I am reformatting my pc's hard drive and have one problem...my cd drive has given up on me, so i cant use the "run with cdrom support" option tio install windows98. this is all new to me, but from what i gather some integral files might need some editing re: the paralel port etc....i dont really know what i'm doing here!...and am not even sure how to install the extenal cd rom driver. If anyone could offer some advice to get my machine in a position to install windows98 that would be brilliant. PII 350 mhz WIN98 Second addition external cdrom drive: datawise cd pro (this does works with my machine) many thanks charles

In order to use an external CD to install windows, you must first obtain the dos driver for your parallel port cd rom,and copy them to floppy. Use your win98 boot disk to prepare your disk(HD) partion/format.once that is done put the cd rom driver in the floppy drive and run the install program. from there if everything goes alright you should be able to use your cdrom. change to your cdrom directory and type(setup)press enter.

Which came first the chicken or the egg? You probably need to install the driver in windows, right? Check your CD-ROM software for DOS drivers. If there are any, SYS C: with any OS, make config.sys and autoexec.bat files (which can probalby be empty) and install the dos drivers. (You may have to add MSCDEX to the autoexec.bat manually) Then boot to an empty C: drive and install from the CD-ROM.

In your "autoexec.bat" file add this line(it should work in all kind CD i think); a:\MSCDEX.exe /D:WP_CDROM /M:20 if your are using a flopy disk use this, but if your boot disk is your hardrive change "a:" to the drive letter of your bootable disk. And after editing the "autoexec.bat" edit the "config.sys" if theirs an existing file. if none, create one using any text editor and add the ff line: FILES=150 BUFFERS=40 DEVICE=A:\WCD.sys /D:WP_CDROM /V DEVICE=A:\HIMEM.SYS if your are using a flopy disk use this, but if your boot disk is your hardrive change "a:" to the drive letter of your bootable disk. Note: "WCD.sys","HIMEM.SYS","MSCDEX.EXE" file must be present in your bootable disk, you must have this file(this file could be found on the windows 98 system directory). Also if the file is in other directory, (example: dos, drivers or any directory the file was placed) change the line to: ex. a:\dos\mscdex.exe ..... By this you could now access your CD using your CD Drive in the Drive letter D: or any drive u want just change the line: DEVICE=A:\WCD.sys /:WP_CDROM /V in the "config.sys" and in the line: a:\MSCDEX.exe /:WP_CDROM /M:20 in the "autoexe.bat" file. Hope this will help,