If you boot free dos from USB you can partition and format the drive to FAT 32 or FAT16 and then with a second USB transfer the contents of the ISO image to the hard drive. Once there, you can run the setup file directly. No optical drive or FDD required.

matcarfer wrote on 2021-07-15, 00:44:

Hey guys, I have forgotten how to do it. I want to install WIn98SE on a HP Thin Client t5530 with 1GB IDE drive. I can't figure […]
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Hey guys, I have forgotten how to do it.
I want to install WIn98SE on a HP Thin Client t5530 with 1GB IDE drive.
I can't figure how to install Win98SE. I tried a USB CDRom but of course it isnt detected.
Please help!
Have no problems booting and installing FreeDOS using a pendrive but its no good for Win98SE.

In brief :

Copy the win98 directory from the CD-ROM to the pendrive using your modern PC
Boot your old PC from the pendrive .
Partition the hard drive using fdisk
Reboot from the pendrive
Format the old PC's hard drive using something like " format c: /s"
Copy the win98 folder from the pendrive to the c: drive
Start Windows setup from c:\win98

Feel free to ask questions .

1.Using another PC, boot into a 98SE bootdisk with CD-ROM drivers - FreeDOS is quite picky with 98SE's installer - I've had issues with it on three diferent retro machines (P3 650, P2 400 and AMD K6-2 500) where it would get stuck at "preparing setup files" with a "INSERT DISK IN DRIVE A" text at the upper left corner, hence why I strongly recommend using a 98SE bootdisk (CD or floppy, your choice) for doing the first steps (partitioning, formatting and copying the files on the drive)

2.Partition the drive with FDISK and format it with format C:

3. After formatting, type in "sys C:" to install a small copy of the 98SE DOS present on the CD, then move to C: , and type in md WIN98.

4.While still on the 98SE bootdisk DOS prompt, eject your bootdisk and insert the 98SE install CD

5.Swap the drive to your CD-ROM, and type CD WIN98 (this is assuming you use a copy of a genuine Windows 98 SE disc.)

6.Type "copy *.* C:\WIN98" and wait for the 98SE installation files to be copied to the directory you have created.

7.Finally, reinstall the HDD on the thin client PC. You should be getting a DOS prompt reading "Microsoft Windows 98 (C)Copyright Microsoft Corp 1981-1999" and a C:\> prompt afterwards.

From step 7 onwards, it's just CD WIN98 then running setup.exe from there.

It got a little complicated as the drive is a 44 Pin DOM module, so I couldnt take it out.
What I did was:
-Boot from original bootdisk with an USB Floppy Drive (thanks god I had this)
-Fdisk>Format /s
-Booted from FreeDOS pendrive, copied Win98SE folder
-Booted from internal HD, started installing.
Thanks for the tips. I spent HOURS trying stuff. I really forgot many things!