Multi-Boot With Win98

[Alanoll]

As promised, I've been experimenting with how to get Windows 98 to properly multiboot. And here it is. It's working for me, but I'll need some volunteers to fully test it. And by test, if you have any problems with what's on Flyakite's Website try this.

Alrighty, first the files you'll need.

1. You'll need a Win98 startup disk. If you don't have one handy to make an image of, go to Bootdisk.com and you can download one from there.

2. FindCD.exe ; this is different from DetectCD.exe. I've taken this directly from Microsoft's image. So yeah... FINDCD.EXE download

You'll also need a hexeditor and Winimage, but since you've already tried Flyakite's way, I'll assume you have those.

Alrighty then, let's get started.

Preparation

Create a new folder somewhere. I don't care where. It's jsut to store three files, AUTOEXEC.BAT , CONFIG.SYS, and FINDCD.EXE

Downlaod FINDCD.EXE from the link above, and save it in the directory.

Then open Notepad, and copy this into it:

@ECHO OFFset EXPAND=YESSET DIRCMD=/O:Nclsset temp=c:\set tmp=c:\path=a:\
LH MSCDEX.EXE /D:oemcd001 /L:D
echo.
:AUTOSETUPset CDROM=FOO23FINDCD.EXE
if "%CDROM%"=="FOO23" goto NOCDROMpath=a:\;%CDROM%\%CDROM%cd \SETUP\WIN_98SE\WIN98echo.OEMSETUP.EXE /K "/IE /NF"goto QUIT
:NOCDROMecho.echo The Windows 98 Setup files were not found.echo.
:QUIT

Change the line

cd \SETUP\WIN_98SE\WIN98

To the path of your WIN98 cab files. On a normal Win98 CD, they're in the WIN98 folder.

Save this file as AUTOEXEC.BAT in your working folder.

Create a new file, and save this in it :

device=himem.sys /testmem:offdevice=oakcdrom.sys /D:oemcd001 device=btdosm.sys device=flashpt.sysdevice=btcdrom.sys /D:oemcd001device=aspi2dos.sysdevice=aspi8dos.sysdevice=aspi4dos.sysdevice=aspi8u2.sysdevice=aspicd.sys /D:oemcd001
files=60buffers=20dos=high,umbstacks=9,256lastdrive=z

Save this as CONFIG.SYS

Now that that is out of the way, lets start hexing.

Hexing

Open up FINDCD.EXE in your hex editor. Look for the line that's in the following image.

You're looking for what's in RED. Click over to where the numbers are, and find the position that corresponds with the \ after the %c:

start typing 0's. not O's, but ZERO's. This makes everything null. Type the zero's up till the next %. Don't 00 the %.

Alrighty then. Pick a file at the root of your CD. I chose WIN51 as my CD also has Windows XP on it. If you had a CD.TXT file you could use that. Or you could create your own, so that each disk is unique like AIO1.txt if you have different version of the disk.

Click over to the text side of the window. just after the %c: type ....

\WIN51

substitute WIN51 with your file, and be sure to include the file extension if there is one. Win51 doesn't have one, so I didn't. Also make sure that it's in ALL CAPS. I don't know if it really matters, but better safe then sorry.

Save the file, overwriting the old one.

I've attached MY findcd.exe file after the hexing, incase you don't want to bother with this part.

ReInjection

Open up your 98 boot disk image into WinImage. Then Drag and Drop your new Autoexec.bat , Config.sys, and findcd.exe into your image. Click yes to the overwriting prompt and what not. Save it.

FINISHED

Bravo! You're finished. Now just continue following flyakite's guide for your other OS's, or test to make sure it works. Compile your Image, burn or emulate or whatever, and hope it works.

It worked for me, so I hope to hear feedback on whether it does work or not.

EDIT:: Removed the pauses i left in in the autoexec.bat file. They were for my diagnosing.

FINDCD.EXE

FINDCD.EXE

[MAVERICKS CHOICE]

Thanks Alanoll. I'm going to play around with this one tonight, I'll let you know the outcome Cheers.

[Alanoll]

good, then while you play aruond with that, I'll play aroudn with adding the latest Longhorn.

Tried real quickly last night (actually, I completely rebuilt the disk from scratch in under 1 hour), but it kept reboot after the initial Longhorn Setup screen came up.

[Screwz Luse]

I'm having a problem with mine. I get an error about being unable to locate setup files and I'm not sure why... I'm using the following section in my autoexec.bat file

cd \SETUP\98SE\WIN98

and that is where WIN98 directory is. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I'm not sure what the problem is.

[Alanoll]

are you using the EXACT things I am?

in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, just after FINDCD.EXE put

ECHO %CDROM%PAUSEPAUSE

and see if it displays the correct CDROM

[MAVERICKS CHOICE]

are you using the EXACT things I am?

in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, just after FINDCD.EXE put

ECHO %CDROM%

PAUSE

PAUSE

and see if it displays the correct CDROM

Alanoll tried it out yesterday & getting the same error re setup files.

I'll try your latest suggestion & post.

[MAVERICKS CHOICE]

Just tried your suggestion in virtual pc & getting this error as attached?

File not found?

Press any key to continue. . .

Press any key to continue. . .

The Windows 98 Setup files were not found.

Also can I use my WIN51 file without modification from the AIO dvd multiboot?

[Alanoll]

was there no driver letter ECHO'd?

file not found for findcd? did you add it to the Win98 image.

you don't have to modify WIN51. It's FINDCD.EXE that you have to modify.

Post screen shots?

[MAVERICKS CHOICE]

I used your pre hexed findcd.exe attached on the bottom of your guide & injected the file into 98 boot image in winimage.

[Alanoll]

add the PAUSE lines, and the ECHO take a screenshot, post it.

Also, your archive doesn't help all that much. The 98 directory structure really does not matter.

You could try adding README.TXT ; AUTORUN.INF ; and SETUP.EXE to the root of your structure (along side your CDShell folder).

I'll post a link to my 98 image later, then use the exact same file/folder structure is in the first post, no changing names for you to test with.

[MAVERICKS CHOICE]

Slightly different error have not added README.TXT ; AUTORUN.INF ; and SETUP.EXE to the root of my structure as yet though. Do these files reside in the original 98se disk or are they simply taken from the aio dvd structure?

[Alanoll]

they're in the original, it just be a thing with 98 that looks for tag files, like NT 's do. Just maybe....dunno....

it's not finding FINDCD.EXE

I'm not sure why though. It's in the image, unless you have two completely different ones, or you don't have MSCDEX.EXE (I don't see MSCDEX.EXE inyour image file btw)

could you maybe upload your IMG file somewhere?....

[MAVERICKS CHOICE]

Too large to upload here but youre right it appears to be missing MSCDEX.EXE.

I originally downloaded this from the multiboot pages? Also noted Chris Kites 98 image file does not download properly?

[Alanoll]

i did say upload SOMEWHERE

try finding that file, www.bootdisk.com might have it. May need to download a disk, but meh. If you do download a disk from there, start from scratch with it.

that one file might fix your problem. But i dunno how you lost it.

[MAVERICKS CHOICE]

Got me beat? But I'll think you"ll find I'm not the only one.