Windows98 install

Hi All

I've bought a second hand PIII PC with Windows 2000 pro already installed. Unfortunately there are all sorts of technoglitches which neither i nor Norton are able to remedy (svchost.exe probs, dead shortcuts (desktop & IE) , can't disconnect from web, out of memory error messages in IE which resolve themselves after reboot, etc...)

Worse still the vendor has refused to give me the W2000 OS software CD despite my asking nicely.

However I do possess a copy of Win 98 which came with, and is specific to, my Acer laptop (which was stolen in a burglary a couple of years ago).

My question then is this, can I legally use my Win98, as I purchased it legitimately with the laptop, to replace the faulty W2000pro OS on my PC? And more importantly how on earth do i install it?

At present the CD will not allow itself to be installed because it does not recognise the PC as an Acer laptop.

I suspect i need to edit config.sys and AUTOEXEC.BAT...is that right? How do i do this as I haven't been able to so far?

Please advise using idiot-speak!!!

Thanx

 

That doesn't sound like a M$ Windows CD, but the OEM Recovery CD that came with the missing computer. It may be possible to copy the windows setup files off of the CD onto the hard drive using dos. I am not familiar with an Acer CD so I cannot tell you where they are stored on the CD, or how they are stored, they may be compressed into one large file.
However, trying to do this brings up a bunch of other problems. One is that that the hard drive may have a NTFS file system since W2K Pro is installed. You would have to delete the partitions using Delpart, then use Fdisk and Format to ready the drive with a FAT32 file system, as 98 cannot use NTFS.
It may be easier to go to these websites and check for a virus or trojan running, and download SpyBot Search & Destroy, update it, then do the scan in Spybot.
Housecall, online AV scan
Online Trojan Scan

 

NTFS??

Yes I think you're probably right that its an OEM CD and I had heard that W98 was incompatible with NTFS.

How do i find out if my P3 is NTFS?

Will look at those sites u mentioned.

Thanx for ur help

 

File System

It says FAT32 - hope it's referring to my computer and not me!!

Guess that means I could install W98 if I can't sort out 2000pro

 

Thanx for the tip.

Once it had been pointed out to me that it was an OEM recovery disk, i figured i wouldn't be able to get w98 as an OS off of it.

Still not sure what i'm gonna do as Norton Disk Doctor is saying W2000 is unstable and half my other Norton Utilities think i'm using NT3.51. AGGGHHHH!!!