Installing on Laptops 2

[kientang]

My dell laptop (latitude C400) can only have either a floppy or cd drive connected to it at any one time.

I want to totally repartition and reformat then install Win 98Se onto it. (Currently WinXP) I do not want to use the system recovery disk that was supplied.

My main problem is how access the Win 98 CD after booting up with the floppy. I cannot hotswap the drives in DOS.

 

[CoffeeBuzz]

You could first boot to the floppy and prepare the drive (fdisk, format, etc). Then shutdown, switch drives to the CD and change the BIOS to boot from CDROM.

I suppose you could also burn the bootdisk files to a CD also making sure you have your computer set to boot from the CDROM in the BIOS.

I'd say the first way is easiest. Good luck.

 

[edfair]

Use the floppy to get it to DOS bootable with the drivers for the CD. Switch the CD in and put the SE install stuff on a partition of the hard drive. Install. You may have some problems getting the CD reconnected in SE but they all seem to go in eventually. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[rockerfellerz]

You could make a bootable cd and copy the win98 folder to it (all the files you need to install are in there) then when you boot up you copy those files to a folder on the hard drive once you have partitioned and formated it. Run the install fromthe folder you copied the cab files to.
You should include some tools like fdisk format and copy on the CD as well... One more thing; if the laptop came with XP you should check on Dell's site to see if they provide drivers for win98 as you will need these as well.A lot of laptops use proprietary sound and graphics hardware that needs specific drivers to work

 

[tviman]

Why not copy the Win98 CD to your hard disk, reboot from a floppy, then install from your hard disk? There's always a better way...

 

[kientang]

Thanks very much to all replies.
The bootable CD seems very useful but how to make the cd?
Nero cant do it properly.


Here is what I plan to do:

1 With floppy connected fdisk then format the HD to 2 partitions c: and d:

2 Using the bootable XP installation disk (the recovery disk that was supplied) I install the system

3 When XP is installed into cmost basic levels)and running, I copy my Win98SE files to the d: partion of my HD.

4 Again with floppy I get into DOS to reformat drive c: then install Win98SE from HD (D: partition)


A rather long and silly process but unless if someone can think of a way of repartitioning the HD without losing data it seems the only way.

 

[edfair]

Except I think you'll find that it won't work because of the media type xp uses. You probably need to do the hard drive stuff with 98. The xp can use the 98 media type but not the other way.
It has been a while and I don't remember the exact details but I do remember it was a problem. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[kientang]

Edfair....thanks for your replies

I think you misunderstood the main problem.
The Dell laptop can only have one external drive (floppy or CD) connected at one time. One normal desktops I would have access to both if I booted from a startup disk. From thenI could do whatever neccessary.

Anyway I took the scenic route as described above and it worked perfectly because it doesn,t matter what media type XP uses since c: drive gets reformatted.

 

[rockerfellerz]

You could use a drive adapter to connect the 2.5 inch laptop hard drive up to a desktop PC . these go for about 10 bucks. patition, format and then copy the install files from the cd to the drive (the contents of the "win98" folder is all you need.Then put the drive back in the laptop, boot from the floppy and run install from that folder.You should remove the battery from the laptop before taking out the drive, and put the drive back in before replacing the battery.I have done this myself and it works,just make sure the same OS is on both(win98se fat32) and that you don't format the wrong drive by mistake

 

[mudskipper]

rockerfellerz, you are very right, but you might want to think about an alternate if you have to do that often!!

If you are looking for an alternate option, and you are not too fond of ripping your laptop open to get the drive out (or don't want to take that much time), aquire a 100MB par port zip drive. I have found them for DIRT CHEAP at garage sales, etc. Hook it up to the desktop, copy the contents of the win98 directory off of the win98 install cd to the zip drive. Boot to floppy, fdisk, format, then run iomega's dos zip util (guest.exe). It gives you a drive letter. Copy cabs onto hard drive, install.

Just my 2 cents! Mudskipper
___________________________________________________________________________________

Groucho said it best- "A four year-old child could understand this! Quick! Run out and find me a four year-old child: I can't make heads nor tails out of this!"

 

[edfair]

I only understood too well because of the IBMs I've dealt with lately. I had suggested that way in order to have control of the fdisk and formatting rather than giving it over to the install program.
In any case , you're happy, and that is what this site is all about. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[kientang]

I did have full control of fdisk and formating because I booted up in steps 1 and 3 of my scenic route with a win98 startup floppy.

I just used xp to copy win98se cab files to d: then wipe xp off c: altogether.

 

[CoffeeBuzz]

I hate to keep this discussion alive, but I've been wondering all along why you couldn't have used the Windows 98 CD at step 2 (after changing the boot order to CDROM first in the BIOS) instead of installing XP, copying files, formatting again, and installing 98 from HD.

See the section entitled "boot options..." on the following link for a description of what I'm talking about:

http://www.hexff.com/win98_install.html

I really enjoy this site and appreciate all the time and effort that people put into helping others. I have learned many "best practices," and so I ask this for the benefit of others who, like myself, are looking for the best way to do things.

 

[edfair]

The problem comes with the boot order. Some have no CD support for boot.
In that case you get support from drivers with a minimal OS load to the hard drive to get access to the CD which you switch in.
There was a suggestion for an external ZIP which is fine as far as it goes. The problem is the install stuff. 95 does about 60mb, B is 80, C is 110 and it and everything since require 2 disks worth at 100per. So it gets time consuming doing a double transfer unless you just happen to have it already on ZIP. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[CoffeeBuzz]

I understand what you're saying however, the Dell C400 is capable of booting from CD first. Am I missing something?

 

[edfair]

Evidently I am, and you're right. I'm not familiar with the hardware. My suggestions to others would change based on that , but I'd still install the way I describe because I'd want an extended partition and logical drive with the install stuff and a dual boot DOS/W98 C:
Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.