Is this computer compatible with Windows 98 SE?

[CamTron]

I have a Dell Dimension E510 desktop from around 2006-ish. It has an Intel 945G chipset and a 82801 controller hub, a 2.6 GHz Pentium D processor, and 2 GB of RAM. I have compatible PCI cards for the graphics, sound, and network, and I can downgrade the RAM to 1 GB by removing one of the modules. I'm just wondering if there are Windows 98 drivers for the motherboard, and if anyone else has had luck with Windows 9x on 945G motherboards. I tried searching for the drivers on Intel's website, but I keep getting dead links.

Edited February 20, 2016 by CamTron

[Tommy]

I recently installed Windows 98 on a 965GM motherboard and it was a bit tricky. Does your computer have all SATA or does it have some IDE ports? SATA might be a problem and you might need Rloew's SATA patch in order for your drives to work correctly or at optimum performance. You might not need anything important as far as drivers goes for the motherboard. From what I'm seeing, it's a gray area for 945 chipset drivers but I really didn't install any chipset drivers on my machine and it still works just fine. But I too had to install a separate video card and sound card. Could you give us a bit more information on the actual motherboard since all boards are just a bit different? Like I said, knowing if it has IDE/SATA will help also give us an insight of what you'll need to get up and working properly. Also, on a computer like that, I always recommend using the /p i switch when starting setup because of ACPI issues with Windows 98 and newer computers.

[rloew]

I Installed Windows 98SE on a Intel D945 Motherboard. Since I used a SATA Drive I had my Patch installed.

I didn't use any special Chipset Drivers. You do get Errors in Device Manager but they don't affect normal operation.

You will need a Video Card and Ethernet Card. You can use a Sound Card or use an USB Module.

Patches may be needed for late 7xxx nVidia Video Cards.

[The Goose]

It wouldn't work out, drivers are no further than Windows XP. You could try 2000, you might need to force install some of the drivers via Device Manager though. You can run XP through 10 but it would be pretty slow.