how do you reinstall Windows 98?

[ButterflyBlood]

It looks like I need to do this since that's the only way I can completely get rid of the spyware and viruses that have screwing up my computer all the time. Can you do this in safe mode?

And all important stuff is already backed up, I don't have to worry about that.

[Champion Jack]

1. Use a cutting torch and a 3 pound ball peen hammer

[Surikat]

2. Why on Earth would you want to...

...REINSTALL as big a lemon as Windows 98? Move your system over to XP. Save yourself a lot of grief.

[hyphenate]

3. Installing Win 98 again

might not be enough if you've got potential viruses and other junk. If you've backed up everything, you should be okay to reformat the hard drive, and THEN reinstall Win 98 and everything else.

One thing you might want to try first, though, is to go to www.pandasoftware.com and try the online anti-virus scan. It's excellent, and does a helluva good job. It will do a report for you on everything it finds. Then run Ad-Aware 6 for the spyware and malware. That should pretty much take care of your system. Also, right now, Panda has a free download of their Platinum software, and it's a really decent AV.

Oh--as far as re-installing Win 98, you will need three things: a bootup disk, the serial number, and the CD with Win 98 on it. Boot to the floppy, and then follw directions.


Edited to add: this is a link to their free download:

http://www.pandasecurity.com/zd/

[jeff30997]

4. If you know DOS :

(You need to reboot in real DOS)
Erase the Windows directory (deltree).Then reinstall Win 98 with the CD.Usually you type Setup or Install and the installation begins.But be aware that you will have to reinstall all your programs as well.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. Your best bet:

Don't. Invest in Windows XP. Do an upgrade AFTER cleaning out your HDD with the following:

Virus scan. I like Avast!. It's free.

AdAware.

Spybot Search&Destroy(yes, both of them.)

KMCS Deluxe System Suite. Clean with the disk cleaner.

RegSupreme: Clean the registry of slack entries. Safe and good.

Back to KMCS. Run the registry compressor.

Diskeeper Lite for Defrag. Free. Great defragmenter. Great.

Reboot.

Then, upgrade to XP.

I do this all the time and this regimen works.

Keep all these programs and reinstall them after the upgrade.

Also, download "Turbo Navigator" for use as a file manager, to clean out other cruft and old files that take up space. It is a great file manager and shits on Windows Explorer. It's free.

[Clinton Crusader]

6. I just went through a horrible thing with Win98

And it was all spyware.

There's a bunch of things you can do beofre going to the extreme of re installing Win98.

I use Ad Aware, which is really great.
http://www.lavasfotusa.com
Then you can use HijackThis (google it-it's free) and also KIllbox, which will kill whatever spyware you cannot get rid of (google that as well-free)

I JUST went through this for a WEEK, had some computer people in forums online help me out and give me these programs and it worked. I was gonna re install 98 as well, but you gotta be careful and it WONT get rid of the spyware. If you download Ad Aware, let it run a full system scan, and get rid of all the crap, reboot, try Hijack This and Killbox of it's all still there.

[miss_kitty]

7. If I was going to reinstall because I couldn't get rid of spyware

and viruses and shit, I'd write 0s to my harddrive first. I'd do a full reformat. But I'd do all the other stuff first-Adaware, Spybot and Spy sweeper. Spy sweeper is tricky though. It will take out stuff you need to run certain programs, so proceed with caution using it.

[mainegreen]

8. install linux

:bounce:

[haktar]

9. First: don't upgrade to XP unless you have at least 256 meg of ram

Second don't upgrade to XP unless you either connect to the internet with an router or you can configure a firewall bevore you connect to the internet for the first time. While an XP is relativly secure once service pack 2 and 2 additional patches are installed, a newly installed and therefore unpatched XP or XP home is infected within 10 to 20 Seconds !!! after first internet hookup. You won't be able to even downloadd the patches before someone is in your Computer:-)

To reinstall 98 : make a system repair floppy (settings - controlpanel - software) and boot from this disk
(eventually it is possible to boot directly from the cd, but this depents on the bios of your computer.)

format the hardisk and go to the folder windows on the cd and run setup

if you want to avoid to reinsert the cd every time you install a additional driver, copy the whole folder to for example c:\install\windows and start setup from this folder. win98 remembers the location and uses it automatically if additional components are needed.

BTW windows 98 is still vunerable but my recent tests show it is infected on an average rate of once every 2 days.
So this should leave you time to download and install a firewall and mozilla.

So if you have a new system install XP and !!! CONFIGURE THE FIREWALL !!! bevore you hookup to the internet
If your system is older, use 98.


on edit: @$&^@$ TYPOS

[eataTREE]

10. Find a geeky friend and offer him or her a case of beer.

This needs to be done properly or it won't help you at all.

You need to do a clean re-install if you want to truly start over. That means re-formatting your hard drive and doing the installation from scratch. Better to get the help of someone who knows what he or she is doing, than to get halfway through before discovering you're in over your head.

[short bus president]

11. download Xandros

It's linux, but it tastes like windows.

You'll save yerself a lot of headaches in the future if you can make the switch now.

Or if cost is not an issue, check out a Mac. But follow the advice on a hardware firewall/router regardless of what you do, if you're on broadband.

[lpbk2713]

12. Formatting your H/D or even a new H/D may not be the solution.

Some viruses infect your BIOS and make it very difficult to remove. If you install a new hard drive you still have the same virus in your BIOS (on your motherboard). If you do intend to reformat or install a new H/D do a thorough virus scan in "Safe" mode with a reliable anti-virus program using the latest pertinent data file beforehand. Also run checks with Ad-Aware and Spybot using the latest updates on them as well. After you reinstall your OS, install a good firewall. I would recommend using a different browser other than MSIE. Explorer is the favored target of opportunity for hackers and spammers. I use Mozilla and am very happy with it.

[haktar]

13. Sorry, this is more or less an urban legend..

The only bios capable virus that had some distibution was CIH
And the probem with a virus like CIH is not that the virus can be installed in the bios.
In the real world it can't, because the installation would be spezific to the bios version and the type of flash rom used.
The problem was: your bios was destroyed and therefore the computer was destroyed, because most people didn't had access to a Leister fan and a prom programmer to reprogramm the flash.
And if the one in a billion chance accidentally happens and your bios is infected and not rendered useless, simply flash the bios and its gone. Due to the limited space in the flash this sort of viri is rather simple and no danger at all.