WINDOWS 95 TO WINDOWS 98 UPGRADE

If you or a customer of yours are currently running Windows 95 and want to upgrade to Windows 98 and keep your most important setup features and applications intact as much as possible, there are several procedures to follow to help the "overlay" install go well.

Of course a fresh install of any Microsoft OS is best. We know that is not always an option however depending on the client and thus the reason for this document.

The following tips are provided for your consideration.

1. Open up config.sys and autoexec.bat and rem out every line except the main path statement or just rename both files.

2. Disable all background apps using the configuration tab of offending program or delete all the third party keys in run and/or run services in the registry. There are third party utilities like StartUpCop or StartUp Control Panel on this site to assist you as an option of manually editing the registry.

3. Open up win.ini and check the load and/or run calls and disable the line if something is loading up there.

4. Disable the screen saver and power management both in Windows and/or in the Bios.

5. Delete all temp files in one or all of c:\windows\temp, c:\temp, c:\tmp and c:\dos

6. Run scandisk. If you have the time it's recommended to do a full scandisk ie surface scan to mark any bad sectors if they exist. It's also recommended that you defrag in advance of the upgrade also.

7. Disable the "virus scan" in the bios if that feature is active and Enabled. Run Device Manager in Windows and note the models of your sound, modem, and video cards. This may save you from having to pop open the case later on to ID your cards.

8. Boot to dos with a clean start disk and run a DOS based anti-virus program. If none is available, make sure the current Windows anti-virus is updated with the latest virus definition files and run a full scan on all drives.

9. Make sure you have at least 250 megs free on C: before you start. Uninstall any unneeded apps using Add/Remove in Control Panel. Remove all bad calls/keys in the registry using a registry cleaner such as EasyCleaner.

10. If you have the time, check in advance if there are Windows 98 drivers for your sound, modem, and/or video cards either on the driver disks or from the card makers website. Be prepared to use a second computer to get them from the WWW afterwards if they are not on your CDs or Windows doesn't install the proper ones included on the Windows CD during the upgrade.

11. Make sure that before you run the Windows 98 setup that all your external devices are turned off before you boot into Windows 95 for the last time. For example, turn off your printer, scanner, external modem, camera, etc. After Windows 98 is up and running it's best to then add one device at a time.

12. I suggest creating a folder on C: called Win98 and first copy the contents of the win98 folder from the CD to it. I then run setup from c:\win98. There is nothing more frustrating than upgrading and having a problem reading the cdrom in the middle of an install. This step eliminates that possibility.

13. If you are also going to upgrade your hard drive at the same time and are in FAT16 mode, I like to install Windows 98 first, then use cvt to convert the file system to FAT32, and then fdisk/format the new drive and clone the OS over.

14. Once the upgrade is done, you have to be careful with re-enabling or installing older anti-virus programs, and utility software such as Nortons. Also keep in mind that a few programs that worked in Win 95 may not work in Win 98 unless you also upgrade them.

15. A very common niggle that may happen with any Windows upgrade is that afterwards you may have to go and dig for the correct and/or updated Win 98 drivers for your sound, video, and/or modem adapters.

Very often for homebuilt and locally made systems you have to crack the case to find out the model, chipset, and/or FCC ID number to locate the drivers or manufacturers website that has the Windows 98 drivers. If you have a national brand you may get lucky and find the drivers you need at the makers website without having to open up the case.

16. Keep in mind that upgrades on clone and homebuilt systems tend to be easier. The more proprietary your system the more obstacles you may have to overcome. Sometimes even with a fresh install you just wont find the right drivers for a certain card. Sometimes your best bet and/or only option after upgrading is to purchase a new sound card or modem if it's just to difficult to get the older one to work.