Can't install Windows 98 using upgrade CD?? Help!

[Rick67]

I've reformated my hard drive and now I'm trying to nstall Windows 98 using the upgrade CD. The problem I'm running into is during the install process it wants me to prove I own a previous version of Windows in order for it to install. The computer came preinstalled with Windows 95 and the OS is on a propritary system recovery disc by Sony. When I put this disc in, it doesn't recognize it. Is there any way around this? How do I prove I own a copy of Windows 95 if I don't have the retail disc? I've changed some things in the PC so I can't even install Windows 95 from the system recovery disc first.

 

[bacillus]

unfortunately, you'll need to beg, steal or borrow a win95 cd to install with that upgrade cd! 🙁

 

[bjsjr]

If you know someone with some old Win 3.1 installation floppies laying around they'll work too.

It's about the only thing they're good for anymore 🙂

 

[Rick67]

If someone buys a PC with Windows preinstalled, they should get a retail version of the OS! This is BS! I own the OS but can't use it! Damn you SONY!!

 

[jkukowsk]

Have you tried using the Sony disk to put on 95 and then within 95 run the 98 upgrade.

 

[Homer]

I knew I had this somewhere:

"An easy way to install the upgrade version on a freshly assembled system is open notepad and create the file called WIN.CN_ and save it.
Nothing has to be in the file, it will appear as a generic windows icon file. Move or copy this to any boot disk you have. You can also place it on the root of the drive that the OS is being installed to in case you are not using a boot disk.
The upgrade looks for this file, finds it and allows the installation to proceed."

Never tried this - never needed to. The source was referring specifically to doing a clean install of 98 from an upgrade CD.

 

[Rick67]

How do I create a file? Do I just create a word doc and name it WIN.CN_ or do I need to make the file extension .CN_?

 

[Rick67]

I tried this and it didn't work. Thanks anyway

 

[obenton]

Run setup with the "/ntldr" switch from DOS command prompt. Helps, too, to have a file in C: root directory that is called "ntldr" (to create the file use any text editor, such as DOS Edit or Windows Notepad, and then rename the file to remove the extension.

 

[Boobers]

To confirm that you had a previous install of Windows, the Win98 installer needs to see the CAB files from your previous OS.

If the Sony disk really does have Win95 on it, it must contain the ".CAB" files that are required to install Win95. Search the Sony disk for the CAB files (do a search for "*.cab"). Once you know where thay are, point the Win98 installer to the folder where the CAB files are located when it asks for previous OS confirmation. If you just point it to the CD, it will not search the whole disk looking for the CABS. It only looks in the directory you point it to.

If you really can't access the Sony disk at all, then borrow a disk from someone to do the install. Or, install Win95 and look in the Windows/options/cabs folder and see if the install CAB files are there. Write these to a CD and now you have a Win95 disk that will work for prior OS confirmation.

 

[bozo1]

Many 'restore' disks back then didn't have the cabs - just an image of everything zipped and a utility to copy and unzip the whole thing to your hard drive.

Most people just do the system restore, remove the junk you want, then do the upgrade.