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Re-installing Windows9x

Win95 - Alternatives
to Formatting The Hard Disk

See Page 6 for Windows98.

Now look, are you sure you need to re-install Win95 from scratch? Have you tried the "Refresh" or "Verify" approach? This will repair a corrupted installation, where the problem has been caused by nothing more serious than one or more files being accidentally deleted or changed (usually by some other program overwriting it). Refreshing Win95 is far less lengthy, mind-wrenching or anti-social than a full re-install. It simply checks the existing files against the list of files which should be present, restores missing ones and replaces any corrupt ones. What could be simpler?   *

The disadvantage is that if there is a problem caused by something other than Windows itself, it will remain. But at least you will know that Windows is not at fault. Having eliminated one possible cause, you may then be able to detect what is wrong and correct it, possibly by removing and re-installing a particular piece of hardware or a program. Or simply removing it altogether if it is not essential. Or getting hold of an updated application version or device driver (try the manufacturer's web site).

Refreshing isn't documented in the on-line Help or even the Win95 CD's Resource Kit Help file. There are several methods below. One may work if the others fail, so it's worth looking at each.
*   Several things, as it happens! Please note that the suggestions here are just that - suggestions.
None are guaranteed to work. Some report repeated success, while others have never been lucky.

Refreshing Windows95

The simplest method
  1. Exit all programs which are running.
  2. Insert the Win95 CD (assuming your CD-drive is "F:").
  3. Using Explorer double-click on Setup.exe, or
  4. Select Run from the Menu and type or browse to: F:\Setup.exe    Click OK.
  5. Soon after starting, Setup will detect that Windows95 is already installed on the system, and display a box asking "Run Setup again?"
  6. Choose the option to "Restore Windows files that are changed or corrupted" not "Copy all Windows files again"
  7. Setup will check the Setuplog.txt file and replace missing or corrupted files from the CD.
Alternatively ...
  1. As above, close all programs which are running.
  2. Insert the Win95 CD (assuming your CD-drive is "F:").
  3. Using Explorer go to the   F:\Win95   folder on the CD and double-click on Setup.exe, or
  4. Select Run from the Menu and type or browse to: F:\Win95\Setup.exe    Click OK.
  5. Soon after starting, Setup will detect that Windows95 is already installed on the system, and display a box asking "Run Setup again?"
  6. Choose the option to "Restore Windows files that are changed or corrupted" not "Copy all Windows files again"
  7. Setup will check the Setuplog.txt file and replace missing or corrupted files from the CD.
NB Unfortunately neither of the above variations always works. If the Options are not offered, Cancel / Exit from Setup, which would otherwise try to re-install Win95. This might cure a fault, but is equally likely to change settings, redetect hardware, and cause more problems.   Try the Verify procedure below instead.
A Quick 'n Dirty method
A quick 'n dirty re-install can usually be accomplished by first renaming  c:\windows\win.com,  eg to  \win.moc,  and then running Setup from a CD, as above. You must have the original installation disk serial number. While this preserves all settings, it will also preserve all errors, so should only be used with a fully working system (eg to upgrade it), or one which works and whose only known problem is a corrupt Registry in dire need of repair. This is especially useful for a quick upgrade from Win 95 or 95a to 95b or 95c.

