Are you sure about them being full versions? That message certainly suggests they are for upgrading.

If possible, upload a picture of the discs.

Besides, you can also install from a FAT-formatted hard disk. Just copy the i386 folder over, boot into DOS and run the setup from the i386 folder. At least with NT 4.0 I did that many times.

derSammler wrote on 2020-04-12, 14:53:

Are you sure about them being full versions? That message certainly suggests they are for upgrading.

I'm simply burning ISOs that I already have. I have a Win2K ISO SP4 fully updated, and the XP copy I have is a special Micro-XP custom ISO for retro machines. (BTW I do own Win2k and XP on CD also)

I will try this ISO next and see how I go, it is RETAIL release and from a trusted source:

Update: This ISO worked! Oddly my other isos must have been upgrades... strange! But true 😀

But: Now a new problem - 'Setup cannot find the end user licensing agreement (EULA)

🤣 the saga continues... 😀

I will attempt to find the EULA on my CD and copy it to the CF.

1. Use original media. You won't get help for ISOs downloaded from the web.

2. DO NOT post links to Windows ISOs! (or any other commercial software for that matter)

mzry, please do not post warez here in this forum.

Sorry guys I did not realise Winworld was classed as a warez site & thought abandonware was acceptable.

Going forward I am using my OFFICIAL CD's and writing them to CF (which I own)

Sorry, as Abandonware has no legal backing, everything labeled thus is considered warez here. This is not my view of the world but Vogons needs protection and can't be seen condoning this.

The only site I'm aware of that has a DMCA exemption is the Internet Archive. AFAIK "winworld, betaarchive, etc" is just another so called "abandonware" site.

The other reason is for issues such as the above. We have better things to do here than troubleshoot broken software that is broken not because of an issue with the software itself but because it's a corrupted or ripped copy.

DosFreak wrote on 2020-04-12, 16:56:

The only site I'm aware of that has a DMCA exemption is the Internet Archive.

I'm told that in fact, they have no special legal standing at all - they just have a good legal team willing to go to bat for them. (Plus it might be bad publicity if someone did decide to go after them.)

Anyway, I kind of wish there was a convenient way to generate a special minimized install from original media; if you download something from somewhere, you really have no way of knowing if someone stuck in some kind of malware. There's always nLite, but that has limited capabilities.

mzry wrote on 2020-04-12, 16:20:

Going forward I am using my OFFICIAL CD's and writing them to CF (which I own)

As noted above, there's nothing particularly special about the original install media. You can copy the i386 folder right off the CD and onto your CF card.

The requirement for OS to work is fixed disk bit is set in the compact flash. Without this OS will not boot or refuse to install. The consumer CF (most of them), is set as removable disk.

Most reliable way is industrial CF cards which is usually 95% set as fixed disk.

Cheers,

pentiumspeed wrote on 2020-04-12, 23:05:

The requirement for OS to work is fixed disk bit is set in the compact flash. Without this OS will not boot or refuse to install. The consumer CF (most of them), is set as removable disk.

Most reliable way is industrial CF cards which is usually 95% set as fixed disk.

Cheers,

Thank you, much appreciated for the input.