Upgrade using 98SE Full

[winifreid]

I currently run plain 98 (I am cheap) and someone just gave me their old computer that I will use for parts. It came with a new product full edition Windows 98 SE CD (not the upgrade CD). Is there anyway I can upgrade my current plain 98 setup using this CD? It should be legal because I don't plan on using the old computer for anything but parts so there will only be one edition of 98 in use.
My reason for wanting to upgrade is really only 2 fold. I would like to try the btwincap drivers with my Leadtek 2000 XP capture card which only work with SE and I might want to use one of the music downlaod stores that use either RA or WMP which both require SE.
I want to avoid a format and clean install because I do not want to have to reinstall all my programs.
Thanks

[rkr1958]

Usually, a full version of windows cannot be used to upgrade a earlier version of windows. There are some exceptions but I'd say that it is unlikely that you'd be able to upgrade for W98 to W98SE with the version you have.

You'd could always do a re-format and clean install of everything. But before you do that make sure you have all your critical data backed up and you have all the necessary device drives stored where you can easily access them. Also, make sure you have all your applications and patches available.

[winifreid]

I found this in another forum. It doesn't really sound like it would work for an upgrade.
Any ideas?
"If you mean the full Windows98SE cd and you want to upgrade from Windows98, this is how you do it.
Rename your autoexec.bat, config.sys, and win.com file to somethign like *.chs. Then boot up your computer with the win98 startup disk and the win98se cdrom. During the installation process direct windows to be installed to C:/Windows"

[BJ_M]

for ANY win 98 installation is is MUCH better to do a full install ...

[winifreid]

I just put the disk in and it said I had an older version of windows, do I want to upgrade. So maybe it will upgrade without a format. I have a backup disk, so maybe I will try it on that.
I can't imagine ever doing a re-install. I can't count the number of programs I have installed and updates I have downloaded. I think it would take me days to get it back to where I am. Since it is just 98 to 98SE, it doesn't seem worth it. As I stated my main interest was to use the btwincap drivers and I am not even sure they are that much better than Leadtek's.
Thanks.

[BJ_M]

you are prob. going to have to re-install them again anyway to get them to work i bet

[winifreid]

When I upgraded from 95 to 98 , I did not have to reinstall any programs. (Yes, I am that old. I even remember getting excited about DOS 6.1)
Is there really much advantage in SE? I would like to try the btwincap becasue I have trouble capturing at full resolution and mpeg2 and I don't really like the color controls or the leadtek drivers.

[Capmaster]

I wouldn't recommend anyone upgrade today to Win98, in any flavor. But ...if it isn't in the cards to go to XP, then you'll find 98SE is a whole lot better than 98. More stable, hardware compatibility is better, USB support is better ...the list goes on. Certainly worth the trouble compared to plain 98

[winifreid]

I just tried to upgrade my backup drive and it said I had to get the upgrade disk. Anybody know if the above solution will work? It seems like renaming the win.ini file will just fool the disk into installing 98SE as if windows wasn't there and wouldn't be any different than just doing a format install. I would still have to re-install all my programs. I suspect that the upgrade disk has programs that allow the install to remember all the installed programs.
Thanks

[dxj40c]

You would be better off to do a fresh install, but I understand the grief of reinstalling all of your programs especially all of the little things like flash players, patches, program upgrades, and other things that have had to be installed to make thing work correctly.

If you ask around you could probably find someone who has a Win98se upgrade disk they no longer have use for that they would give you. If I had one I would give it to you, but I have the full version also. I don't see myself ever going back to Win98se (although I was happy with it at the time) and I am certain there are many more like me out there. If they won't give it to you, borrow it or trade your 'Full Version' for it.

[Gritz]

Copy the contents of the Win98SE to a folder on your hard drive and install from there over your current Win98. That way the contents of the cd will be on the hard drive and available if the cdrom becomes unrecognizable during install. Which happens. And I doubt that you'll lose anything. If that won't work (requires a new install) then boot to a Dos floppy and deltree the C:\Windows directory and the C:\Programs directory (be sure to copy deltree.exe to the root (C so it's not deleted. It takes a long time ... maybe hours. Next navigate to the folder where you copied Win98SE and run "setup.exe". Now you'll have a fresh install of Win98SE. Remember you'll still have your backup hard drive if anything goes wrong, and you can reinstall the original "important" programs back over the same original (hopefully default) locations and they'll be ok. If you locations are identical then you'll have access to the same data files you had before.

[bazooka]

I agree with Cap.

If you cannot go the xp route, then stick with 98se.

But I recommend going to xp.

[snafu099]

You would be better off to do a fresh install, but I understand the grief of reinstalling all of your programs especially all of the little things like flash players, patches, program upgrades, and other things that have had to be installed to make thing work correctly.

If you ask around you could probably find someone who has a Win98se upgrade disk they no longer have use for that they would give you. If I had one I would give it to you, but I have the full version also. I don't see myself ever going back to Win98se (although I was happy with it at the time) and I am certain there are many more like me out there. If they won't give it to you, borrow it or trade your 'Full Version' for it.

Unfortunatly the win98se upgrade disc like the winme upgrade does NOT end up with the same install and there are compatability issues. Some software that requires one of these os's will say "must be full version, not a upgrade". Think this was also true for win95 to win95b

M$ did not tell us that when we purchased the upgrade versions. Then they wonder why we feel justified at times useing a less than legal copy

You will need the Key to install either way