win98 on old machine

i recently built an old computer and was going to use it as a play server. at first i was going to use freebsd, but all my floppys are messed up and i dont have a cd burner. i was going to use the floppys to do a network install. then i decided to use an old copy of win98 that i have. well, it goes into dos mode (i think its dos anyways) and i get "a:>". i tried switching to the c drive by typing c:>. i tried c:., c, cd c, cd c:, cd c:>, pretty much any way to change directories, i tried. then i tried drive d. and cddrive. and cdrom. when i turn the machine on and its detecting devices, it detects my hdd (quantum bigfoot tx 8). do you think if i hook that hdd up to this machine and format it something may work differently?


EDIT: i just realized this is in the hardware section. perhaps it should go in the software section? if any mods see this would you move it please?)

 

Most Linux distro's are available shipped to your house on CD's or DVD's for free or very little charge (to cover shipping). Otherwise, without a valid install disk, you are going to run into lots of trouble (especially formatting on another machine and switching over, as lots of drivers are loaded during setup)

 

I'm assuming you have a floppy drive, 3.5". You need it to load the DOS, which will load the Win98SE directory from the CD. You do have a Win98SE disc I assume. If you need the safe floppy you can get it from a friend with 98, this is to bring the CD drive up in DOS mode.

I add these files onto the safe diskette.

Deltree.exe
Edit.com
Edit.hlp
Format.com
Xcopy.exe
Xcopy32.exe
Xcopy32.mod

This is so I can move the cab files from the CD onto the HD, and install from the hard drive. It is also handy because, as far as Windows is concerned, your Win98SE CD is on the hard drive. Just point to the c:\win98se files when it asks for the Win CD.

Here's the DOS command sequence (e: drive is the CD drive, usually because windows uses D:\ is the RAM drive off a floppy boot).

xcopy32 e:\win98se c:\win98se /s/e
c:\
cd win98se
setup


After the xcopy32 command the computer will respond with <directory> or <files>?

Select Directory.

 

Hey man start at the beginning
If you are controlling the pc from a floppy and it does not recognise the C drive, which you know is connected then you have no partitions on you hard drive.

So first use Fdisk to create a partition
Then use Format to format it
Then you will see the cdrive (type C: at the a> prompt)


Studio T

 

ill try to add a partition. maybe that is the problem.

 

that was the problem. but the disk is scratched. so yea, i need to find a good repair method.

 

Which disk?

Microsoft will happily exchange a damaged valid Windows disk.

Studio T