Formatting windows 98

[Crystal]

Im formatting a computer for a friend, windows 98 I've done this a hundred times before, but this one I get threw all the steps, from boot disk, to format, to setup, but once it gets to the question about how you want to setup windows 98...Ie: typical.....the computer shuts down...I have 2 windows 98 se cd's, one cd shuts down at the point just described, the other cd just tells me bad command file when I type setup. any help would be appreciated.
Thanks, Crystal

 

[Lekki_Sheep]

So you've got two copies of 98 and they both have different problems.

Do you know the symptoms which caused the nessesity for re-formating the HDD? If so please post them.

Have you tried booting and launching from the disk that gets you to restart and then swapping disks at any point? It's a desperate measure, a jury-rigg at best, but it's worth a try as the disks probably have different damaged areas and you may get a result this way.

 

[Nodsu]

Always test the RAM and the hard drive of older computers.

Copy the Windows instllation files to the hard drive after format instead of running setup directly from the CD.

 

[alidabiri]

So you've got two copies of 98 and they both have different problems.

Do you know the symptoms which caused the nessesity for re-formating the HDD? If so please post them.

Have you tried booting and launching from the disk that gets you to restart and then swapping disks at any point? It's a desperate measure, a jury-rigg at best, but it's worth a try as the disks probably have different damaged areas and you may get a result this way.

win98-se didn't have bootable disks (cd's) to install from. there is a win-98-se boot disk that will install with/without cd-rom support, but then you still have to go to the cd to start setup.
you can get a win98-se boot disk from here:
www.bootdisk.com

 

[alidabiri]

try this:

get a 98 floppy boot disk from www.bootdisk.com
start your pc with boot disk in the machine
after win98 comes up, enter fdisk
display partition(s) (if any)
delete partition(s)
create new partition
restart
format the hard disk
restart with the bootdisk in, and choose "start with cd-rom support"
if your cd-rom drive is d:
on command prompt type d:
type dir setup*.*
to see if the setup file is there
type setup.exe
let win-98 install

 

[Crystal]

I did use the boot disk, after all format and files are complete, that is when I am using the cd to install windows, however it once it gets to the point that it asks me which installation i want Ie: typical...before I have i even have the chance to select anything it shuts down. Could it be a problem with the fan and the cpu over heating?
thanks,
crystak

 

[alidabiri]

when you get to that screen, and it ask you to choose typical or whatevr, it should not stop. it should let you choose an option. so, when it's shutting down, it can not continue with the installation. it could be there is a hardware/software conflict. if there are new devices that win-98 know nothing about, it would crash. o.s. are usually upward compatible, not backward. just like they said above: test your ram too. check cpu temperature. does it always stop at the same location? or different places? when it stops, does the machine turn off? or just blank screen with the machine running?

 

[Crystal]

yes it always stops at the same location and it completely shuts down, I have another win 98 cd that I recieved from a repair shop and with that when I choose the drive and type setup it tells me its in invalid command, there shouldn't be any new hardware as everything is as it was prior to the format, im under the impression that it may be the fan as it shutsdown at a very high point (sorry i dont know how to explain it well, when the rom is working, it seems to be abnormally fast and high and this is when shutdown occurs. Like I've said i've done this many times before, Im doing the format and installation exactly as it should be done.

 

[alidabiri]

i think it's the cpu fan. and the cpu is heating up and shutting down. the machine is made to shut down when cpu temperature gets to a certain limit and shut down, to prevent damage to the cpu. what kind of machine is this? pentium ?? when the machine is on, can you hear the fan? or can you open the case and look to see if the fan is actually running? if the fan is running, you can look to see if the heat sink is loose or not. what speed is the cd-rom? x4? x8? x16? higher? what was running on this machine before? what brand is it?

 

[Lekki_Sheep]

win98-se didn't have bootable disks (cd's) to install from. there is a win-98-se boot disk that will install with/without cd-rom support, but then you still have to go to the cd to start setup.
you can get a win98-se boot disk from here:
www.bootdisk.com

Quite right there, sorry. It's been some time since I've installed anything pre-2000.

 

[Lekki_Sheep]

If it's your fan that's the trouble, an easy way to find out (if it stays on long enough) would be to go into CMOS setup just after the POST beep, when it's doing the RAM test. POST beep's the little beep your computer makes just after you turn it on (appologies if you already know all this, but I figure it's best to be sure). Usually it'll prompt you at the bottom of the screen with 'Enter Setup*Key*' *Key* is commonly del, but sometimes it's f2 or some other key. If you've got a boot logo (though this is unlikely with an older machine) you may need to hit another key to 'show POST'.

Right, while you're in CMOS setup look for the CPU temperature entry. It's usually in the power section, but it might be elsewhere. The entry will look something like:

CPU temperature: *number*/*number*

The second number is the tollerance setting for your cpu's temp. If you leave your machine running and whatch the temperature, you may see it rise up to tolerance before shuttung down. If this fails, it's something else.
Also, if it doesn't shut down when you've just left it running while in CMOS setup it's unlikely to be your cpu overheating.

 

[alidabiri]

lekki,
the only way to get to P.O.S.T. is when you start the machine. which, in this case hasn't gotten hot yet. i suppose after the machine shuts down (from heat - supposedly), she can restart and by tapping "del" key or f2 key, she can get to P.O.S.T. but by then, the cpu has cooled a bit.
you need to tell us:
what kind of pc is it?
what mobo is (model, etc.)
amount of ram?
hdd / cd-rom / floppy / display adapter installed?

p.s. some newer mobo's have a mobo monitor program that shows temp, voltages, and fan speed(s) while in windows. asus_probe is one that does a good job. others may have some kind of monitors too.

 

[Lekki_Sheep]

Actually I was suggesting that she leave the machine on for some time to monitor the cpu temperature, not checking the temp once it's restarted.

Maybe it all got lost in the ramble I was having.

Anyhow, I was just trying to eliminate the posiblilty alidabiri.

Just to be sure I'm being clear I'll go through the steps
1.start the computer
2.use the del/f2 (whatever key) to enter the CMOS setup utility
3.find the cpu heat monitor
4.watch it for a period of time, say 20 mins, or leave it for that time.
5.if it restarts there's an over-heating problem. If it doesn't restart or shutdown then If you want to be sure leave it for a while longer (say if it took a very long time to get to the shutdown stage with the win setup).

You see, it's the amount of time the machine's running with a faulty processor fan, not the function it's performing that's the point of interest here.

 

[alidabiri]

no problem dude!
don't forget, cpu temperature rises noticably when you put a load on it. at idle, specially at p.o.s.t., when you haven't even loaded operating system, theres little or no load on the cpu. so, it may behave nice. only when you do intense cpu activity (such as copying files, expanding .cab's etc.) is when you can notice a rise in cpu termerature. we still need to know what i asked in the post above.