Hi all,

I wish I could give a TLDR, but if you really want one, check title. Here's my adventure. I've been trying to get a Windows 98 SE gaming PC up and running since January and this week I FINALLY got enough parts to get something working. Thus far, I have semi-successfully installed Windows 98 SE on this machine but there appears to be SOMETHING wrong with the storage medium or something to do with it because I keep running into problems. Currently Windows is no longer installed and I'm having trouble installing it at all anymore.

So first off, here are the specs:
CPU: Pentium III 1 Ghz (SL52R)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-6OXT-A (Intel 815 chipset)
RAM: 512 MB SDRAM @ 133 Mhz
GPU: GeForce 4 TI 4200 (recapped by me, should this somehow be relevant)
HDD: 120GB Crucial SATA SSD w/SATA to PATA adapter (the star of this show, I think)
PSU: Brand NEW EVGA 500W
Other Drives: 16X Asus DVD Drive + SONY 3.5" Floppy Drive

Less relevant but have previously successfully ran Windows with these installed:
Sound Card: SoundBlaster Audigy 2 ZS
Network Card: D-Link

With that out of the way, here's the adventure:

YESTERDAY:
- I connected the SSD to my Windows 10 PC and ensured that the entire drive was "unallocated".
- I attempted a first install of Windows 98 SE using a self-burned OEM CD, I do NOT have a boot floppy. I booted off the CD and allowed the setup installer to do whatever it deemed necessary to the drive. It formatted the entire drive and attempted to use it. Setup began but ultimately failed 2 clicks in and the setup froze at "Preparing Directory" (this was the first sign something was wrong, and will recur, A LOT).
- Having failed, I reconnected the SSD to my Win 10 PC, restored the drive to a fully "unallocated" state and then manually made a 32 GB FAT32 partition and left the rest unallocated. Attempted a second install and to my happy surprise this worked, I got past the "Preparing Directory" screen and the setup continued. A few restarts later I was in Windows and ready to tackle drivers.
- Not having an external floppy drive for my Win 10 PC, I ended up fiddling around with the Network card and Sound card drivers (original CD and original CD copy respectively from Vogons) for a while until I prepared a single "Drivers + Utilities" CD for the rest of it all.
- Installed the Intel (INF) chipset drivers provided on the Gigabyte website and upon attempting to install the "Intel IAA" driver (which I may not even need it seems), all hell broke loose. Upon restart for this driver, well, there never was a restart, Windows froze at the splash screen. I booted into Safe Mode and tried to remove the Intel IAA driver but it wanted to stay. Lost my patience and just deleted the folder where it installed. Naturally, this completely broke Windows. Defeated, I started over.
- I reconnected the SSD to my Win 10 PC and replicated the previous setup: 32 GB FAT32 partition + the rest unallocated.
- Attempted a third install and this time, even with the same settings as before it once again got stuck at the "Preparing Directory" stage of the setup. Rebooted, fourth install attempt, ScanDisk picked up some problems this time and supposedly "fixed" them. I love computer magic. I got past the Preparing Directory screen again and fully finished installing Windows again. Back to square 1, drivers!
- This time I'm smarter though right, so I skip the Intel IAA driver. The Intel INF drivers seemingly detects everything it needs to anyways. But this time I am installing things in order so after the chipset stuff, I installed the nVidia driver and I finally got back to my Sound card. Well SURPRISE, this installation now freezes Windows and it gets stuck right after I select a language. Sigh. Hard shut down. Start PC again, ScanDisk does magic and we're back in. Sound card drivers forever freeze PC now so that's out for now. Fine. I'll come back to this later, but maybe the DVD drive is the problem.
- So, I took the SSD out, connected to Win 10 PC and copied over all the files I need straight to SSD.
- Now, I start installing some utilities, 7zip, IE6 update, .NET, stuff like that. Seemingly half of these installers now suddenly freeze the PC as well. Some just as the install beings, some manage to install some way thorough and then freeze. Hard shut downs, ScanDisk magic and back to Windows and the next thing in between each of these attempts.
- Finally get tired and annoyed and call it a night.

TODAY:
- Time to resume, but obviously there's some kind of storage issue here, I mean, even with the files ON the SSD already, the PC freezes, so it can't be the DVD drive. I experiment some more and find out that in fact, it's not just when I try to install things either, having a quick look at system information can also freeze up the PC. Trying to start IE also freezes up the PC. Seemingly, whenever I try to do anything with CERTAIN software, but not all software OR installations of certain drivers or software, the PC freezes.
- More troubleshooting, I let one of these freezes take it's time. 5 mins pass, 10, 15, 20. I'm done. This is never gonna unfreeze. What if I don't use any software, just let the system idle. After 30 mins booted into Windows and doing nothing, everything still works perfectly fine. No freezing.
- Whatever the issue is, I decide this install of Windows is also somehow nuked and I start over, AGAIN. This time though, I start doing some serious research. Only now, I can't even get past the "Preparing Directory" screen in the setup. At all. Ever. Just freezes. So far here's what I've read about and tried already:
1. I've tried handling the drive setup with FDISK. I've tried using the entire drive and I've tried limiting it to 32 GB again. I've even tried slightly under 32GB so as to have some sort of magic bullet dodging buffer. Nothing.
2. I've tried copying the WIN98 directory to my C: drive and running setup from there. Nothing.
3. I've turned against all my hardware, removed any unnecessary things (Sound, Network cards). Nothing.
4. Fiddled with IDE cables and ports. Separate cables, for HDD and DVD. Same cable. Different cables from the other cables both on the same cable and separate cable. Only use IDE1 ports on mobo, only use IDE2, used both. Nothing. And yes I made sure I set my Masters and Salves correctly. Still nothing. Removed Floppy drive completely since I wasn't using it. Still nothing. Every possible combination of things in this sentence. Still nothing.
5. I've made a GParted Live disc and tried to boot to that, maybe I can setup this drive from there. Well, turns out GParted doesn't want to start. I get to the menu, hit Enter to start it and it complains about not being able to unmount some directory, then hangs. Sometimes it shows other errors. Also tried switching out the SSD for some old SATA mechanical drives I had around (using the same SATA to IDE adapter). Nothing.
6. UPDATE: I have also tried an old SATA mechanical drive and I have the same issue.
7. I've ran a Memtest and the single 512MB RAM stick I have in there passed with flying colors. So I don't think it's that.

At this point, I'm running out of ideas. I've tried damn near everything and now I can't even get past that "Preparing Directory" screen at the start of the setup and even if I finally did again, something tells me the random freezes will continue once I'm in Windows again. I MUST be missing something.

A sort of quick TLDR, I currently believe:
1. The RAM is fine, passed test.
2. The cables are fine, swapped around 3 of them in all sorts of combos.
3. The IDE ports are fine (I hope since the DVD seems to read just fine and I've tried every combo)
4. The DVD drive is fine since the freezes still happened when it wasn't involved at all.
5. The floppy drive is fine since removing it doesn't fix the issue.
6. I also assume my Sound card and Network cards are fine since, again, these issues are happening without them.

I'm fairly certain the issue lies somewhere between the SSD, the SATA to IDE adapter I'm using, some odd misconfiguration of the drive/partitions (though I doubt this), a bad boot CD? I am at my breaking point here, might just order a CF card and an adapted to IDE and start a whole new headache when those inevitably run into some sort of magical problem. Any max size recommendation on a CF card while we're at it?

It goes without saying that I would really appreciate any help, tips, ideas, etc that I can get on this. Thanks!