Backing up computer to reload windows 98

Can someone tell me how you can backup your files on your computer so that you can reload windows 98? We have a problem with missing dll files and we don't want to reload our windows 98 without backing up the files on our hard drive. I am just a beginner at this and I didn't know if you would lose everything on the system if you put the windows 98 disk in and reloaded it to bring back the files that are missing. Right now if we try to bring the system up in the safe mode, all we get is a blank screen with a blinking _ in the left hand corner of the monitor and my wife doesn't want to lose everything thats on the system so anyone with a solution would be greatly appreciated. I guess the question I am asking is, will you lose everything if you don't back it up and how do you back it up if you can't get the system to boot up in windows? Thanks

 

There is realy no need to lose anything.

Boot from a 98 Startup disk

Change to the Win98 folder on the CDROM and run setup.

Watch carefull that Windows does indeed go back into the EXISTING folder. Booting from the floppy it will go back into C:\Windows. Booting from the HD will create a new folder for Windows. You do not want that.

During the install you do have a choice to save your existing.

Doing it this way will allow Windows to overwrite its own files and at the saem time save what is setup already.

I have as yet done a reformat to re-install any version of Window 95 thru 98SE. And I may have been just lucky but I have never lost a thing. But Windows itself was repaired nicely.

BillyBob

 

OOPS ! I forgot.

You will need your key code. (or what ever they call it )

BB

 

If you don't have a boot disk, get one here
Here are the steps to do an overlay install of windows .

1. put windows CD in drive
2. boot from the boot floppy; choose CD Rom support
3. go to CD drive type "setup "
4. click OK to all defaults "EXCEPT" install to c:\windows.000

edit this line to say only

c:\windows (remove the .000)

This will keep all your settings and installed software.

Normally anyway, if you deleted some of these files some of your programs will not work. But windows should be completely repaired.

 

3. go to CD drive type "setup "

For an overlay it is best to change to the WIn98 folder on the CD to run setup.

Doing that also leaves Windows with the proper path to the setup files if it needs then. Just running setup from the CD will not do that. It will come up with "Can't find files."

And when booting from the floppy the default normaly comes up with C:\Windows as it does not even know Windows exists. And this is what you want. But it does bare watching.

This is the reason for booting from a power off state directly to the floppy.

And by booting directly to the Floppy any thing on the HD does not come into play until the install restarts and Windows starts rebuilding itself.

Actully a better way is to copy the Contents of the Win98 Folder from the CD to a folder on a partition other than C:, Boot to the floppy. Change to that folder and run setup from there.

BillyBob

 

BillyBob,

Wasn't trying to step on toes, just provide easy to follow instructions given to me by mflynn in this thread some time ago which worked perfectly, considering what I had done to get my PC in need of a reinstall.

 

I did not take anything as meant to step on toes.

I have just found it better and more reliable to go directly to the Win98 folder on the CD. Or better yet copy the contents of the Win98 folder to the HD. Boot to the floppy and run set up from those files. Then the files are available to Windows at all times.

click OK to all defaults "EXCEPT" install to c:\windows.000

The only time I have seen C:\Windows.000 come up is when the machine is booted to the HD first.

BillyBob

 

Getting your Product Key

In the off chance that you lost your product key or whatever, you can get it from Windows while it is up and running.

Click Start, go to Run and type in "regedit" (without the quotes)
Press Enter

Click the plus sign next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Then the one next to Software
Then the one next to Microsoft
Then the one next to Windows

Now, click on the FOLDER ITSELF that says "Current Version" not on the plus sign, but the folder itself

You should see your product key in the list about the 25th item in the list

 

Thank you all for your suggestions on how to solve my problem.
I guess my next question is would these answers be the same if I was using the windows 98 SE instead of just windows 98? I didn't realize that I had forgot to put down that we have the second edition on our system and not windows 98. Sorry if this has created a problem but I'm sure you'll understand since I'm just one step or maybe two steps lower than a beginner when it comes to something like this. Lucky I can even spell but I'll try to get through this and hopfully get the problem corrected in the near future.. Thanks again.

 

From my end the answer is Yes.

Both 98 and 98SE setup files are in the Win98 folder of the CD.

BillyBob