can type commands. Anyone have any idea where I could find a copy of windows98 on a floppy? Or any other ideas as to remedy this situation?

 

[mayorredbeard]

the disk does still work doesnt it?
not scratched is it?
try typing in "cdrom" without the quotes then setup.exe
thats off the top of my head, but im sure typing "cdrom" or something will change to the cd drive, i dunno.

I know how to change to the cd drive, it just won't let me. It says theres no disk in the drive. But there is. It lies. And the disk isn't scratched cause I used it to format the drive.