Windows 98 on an XP Machine

By AMANUENSIS
in Microsoft (Windows)

 Share

Recommended Posts

Neowinian

AMANUENSIS

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hi

I have some software that runs on windows98 and the pc it was on has died, so I have bought a PC with XP on and now want to install Windows 98 on it.

How should I go about it, I have tried a normal install and it tells me I need to install from the dos prompt, I have even made a dos floppy to boot from, when I key in E:\setup to get it to install W98 from in the CD in drive E, it is telling me that the drive E is an address that is invalid. Any ideas as to how I can get W98 installed on this machine and will it enable me to use a USB mouse?

Many thanks in advance to anyone that can help

Title Fixed

Edited by Barney
Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/632774-windows-98-on-an-xp-machine/
Share on other sites
Grand Master

Southern Patriot

Posted
Posted

First, did you try using the software on XP? It's likely that it would work. If you did, and it didn't work, and still want to install 98, then you should try booting from the 98 CD. Assuming it is a legit CD, it should work and start the install.

Grand Master

NightmarE D

Posted
Posted

I use a lot of older software in XP and have never had any problems running it actually. If it's something that relies on DOS like older games, you can download DosBox. You can also install the software and right click on it's icon and choose Properties then click on the Compatibility tab at the top and check the box next to "Run this program in compatibility mode for:" and choose Windows 98 in the menu.

If you really want to run Windows 98 then try this:

Create a Windows 98 bootdisk. You can download the image file for one here. Just put a floppy in and run the image file and it'll do it for you. You can also se if the Windows 98 CD will boot at start up and start it from there.

Boot using the floppy you just made

At the prompt type "format c:" without the quotes and hit Enter

When the format is done, restart the system leaving the floppy disk in and choose CD-Rom support at the menu

At the A:\ prompt type E:\setup

It should start the setup fine after that. Keep in mind that Windows 98 doesn't support more than 512mb's of RAM and most of your hardware may not have Windows 98 drivers. You can also run it in a virtual machine and still have XP on your system.

Contributor

oooarrr33

Posted
Posted

Man, this is proper oldschool - I don't know whether I could find the resources to get this working, but I'll try for you. Basically as I recall, trying to get Windows to install from a Dos Boot Disk will require you to load a basic CD driver so that it can mount and read from the CD Drive. As I recall, if you look on the floppy you made, there should be two files called 'autoexec.bat', and config.sys - in one of these needs to go a reference to start the CD drivers.

If you want a quick fix though, the following website has images of bootdisks with CD driver support. Hope that helps!

Rising Star

Aldur82

Posted
Posted

In all honesty, I wouldn't even consider trying to install 98 on a modern computer due to the lack of driver support. It would be much easier, quicker, and more sensible, to run it in a Virtual Machine. The plus side to this is, if the computer ever failed for any reason all you have to do is copy TWO files over to another machine and it'll be back up an running without any trouble.

  • 3 months later...
Mentor

dmd3x

Posted
Posted

What are the specs of the PC that you are trying to install Windows 98 on? A few years ago at the school I used to go to, they were still installing Windows 98 on some computers, and the computers had Pentium 4 CPUs. A bit nuts, but I guess what happened was that the school had a boatload of Windows 98 licenses and someone donated a boatload of new computers with no OS installed... lol

So anyway, what are your specs? (Include models/manufacturers if you can)

Mentor

dmd3x

Posted
Posted

You could set up a Dual Boot, if you can get drivers for your hardware. If you are using an older PC, this should be easier to achieve.

Create a 30GB Partition for Win98 FAT (or less, but I wouldn't recommend more), and a second partition (NTFS) for Windows XP using the remainding space.

Install Windows 98 FIRST.

Rising Star

Aldur82

Posted
Posted

The really simple way of doing this would be to use Microsoft Virtual PC 2007 (free from MS website) and run it as a virtual machine.

Problem solved.

Trying to install Windows 98 on new hardware is just asking for trouble. As I've already stated above.

Grand Master

markwolfe Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted
What are the specs of the PC that you are trying to install Windows 98 on? A few years ago at the school I used to go to, they were still installing Windows 98 on some computers, and the computers had Pentium 4 CPUs. A bit nuts, but I guess what happened was that the school had a boatload of Windows 98 licenses and someone donated a boatload of new computers with no OS installed... lol

So anyway, what are your specs? (Include models/manufacturers if you can)

The dude posted the thread in April, and hasn't posted back at all. Anywhere on Neowin.

