New OS for older computer

I'm a beginner, so please bear with me.

I'm having a problem with an older computer that I would like to set up for my kids to use. It's from the late 90's, Intel Celeron 466mhz, and it originally had Windows 98 SE as its OS.
The orig. hard drive might be bad. It won't start windows and locks up when I try to reinstall Windows 98 from the CD ROM. I have since taken it out and set it aside.
Work gave me an unused computer to use for spare parts. It has a hard drive that boots up with Microsoft NT Server as its OS. I could probably leave it but there are hassles to keeping it this way. It has programs that start up automatically, it asks for a username/password everytime its turned on. I would like to install my copy of Windows 98 SE on this new hard drive.
I can't figure out how to load it. I have the floppy boot disc and the CD ROM for windows 98. The computer says that it cannot install windows 98 within NT server and that I must quit NT server and load 98 in DOS. I don't know how.
One other option...the work computer had 2 hard drives. I tried to load Windows 98 on the second HD but so far, no luck. First the problem was something like "HD not partitioned...set up a partition in DOS... ". I also tried formatting the 2nd hard drive, the option I chose was "NTSB" (I know thats not right but it was 4 letters and started with an N) I will probably try to format it again as "FAT ". There is nothing on any of the hard drives that I would miss. I would prefer to start from scratch.
Any ideas or comments?
I really don't need this computer for anything other than simple apps and internet. Which reminds me...I would like this computer to take a wireless network card and connect through my cable modem and router.
How far from reality am I?

 

{ "HD not partitioned...} you will first need to run FDISK and make a partition ,then format the hdd. When you run FDISK and it asks if you want Large Disk Support say YES. After FDISK you must reboot to run format. If you google "install+98" should give you sites with useful info.

Will need to know if you are using a boot floppy or booting to the CD if more help is needed. Also size of hdd would be useful to know.

One problem will be finding the needed drivers if you do not have the motherboard cd.

 

I will try to run fdisk/format tonight. Last night I had success using the hard drive with the NT Server OS as a master and the "extra" HD as a slave. I could start the computer in NT server windows and format the slave drive. I formatted the drive as NTBH??? (Something similar) Tonight I will try to format as FAT.
Would this accomplish the same thing as running Fdisk?
Other info. Both hard drives are 13 gig. I have both the W98SE boot disk and the CDROM install CD.

 

The acronym you are looking for is NTFS (NT File System), and it is superior to the FAT file system.Unfortunately, Windows 98 doesn't support NTFS, so you'll have to go with FAT.

Formatting and partitioning are hard disk preparations that are both required when you install an OS. Common examples of programs to handle these are fdisk.exe (for the partitioning) and format.com (for the formatting). If the disk is formatted, then it will have already been partitioned.

Since you have the CDRom install, the easiest way to install Windows 98 is to insert the CD and reboot your computer (make sure you have the hard disks set up how you want them first). Be ready to load the BIOS config when you have the option (usually by pressing the delete key soon after the PC has POSTed). Change the Boot Sequence to include the CDRom before the hard drive. Then all you need to do is follow the prompts as they appear.

If you are unable to set the boot sequence to include the CDRom, then reboot the PC with both the floppy and the CD inserted. Once booted, you should get a (text) menu with three options. You want to select the first one, which is 1. Start Windows 98 setup from CD Rom. Then you simply need to follow the prompts.

 

For booting to a startup/boot floppy:

An A: prompt looks like this:
A:\>_
You enter DOS commands at the prompt (flashing cursor)

To run fdisk, type and enter:
fdisk

To run Windows setup you will need to "change drives" to the CD drive. In the lines above the A: prompt it tells you the designation of the drive letter for your CDrom. My guess is that it will be E:. If you have two HDDs connected it might be F:.
Type and enter:
E:
the CDrom drive letter.
Type and enter:
Setup
Windows Setup will then start running.

If you format the spare drive as FAT (FAT32 for drives over 500Mb), it will be ready to install Win 98, BUT...you will need to set the HDD as the Primary Master. This involves checking and/or changing the jumpers on the back of the HDD and maybe putting it onto the other data cable. If you want instructions about this go to the HDD manufacturer's website. They will also have utilities that can partition, format and set up the disk, as opposed to fdisk (it will probably have a friendly interface with mouse support and instructions on setup). These utilities will also be able to test the original drive and if OK, set it up for reinstalling Windows. (If you find suggestions to install a "Dynamic Drive Overlay ", avoid it, it may be the reason your original drive no longer works.)

Post back with any questions.

Matt

 

Thanks for all the replys. I will have plenty of things to try tonight.

I have pulled the 2 13g hard drives from the work computer. One has the NT Server OS (HDD#1) and the 2nd has nothing on it (HDD#2). Both are formatted NTFS. Last night I tried to run FDISK.exe from within NT Server. It loaded a DOS propmt and seemed to work...but then the partition only read 0% and so it aparantly made no partition at all. Within NT, if I right-click on a hard disk and select format, it will only allow me to fomat as NTFS, not FAT.
I cannot seem to get the Windows 98SE floppy boot disk to boot my machine. If I use HDD#1 as a master, the computer simply loads Windows NT Server and skips right throught the boot disk in drive A. If the HDD#2 is used as a master, I get an option to boot from CDROM or Hard Disk. I select boot from CD, there are a series of blue screens informing me that windows 98 has not finished installing and then a D:/win98 prompt for the CD drive.
Are the files in the windows 98 boot disk not compatable with the NTFS used by the NT server OS? Once in NT, I cannot even read the boot disk in the A drive.
I will try resetting my BIOS to accept the CD ROM boot, I will also go back to my original Hard Drive (the one with Windows 98 half loaded on it) and use the boot disk to get to DOS, then run thru FDISK and format.
Any and all ideas appreciated!
One other option, I could use a Windows 2000 install disk from work. Small company, and I do work at home...Would my current system support it? Would it install over NT?

 

Several problems by the look of it. The floppy drive that you refer to does not seem to work (if you can't see files on it from Windows).

Decide on which machine you would like to use. Having Win 98 drivers available for the hardware would be the most important aspect in my opinion.

You can:
take the floppy drive out of the first computer and put it in the second
or
take one of the HDDs from the second computer and put it into the first (the Win NT HDD should be jumpered as Primary Master).

If you want to use fdisk to reset the formatting of the NT HDD, fdisk will say the drive has "unknown" format. You will need to remove that format and format as FAT before you can try to install Win 98 (after you reformat you may have to use fdisk to set the drive as "active ", I'm not sure, but I don't think so).

Changing the floppy drives over would be a straight swap (check the connectors).

I hope it does not get more complicated than this for you.

Don't worry too much about making a mistake, you will only end up with blank drives (nothing to lose).

Matt
Edit: a reference,
www.pcguide.com
navigation is on the left.

 

A big THANK YOU to everyone who posted their advice. Last night I was able to boot the computer with the W98SE CD ROM, run FDISK on my original HDD, and on the blank HDD I took from the work computer. I removed the HDD partitions, enabled a new primary DOS partition, and then ran Windows which formatted the HDD (presumably with the FAT file structure). So...thank you all. I still have no useable operating system but at least I know what the problem isn't.
I started a new thread about the failed Windows 98SE install here.
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=59520
If you have thoughts it would be appreciated.
I consider this question completely answered...thanks again.