hello.If i use partition magic to make a new partition on my hard drive would i need to install a OS on that partition or would it be a new drag & drop regular drive. I also have a problem with the CMedia8738 wdm audio driver. i have installed the lastest, the given driver and the direct manufactured driver without success. the driver installs but the mixer just crashes and in multimedia it says no playback devices. the computer definately detects the pci audio device as when the driver is uninstalled it asks for the disk. can anyone help, thanks

I can address the first question. No, you don't have to install an operating system on the second partition. If you want to store data to be accessed from Windows 98, then it does have to be formatted with a file type that can be read by Windows - FAT32 would be preferred. Once the partition is created and formatted, Windows will automatically detect the partition and assign it a letter, likely "D". Or you *can* install an operating system on the second partition if you want to dual-boot two OSes. Say if you want to use WindowsXP and Windows98... Sorry I can't help with the driver thing. Have you successfully removed the old drivers? Disabled "onboard" or "integrated" sound, if equipped? Best Luck, Bob

thanks for your help, it was exactly the answer i wanted. Bye! p.s. still needing help with audio driver/hardware