Windows 98 Install Problem

[baloney_mahoney]

I have a new hard drive that I partitioned into two partitions. The first partition is, of course, "C", and the second is "D". Now on the "D" partition I put some data and other files that I saved from a previous OS. On the "C" partition I completely reformated it so as to Install Windows 98. I have a full version of Windows 98 on a CD so I go to install the Windows using my CD-ROM drive. When the Windows 98 Setup program comes up it tells me that I already have an existing operating system and gives me two choises, 1) Exit Setup, or 2) Install Windows 98 over the existing system. What is wrong here? I do not have a operating system at all (I just got through reformating the "C" drive). Anyway, I choose option #2. So, Setup scans my drives, does some other stuff and then prompts me to either agree and continue or exits setup. I select "I agree" and click on the "Continue" button. Then a big dialog box pops up saying that "....Setup has detected that you already have an existing operating system and cannot continue. This version of Windows 98 is not meant to upgrade. You will need to obtain the Windows 98 Upgrade version." What is this? First, I do not have an existing system and even if I had a Windows 98 Updrade version there is nothing to upgrade. Anyone know what the hell is going on here?

[nscopex]

Just install it over it, Option 1

[baloney_mahoney]

That doesn't work. I just wind up with the same problem as I did in the first place. It appears that no matter what I do it isn't going to install as long as it is a multi-partition hard drive and the second partition has data on it. I can install Windows 98 on another hard drive and as long as all partitions are empty it will install but it will not install on the hard drive with data on the second partition....I have tried it over and over again, with and without the /S parameter on the format command. It's always the same as I described in my original post.

[_I_Play_Chess]

My guess is that u have another C drive that has windows on it.

Open up ur computer box c if there is another HD "c".


Ur hardware installation maybe wrong too.means ur BUS.

And how much big is ur new HD?

Did u Give all info to ur Computer in writing in it's Eprom(CMOS utilities.)?

U need to install windows on C b4 u copy anything else on D as ur partition is not a seperate HD. It's the same HD.So start it over again from the begining in formating with /s or without and then move or copy the other programs to partition D or even on C.

[baloney_mahoney]

My guess is that u have another C drive that has windows on it.

Open up ur computer box c if there is another HD "c".


Ur hardware installation maybe wrong too.means ur BUS.

And how much big is ur new HD?

Did u Give all info to ur Computer in writing in it's Eprom(CMOS utilities.)?

U need to install windows on C b4 u copy anything else on D as ur partition is not a seperate HD. It's the same HD.So start it over again from the begining in formating with /s or without and then move or copy the other programs to partition D or even on C.

The PC is already opened. I took a hard drive from another computer and mounted it to the second computer. Before I did this, however, I looked at the hard drive and the "D" partition had only data files on it, not an operating system. After mounting the hard drive onto the second PC I went into DOS and did a FORMAT C: but left the "D" part as is. Then I put the Windows 98 CD into the CD-ROM drive and changed the BIOS to boot from the CD Drive. When the PC booted the next thing was the Windows 98 Setup program telling me that I already have an operating system and cannot continue.

Later, I tried installing it again but this time there was no data on the "D" partition and Windows 98 installed without any problems. I then booted up Windows 98 and put some data on the "D" partition. Went to DOS and reformated the "C" partition again. Tried to install Windows 98 again but again it complained that I already had an operating system.

The only thing I can make of this is that Windows 98 simply will not install on a multi-partition hard drive and the second (or any except "C") partition has data on it (even though the data itself is not an operating system).

I think this is a quirk in the Setup program.

Yes, you are correct in stating that I have to put Windows on "C" before I put data on "D" but the problem is that the data is already on the "D" and I can't move it off anywhere else because it is just too damn big (70GB of data on "D") and I didn't know that Windows was going to be such an ******* about. I really wanted my OS on the same hard drive but I guess that's out of the question now thanks to the stupidity of Microsoft. There is no logical reason why it was designed that way but that's Microsoft for you.

[_I_Play_Chess]

To use another small HD ( a seperate one) and put the windows 98 on and u run D as is a data storage.

[baloney_mahoney]

Here's what I finially wound up doing. I installed 98 on a seperate HD like you said then hooked it up as the master. Then I jumpered the other HD as a slave. I booted up 98 and copied the system directly from the master drive to the first partition of the slave drive. Turned off PC. Jumpered the slave back to master and booted up from that HD. It works. Now I have 98 on the same HD that I wanted it on in the first place. Although this method worked and I wound up with what I wanted it just seems to me that it's all of bunch of crap the way it was designed in the first place. Doesn't this appear to defeat the purpose of re-installing 98 in the event one had to do it and only had one hard drive?