hi,
my sister gave me their ****very**** old compaq presario 5360
and a win 98 CD, and said, "it's a mess. good luck". ;-) i
know nothing about installing, and that's why i'm here. i
really need your help. i want to install the windows 98 CD
over everything that's on there now. (remember, i know
nothing about this! be kind!!) can this be done? if so, in
plain and simple step by step instructions, can someone
explain it to me? thanks :-)

How to format the hard drive, it will eradicate contents...

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;255867

Self-extracting & creating W98 Boot Disk:

http://www.troyedwards.com/downloads/BootDisks/boot98.exe

Before doing anything, try to find out what hardware is installed on the PC...then locate & download the necessary drivers. You'll need drivers for the motherboard chipset, video, sound, modem, & possibly others.

If you don't have a boot floppy, go to bootdisk.com & download the file that will create one for you...

http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

Once you've assembled all the necessary drivers & have created the boot floppy, follow these instructions:

http://www.windowsreinstall.com/win98/install98floppy/indexfullpage.htm

Did you want to install the 98 over the current installation as an attempt to keep the existing software and drivers or did you want to do a new installation?

Do you have a Compaq win98 restore CD or a Microsoft win98 CD?

If it's a Microsoft win98 CD is it a full install CD? If not and you format, you will need proof of ownership of a prior Operating System.

Do yourself a favor BACKUP!
Sorry, I do not check for private messages

To all,

you have been more than kind. thanks!! i will check out
the links & info you've graciously provided as well as
answer your questions. (gulp) here goes-

>"Do you have a Compaq win98 restore CD or a Microsoft
win98 CD?"
-I have a win98 CD + its SN. i bought it because my sister
couldn't find the restore CD that came with the machine.

>"If you don't have a boot floppy.."
She also gave me this boot floppy that has different
"drivers" on it, one of which is the compaq 5360's. Now,
why do I need this? I am clueless concerning drivers
(etc.) I don't understand the role they play (obviously
huge) in the installation process. Doesn't the system
already have drivers? (hey, i've got no shame, i've already
proclaimed my complete lack of windows knowlege)

>"Did you want to install the 98 over the current
installation as an attempt to keep the existing software
and drivers..."
I was thinking of installing it over the existing software
because - this is my [unsound] reasoning - in doing so,
i'd be starting with a clean slate, so to speak.

thanks thanks thanks again for your help!

carrie

"I was thinking of installing it over the existing software
because - this is my [unsound] reasoning - in doing so,
i'd be starting with a clean slate, so to speak."

A "clean slate" (fresh installation) means erasing the existing Windows installation and starting over - - this is recommended, as no problems are inherited - but that also removes any installed applications.

Installing "over" or "on top" means reinstalling into the existing Windows folder as a form of repair - this preserves applications, but may not necessarily rectify all of the original issues.

A boot floppy is required to start the computer to DOS, loading the DOS CD drivers in order to perform the installation - some Windows CDs are bootable themselves - in that case, you wouldn't require a bootdisk

We've heard that a million monkeys at a million keyboards could produce the complete works of Shakespeare; now, thanks to the Internet, we know that is not true

Report Offensive Follow Up For Removal

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robert.bale4/index1.html

http://oldfiles.org.uk/lightspeed/main.html

The first covers (re-)installing windows various, be it clean install or otherwise...

The second has assorted bootdisks etc. items (scroll down aways for bootdisk various).

This is a link to the page where you can download the drivers for your Presario 5360:

http://tinyurl.com/lp8l3

You will need the drivers for the audio, the video, and the modem, though there are two different modem drivers shown, so you won't know which modem driver you need until you examine the system a little more closely. I've repaired this model previously (though not for a few years now, according to my notes), and I think you're most likely to need the Conexant HCF V.90 56K PCI Modem drivers, though it won't hurt you to download both versions and keep them handy...

More information about your system can be found here:

http://tinyurl.com/oefru

Does your system have a network interface card (NIC) provided by Compaq? It was an option, though the system might have had a different network card installed later... In any case, let us know if your system has a NIC, and we can help you identify it to download and install the proper driver...

Just in case you're curious, the AMD K6-2 450MHz CPU was introduced in 1999, so your system most likely shipped with Windows 98 Second Edition (Win98SE), which was better than the original version of Win98...

Let us know how things are going; I'm really looking forward to seeing a progress report on this project...

You all are so helpful, i can't thank you enough. i've been
without my computer for quite a while; only today have i
been able to regain access to the internet. THANK YOU, and
i'll let you know what happens...man, i hope i get it right!
carrie