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Moving win 95 hdd to new computer


hyphagon

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Hi,

I was running a dell dimension xps t700r with win95 until the mobo went. Now I've taken the hdd out and cloned it in another machine onto a sata hdd and iinstalled it into a spare dell dimension 8400 pc. It has a p4 chip in it. When I try and boot it comes up with windows protection error. Please restart your computer. However it still boots in safe mode. I also tried running through the step by step start up. if clicking yes to loading the registry it goes back to options where i can select safe mode etc. But then going through step by step it doesn't ask it again. however it still fails to start after loading drivers with same message.

The reason i want this hdd is because i got some software on it that i don't know how to re-install again on a fresh copy.

Is it possible to get this system running or am i just wasting my time?

Cheers

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When you run Windows 95 on a computer whose cpu is over 2.2 GHZ you have to appl a patch in order to get it to work. Search this forum in the 9x Member Projects section and you will find help

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Well first of all, that model 8400 definitely has one of Dell's better BIOS chips with lots of settings, particularly those concerning SATA operation mode with AHCI and IDE. So whatever HDD you plan on dropping in there, the existing Windows installation (on that HDD) it's storage interface (which is cooked into that registry) would need to match the BIOS setting. This is the cause of so many Blue Screen protection errors. Toggle between AHCI and IDE to get past the first hurdle.

But ... that is the least of your problems anyway because IIRC that is an i925 family chipset and I never have heard of chipset drivers for Win9x (but I would love to be proven wrong). Consequently I believe the best you can hope for is to run Win9x in 'compatibility mode' where Windows 95 disk access will be limited to something like 16 MB/s maximum speed.

But ... the Dell 8400's I've seen all had P4 Prescott chips in the 3+ GHz range. There may be a CPU bottleneck because I remember some theoretical problem with using Win95 on far-off-into-future processors over 2 GHz (Win95 came out when the i386 and i486 was popular, even before the Pentium I, and all CPU's were still measured in MHz). If this error occurs it would most likely also be a BSOD (blue screen of death).

The best chance for success would be to drop a HDD from a perfectly working Win98se system that is SATA-1 aware ('IDE Mode') and preferably has a late Win9x-compatible Intel chipset like i865 cooked into its registry. You'll probably still be stuck in compatibility mode, but since that HDD speed pretty much matches what he had back in 1995 to 1996 or 1997 it might just be interesting enough to try.

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To use Windows 95 on >2.1 GHz processors you will need my FIX95CPU patch. As previously noted it is in the "member projects" section.

If you can set your SATA Hard Drive to IDE compatibility mode, then you may have some chance of loading the OS. Otherwise you would need RLoew's SATA patch.

You will have to live without drivers for your motherboard as there are no Windows 95 drivers for Intel Chipsets later than 845. :no:

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There are definitely drivers for i865.

EDIT: Well, definitely for Win98se. Not sure about Win95 gold and OSR.

Yes. :thumbup

98SE Support continued until AT LEAST the 875 Chipset (using version 6.3.0.1007 of the INF Update utility), because I have several 875 Chipset motherboards that work with 98SE.

95 and 98FE support ended with the 845 Chipset (and version 3.20.1008 of the INF Update Utility).

There is a package at Intel's Website that CLAIMS to support Windows 98SE/ME and claims support for up to the 925 Series Chipset, HOWEVER, I cannot get the installer to run on a 98SE System. :unsure:

I've been meaning to dig deeper into the issue, but haven't had the opportunity. Maybe someone would care to inspect the file and see if there is anything useful for Windows 9X in it?

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98SE Support continued until AT LEAST the 875 Chipset (using version 6.3.0.1007 of the INF Update utility), because I have several 875 Chipset motherboards that work with 98SE.

95 and 98FE support ended with the 845 Chipset (and version 3.20.1008 of the INF Update Utility).

There is a package at Intel's Website that CLAIMS to support Windows 98SE/ME and claims support for up to the 925 Series Chipset, HOWEVER, I cannot get the installer to run on a 98SE System. :unsure:

I've been meaning to dig deeper into the issue, but haven't had the opportunity. Maybe someone would care to inspect the file and see if there is anything useful for Windows 9X in it?

Holy Moley. Thanks for that! :thumbup I have a couple of i925x lying about, probably the same Dells as the OP (I believe they all have WinXP but have not had reason to even turn them on).

I'll grab that INF installer right now and have a look (eventually). There may be some life in those old Win98se bones yet.

EDIT: I hope that this doesn't mean what I think: Chipset: INF Update Utility for 848, 865, 875, 910, 915, 925 Chipset-Based Intel Desktop Boards

Edited by CharlotteTheHarlot
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Holy Moley. Thanks for that! :thumbup I have a couple of i925x lying about, probably the same Dells as the OP (I believe they all have WinXP but have not had reason to even turn them on).

I'll grab that INF installer right now and have a look (eventually). There may be some life in those old Win98se bones yet.

EDIT: I hope that this doesn't mean what I think: Chipset: INF Update Utility for 848, 865, 875, 910, 915, 925 Chipset-Based Intel Desktop Boards

No problem. :angel

I will be most anxious to hear your results. As I noted I have not been able to get that installer to run on a 98SE system (and I was using an Intel-manufactured i865 board when I tried to run it). I don't remember the exact problem now, I think it was a "Device attached to the system is not functioning" or a "missing export" or something like that when it refuses to run. Don't think I ever tested it on Windows ME. I reverted to the older one that works and haven't experimented with it since.

Edited by LoneCrusader
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Thanks for the help,

I've currently got sata set to raid autodetect/AHCI so I'm guessing that the hdd drive settings are ok since it can load the OS in safe mode and begins to load the OS normally (it shows the window icon briefly before failing). Also just a side note I never encounter BSOD its always just on a black screen. with no other writing. Also since it can load safe mode surely then it can load the processor? though I'll look into this patch now.

Another note is that the keyboard and mouse I'm using are both usb and its having no problems with those, though in device manager its showing them as ps/2. Likewise the hdd is shown as ide.

Cheers

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Thanks for the help,

I've currently got sata set to raid autodetect/AHCI so I'm guessing that the hdd drive settings are ok since it can load the OS in safe mode and begins to load the OS normally (it shows the window icon briefly before failing). Also just a side note I never encounter BSOD its always just on a black screen. with no other writing. Also since it can load safe mode surely then it can load the processor? though I'll look into this patch now.

Another note is that the keyboard and mouse I'm using are both usb and its having no problems with those, though in device manager its showing them as ps/2. Likewise the hdd is shown as ide.

Cheers

AHCI is NOT compatable with Windows 9x. It requires protected mode operation and Windows 9x will crash well before it could possibly load a driver.

I was able to Patch the firmware on a Highpoint card to not crash, but there are no AHCI drivers for Windows 9x in any case.

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If you can set your SATA Hard Drive to IDE compatibility mode, then you may have some chance of loading the OS.
I've currently got sata set to raid autodetect/AHCI
:wacko::whistle:

Problem? :whistle:

I don't see "IDE" anywhere in what the OP had posted, and somehow I don't think SATA "RAID" is going to help run Windows 9x. :huh:

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If you can set your SATA Hard Drive to IDE compatibility mode, then you may have some chance of loading the OS.
I've currently got sata set to raid autodetect/AHCI
:wacko::whistle:

Problem? :whistle:

I don't see "IDE" anywhere in what the OP had posted, and somehow I don't think SATA "RAID" is going to help run Windows 9x. :huh:

SATA RAID is not a problem unless it forces AHCI. I have alternative SATA Patches for RAID.

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