Installing after a re-format

[Jim Sharpe]

After re-formatting C: I found that my CD ROM driver floppy wouldn't work. The driver is a Mitsumi to enable my Realistic Quad
CD drive to read the WIN98SE disk.
I've not done this for a good while so I may be a bit rusty but my procedure is to put the Mitsumi floppy in A: drive and the WIN 98 disk in the CD ROM drive nominated D:. When boot up Windows 'set up' should start but instead I get "Invalid system disk etc."
When I examine the floppy contents I have one file on it named 'drv.copy.
Can anyone help?

Jim sharpe Oldham UK

[LPDad]

go into the bios and set your system to startup with the CD ROM drive first (instead of your C drive).

You system seems to be trying to start from your c drive first, bypassing your CDROM, and there is currently nothing on your c drive (which is what you want for a clean install-- your C drive is CLEAN and ready to go)

Anyway you need to start from your CDROM.

[Jim Sharpe]

In my bios there is only provision to select A-C or C-A boot sequence.

[LPDad]

S**t!! it figures.

Ok what you need to do is make yourself a bootdisk for win98 that has a CDROM driver on it.

Go to http://www.bootdisk.com/ and you can download the proper files to make bootdisk.
(I am really hoping you have access to another computer here)

Then use the bootdisc to boot from drive a. and startup with a dos prompt.

Switch over to your CDROM drive (E: ??) and you should be able to run the Win98 setup from there.

[LPDad]

BTW....In reading some of the info at www.bootdisk.com I noticed that their bootdisks specify the CDROM drives as R:

Thought I might mention it and save you some aggrevation.

[DreamCaster]

Greetings Jim Sharpe and welcome
Let me add to this as well. If memory serves correct, when you boot form a win98 boot disk you'll get a choice to start the system with or without cd-rom support. Typically when you start it with cd-rom support, the "diagnostic tools" are loaded onto the next available drive letter (in your case D:\) and the cd-rom is assigned the next in line (E:\). Hope this helps.
Let us know how it works out for you

~Peace
DC

[Jim Sharpe]

First of all thank you.
I downloaded a bootdisk as directed to floppy.
I chose WIN98SE OEM
Tried to boot with it and got the same message "Invalid system disk etc."
The sequence is set now to A-C.
There is a download for WIN98SE Custom No Ram drive. Don't underctand the nomenclature though. Not tried that should I?

[Cirga]

Hey there Jim. welcome

When you attempt to boot up off of a CD Rom you need to specify in the BIOS to use the CDROM Drive first in the boot sequence. When you are in the BIOS does it actually state floppy disk, CD rom drive, and IDE fixed disk? or does it just give you letters?

There is an easier way to install instead of using the CD directly.

What you can do is use the Win98 boot up floppy. Use option number 1 to start up the computer with CDROM Support. Then change to your CDROM drive letter (E:, or R: as LPDad stated) and run setup directly from there. Usually just type "setup" from the CDROM drive letter.

If that doesnt work.. Change directory to your C drive. "c:". Make a directory called Winfiles "md winfiles". Change to that folder. "cd winfiles". Then go back to your CD Rom drive (e:, or R. Do a directory listing on the cdrom to find the folder with the CAB files in it. On the Win98 SE cdrom its in the Win98 folder. Once you find all the "CAB" files. Do a "copy *.* c:". This will copy them all to your C drive in the folder you just made.

Now go back to your c drive "c:". And type in "setup". This will install Windows straight from your hard drive instead of the CD rom.

Give it a shot.. thats how I install my windows boxes all the time for 98.

[Jim Sharpe]

Hi Cirgar. I can understand your instructions but the point is I cannot get the CD ROM drive to read the WIN98 CD because the floppies I use are said to be Invalid system disks.
Luckily I have another PC so I can still access the web.
In the BIOS the only boot sequence options are A-C or C-A.
I have not got a DOS prompt so I can't type anything in yet.
If you read my previous mail you will see that I have downloaded a driver from bootdisk.com labelled OEM I don't know what the letters mean, It didn't work. There is one labelled Custom No Ram drive. What is that?

[Jim Sharpe]

I don't seem to be getting any further with this but I have a copy of DOS 6. 22 on floppies can you tell me how I can install that and I may be able to use that to install Windows.

[~*LdY*LaFFs*~]

OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer

does OEM apply here?

[Jim Sharpe]

i don't know what you mean. "does OEM apply here"

[DreamCaster]

Ok, are you saying that you cannot read the contents of the floppy disk on this machine :?

I'm attaching a .zip file with the contents of a standard win98boot disk. Extract them to a floppy and try that. If it still doesn't read or says invalid system disk, verify that you're boot sequence is indeed A-C. Also, try the boot disk in another system to make sure it's readable.

One more thing, when you make this boot disk up, write protect it (flip the little tab up so it's in the locked position). There's no reason why your system should need to write to it.

[~*LdY*LaFFs*~]

Well, typically OEM identifies a particular manufacturers install of a system or http://www.microsoft.com/oem/

[Jim Sharpe]

Did the download but the floppy created didn't work. I can see the file on the floppy, w98boot, but cannot open it any further. the other boot disc open to individual files. (24)