I have an old PC that my parents have given to me for my daughter I tried to un-install and re-install windows 98se as this is the only stand alone operating system I have a disk and code for But I am still getting CAB errors and also can`t find internet connection wizard Is there a site where I can get the low down on how to erase the entire hard drive (flatten it) so i can start again
I hope this helps you. http://dban.sourceforge.net/ Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot floppy that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction. DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis.
If you want to nuke it and start fresh you will need to partition the hard drive then format it. Afterwards install a fresh copy of 98. To do this enter your BIOS on the computer and set the computer to boot from the CD-Rom. Then insert the cd and restart the computer. It will come up after it posts and give you boot options. Choose to start the computer with cd-rom support. You will now be at the DOS prompt. Now goto the cd drive (usually D and then type fdisk. If it dosent work then its in a folder on the windows CD and you will have to track it down with the DIR/W command. Anyway then delete the old partition and make a new partition and restart. Then get back to the dos promt the same way as before and type format. After the format boot the windows cd again and start setup. You should be able to take it from there. I know this is a bit simple but to explain all of it would take alot of time. if you need more help or dont understand something let me know and I will try to help you. Good luck!
How do I partition it? Dope here With the DBAN option, can I then re-install everything or is it then in effect dead?
Chances are, the CD you have is not bootable, you'll need a floppy with a CDROM driver. http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm Download the 98SE OEM version. Do you know the right dos commands? First start with typing: fdisk - follow the instructions, choose option 4 instead of option 1 if it cannot detect the current format on the drive. But option 1 should detect the drive. Erase it, then create the partition again. format /C: -formats C: drive to FAT32. D:\Setup (D or E:, whatever the letter the cd driver assigns to your CDROM drive)
Download the 98SE OEM version. Do you know the right dos commands? Sorry not very familiar with dos commands....some very very basic ones
madhatter is correct with his commands except for the format one. Its "format C:" not format /c That may work but I always have used the first way.
cab errors? change ur IDE cable. happened to me back in the day, ate my shorts tryng to figure it out btw, the dos commands to erase a disk etc is "fdisk" format c to format dos is easy fun, i still use DOS command line to make batch files, also I use many dos-originated commands in my "address bar" on taskbar
format c: to be exact. And then it will ask you, if you are totally sure and so forth. and you can either press y for yes, or n for no. And when it is then formatted, then you can let it restart, and there you will go into the bios, and make it boot from the CD drive. You can always type "help" (without qoutation signs). In the dospromt, and there you will go into the dos command help program. And if you are into dos then these links will be resurceful, afterwards. http://www.computerhope.com/msdos.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_DOS_commands http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOS
I dont understand what you mean by that? How do you get it to DO the DOS prompts? when you download it, the installation will install it on a floppy disk. reboot and boot off the floppy disk and wait for the command prompt to show up. Which looks something like this.. A:>
i dont do boot disks. I always set the first boot device to CD-rom in the BIOS and use a bootable copy of Win98. works like a charm.
When I start up the PC can I press something like F3 or similiar to get it to start in DOS mode (like you can do for safe mode)
