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fluffymarkWindows 98 is being silly. It refuses to install on the basis that it can find an already installed version of itself - although the already installed version is corrupted and fails to work at all. It doesn't give me the option to continue on with the install, it just quits when it finds itself already there. I don't want to delete things, as catt will lose vital files she needs to keep. I've tried renaming the windows folder and COMMAND.COM to other names in the hope it cannot find them, but it still does.
So, how do I fool Windows into thinking it doesn't exist, without actually deleting it?
(or should I just give up and persuade Catt that Linux is the way forward...)
So, how do I fool Windows into thinking it doesn't exist, without actually deleting it?
(or should I just give up and persuade Catt that Linux is the way forward...)
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Date: 2003-05-12 04:19 pm (UTC)- Certainly it should be possible to install Windows 98 over itself, but http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=%23%23Pg19sb%24GA.308%40cppssbbsa05 mentions that a special "OEM version" can only be installed on a clean drive. Is there any description of the version you have (either on the physical CD, or when you boot)? http://web.archive.org/web/19990502184010/http://www.listmaker.net/win98/index.html#blank suggests: "The only method from the OSR2 FAQ that works is Method 1: rename (or mark as hidden, or delete) all instances of WIN.COM on your hard drives, and then run setup from the DOS prompt." (according to the backup of my old Windows 98 installation, win.com exists in c:\windows\ and nowhere else).
- Still assuming that perhaps it's the OEM version, but if that method doesn't work, I can post you a copy of the Win98 CD (unfortunately it's an arsed up copy in that it won't boot, so you have to boot from a bootdisk with CD drivers :/ though if I read you correctly and you're doing that anyway, that doesn't matter;) Certainly with my version, I've managed to install on top of existing Windows 98 versions.
Space is not the problem by the way, catt already has two HDD, and one of them has two partitions, so there are three partitions in total, with many gigabytes of free space.
I know that reinstalling everything is a hassle, but you could try installing Windows on the other disk which would mean Catt then has some use of her computer, like just reinstalling a few most needed applications, until you work out how to repair the current Windows installation?
(or should I just give up and persuade Catt that Linux is the way forward...)
On the note of other OSs, if you can't tempt her to Linux, I can do a copy of Windows 2000 (which is much more stable that 98, both in terms of crashing, and deciding not to boot anymore from what I can tell). Indeed, installing Windows 2000 is probably best done on a new disk/partition rather than over 98 (avoids risking any crap left over that might confuse it perhaps, and avoids the risk of messing up a working 98 install if it all goes wrong and doesn't work:/), so since she has a spare disk that might be an option.
no subject
Date: 2003-05-13 12:47 pm (UTC)I just reinstalled windows over the original version (on the primary master drive) - and it took ages, but got there. It didn't do anything!. Same error as before. Windows found all its files existed, and didn't replace them, even the corrupted ones. So now i'm deleting windows. And then i'm going to reinstall it again. Grrrr.
no subject
Date: 2003-05-13 01:46 pm (UTC)I won't bother replying to the last email for now since hopefully it will now all be irrelevant. As for telling SIMMs from DIMMs, unfortunately I'm not sure of an easy way. If you don't have computer/motherboard manuals, but you do know the make/model of the computer or motherboard, then http://www.crucial.com/uk/ will hopefully tell you.