If you have a Recovery CD from your computer manufacturer, the Recovery CD will install the Windows installation files (the Windows Cabinet file) to a folder, normally to C:\Windows\Options\Cabs or to C:\Windows\Options\Install.
- Open Windows Explorer and look for them. Make sure you have the file Precopy1.cab.
- Then, check that you have a cab file with a number (?????2.cab) all the way up to the last number.
Lets check it.
- Double click on setup and let Windows start to check your system and run Scandisk.
- Once Windows offers you a Cancel option, Cancel.
- If you got this far you probably have all the needed files.
- Create a folder named Win9x.
- Copy all the files from Windows\Options\Cabs to the Win9x folder on your CD burner (with a CD in it). If you do not have a CD burner and cannot get someone to burn the CD for you, copy the files to a different hard drive. This way, if you ever have to format a drive you can install Windows from the unformatted drive.
- Lastly, but most importantly, you need a Startup disk. If you already have one from the manufacturer, make your own anyway.
Windows 98 and ME will create a Startup Disk that will load your CD-ROM.
Windows 95 will not create a startup disk that loads your CD, but the manufacturers disk will, so you can use theirs. You will need to exit the Windows install and switch CDs to your CD at this point.
- If you are copying the files to your hard drive remember where you placed them, for example: D:\Win9x.
- At the A: prompt or C: prompt, type "D:" (without the quotes) then press enter.
- Now type "cd win9x" (without the quotes). Press enter.
- Now type "Setup" (without the quotes) and press enter. The same will hold true for a CD installation. You just have to watch the screen for what drive your CD-ROM was loaded to. Normally, if your CD-ROM is D: it will be loaded to E:. The Startup disk will normally create a RAM drive before loading the CD-ROM.
If you have proprietary hardware or if you are not sure if you do, you should copy all your drivers to the CD as well. Most of the manufacturers use some proprietary hardware to cut costs in manufacturing. When Windows installs the hardware many times it sees that it needs a standard Windows driver like Serial.vxd. But the manufacturer's hardware may need a different driver. So they either rewrite the standard Serial.vxd or replace it with their own version of the driver once Windows installs it.
To determine which ones they are use the Device Manager.
- Click on the plus sign, next to the CDROM icon. The first one should be CD-ROM.
- Click on the CD-ROM device(s).
- Now select the properties button and then the Drivers Tab.
- Now select Driver File Details. If the button is grayed out then there are no required drivers that you will need to copy.
If not copy all the files in the window that appears after you click on the Driver File Details button.
Many of these files may not be needed. But better safe than sorry.
Now all you need is the Windows CD Key, this is easy.
Go to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion,
and copy the information at the "ProductKey" value, on Windows 95 it will be "ProductID".
