Windows 98SE install on a microdrive?

[earlytv]

A microdrive, a CF flash size card with a very small hard drive in it.

I have a system that can boot from a USB floppy, the on board flash IDE drive, or a USB memory stick. I have not been able to get a USB CD player to boot.

I have heard that 98SE might start to install on a USB item but that somewhere when 98SE takes over it stops because of no USB drivers?

Question, could 98SE install be started on another system that has a Microdrive on it as a IDE drive and then move the microdrive over to the mostly usb system? Or could 98SE be on a USB stick to install on the microdrive? If someway I can get 98SE into the system then USB drivers could be added?

System has 128meg ram, high speed internet port, 2 serial ports, a printer port,4 usb ports, on board video and sound, and can take one IDE device on a non standard IDE port that mostly has a flash ide drive up to 512meg in size.

[cannie]

could 98SE be on a USB stick

Maybe it works by cloning C:\Windows into the USB.

Assuming that the letterdrive is A for the USB when using it for booting, the procedure is as follows:

1.- Format the USB and copy in it the C:\ root files Io.sys, command.com, autoexec.bat, config.sys and msdos.sys. Clean all their "Properties". Open the last three (autoexec.bat, config.sys and msdos.sys) and and replace every "C" occurrency by "A".

2.- Copy-paste C:\Windows (complete, except the .swp file) on the USB, and clean all "Properties" in all the A:\Windows main folder files.

3.- Using a word processor (I use Notepad++), open all *.dat and *.ini files at A:\Windows and substitute all "C:\Windows" occurrencies by "A:\Windows". You may open all them at the same time.

4.- Reboot using the USB. You may use all your Program Files, firewall etc. and everything in your computer the same way as if you were using C:\Windows.

I've done it many times using different drives in the same HD, but my motherboard doesn't allow booting from USB.

HTH

[jaclaz]

@earlytv

There are several ways to boot a Windows 98.

(there is more than one way to skin a cat)

Can you post what is your final goal, setting for a moment what you heard aside, and giving some more details on the PC you want to run 98 on?

Amount of RAM, BIOS used, whether it supports booting at USB 1.1 or 2.0 spped, whether it uses EHCI, OHCI or UHCI USB controller, etc.?

And what use you will put this install PC at?

If you have enough RAM, most probably using a RAMdisk would be the easiest.

Just to give you a hint, and something to read, not necessarily the solution you are looking for:

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showtopic=2267

@cannie

You are a candidate for testing PLoP:

http://www.plop.at/en/bootmngrusblog.html

jaclaz

[cannie]

Hi jaclaz!

We are talking about different things.

I explain how to create an alternative Windows to allow ie a backup/restore .rar file of the whole system, or the possibility of using normally the computer if the system fails.

You talk about an installer of Windows 98 SE, an excellent tool IMO.

Both may be useful. If the system is not still installed the valid solution is the one that you propose.

Alternatively, if the system is already installed in C it is possible and very useful to apply what I say.

Greetings

Edited September 12, 2008 by cannie

[earlytv]

@jaclaz

Goal, to take a dirt cheap, small, GREEN, unit and make it into a surf the net while having a internet radio station from list at vtuner playing and maybe print something from the net.

Units which I have are several X150SE from WYSE and they come in 3 versions, hardware same otherwise.

3150SE 128meg ram, 32meg flash ide, runs windows CE and these will sort of surf net, some sites come up only in MOBILE mode, but if radio on no surf net, radio uses 100% of time. Buy for under 20 sometimes.

5150SE 128meg ram, 64meg flash ide, runs a linux, surfs net way better than CE above but have no unit with media player for radio. Can be made from a 3150SE with change of flash ide. Buy for 40 sometimes.

9150SE 256meg ram, 256meg or 512meg flash ide, runs XPE, XP embedded. Got to try one, will do my goal , radio and surf, didnt have printer. If you look long and hard might buy for 100.

Same hardware only changes are op system, ram, flash ide. Op system and flash change easy but ram dont because its soldered down. I dont think XPE would run with 128 meg ram? I didnt think it would work with 256meg but it does.

A linux on a USB stick runs on these but super slow on 128meg ram systems, ok on 256meg ram 9150SE but XPE beats it there.

Project, get win 98SE running on the 3150, 5150. Ask LITE98 people about their 98 embedded which runs in flash IDE is small and super fast.

First you need to have 98SE running yourself on system and then spend a lot of money to have them embed it and thats a bad thing.

Have many microdrives and with adapter to IDE got a linux to boot and run on a different system. Microdrive only thing small enough to fit into case of these Wyse units.

Edited September 13, 2008 by earlytv

[jaclaz]

At the time, Windows 95 was fast with 32 Mb, and Windows 98 was fast with 96 Mbytes, so the 128 Mbyte should not be a problem.

The microdrive, being a CF card type, is pin-compatible with IDE:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CompactFlash

So, I guess that the "complication" would be using the "added layer" of USB interface, is there a reason for it?

However, you need a very reduced Windows 9x, rather than a "full" system.

Did you try the Winimize project?

http://www.boot-land.net/forums/?showforum=53

http://www.winimize.com/

An hypothetical size for the needs you have should be below 35÷40 Mb in size, thus it would be possible to load it and run it in RAMDISK or using grub4dos mapping.

jaclaz