OFF97: Installing Win 98 to New Folder to Tshoot Office Problems

This article describes how to install a second copy of Microsoft Windows 98 to a new folder on your computer for troubleshooting problems that arise during installation or usage of the Microsoft Office programs. This is also useful in determining if your current installation of Windows 98 is functioning properly.

For information about installing Microsoft Windows 95 into a new folder, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Requirements for Installing a Second Copy of Windows 98 to a New Folder

In order to use the instructions listed in this article, you need:

• Approximately 365 megabytes (MB) of free hard drive space for the second copy of Windows 98 (170 MB for the Win98 folder and 195 MB for the Windows 98 installation). If you plan to install Windows programs (such as Office) under the new copy of Windows 98, you will need additional disk space as required by each program.
  
  
• The Windows 98 compact disc (CD) or access to the Windows 98 installation files.
  
  
• Your Windows 98 Product Key, which is normally located on the Windows 98 CD sleeve. If you are using an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) version of Windows 98, you will need your OEM Product Key, which is located on your Certificate of Authenticity.
  
  
• A Windows 98 Startup disk. If you should encounter problems following the instructions below, it may be necessary to use the Windows 98 Startup disk to start the computer.

Create a Windows 98 Startup Disk

If you do not have a Windows 98 Startup disk, you will need to create one. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
3. Click the Startup Disk tab.
4. Click Create Disk.

How to Install a Second Copy of Windows 98 to a New Folder

1. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click MS-DOS Prompt.
2. At the command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after each line:
   cd
   md w98flat
3. Insert the Windows 98 CD into the CD-ROM drive.
4. At the command prompt, type the following line, and then press ENTER:
   copy <drive>:\win98\*.* c:\w98flat
   
   where <drive> is the drive letter assigned to your CD-ROM drive.
   
   
5. At the command prompt, type Exit and press ENTER.
6. Restart your computer. Press and hold down the CTRL key until the Windows 98 Startup Menu appears.
7. On the Windows Startup menu, select the option for Command Prompt Only, and then press ENTER.
8. Make a backup copy and rename the system files in case you decide to return to your original installation of Windows 98 later. To do so, type the following lines at the command prompt. Press ENTER after each line.
   attrib -s -h -r bootlog.txt
   attrib -s -h -r bootlog.prv
   attrib -s -h -r detlog.txt
   attrib -s -h -r msdos.sys
   attrib -s -h -r setuplog.txt
   attrib -s -h -r system.1st
   copy autoexec.bat *.xxx
   copy config.sys *.xxx
   ren bootlog.prv bootlog2.xxx
   ren bootlog.txt *.xxx
   ren detlog.txt *.xxx
   ren msdos.sys *.xxx
   ren setuplog.txt *.xxx
   ren system.1st *.xxx
   
   NOTE: If you receive a "File not found" error message entering any of the previous lines, ignore the error message and proceed to the next line.
   
   NOTE: The Program Files folder will not be changed because the Program Files folder was not renamed.
   
   
9. Type the following line, and then press ENTER:
   cd\w98flat
10. To run the Windows 98 Setup program, type Setup, and then press ENTER.
    
    During the Windows 98 setup, specify a new folder for the Windows 98 installation. Make sure not to use the folder for your current installation of Windows 98.

IMPORTANT: Immediately after installing Windows 98 to a new folder, install the Microsoft Office program and test to see if the problem is resolved.

How to Restore the Previous Copy of Windows 98

Note that if the problem you are troubleshooting still occurs in the new copy of Windows 98, your problem may not be software-related or it may be necessary to format your hard drive in order to resolve your problem.

These steps explain how to restore your original copy of Windows 98 if you determine that the installation of Windows 98 to a new folder did not resolve the problem.

1. Restart your computer. Press and hold down the CTRL key until the Windows 98 Startup Menu appears.
2. On the Windows Startup menu, select the option for Command Prompt Only, and then press ENTER.
3. At the command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after each line, type y and press ENTER:
   deltree autoexec.bat
   deltree bootlog.txt
   deltree bootlog.prv
   deltree config.sys
   deltree detlog.txt
   deltree msdos.sys
   deltree setuplog.txt
   deltree system.1st
   ren bootlog2.xxx bootlog.prv
   ren autoexec.xxx *.bat
   ren bootlog.xxx *.txt
   ren config.xxx *.sys
   ren detlog.xxx *.txt
   ren msdos.xxx *.sys
   ren setuplog.xxx *.txt
   ren system.xxx *.1st
   
   NOTE: If you receive a "File not found" error message entering any of the previous lines that use the ren command, ignore the error message and proceed to the next line.
   
   NOTE: When you press ENTER after typing each of the following deltree commands, you should be prompted to confirm that you want to delete the folder. If this prompt does not appear, you may have typed the command incorrectly
   
   
4. At the command prompt, type the following lines, pressing ENTER after each line. Note that you will be asked to confirm each line when you press ENTER. Type
   deltree w98flat deltree <directory>
   
   where <directory> is the name of the folder where the new copy of Windows 98 is installed. If your new Windows 98 directory is called "win98", the syntax would look like this:
   deltree win98
5. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to restart the computer. When the computer restarts, your original copy of Windows 98 will be restored.