Old Schoold by Harri Kauhanen

Installing MS-DOS, Windows 98 and Windows XP [Retro-PC series]

PC
Retro-PC seriesMS-DOS

As we have now covered all kinds of preparation steps (multiboot strategy, Linux, MBR), it’s finally time to install the retro operating systems to our Retro-PC.

I am not going to cover detailed steps here, but just to mention the quirks I encountered while installing various operating systems to a moderns PC, and how to keep our multiboot intact.

MS-DOS 7.1

See also a related post.

  • Boot to “MS-DOS” on your multiboot menu.
  • Insert MS-DOS 7.1 installation CD (and reboot).
  • When asked “Do you want to rewrite the MBR code?”, answer NO.
  • Windows will say “I/O Error” during boot, fix it manually:
    • Boot from MS-DOS CD (or disk), and go to the command prompt:
      • sys c:
  • To enable CD-ROM:
    • edit autoexec.bat
    • remove “REM” from REM LH MSCDEX /D:IDE-CD”

More MS-DOS configuration and setting up custom configs (e.g. for games with different driver/memory requirement) are not covered here, but possibly in some other post in the future.

Windows 3.1

See also a related post.

Windows 3.1 is installed inside MS-DOS, and it is not going to have a separate option in system boot menu (GRUB 2). This is the way it was back then, so it is the only right way to do it.

  • Install Windows 3.1 normally from MS-DOS command prompt by inserting the first installation floppy in, and running the setup
  • Windows will install fine, and you may run the tutorial first time, but it might not start again
    • TODO! This is still to be investigated.

Windows 98

See also a related post.

  • Boot to “Windows 98” on your multiboot menu.
  • Insert Windows 98SE installation CD (and reboot).
  • Do not let the installer run, and instead, go to the command prompt.
  • On command prompt, launch the installer with these options:
    • setup /iq /is /ir
      • Skip ScanDisk as it will not function correctly with a “huge” disk.
      • Master Boot Record will not be overridden.
  • Windows will not boot, but can be fixed:
    • Boot to command line:
      • cd windows\command
      • sys c:
      • (If it does not work, take a floppy, and sys a:, boot from floppy, and sys c:)
  • Windows will not start (unless you have very little memory) due “Insufficient Memory to Initialize Windows”. Fix it by:
    • cd windows
    • command\edit system.ini
[386Enh]
MaxPhysPage=30000

Windows XP

See also a related post.

  • Make sure you have backed up the Master Boot Record.
    • It is not possible to install Windows XP without overwriting MBR.
  • Boot to “Windows XP” on your multiboot menu.
  • Insert Windows XP (service pack 2) installation CD (and reboot).
  • Make sure to select the partition and not to format.
  • After Windows XP installation, you will be booted to Windows XP directly, and will no longer have the GRUB boot menu available.
    • Restore MBR from backup (using Linux).
    • If you failed to restore, you need to do the restoration manually. Google or use these links as a starting point.

Updating to the latest Service Pack 3 and other possible XP configurations are not covered here, but you should probably try to get XP “as up-to-date” as possible.