New OS for older computer

[jrr2k]

I'm a beginner, so please bear with me.

I'm having a problem with an older computer that I would like to set up for my kids to use. It's from the late 90's, Intel Celeron 466mhz, and it originally had Windows 98 SE as its OS.

The orig. hard drive might be bad. It won't start windows and locks up when I try to reinstall Windows 98 from the CD ROM. I have since taken it out and set it aside.

Work gave me an unused computer to use for spare parts. It has a hard drive that boots up with Microsoft NT Server as its OS. I could probably leave it but there are hassles to keeping it this way. It has programs that start up automatically, it asks for a username/password every time it is turned on, and the drive is full of programs and settings that I have no use for. I would like to install my copy of Windows 98 SE on this new hard drive.

I can't figure out how to load it. I have the floppy boot disc and the CD ROM for Windows 98. The computer says that it cannot install windows 98 within NT server and that I must quit NT Server and load 98 in DOS. I don't know how.

One other option...the work computer had 2 hard drives. I tried to load Windows 98 on the second HD but so far, no luck. First the problem was something like "HD not partitioned...set up a partition in DOS...". I also tried formatting the 2nd hard drive, the option I chose was "NTSB" (I know that’s not right but it was 4 letters and started with an N) I will probably try to format it again as "FAT" tonight and see if that makes a difference. There is nothing on any of the hard drives that I would miss. I would prefer to start from scratch.

Any ideas or comments?

I really don't need this computer for anything other than simple apps and internet. Which reminds me...I would like this computer to take a wireless network card and connect through my cable modem and router.

How far from reality am I?

[catgate]

I think you need to run fdisk and format and repartition your HDD to FAT32. Your NTFS is not suitable for W98SE.

Depending on how much memory you have on board you may or may not wasting time thinking of using an Intel Celeron 466mhz for internet. It was OK for dial-up but it may just be a bit slow for BB, even with added RAM.

edit:- I have a feeling you may have difficulty going back to FAT32 unless you can get hold of the HDD manufacturers setup software. However someone with more knowledge that I should come strolling along before long.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

I also don't know if the Win98 fdisk utility can format an NTFS partition to FAT32, but it's definitely worth to try.

I agree that Win 98 is easier to handle than Win NT4 - that was really an OS for IT professionals.

Regarding wireless network card - check with the manufacturers if their device driver supports Win 98.

[zizzer]

Windows 98 by itself will not allow installation over an NT OS, so try this.

Boot from your Windows 98 floppy, Run FDISK and delete all Non-Dos partitions. doing so will delete the NT OS and all programs, basically wiping the hard disk. While still in FDISK, create a new Primary DOS Partition. Now reboot the computer, booting off the disk again and run FORMAT on the new partition you just created. Now simply restart the computer with the Windows 98 CD or Disk and run setup to install windows 98.

[Seshomaru Samma]

If Win98 doesnt work out may I suggest Puppy Linux

It is run entirely from RAM

It is super fast and super easy to configure

The ideal solution to an old machine

Now there is a special educational version of Puppy especially for children

check it out here : http://www.giovelug.org/articles.php?lng=en&pg=20

download the ISO file (don't unzip it) and burn it 'as image' in something like Nero

Boot from the CD , answer some questions about your monitor and that's it - it runs

If you like it you can install it to the harddrive or run it from CD ,as you wish

It has a browser , games, word processor, media player and everything you need

walk with the puppy and you'll never look back again...

[jrr2k]

Thanks for all the replys. I will have plenty of things to try tonight.

I have pulled the 2 13g hard drives from the work computer. One has the NT Server OS (HDD#1) and the 2nd has nothing on it (HDD#2). Both are formatted NTFS. Last night I tried to run FDISK.exe from within NT Server. It loaded a DOS propmt and seemed to work...but then the partition only read 0% and so it aparantly made no partition at all. Within NT, if I right-click on a hard disk and select format, it will only allow me to fomat as NTFS, not FAT.

I cannot seem to get the Windows 98SE floppy boot disk to boot my machine. If I use HDD#1 as a master, the computer simply loads Windows NT Server and skips right throught the boot disk in drive A. If the HDD#2 is used as a master, I get an option to boot from CDROM or Hard Disk. I select boot from CD, there are a series of blue screens informing me that windows 98 has not finished installing and then a D:/win98 prompt for the CD drive.

Are the files in the windows 98 boot disk not compatable with the NTFS used by the NT server OS? Once in NT, I cannot even read the boot disk in the A drive. I will bring home a new 98 boot disk just in case.

I cannot boot the computer to a DOS prompt. I will try to go back to my original Hard Drive (the one with Windows 98 half loaded on it) and use the boot disk to get to DOS, then run thru FDISK and format.

Any and all ideas appreciated!

One other option, I could use a Windows 2000 install disk from work. Small company, and I do work at home...Would my current system support it? Would it install over NT?

[catgate]

Presumably your "Windows 98SE floppy boot disk" is the rescue disk made at installation W98.

If it is you need to go into BIOS and make your floppy the primary boot drive.

Once that is done you should get all the stuff on your floppy loaded into a virtual drive that is created in RAM. (it will call it D or something). From there you should get access to fdisk.

[jrr2k]

I'll double check the BIOS settings but I'm pretty sure that it boots the A drive 1st.

The floppy boot disk came with the computer set up and looks official, it differs from the ones I made during the windows install...?

I plan to bring a boot disk created from bootdisk.com home tonight and keep that as an option.

If the HDD with NT is set as my primary master drive, I power the computer up, the A drive spins the boot disk and then moves right on to the HDD booting NT. The boot disk never really allows me to boot from the floppy, no DOS, just skips right on to the hard drive. Once in NT, the disk is not recognized, I believe it says something like "disk may need to be formatted/not formatted".

[catgate]

it differs from the ones I made during the windows install..

May be it's time to try that one, when you are sure the floppy is the one to boot first. You should be able to go into the Bios and temporarily block everything except the floppy.

[firefox dude]

jrr2k may i add a suggestion..... :D if you have a different better pc (running windows2k pro or win xp pro) you can download windows virtual PC. It runs a OS in side your other OS. This means if the kid messes your pc up it will only hurt the guest OS and not your Host OS running your "virtual older"pc. I know this may not be what your looking for but it will take a lot less work than to fix an old celeron 466mhz. :)

[jrr2k]

A big THANK YOU to everyone who posted their advice. Last night I was able to boot the computer with the W98SE CD ROM, run FDISK on my original HDD, and on the blank HDD I took from the work computer. I removed the HDD partitions, enabled a new primary DOS partition, and then ran Windows which formatted the HDD (presumably with the FAT file structure). I still have no useable operating system but at least I know what the problem isn't.

I started a new thread about the failed Windows 98SE install here.

http://forums.windowsforum.org/index.php?showtopic=28113

If you have thoughts it would be appreciated.

I consider this question completely answered...thanks again.

A couple people asked why am I messing with the Celeron 466. Good question. If it ever boots up, it will become a beast of burden for the kids. They shove things into the floppy drive, use the CD ROM drive tray as a kind of support, and generally abuse the machine. I would prefer they never touch my computer. :)

So, this is theirs, they can treat it bad and I won't have to yell about it. Oh, and I paid $2100 for it.

Thanks to the poster for the Puppy Linux link, that will be my plan B. Odd to see it on a Windows forum.

Plan C is a trip to Goodwill and a liberal tax deduction.