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This weeks subject is on how to use the Windows 98 Upgrade CD Software on a new or newly reformatted hard drive. It is not necessary for you to purchase the FULL version of Windows98 at almost double the price of the UPGRADE version.

Before you reformat or change hard drives copy your present autoexec and config files along with your CD-ROM drivers onto a separate bootable floppy disk. Label the disk "original"

1) Download bootdisk.zip and Power Desk on this site and unzip and copy the files onto a new floppy disk formatted at the DOS prompt as follows :

 FORMAT a: /u /s

2) Then reboot your machine with this new boot disk in the floppy drive and then run FDISK and then FORMAT your hard drive.

3) Then keeping this disk in the floppy drive reboot your computer again, this time type NEWPC when the A:> prompt appears. This will copy a few needed files to a DOS directory and give you a basic autoexec.bat and config.sys that you will have to edit to get your CD-ROM up and running. Remove the disk and reboot the computer this will give you a C:\> prompt this time.

4) The CD-ROM drivers must be inserted inside the autoexec.bat and config.sys files on the hard drive in order for the CD to work properly. If you are lucky enough to have the install disk that came with your CD-ROM run it from the floppy drive and it will install the proper lines in the autoexec and config files. If not, open up DOS\EDIT.COM and put in the necessary lines for your CD-ROM drivers in the autoexec.bat and config.sys You can copy these lines from your present autoexec and config that you copied onto the "original" disk in the beginning of this newsletter. Do not worry about any other lines that install sound cards, mouse, etc. We only want the CD-ROM drive to load and that is all, Windows98 will take care of everything else during the install process.

5) Now that you can boot up your computer and have your CD-ROM loaded up correctly as (for the sake of this lesson) the "D" drive we are now set for step# 6.

6) For this to be legal and on the up and up you must have your Windows 3.1 disks or Windows95 disks or CD available. I will take it for granted that you have a new or reformatted LARGE hard drive of at least one GIG, if not, don't bother going to Windows98 until you get a larger hard drive.

7) If you were using Windows 3.1 or 3.11 make a directory on your new drive called WIN31CD and copy all the files of each of the 13 or so disks into this directory using the following DOS command while at the C:\> prompt. Type the following for each disk :

 XCOPY A:\*.* C:\WIN31CD\ /S /E /V

8) If you were using Windows95 make a directory on your new drive called WIN95CD and copy just the files in the root directory of your WIN95 CD and ALL the cab files in the WIN95 sub directory on the WIN95 CD into this new directory by typing the following two separate commands at the DOS prompt

 XCOPY D:\*.* C:\WIN95CD

 XCOPY D:\WIN95\*.* C:\WIN95CD

Do not copy any other files or sub directories.

9) These will be only temporary directories because after WIN98 installs you can delete these directories from your hard drive. Keep in mind you are not installing Win 3.1 or Win95 you are only copying the install files that Win98 will look for when it starts its own install process.

10) After these files are put onto your hard drive you can then install Windows 98 from the DOS prompt by putting in your WIN98 UPGRADE CD into your CD-ROM drive and typing SETUP from the CD-ROM directory at the DOS prompt (e.g. D:\SETUP.EXE)

Even though this is written in English it may seem like Greek to some of you. If that's the case then send us some e-mail and we will answer any questions you may have.

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