Very old Presario 4110 and Win 98: the hell!

Hi to everyone,
i'm trying to install Windows 98 SE on a very old Compaq Presario 4110.
Windows 95 run well and all works good, but i want the best MS O.S. in
the world (I'm joking :-)
I upgrade the ram up to 40 MB and I install another hard disk.
During the last W98 installation operation, hardware setup, the system
freeze and the only thing I can do is to go in "temporary modality" (I'
don't remember the exact words in english, sorry).
In the system property I see two strange thing:
- he recognize the cd-rom drive but he don't mount the drive (I see only
the two HD)
- he find USB hub but is impossible! In the '97 USB was only in the head
of his creator!

I find some old post on this ng about problems with Win 98 on 4110 but
noone found a solution.
Nowday someone have an idea?

Thank --- XavierTNT from Italy

Inviato da www.mynewsgate.net

Try the CMOS reset that I described in my email to you. If you have anything
non-factory, such as the USB card you mentioned, remove it. Early Presarios
were often very particular about Quick Restoring with anything added--I know
you are doing a clean install, but you never know with these early Presarios.
Do you have the original CDROM still installed? A number of times I could only
get a Quick Restore to complete with the original CDROM installed, or by using
the CDROM from my 7240, a similarly age Presario. I know this all sounds
strange, but I did see these problems. I may have once installed WIN98 on my
4112, and don't recall any install problems. Most of my experience was with
WIN95 and Compaq Quick Restores--that's why I shared information related to
those installs.

But if you have anything in the slots, other than the modem, remove it--that
may well be the problem. Then try to install the USB after WIN98 is correctly
loaded.

Dale