Is a Windows 98 computer with new hardware possible?

Hi I'm not sure whether to post this under hardware or windows 98. I have a ten year old pc that's running windows 98 SE but for the last two years I've barely been able to use it. The psu is starting to fail but I can't replace it as it has a wierd plastic hood to draw heat away from the processor which doesn't have a fan. Changing the heatsink to one with a fan might damamge the processor and I can't buy a new processor as I simply can't find a compatible pentium III on sale.

Anyway, the computer is starting to malfunction, it won't let me install new drivers or some 98 compatable software and it hasn't let me do this for a few years. I basically want to be able to replace the hardware and newly install windows 98 and start again, but I have two main problems.
1: I don't know if there is any hardware out there that is com[atable with windows 98. It obviously doesn't have to be the high quality graphics or anything, onboard graphics might be enough.
2: If it is possible I have a lot of software including some games that have files saved within the program files. How could I transfer these saved files to another computer?

Please any help would be really apreciated as I've been struggling with this computer for a long time and I feel the longer I leave it the less chance I can fix it. Thank you for any help possible.

 

Steve's right about having to reinstall the games but, you can copy over any saved points in the game so you at least wouldn't have to start all over again from the beginning of the game.

You can do that by burning the saved games to a CD or copying them to a USB drive (assuming the computer supports it), and then copy them to the new computer from them. Or, just remove the hard drive from the old computer, put it in the new, and copy them from it to the new hard drive.

 

I should have said it's an old gateway pc. Thanks for the replies, I was actually wondering if I can copy the saved games files folder and place them on a new computer even though the daved games folder is inside the program files. I do understand about reinstalling luckily I keep old disks.

The only thing I'm still unsure about is which hardware I can use. I've never bought a motherboard and processor before so I'm not sure which ones will work with 98. Can you still buy P4 boards these days? Can you buy any of them new?

 

Hi kcat,

It's not a "hardware" issue rather than a driver issue. You have to make sure the drivers are W98 compatible.

Also, replacing the Power Supply and the heatsink\fan won't damage your CPU — unless you install them wrong.

On your motherboard there should be a very small, 3-pin plug, that says "SYS Fan "; that's what you plug the heatsink fan into.

You might also consider replacing the CMOS battery since your system is 10 years old.

 

You have to be careful with older Dell systems when it comes to power supplies. I don't know if this particular Dell is one of them but, you need to be sure before you buy one for it.

The older Dells (not sure about newer ones) used the same style connection as a standard power supply from the PSU to the motherboard but they were wired in a non standard fashion. All the same wires were there but they were located in different positions in the plug. So, if you buy just any standard power supply for one of these boards, it will plug in just fine but the first time you turn it on, if you're lucky, you'll just fry the motherboard. Otherwise, could be the CPU gets fried too.

So, you either have to buy a power supply from Dell or, you can purchase an adapter for around 15$ (give or take a bit) that will allow you to use a standard power supply.

Be sure you know what you have before you purchase a power supply.

 

Hi kcat, could you please give us a list of what comp you are working with?
Brand, Model, CPU size and brand, what size and type of case ie. Desktop case or Tower type.
You may have to search Ebay or the likes to get older Mother boards which will work OK with Windows 98. Do you have 98SE? as this will definitely be an advantage. Cheers Neil.
ps.This is what would suit your needs:
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Computers/Components/Motherboards/AMD/auction-356392574.htm

 

Thank yo ufor replying. Ok, I have an old Gateway, not dell, pc. I don't know what model it is as the model just isn't written anywhere and I've lost the paperwork a long time ago. It's a pentium III pc with 800mhz speed. A mid sized tower but I'd need to replace that anyway as the scew holes for the PSU are upside down. Someone told me it could be possible to damage the cpu by pulling off the old heatsink which is why I'm worried I can't find a replacement.

Basically I would really prefer to replace all the hardware and start again, as that pc jsut isn't working like it should anymore. It is 98SE I'd prefer to replace with new hardware but I am worried about the fact that new drivers and hardware might not be compatible.

Sorry, I don't know that much about this If this was windows xp I'd have no problems just building from scratch but with it being windows 98SE I jsut don't know what will work. And Ive don'e a lot of online searches that have resulted in nothing.

Is there anyway that new motherboards would work? It would be a clean new installation of windows.

 

Hi kcat,

Well, we're really getting into treacherous ground here: Newer MOBO's have SATA configurations and to use W98 stuff you have to go into the BIOS and change your On-Chip configurations.

Or, if you're going to use an ATA drive, then the MOBO should have at least one IDE slot for the hard drive. Plus, you can only format W98 as FAT32 (or FAT, or FAT-16).

Then we get to hardware issues "” your video card: If it's AGP or PCI-E you must check the side of the box to make sure it, and the drivers, are 98 compatible. And, System Memory "” since you're not going to be pushing your system, cheap memory (512MB max) should be sufficient. If you go with a CD\DVD-RW combo drive (there's a LG 24X on sale in my area for $15) you don't have to worry about SATA drivers as Windows recognizes it as an ATAPI drive.

You don't say where you're located so I don't know if you have a Big Box Store near you.

Is time critical with the upgrade? If not, I built my rig for less than $200 by waiting for sales and rebates. It took about 2 months to get all my parts, but I'm pretty happy with it.

Bottom line: Since you're going with W98, the cheapest MOBO, compatible memory, PSU, video card, CD\DVD-RW drive, and CPU is (IMHO) the way to go.

Then, again, I could be wrong.

 

Kcat, did you look at the link I gave you?
This has been my major source of parts to build 6 PC's.
If you purchase a M/B as shown, you can download the M/B Drivers and install. Most times the guy selling the M/B will supply a CD with the Board Drivers for you.
Exchange rate will favour you so give it some thought. Cheers Neil.

 

You can upgrade to Windows XP without having to pay for the operating system.

I have been down that road of resistance to updating or upgrading the OS for similar reasons. In the end, I had to 'bite the bullet' and upgrade the OS as sticking with the old OS became more costly and worrisome than I wanted to deal with.

Instead of sticking with Windows 98, I suggest you at least upgrade to Windows XP. This will solve your hardware selection problems. And there is a way to do this without having to pay for your copy of Windows XP. Here's how:

All Dell systems that came with Windows XP preloaded will accept the reinstallation of Windows XP from any Dell branded Windows XP setup disk without a product key. Not to worry about licensing; the licensing was paid by Dell per board at the time of manufacture. In other words, it's legal.

Used Dell systems with P4, socket-478 or socket-775 processors in the 3-GHz range with 1 Gig of RAM can be had very reasonably and are offered by many on-line dealers.

If you go this route, stick with Pentium processors. Celerons are weak, second-rate, slow processors that should never have been an option for anyone.

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=GX280P430-NOOS-B&cat=SYS