[Tripredacus]

Sometime next week I am going to install Windows 98 on an MSI Wind netbook to see how it works out. Are there any recommendations or things I need to know about installing 98 on newer hardware? I haven't installed 98 on anything newer than from 2001. Also I know this has been questioned before but don't remember where the thread was. The Wind config can be found in the "My Servers" link in my sig if you need that info.

Thanks.

[dencorso]

Tripredacus, with 2 GiB RAM, you should read cannie's tutorial (How to install Windows 98 in modern motherboards using more than 1 GB) before you start. Sfor's thread on Asus Eee PC and Windows 9x should be much useful also. And, once things are running smoothly, your machine'll be a prime candidate for my own 9x/ME with > 1 GB RAM List. With an 80 GB HDD, a 10 GiB active primary partition should suffice for Win 98 and all programs you might decide to install on it. Be sure to make a partition image immediately after the system becomes bootable, so that you won't ever need to reinstall anymore, and can test various drivers without fear of damaging the installation. Once your 98 is already running, then we can select which further update packs to add to it. Welcome onboard!

[Tripredacus]

dencorso, on Jul 24 2009, 09:20 PM, said:

Tripredacus, with 2 GiB RAM, you should read cannie's tutorial (How to install Windows 98 in modern motherboards using more than 1 GB) before you start.

I'm not understanding some of the steps in that thread. For example, it says "make a folder called Windows" but doesn't say where. On the hard drive?

Also, I've never used a floppy disk to install Windows 98 before... only a CD. Is that weird?

[dencorso]

The ideia of using a floppy is to trap the 1st and 2nd reboots. For that to work in your case, you must:
0) set the boot order to 1: FDD 2: HDD
1) create a DOS bootable floppy and add EDIT.COM to it.
1) make your HDD bootable in DOS
2) copy the win 98 install to a directory named, say, INSTALL (I do it on a second partition, too)
3) create the C:\windows dir at the root of the HDD partition you're installing win 98 to. It'll become %windir%.
4) boot the HDD and start the install by running setup.exe from C:\INSTALL
5) get a USB FDD, insert the floppy on it, and connect it only after you've already booted from the HDD, and before
running setup

Now setup will got to the 1st reboot, but when it reboots it'll end on the floppy.
Then you run EDIT.COM and create the special dummy system.ini.
Then you remove the floppy and reboot from the HDD, setup resumes and you insert the floppy back.
Setup reaches the 2nd reboot and ends up on the floppy.
Now you correct the MaxFileCache and MaxPhysPage again, now in the real system.ini created by setup.
Then you remove the floppy and reboot from the HDD, setup resumes and you remove the USB HDD.
Setup finishes and the system reboots in Win 98.

There you are... This covers steps 1-4 of cannies tutorial, adapted for your case, but do read cannies steps 1-4 again, after reading this post, and I hope then you'll find they make sense (bear in mind it's been some time since I've last done this and I'm writing from my recollections, so some small detail may be missing).

PS: I, personally favor using MaxFileCache=393216, instead of MaxFileCache=524288.
In any case the values for MaxFileCache and MaxPhysPage you use here are for the purpose of installation only, they may and should be tunned after the system is installed and booting reliably. But that's a subject to be discussed only when you actually have the system installed and booting reliably, right?

[iWindoze]

/BUMP for updates

What has happened since with this project?

--iWindoze

[cannie]

Tripredacus, on Aug 17 2009, 10:44 PM, said:

I'm not understanding some of the steps in that thread. For example, it says "make a folder called Windows" but doesn't say where. On the hard drive?

I edited throughly that post, hope everything is clear enough now.

HTH

[Tripredacus]

iWindoze, on Oct 10 2009, 10:15 PM, said:

/BUMP for updates

What has happened since with this project?

--iWindoze

This project is on hold. I'm fully in Windows 7 mode right now. Got a deadline to keep an eye on!

[Tripredacus]

Just an update. This project is now abandoned before it got started. My netbook is running Windows 7 Starter and I have no intentions of changing it. I already have too much hardware under my name in inventory that I couldn't even fathom being approved to pick up more of it!

So you guys can close this topic if you wish.