VOGONS


First post, by precaud

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(Yes, I did search first, I thought this question would have been asked many times before)

I've always done 98SE as a clean install, but I have a working 95 OSR 2 system that I want to upgrade to 98SE. Everything else is the way I want it. The thinking is, it will save me grief if the program installs are maintained, a couple of which I don't have the install disks for any longer.

Will it work? Or is it a bad idea?

Reply 1 of 11, by Warlord

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I don't know any tricks to install 98se FULL/OEM over OSR2.1, but the 98se upgrade edition will upgrade 95 any version. It is better to do a clean install. Different versions require different keys, a OEM key will not work on a retail, or upgrade version and what not.

Reply 3 of 11, by Horun

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Warlord is correct, there is a Retail full 98SE upgrade edition that will upgrade from 95 or 98 to 98SE. The 98SE Update edition only upgrades from 98 to 98SE. The retail full 98SE upgrade may not work on some OEM Win95 installs but should on all retail Win95 installs.
added: Even my retail Win98SE full version states that you can upgrade from Win95 or DOS and will install on a FAT16 partition as well as FAT32.

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 4 of 11, by precaud

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It appears my question is answered in the "Setuptip.txt" file on the install CD (which is not an "Upgrade" version):

" If you are upgrading from Windows 95 and want to preserve your current
settings, run Windows 98 Setup while running Windows 95, and install to
the same Windows directory on your hard drive."

Methinks I'll clone the HDD before doing this.

I guess I should add; this actually defeats something else I was hoping to do, installing 98SE over 95 while at the same time migrating it to another motherboard....

Reply 5 of 11, by chinny22

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Was going to say Autoplay gives you this option. But I really wouldn't want to do it. Even if it was a fresh Win95 install with no software installed It'll keep a load of old redundant crap no longer needed.

If your swapping hardware, especially the motherboard, I'd do a fresh install. Give yourself a nice clean foundation to build off and clone this nice fresh pure Win98 install

Reply 6 of 11, by precaud

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chinny22 wrote:

If your swapping hardware, especially the motherboard, I'd do a fresh install. Give yourself a nice clean foundation to build off and clone this nice fresh pure Win98 install

That is, no doubt, good practice and good advice.

But I'm still looking for a way out of following it 😀

Reply 7 of 11, by chinny22

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precaud wrote:
chinny22 wrote:

If your swapping hardware, especially the motherboard, I'd do a fresh install. Give yourself a nice clean foundation to build off and clone this nice fresh pure Win98 install

That is, no doubt, good practice and good advice.

But I'm still looking for a way out of following it 😀

fair enough, ignoring good advice is what makes us human 😉

Reply 8 of 11, by Warlord

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I upgraded from windows 3.11 to windows XP and it was stupid slow.

DOS 6.11 > windows 3.11>95 upgrade edition>98se upgrade edition>ME upgrade edition>2000 upgrade edition>xp upgrade edition

take good advice always do clean install upgrading is stupid. 🤣 Just because you can upgrade don't do it.

Reply 10 of 11, by precaud

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I've done many clean 98Se installs and understand the benefits. Since this is a low-priority project, perhaps even short-lived, I was looking for an expedient path.

I remember reading once that Americans eventually do the right thing, after having exhausted all other possible alternatives.

Perhaps this trait has finally gotten through to me 😀

Reply 11 of 11, by yawetaG

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Horun wrote:

Warlord is correct, there is a Retail full 98SE upgrade edition that will upgrade from 95 or 98 to 98SE. The 98SE Update edition only upgrades from 98 to 98SE. The retail full 98SE upgrade may not work on some OEM Win95 installs but should on all retail Win95 installs.
added: Even my retail Win98SE full version states that you can upgrade from Win95 or DOS and will install on a FAT16 partition as well as FAT32.

My Windows 98SE upgrade CD worked fine on Gateway's Windows 95 OEM version. However, said Upgrade version is a special education variant that I bought at university, and that included extra goodies on the CD (and AFAIK had no own product key).