Win98 Installation from an OEM CD

OEM CD's do not allow Upgrades !!!  Here we list a workaround.

The Windows installation CD's that come with new computers are called "OEM" (Original Equipment Manufacturer).  Oddly, this means that they "are not the original equipment manufacturer".  These CD's are specialized in that they are not made for installing Windows on any other computer - only your's - they assume that if you run into trouble, you will reformat the entire drive !!!  That is why OEM CD's "will" install Windows ONLY on a clean drive  .  .  .  or  .  .  .  on a drive that it thinks is clean.

By clean, the drive does not have to be empty or re-formatted  -  it has to be clean of Windows.  The OEM CD setup routine has a few simple methods of insuring that.  It checks for the existence of the files win.com, setupx.dll, and for a hidden folder called wininst0.400  Not very elaborate.  If it finds these files or the winist0.400 folder, then the installation will fail.  However, if the drive is either re-formatted or wiped clean of these three items - the install will work.

Of course, you don't want to wipe your drive clean.  All you really need to do is to clean it up a bit, since the OEM CD only makes a couple of simplistic checks.  Even if you are simply re-installing Win98 over an existing version of Win98 - you will probably need to clean the drive first !!

Prepare the Drive

For a Fresh Install that deletes Everything

• make sure you have a Win98 boot disk configured to mount the CD-ROM drive

• move all important files and folders to a backup drive
• format the drive
• boot with the Win98 boot disk
• run setup from your CD drive -  for example:     d:\setup

For a Fresh Install but keeping all your "Stuff"

*** here we keep all files and folders except for the Windows and Program Files folders.  The setup routine will detect no previous versions of Windows and will install

• make sure you have a Win98 boot disk configured to mount the CD-ROM drive

• copy the file "deltree.exe" to the boot disk

• boot to DOS (Win98 DOS)

• c:

• cd\

• deltree WININST0.400   (hidden folder created by Windows install routine - supposed to be deleted after install but sometimes it isn't)

• rename c:\windows\win.com win.old  (prevents error "SU0168")
  rename c:\windows\system\setupx.dll setupx.old

• mv windows winbak

• mv progra~1 progbak

• deltree *.*   (and answer the prompts, one at a time - deleting everything except for the system files io.sys, command.com, msdos.sys, drvspace.bin, system.1st, config.sys, and autoexec.bat  -  CAREFUL - DO NOT SAY "Y" to deleting any folders !!!

• DONE !!!  Now go ahead and install Windows from the OEM CD.  Test for a week or two, then delete the "winbak" folder using Explorer.

For a Reinstall over your existing Windows (will keep all programs and settings Intact)

*** you need to make the OEM CD think that there is no existing Windows on your machine

• make sure you have a Win98 boot disk configured to mount the CD-ROM drive

• copy the file "deltree.exe" to the boot disk

• boot to DOS (Win98 DOS)

• c:

• cd\

• deltree WININST0.400   (hidden folder created by Windows install routine - supposed to be deleted after install but sometimes it isn't)

• rename c:\windows\win.com win.old  (prevents error "SU0168")
  rename c:\windows\system\setupx.dll setupx.old

• deltree *.*   (and answer the prompts, one at a time - deleting everything except for the system files io.sys, command.com, msdos.sys, drvspace.bin, system.1st, config.sys, and autoexec.bat  -  CAREFUL - DO NOT SAY "Y" to deleting any folders !!!

• DONE !!!  Now go ahead and install Windows from the OEM CD - your existing programs should all work fine