Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!
  THE TROUBLE WITH WINDOWS 95/98 What you basically need to know if you want to (re)install Windows

(Re)installing Windows: the Basics
  IconTo START THE INSTALLATION, insert the Windows Startup Disk and start (or reset) the computer. After booting with the diskette, choose to start the computer with cd-rom support. An A:\> prompt will appear. Insert the Windows cd and type setup. Follow the instructions on the screen.

During setup you will be asked in which folder you want to install Windows. The default is c:\windows. If you have several drives (partitions), you can't just choose another drive letter, because Windows will only boot from the first hard drive. In other words, don't change the c:\.

   If you would prefer to install Windows somewhere else, with another name and presumably next to your 'old' version of Windows, it's better to rename the old folder before starting setup.

If you want to RENAME THE WINDOWS FOLDER, go to the DOS prompt (start the computer and hold down the control key or press F8, and choose 'Command prompt only') and type:

C:\>ren [drive letter]:\[your Windows folder] [new name]

This could be, for instance:

C:\ren c:\windows window

From that moment on, you can't start up Windows anymore, because your autoexec.bat file won't have the right command line. You can start installing a 'new' Windows in c:\windows, but you still have a backup of the old version, in case something would go wrong.

If you rename the Windows folder, you should also rename the Program Files folder, which is actually an appendix of Windows. You can type, for instance:

C:\ren c:\progra~1 program

Again, you have a backup in case you would decide to cut off the new installation.

   Throwing away those Program Files can seem to be a drastic measure, but there is no way around reinstalling every program you had installed after reinstalling Windows. This can be time-consuming, but it is no disaster as long as you have a backup of all the setup files and zip files of your (downloaded) programs. It's a good idea to also remove all installed programs that are not in the Program Files folder--they won't work either with a newly installed Windows and if you keep them, they're liable to cause trouble.

If you want to DELETE WINDOWS, think very carefully. You probably won't be able to restore it, no matter which 'undelete' or 'unerase' program you use. Actually, there is no reason why you should delete Windows, if you can rename it. Still, if you really want to do it, go to the DOS prompt and type:

C:\deltree windows

Don't forget to also delete the Program Files.

The safest way to avoid trouble is to install Windows on an empty drive. In that case, you have to FORMAT C:\. This is quite simple:

C:\format

Your c:\ will be wiped clean now, so be sure to have backups of your data and the files you need to reinstall your programs.

More Info

First and Formost: General Precautions | Reinstalling Windows without Losing your Data
What if Windows Will No Longer Start? | 'Invalid page fault in module kernel32.dll' | Tools&Links&Books | Contents
Icon Click this icon if you would like an article about your Trouble with Windows.