weird question: how do i downgrade from XP to windows98?

WhiteFireDragon

WhiteFireDragon

New Member
i have XP pro on my computer and want do downgrade to windows 98. yeah... some of you are thinking why the hell i would want to do that?! well i have 3 desktops and 2 laptops, so i'm just doing it for fun and want to run some of the older applications and games. they do not work on XP. i need MS-DOS to do it right? i put in the windows 98 CD but it would not let me install over XP
 
putting a win98 disk won't let you install over Xp and you know why, you will probably need some win98 boot floppies which u can use to format the hard drive with
 
if the HD needs to be formated, then can i just boot it with the XP CD to format the HD, then put in the win98 to install a clean windows? does the win98 require an OS already present and it's just an upgrade from win95 or can it be installed on a fresh new HD?
 
WhiteFireDragon said:
if the HD needs to be formated, then can i just boot it with the XP CD to format the HD, then put in the win98 to install a clean windows? does the win98 require an OS already present and it's just an upgrade from win95 or can it be installed on a fresh new HD?
Click to expand...

yeah you can but it depends on the size of the hard drive too, you need to keep in mind that win98 has issues with BIG drives.
win98 does not require an OS, a plain blank HD will do.
if the xp method u tried doens't work then go to BOOTDISK and download a bootable floppy
oh u need to format it as fat32
 
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wow i didn't think win98 was THAT picky. would it still be ok if i used NTFS? also, i don't have a floppyA drive since those things are pretty old, so would using a flash drive work too?
 
yup i will try NTFS since it is more compatible with other OS and "newer". i will also try flash drives since i can't find my floppyA drive or discs.

thanks patrick! i'll post results of it working or not afterwards...
 
WhiteFireDragon said:
yup i will try NTFS since it is more compatible with other OS and "newer". i will also try flash drives since i can't find my floppyA drive or discs.

thanks patrick! i'll post results of it working or not afterwards...
Click to expand...

no problem mate, it's been like 1 year i haven't formatted or install win98 so my knowledge is wacked :D, but i was using one just yesterday, had to put it on the network and boy the amount of restart i had to go through :eek:

just so you know
 
NTFS does not work with windows 98, but if you dont beleive us then go for it. You can run old dos games in the command prompt in windows xp if you would like.
 
Hi WhiteFireDragon & All
I am new to this forum.

So WhiteFireDragon
You should have windows 98 Bootable Disk

Step 1
Take Backup Of Your Data
Step2
-Set first boot device your CD rom
-Insert Your windows 98 Bootable disk in the CD Rom
Step3
-Using FDISK delete entre partitions from HDD
-Make new partitions
Step4
Copy Windows 98 FIles in your Primary Partition (C Drive) and Install Win 98
 
Don't forget to do the same thing that people here advise when downgrading from Vista to XP: DRIVERS!

Make sure you get and save the Win98 drivers for all your hardware BEFORE you format and install Win98.

You will also need to try for any and all remaining updates at Windows Update.

Here's M$'s 98 page for info and troubleshooting: http://support.microsoft.com/ph/1139
 
Why not run these programs you speak of in compatibility mode, or via command prompt?

So far, I've had zero trouble with that.. but I use Vista Ultimate..

I still play Myst (the original, converted from floppy to CD) on my Vista box :D

-mak
 
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