I don't think that this thread had any life in it when you bumped it. :unsure:

  • 2 weeks later...
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • Major Xbox layoffs may claim South of Midnight developer Compulsion entirely

      By Abercrombe · Posted

      I agree. I also think Phil stayed too long. They should definitely fire whoever thought all a console platform needed was Call of Duty, Elder Scrolls, and Fallout to survive. Asha and crew are still saying they need more Elder Scrolls and Fallout games. They simply don't get it.
    • Samsung is shutting down yet another app used by millions

      By Krieg · Posted

      wtf cares
    • Microsoft announces 12th-gen Surface Pro with Snapdragon X2 processors

      By tsupersonic · Posted

      Macbook Air is an appealing option, as are plethora of Windows devices with various different CPU's
    • Mozilla highlights Firefox Nova 2026 redesign and more upcoming features with new roadmap

      By hellowalkman · Posted

      Mozilla highlights Firefox Nova 2026 redesign and more upcoming features with new roadmap by Sayan Sen Last month Mozilla confirmed that Firefox was set to get a major redesign this year. Dubbed "Project Nova", it can already be tested and will roll out to all users later this year.The idea is to keep the browser competitive in a rapidly evolving internet landscape. As such the revamp focuses on improving privacy, usability, performance, accessibility, and customization. Key privacy features including the built-in VPN, private browsing mode, and Enhanced Tracking Protection, will be more visible and easier to manage, while users will have the option to disable AI features entirely through a dedicated kill switch. Additionally, the redesign promises faster page loading, the return of Compact mode, expanded personalization options, and stronger accessibility support. You can find the full details in the dedicated piece linked above. In a new blog post today the company once again reiterated on Nova and also emphasized other new and upcoming features like the settings revamp that is intended to make it easier for users to understand browser settings. In order to make it simpler for users to keep up with such features Mozilla today is launching Firefox roadmap. Hence enthusiasts and interested users will be able to check out what's cooking and also share feedback about the upcoming additions. Alongside the roadmap announcement, Mozilla also highlighted what's new in Firefox 152. One of the biggest additions is the arrival of Tab Groups on Android. The feature, which has already been helping desktop users organize large numbers of tabs, is now beginning to roll out on mobile. Users will be able to group related tabs together, assign names and colors to them, and return to them later. Mozilla says support for iOS will arrive later this year. Firefox 152 also introduces the aforementioned redesigned Settings experience. The company says the changes are meant to make controls easier to find and help users discover features they may not have previously known about. Existing preferences are not changing, though they are now better organized. Another notable addition is the new Blocked Tracker Widget, which provides a visual overview of Firefox's privacy protections by showing how many trackers have been blocked over time and the types of tracking activity the browser has stopped. Looking ahead, Mozilla revealed several upcoming roadmap features. They include customizable keyboard shortcuts, as well as enhanced PDF editing tools that will allow documents to be split, merged, and reorganized directly within Firefox. The company is also working on bringing Multi-Account Containers into the native Firefox experience thus removing the need for a separate extension. Meanwhile Firefox's built-in VPN is set to expand to mobile devices. Mozilla is also developing AI-powered features like Quick Answers, which can provide concise responses to voice queries, and Smart Window, its optional AI browsing experience that is now available without a waitlist. Finally, a new Power Saving Mode is in the works and will help reduce the impact of resource-heavy tabs on mobile devices in order to extend battery life. The video below summarizes the upcoming changes in an easy to understand format: You can find the announcement blog post here on Mozilla's official website.
    • Microsoft unveils new Surface Laptop with improved trackpad, Snapdragon X2, and more

      By tsupersonic · Posted

      Dead on arrival at that price. Like they missed the mark by multiple hundreds of dollars - this should actually undercut the Macbook Air at $899 if they want any sort of sales / further adoption of WoA

  • Recent Achievements

    • One Year In
      Console General earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Year In
      Twozo Technologies earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      Twozo Technologies earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Twozo Technologies earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Veteran
      branfont went up a rank
      Veteran

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      513
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      196
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      109
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      89
    5. 5
      Nick H.
      71
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!