Verifying Windows95

This procedure is based on Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article Q128400.
  1. Ensure your setup includes Dosstart.bat and that it contains the Mscdex.exe line. If the file does not exist, create and test it. You will need it. (See Windows95 - Mscdex & CD-ROM Access for fuller details.)
  2. Shut down Windows, choosing "Restart the computer".
  3. Hit F8 as soon as "Starting Windows95" appears, and from the boot Menu select "Command Prompt only".
  4. At the command prompt (C:\>) type: Dosstart    [Enter]    This runs Dosstart.bat, enabling Dos-mode access to the CD-ROM drive.
  5. Insert the Win95 CD
  6. At the C:\> Prompt type: F:\Setup.exe /P V    [Enter]    Note: the V switch has no forward slash - "/".
    This tells Setup not to detect new devices, but to "Verify" existing devices as recorded in Registry.
  7. Reboot and see if this has made any difference.
Windows Setup should offer to Restore damaged or missing files. Whether it does or not, however, depends upon the contents of C:\Setuplog.txt. If the Restore option does not appear, try this, based on MS KB article Q141841:
  1. Make a backup copy of C:\Setuplog.txt
  2. Shut down Windows and reboot. Hit F8 as soon as "Starting Windows95" appears
  3. From the Boot Menu select "Command Prompt only"
  4. At the C:\ Prompt type: attrib -h setuplog.txt    [Enter]
    This removes the "hidden" attribute from the file, to permit editing.
  5. At the C:\ Prompt type: edit setuplog.txt    [Enter]    The Dos text-editor will open.
  6. Scroll down the file, looking for "Titles" (Section Headers) in square brackets ( [   ] ) containing more than 32 characters. The most common and possibly only one, of which there are likely to be several instances, is:
           [Is probably reenumeration problem]
  7. Put a semicolon ( ; ) at the beginning of all Titles with more than 32 characters including spaces, eg:
           ;[Is probably reenumeration problem]
  8. Save the file (Alt + F + S) and close the text-editor (Alt + F + X)
  9. Reboot (Ctrl+Alt+Del), hit F8 for the Boot Menu and run the Setup sequence again, as above. ie:
    •        Select "Command Prompt only"
    •        Insert the Win95 CD
    •        Dosstart    [Enter]
    •        F:\Setup.exe /P V    [Enter]
    •        Reboot and try the system.

Top of Page      Refreshing      Verifying

Notes - Win95 and Win98

  • Hardware: If a piece of hardware is causing problems, it should be removed before all types of re-install. Display adaptors (graphics cards) and monitors cannot be unplugged, of course. But a mouse, printer or modem can. (Yes, it is possible to operate Windows without a mouse; difficult, but possible!) If doing a Re-install over-the-top of your setup, remember to Remove the device from the System in Device Manager. Run a couple of sessions after refreshing or verifying before plugging it in again.
     
  • File Versions: Setup will pause before overwriting a file which is newer than the original one it installed, with the recommendation that the newer version be kept. Unless one happens to know what program installed the later one, and that that particular program is causing the problem, it is best to accept the recommendation to keep the newer file. However, because only those who know exactly which files do what, and which versions & dates they should be can guess correctly, a problem may be caused by accepting this recommendation.
    If your PC is plagued with Blue Screens, the best strategy is probably to do a first run keeping all the newer versions, and see if that has helped. If not go through the process again, but this time replacing all files with the originals.
     
  • Service Pack 1: Windows95a is the original release of Win95 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) installed. SP1 may have to be re-installed following a Refresh. So too may the patches, fixes and fixes to patches. Run the file   C:\Windows\Qfecheck.exe   which SP1 installs. It will tell you whether to re-run the full SP1 install, or just a couple of fixes. Note the QFECheck warning that if nothing is wrong, items marked as missing may not be required anyhow. If this appears to be the case (eg with files for networking purposes only marked in red), it is unnecessary to take action on a standalone PC.
     
  • DirectX: A re-install may well cause problems with DirectX (a system utility which enhances multimedia display and is often needed by games), which comes with Win98 but not Win95. If this happens:
    1. Shut down and restart (ie Reboot), and choose Safe Mode.
    2. Uninstall DirectX.
    3. Using Settings / Control Panel, change your Display settings back to Standard VGA with 256 colours.
    4. In System / Device Manager, Remove your video drivers (Display Adapters).
    5. Reboot and choose Safe Mode again.
    6. Run your video/graphics card's original manufacturer's setup disk.
    7. Reset your Display to what it should be.
    8. Install any updated video drivers for your card.
    9. Install any upgrades or bug-fixes for your games.
    10. Reboot to Windows. Re-install DirectX.
       
  • Anti-Virus programs: Some keep logs of the files in each folder. If yours does it may object strongly following a Re-install, claiming that files have changed and may be infected. That is their job. The solution may simply be to delete all the logs. They should be easy enough to identify using Explorer. Then do a Find / Files for them; when the list is presented, Select All and press Delete. (If they are called 'xxx.log' don't delete all 'log' files, as some will belong to other programs!) Or the AV program may have to be uninstalled and re-installed, so that it too starts afresh.
     
  • Setup Switches: The more technically minded might like to consult the full list of Switches which can be used with the SETUP command, in archived MS Knowledge Base article Q186111. Ensure you understand what they mean before trying them!
     

Re-installing Windows98

Repairing and Re-installing Windows98 is rather easier than Windows95. See Page 6.

Question is - did that work?
If it didn't, you can't identify a single other cause, and your system is distinctly unstable,
the probable only solution really is to Format your C: drive and start again.

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