Help! Looked through everything - including www.windowsreinstall.com - and can't find an answer. PIII, 98se, LOTS of bugs and want to reinstall windows. HAVE the SE upgrade cd, BUT... When I load windows (through several error messages) and run the cd, it comes up an error message and I can't get out of it. AND, when I get to a DOS prompt through windows, does the same thing. And when I use dos prompt at start-up, doesn't know I have a cd-rom....? HELP! Thanks in advance.

To make a totally clean install you need to format your drive first so as well as your 98SE disk you need a win98 boot/startup floppy and a full version of Win 95. Boot from the floppy & choose the 'start with CDROM support' When you get to the A: prompt type 'format c:'. When that's done I recommend using 'mkdir c:\win98' to create a Win98 directory on your hard drive, copy the contents of the Win98 folder on the CD to this new folder & then run setup from there - saves you having to use the CD again in the future for adding hardware etc. You will need the Win95 disk to insert when asked as you are using a Win98 upgrade disk. "I know that I'm mad - I've always been mad..."

before you format can we try a few things 1- go to msconfig (start/run/type msconfig/click OK/click startup tab). Uncheck everything except your firewall,virus and scan registry. 2- go to this link http://www.mesich.com/ on the left side click on freeware, and download install and run delindex.bat & spybot (run spybot from safemode) larry

You don't get a CD if you boot to DOS via startup menu. To do this you need a bootdisk (floppy). If you made a Startup Disk in Windows this will do fine, otherwise download one from www.bootdisk.com Note that the downloaded disk has to be "created" on some other machine (doesn't have to be W98) - don't just copy the download onto a floppy. After you boot with the floppy in the drive select "start with CD-ROM support". Your normal CD drive letter will be temporarily taken to use as a RAM drive, so watch the screen. The Windows Startup Disk usually just moves your CD drive letter up by one (D to E or whatever). Some download bootdisks change your CD to R. DerekW

If you only have an upgrade cd and want to do a fresh installation, there some info here. The precopy2 file there is for FE. I can send you the SE version.

If you like i can email you the files which are required on the bootup floppy disk. All you have to do is pop the files onto a floppy, and boot the machine with the floppy in the drive. Just tell me if you want the files.

A little more input (just to confuse you further...); all about (re-)installing '9x etc. http://www.btinternet.com/~robert.bale1/formatinstall.htm And if you do need a '98 bootdisk... bootdisk.com is where to download an image. Save it to a hard-drive; (self-)expand to floppy and use that floppy. Ideally get the version ('98SE) with CDROM drivers - and the Format util (already expanded/usable). The suggestions in Post-2 are worth investgiation first; also run the '98 sfc routine: Start\run\sfc and follow on-screen prompts. There are some caveats re' the '98 sfc routine; whether or not they're worth being concerned about at this stage? Derek and Whitphil disuss them at: http://www.computing.net/windows95/wwwboard/forum/110121.html