Windows 98 Installation trouble 1

[jwock]

I'm booting from a floppy and trying to reinstall 98 on a formatted harddrive. When I try, I get this message:
Cannot create a temporary directory. If you have HPFS or NTFS installed on your hard drive, you will need to create an MS-DOS boot partition to set up Windows.

I don't have either HPFS or NTFS installed on my hard drive. Also, when I try to change to C:, I get an invalid drive sepcification error. I also have a second hard drive (D which gets the same error if I try to change to it. Help!

 

[edfair]

What does fdisk show for the 2 drives? Sounds like you have something on both that 98 doesn't recognize.
You might have to go to an earlier OS to get a fdisk that can see what is there, or as an alternative use the drive manufacturer's low level or zero fill program. Ed Fair
unixstuff@juno.com
Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply. Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[jwock]

Thanks for the reply, edfair. Unfornately, I know so little about dos that I can't answer your question. C: has been formatted so has nothing on it. I can't format D: without getting the invalid drive error. I'm using a boot disk with DOS 6.22. If I try to use the fdisk command, I get invalid drive error. I have no idea how to do a drive manufacturer's low level or zero fill program. Thanks for the suggestions, though

 

[djazia]

Hello

I actually have the same problem. I want to install Win98 on a totally zeroed HD. I formatted it and when I try to boot my computer on the CDRom it says:"NTDLR is missing".
Now, I think it may be because I formatted my HD from Win2000 Repare Console and I formatted it into a NTFS format!!
Does Win98 support NTFS or should I format to FAT or FAT32?
I had to format with win2000 console because I had the same problem as Jwock. I partitioned my HD but I couldn't do anything, I always had an invalid drive error.

Now Jwock, if you want to low level format (zero) your HD, you should look for an utility which is doing it from your HD manufacturer web site. Mine is IBM, I downloaded the utility (2Mb) and it creates a bootable floppy disk which runs in DOS mode an utility which allow to check or repair or low level format your HD.

PS: just to say this site is great, easy to use, seems to have lots of nice people answering all type of questions... great job! )

 

[wolluf]

jwock,

If you intend installing win98, you'd be better off with a win98 boot floppy rather than dos 6.22. You can get one at

http://www.bootdisk.com

if you haven't got one.

Once you have it, try booting from it and see if its version of fdisk will run. If it will (enable large drive support), I'd suggest using it to remove existing partition(s) and create a new one. Reboot and format and see if you can install 98 then.

PS. I'd also remove the second drive while you're installing 98 in case its got something on it 98 doesn't like.

 

[jwock]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I got the win98 boot disk & it's working fine. Installing as I type this message.

 

[skipholiday]

wow someone deserve's a star
This is probably the only question I ve seen here that I may have been able to answer.BUT.I'm so slow what a great place.
Skipholiday

 

[boobilynn]

hello, i am having that same problem ... i am trying to install win98 and it tells me that if i have hpfs or ntfs installed on the hard drive i will need ot create a ms-dos boot partition to set up windows. well i am having difficulties doing so. please help, i really dont know much about dos

 

[TekTippy4U]

djazia and boobilynn
Go here to see fdisk in action...

http://www.newlogic.co.uk/kbase/fdisk/page1.htm

Restart and hold down CTRL key and choose "Command Prompt omly" and type Fdisk /status

djaziaWin98 does NOT recognize NTFS...only FAT/FAT32

TT4U

Notification:
These are just "my" thoughts....and should be carefully measured against other opinions....I try very hard to impart correct info at all times.

 

[edfair]

use a boot floppy and run fdisk to remove all partitions and drives until you have a clean drive. Removal order 1) logical drives in extended 2) extended drive partition 3)primary partition.
Then with the boot disk and CDROM support move to the d: drive and run setup off the CD. It should fdisk and format it for you to the maximum size.

If you fdisk and format with DOS 6.22 you'll get a 2.1gb partition, which is much smaller than what 98 will do.

Ed Fair
Give the wrong symptoms, get the wrong solutions.