What can be used to boot an older computer?

**[email protected]** · November 3rd 17, 09:44 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt

I still rebuild, upgrade and use older computers. To get things started
on them, you need some sort of boot device. When you have the basic
hardware, and want to install a hard drive, you first need to boot the
machine to setup the hard drive. In the old days, you're stick a
bootable DOS disk in the floppy drive, boot the puter and then run FDISK
and next FORMAT the hard drive.

I still run Win98se on several computers. Win98 can be installed from
floppies too. But lets say there is no floppy drive. How do you boot
them? If I'm not mistaken, you cant boot from a CD, because the CD cant
be accessed without the computer being booted from DOS and running the
driver to make the CD drive usable. And none of them old machines had
the bios to make them boot from a USB flash drive.

This sort of tells me that you MUST have a floppy drive to boot those
old machines.

But, are there other ways? I'm looking for ideas and suggestions for how
to boot them *if* other methods do exist.....

I just ran into this problem, because I wanted to replace my C: drive on
an old machine running Win98. (with a bigger hard drive). All seemed
fine, till I found out that my floppy drive had died. Using the existing
hard drive, I was able to partition and format the new hard drive, but I
was unable ot make it bootable. I finally just quit doing this HDD
change until I was able to obtain a new floppy drive on ebay. Once I got
that, I was back in business. (I have all the setup files for Win98 on a
my present HDD, so I have never needed to install it from floppies in
years. But now I face the installation of the new HDD.

Once I boot from a floppy, if I copy all the install files to the new
HDD (from the old one), will I be able to install Win98 from those files
on the new HDD?

-OR-
I can plug in my slave drive, and have the Win98 install files on that
slave drive....

Although this old computer has USB 1.1, I have never seen any way to
access the USB from a Dos boot.

Thanks for all advice!

**Flasherly[_2_]** · November 3rd 17, 10:03 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt

**Flasherly[_2_]** · November 3rd 17, 10:07 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt

On Fri, 03 Nov 2017 18:03:35 -0400, Flasherly
wrote:

contents of !go.bat

98SE, I'll hazard.

**Diesel[_2_]** · January 29th 18, 12:05 AM posted to alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt

Fri, 03 Nov 2017
21:44:17 GMT in alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt, wrote:

I still rebuild, upgrade and use older computers. To get things
started on them, you need some sort of boot device. When you have
the basic hardware, and want to install a hard drive, you first
need to boot the machine to setup the hard drive. In the old days,
you're stick a bootable DOS disk in the floppy drive, boot the
puter and then run FDISK and next FORMAT the hard drive.

I still run Win98se on several computers. Win98 can be installed
from floppies too. But lets say there is no floppy drive. How do
you boot them? If I'm not mistaken, you cant boot from a CD,
because the CD cant be accessed without the computer being booted
from DOS and running the driver to make the CD drive usable. And
none of them old machines had the bios to make them boot from a
USB flash drive.

This sort of tells me that you MUST have a floppy drive to boot
those old machines.

But, are there other ways? I'm looking for ideas and suggestions
for how to boot them *if* other methods do exist.....

I've ran into the same issue as you have. I solved it by doing the
following.

I created a bootable floppy disk, then imaged it into a file. I
created a bootable cd-rom using the floppy created image as the boot
code/loader. Also included on the cdrom was everything necessary to
install Windows98second edition. Along with additional software the
company I worked for, including myself, found useful.

If you're interested in a copy of the floppy img or an iso of a
bootable cdrom outright as I described above, let me know and we'll
go from there.

I just ran into this problem, because I wanted to replace my C:
drive on an old machine running Win98. (with a bigger hard drive).
All seemed fine, till I found out that my floppy drive had died.
Using the existing hard drive, I was able to partition and format
the new hard drive, but I was unable ot make it bootable. I
finally just quit doing this HDD change until I was able to obtain
a new floppy drive on ebay. Once I got that, I was back in
business. (I have all the setup files for Win98 on a my present
HDD, so I have never needed to install it from floppies in years.
But now I face the installation of the new HDD.

Once I boot from a floppy, if I copy all the install files to the
new HDD (from the old one), will I be able to install Win98 from
those files on the new HDD?

The cdrom image I have contains the setup and cab files for win98se.
You can copy the folder to a freshly created one on the new HDD,
enter said folder and run setup from there. Or, you can run it from
the cdrom once you boot the machine with the cdrom.

-OR-
I can plug in my slave drive, and have the Win98 install files on
that slave drive....

Although this old computer has USB 1.1, I have never seen any way
to access the USB from a Dos boot.

I've only done that specific task a few times, and, I don't know if I
have any usable image or notes for doing it, but, I'll look around.

--
To prevent yourself from being a victim of cyber
stalking, it's highly recommended you visit he
https://tekrider.net/pages/david-brooks-stalker.php
================================================== =
'I say we nuke the site from Orbit, it's the only way to be sure'

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
PCI to USB 2.0 upgrade for older computer	John Doe	Homebuilt PC's	9	July 25th 09 05:39 AM
DSL on an older computer?	Red Fox[_2_]	Homebuilt PC's	8	August 23rd 07 07:21 PM
Need help with older computer	JM	Overclocking AMD Processors	5	December 5th 05 05:20 AM
New computer slower than older computer...	Tony Rae	Asus Motherboards	9	August 18th 05 06:57 AM
New cdrw and older computer	Killie	Cdr	2	November 12th 03 11:11 AM