Doing a Windows 9X Upgrade with
the Full Version
Last updated: 1/10/02
Q. Is there a way to upgrade Windows 9X with the
Full Version of Windows 9X/Me?
A. If it were me I would back-up everything
and/or everything of value on the hard disk (My Documents, Favorites, mail,
Cookies, etc.), take the drive down to bare metal with fdisk, install Win
98, restore from backup, and reinstall all applications. I do this on my
own machine about every 6-months to get rid of accumulated garbage. Be sure
to think this out before attempting it. See How
to Build Your Own Athlon Computer - Parts 7 & 8 for tips.
I have heard of two other ways to upgrade Windows with
the full version:
1. Run Setup from the DOS prompt (see our How to's
for making Windows Startup floppies to boot to DOS from a floppy, if needed)
with the NTLDR flag as follows.
D:\win98>startup /NTLDR
Where D: is your CD-ROM drive
Setup /NTLDR tells setup not to detect an installed operating
system. OEM versions and full retail releases of Windows can only be installed
on computers that do not have an installed operating system. This switch
supposedly circumvents that restriction.
2. Use the Windows Explorer to search for and rename
all copies of win.com. Then run setup from the DOS prompt.
Do a custom install for both of these procedures. Windows
may attempt to install in the C:\windows.000 directory, edit the box and
tell it to install in the c:\windows directory.
I would backup everything that is of value before trying
either of these steps. You may still have reinstall all of your applications.
Windows FAQ Index
Also, see Windows
Tips and Tricks.
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