Can someone help me with this computer?

Question

My friend gave me an old Gateway computer so that I can fix and give to my son. Now it starts up good but it has files missing and everytime I click on an icon or try to get into the programs I get a popup that says Explorer: illegal operation or something like that.

She didn't have any Gateway recovery disks.

I have Windows 98SE full edition cd and would like to start fresh with that. I need to know how I can go about doing this. Since it's going to be for 9 year old only I really don't want to add more memory or nothing big like that. I just want to erase everything from the pc and start with a clean install of an OS cd I have.

Can someone tell me how I can do this?

Thanks in advance.

Details of the PC:

Gateway LP mini Tower TBR2 400
Windows 98
64MB

Answer 1

To start fresh, you need to reformat the hard drive first.
To do that you need to get to a DOS prompt while booting off a start up floppy.

To easily make a floppy boot disk, download this file from this site, run it first and then insert a spare floppy disk:
http://1gighost.net/dalehollow/boot98se.exe

After you make the start up disk, restart the computer with the floppy still in the drive.
If it does not boot up off the floppy, then make sure that the boot order it set with the floppy first in the BIOS settings.

How to Partition the Hard Disk:
1.Restart your computer.
2.At Windows 98 Start up menu, choose the Start computer without CD-ROM support option, and then press ENTER.
3.At a command prompt, type fdisk, and then press ENTER.
4.If the hard disk is larger than 512 MB, you get a prompt about large disk support. Choose YES.
5.At A: prompt, type FDISK . Then Options menu is displayed. Press 1 to select the Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive option, and then press ENTER.
6.Press 1 to select the Create Primary DOS Partition option, and then press ENTER.
7.a.After you press ENTER, you receive the following prompt:
Do you wish to use the maximum available size for primary DOS partition?
Press Y, and then press ENTER.

b. Press ESC, and then press ESC to quit the Fdisk tool and return to a command prompt.
c. Skip to step 10.
FAT16 File System:

a. If you chose the FAT16 file system in step 4, and you want the first 2 GB on the hard disk to be assigned to drive C, press Y, and then press ENTER.
b. Press ESC to return to the Options menu, and then skip to step i.
c. If you want to customize the size of the partitions (the logical drives) on the hard disk, press N, and then press ENTER.
d. A prompt is displayed for you to type the size that you want for the primary partition in megabytes or percent of disk space. Note that for a Windows 98-based computer, Microsoft recommends that you make the primary partition at least 500 MB. Type the size of the partition that you want to create, and then press ENTER.
e. Press ESC to return to the Options menu.
f. Press 2 to select the Set active partition option, and then press ENTER.
g. When you are prompted to type the number of the partition that you want to make the active partition, press 1, and then press ENTER.
h. Press ESC to return to the Options menu.
i. To assign drive letters to the additional space on the hard disk:
1.Press 1, and then press ENTER.
2.Press 2 to select the Create Extended DOS Partition option, and then press ENTER.
3.The option that appears displays the maximum space that is available for the extended partition. You can adjust the size of the partition or use the default maximum at 100%. Partition should be set to active. (You can always check things at the fdisk main menu, option 4 "view".)
Press ENTER, and then press ESC and again to quit the Fdisk tool and return to a command prompt.
8.RESTART computer with the Windows 98 Startup disk in the floppy disk drive.

FORMATTING DRIVE:

9.At Windows 98 Startup menu, choose the Start computer WITH CD-ROM support option, and then press ENTER.
(NOTE THE TEMPORARY LETTER GIVEN FOR CD Rom.
10.At a: prompt, type format c:, and then press ENTER.
11.When you successfully run the Format.com utility, you receive the following prompt:
WARNING, ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK DRIVE C: WILL BE LOST! Say yes to Proceed with Format (Y/N)?;
press ENTER to format drive C.

12.Wait several minutes until format procedure is finished.
Optional feature appears to name the hard disk. Type an 11-character name for the drive, or leave it blank, and then press ENTER.


INSTALL Windows 98:

1.Insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive, type the following command at a command prompt, and then press ENTER
X:\setup where X is the drive letter that is assigned to your CD-ROM drive.

Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the Setup procedure from the CD.

After finishing the install, you'll need to make sure all the device drivers are installed (video, IDE, system board, modem, etc). Go to device manager and see. It will probably need the original Gateway drivers, so go to their website with your model number, and check for download-able files.
Good luck!

Answer 2

For one Windows 98 is Discontinued from updates or anything

For Another I would seriously think about upgrading the pc more memory etc before giving it to a 9 year old and putting xp on it

Answer 3

Probably getting that error because there is waaaay too much crap on there and it's all trying to start at start-up, plus the processors back then were about 300-400mhz. PLUS I bet it's got about 64MB ram in it. LOL!.

I once cleaned out my old OLD system (from gateway that was old) and gave it too my wifes friends. I didn't upgrade anything either...LOL! I just cleaned it out..re-installed win98 se and was like "here you go...PS. you probably can't install anything on here ever or it will crash! lol.

Here is a step by step screen display of installing win 98se from cd- using installation cd. (Links are in "source")

Just install the cd and let it run.

Since you already have data/programs on the hard drive, you will probably get a warning that you have no space to install or something..or it may say if you continue you will delete the information on your hard disk.....continue to do so,since you want to do a clean install. Windows will reformat it and clean it out for you.

You also will have a problem with the OEM components already integrated in your motherboard for the system (sound, video..etc)

You will need to go the gateway.com and re-install the drivers once you are done with installing Win98 SE to get them to function properly (they will be removed since you cleaned out everything remember!!!)

You might want to get on another pc, get the model and serial number information from the back of the old gateway computer. Go to http://support.gateway.com/support/default.asp and type in the serial number for that old pc, and copy/save all of the OEM drivers for (sound card, video, modem...etc,etc) for that system onto a cd-rom so you can install all of your drivers to the 98 system by just inserting the cd-rom instead of trying to get online on that 98 system, getting online, downloading and having to reboot and get back on line...etc,etc.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

I agree with Cherokee, put a minimum 512 meg ram and with win XP he should be good to go for a long time. If you can't upgrade with ram then let him use it for games and stay offline. Get anti-virus also, that may fix some errors.

Answer 5

On a Mac, shift/manipulate/three takes a photo of the display. If you press shift/manipulate/four, you'll be able to click on and drag over the subject you wish; the photo is taken whilst you unlock the mouse button.

Answer 6

Here's the correct way to install

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221829