Want to run windows 98.. help required

Hi everyone

I am currently using a computer which has a 40 GB hard drive (C and windows XP installed in it.

I bought another hard drive which is 3 GB and has windows 98 (E installed in it (as I want to use an accounting program which only runs on windows 98)
(I have connected this hard drive to my computer as E


but when I start a computer it opens on windows XP, (I have tried some different things but I am unable to run Windows 98)

I want my default Operating System Windows XP (as it is now)

kindly tell me how can I run windows 98 when I want so I can use my accounting program on it.....

or any other possible way to solve my problem..

Regards

munda

 

where i wanted to write C colon or E colon .. there appeared this smiley face..

 

Never tried that, but I found this...

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;306559#6
and this:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;217210

Good luck!

 

This is from memory, but it should be fairly easy for you to "feel" your way through.

You need to edit a file Msdos.sys (I think).

Obviously make a backup of the file first, then just open it in Notepad.

If it won't let you, either right click, properties, and remove the attributes, or do it in Safe Mode.

You will see the boot order in this file. Anything with =0 means it's set off, and anything with =1 means it on.

 

Usual when doing multiboot setup, then all operating systems must have their boot-files placed on the primary-hdd. You might be able to dual-boot through the motherboard BIOS-menu. Else you would have to place the Win98-hdd as the primary-hdd and reinstall WinXP, and maybe place WinXP's system files on another hdd formatted as NTFS.

Instead of multibooting then I would try to use Application Compatibility to get the account program to run on XP, or find and alternative that works with XP.

 

Does your BIOS allow you to choose what hard drive to boot from? If your BIOS has this option, bootup in W98 when you want, or select Xp when you want to use XP. I assume that your harddrive with W98 on it will bootup if you can select it in the BIOS. Bazza

 

Normally, when one wants to dual-boot 98 with XP, you have to install 98 on the C: drive first, followed by XP on another partition (D: for instance). There is a file called 'boot.ini' placed on the C: drive, which prompts the computer to give the user a menu choice of which OS to boot from. Without a boot.ini file, the computer by default looks at the C: drive for the O/S when booting...in your case, XP. The MSDOS.sys file is also modified in a dual boot system.

As far as I know, 98 has to reside on the C: drive to boot. You may want to switch the master/slave jumpers on your hard drives to make 98 the C: drive. This will give you your Win98. Now you need the boot.ini & modified MSDOS.sys file. Remember to back-up files before modifiying.

Here's what's in my dual-boot ini & sys files:

MSDOS.sys

[Paths]
WinDir=C:\WINDOWS
WinBootDir=C:\WINDOWS
HostWinBootDrv=C

[Options]
BootMulti=1
BootGUI=1
DoubleBuffer=1
AutoScan=1
WinVer=4.10.2222
;
;The following lines are required for compatibility with other programs.
;Do not remove them (MSDOS.SYS needs to be >1024 bytes).
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxb
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxc
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxd
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxe
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxf
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxg
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxh
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxi
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxj
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxk
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxl
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxm
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxn
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxo
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxp
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxq
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxr
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxs


Boot.ini

[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=C:\
[operating systems]
C:\="Windows 98SE"
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect

There may be other files needed, I haven't looked into it beyond this.

 

I dont know my BIOS allows me or not.. how can i check?

 

In W98 you press F8 as the PC commences to boot, or F2, or whatever may be displayed on the first screen after/as, the company name comes up. In my case GATEWAY and press F2 to get into the BIOS settings. XP users out there, please help. Surely there is a way for XP to allow emulation of W98 software to run. If so, he doesn't need to go through all this dual boot, swop boot drive stuff. Bazza

===

 

Sure, you can right-click on any exe file in XP, and choose 'properties'. From there, you choose the 'compatibility' tab. In there, you can choose to run the program in compatibility mode for 95, 98, ME, NT4Sp5 or 2000. You can also choose display settings. The only way to tell if it's gonna work is to try it. Your mileage will vary.

Personally, I go with dual boot configs when I can. It allows hardware/software troubleshooting from two different O/S platforms. It also makes it easy to get rid of those hard-to-delete files that Windows sometimes won't allow for one reason or another while it's running.