Migrating from XP to 98

[Borys]

Hello, everybody!

 

First of all, this is my first question here, although I registered for some time ago and I found a lot of good advices here. It is a big shame that this first question concerns... Windows, but it has also something to do with Linux, and I don't know where else could I get some help.

 

I had one HD with two partitions. There was C: for WINDOWS XP and D: for other files. I bought a new, bigger hard disk and I installed Linux Mandrake 10.0 on it (and I created a few new partitions there). I liked Mandrake 10.0 very much, so I decided to delete XP. Because Win-games don't work very well on Linux (despite WineX, etc.), I decided to install 98 and use it for games only (while I would Linux for everything else).

 

OK. First I had to delete XP from C: I did it while using Mandrake -- I just chose Configure Your Computer, Mount Points, Partitions, choose the partition, unmount, format. OK, done with it. That part was easy.

 

Then I wanted to install 98 on the same partition (C:) where XP had been. I booted the computer from 98 install CD and began the installation procedure. I thought it will be a piece of cake. Well, it wasn't. The 98-installer had some problems with recognizing partition C: It asked me to "configure hard disk". I chose YES (there wasn't any other options), but then I got a lot of error messages (I couldn't even read them, they went very quick through the screen) and "grey screen of death". I had to reboot with the button.

 

So I rebooted from the CD again, but this time I chose text-mode. With "fdisk" (the Windows-one) I kind of reassigned partition C: as the system one. It said it is OK, but that I have to format it. Then came the big problem. I don't have the "format.exe"-file! It is not on the CD, it is not on my old boot-disk! I tried to install 98 one more time without formatting, but I got the same error messages. I tried to remove Lilo from mbr (fdisk /mbr), but I didn't help either.

 

So, my two questions are:

 

1. Is it something here that I'm doing wrong?

2. If I have only to format C: from DOS first, where can I get this stupid "format"-file which can do it?

 

Thanks a lot for your time and help

Borys

 

(Additional information: The old disk is master (with C:), the new disk is slave. I don't know if this is of any importance, though... And before I did not had any problems with running XP after Mandrake was installed (I did it a couple of times to check something).)

[bvc]

First, win98 will only install on a formated partition that it 'thinks' was formated by fdisk. That's why disdrake doesn't work.

 

you say, "I kind of reassigned partition C: as the system one."

What does that mean? Aside from that, you're doing it right. Basically, you just need the dos format ....and format.

 

You can try one of these.

wonder why it's not on yours? I can't remember if that's one of the files I added to mine or not.

Edited September 14, 2004 by bvc

[Borys]

Thanks for help. I succeeded. "Format.com" was on my boot-disk, but I had first to type in text-mode "extract edb.cab format.com" (I found it out after a couple of hours). So I formatted C: and 98-installer worked. But! When I booted it directly from CD-ROM, it still wanted to configurate HD first, and then it crashed. I had to run it in text-mode, go to E: (CD-ROM) and type "setup.exe". Then the real installer was initiated, ScanDisk scanned both partitions and the installation began.

 

Very clever, indeed...