fast OS re-installation

hi guys its me agian....

im kind a busy now adays because of my work......

theres something comes into my head..... i know that its possible to re-install a OS (win98 for example) with less configuration.... like the serial key is already there......


for example I have a pc with win98se installed in it and the win98 installer itself is in a folder..
them suddenly the OS itself corrupt, then the possible solution is re-install windows...

my quesiotn is how can you re-install without configuring again or giving details about the pc user.....?????? example the serial key, etc.


thanks guys...

POST PLS> :rolleyes:

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im kind a busy now adays because of my work......

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Yeah, we all noticed your absence :p

Are we talking about a downloaded "illegal" win98 setup ? or an actualy original CD ? You can leave the configurtion by choosing "Leave the current filesystem intact", meaning don't format when re-installing.... i think the serial would still have to be typed in....

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Originally posted here by jin29_neci
hi guys its me agian....

im kind a busy now adays because of my work......

theres something comes into my head..... i know that its possible to re-install a OS (win98 for example) with less configuration.... like the serial key is already there......


for example I have a pc with win98se installed in it and the win98 installer itself is in a folder..
them suddenly the OS itself corrupt, then the possible solution is re-install windows...

my quesiotn is how can you re-install without configuring again or giving details about the pc user.....?????? example the serial key, etc.


thanks guys...

POST PLS> :rolleyes:

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Why the **** are you using win 98?


Just a question.

:confused:

And M3M is correct the serial would have to entered.

Or couldn't you just choose Upgrade when running the setup, that way everything stays the same...

Well, Windows98 and 98SE don't have the recovery point mechanism that ME and XP have. And there is no repair install. Depending on how corrupt your system is will depend on whether you can install from the hard drive. You should have made a Win98 boot/recovery disk when you loaded the OS.

Provided that you can get into System Manager you can find the key on the first page of the "system" option.

If you select a custom install rather than the default you can select what items you want in your configuration.

Perhaps the best method is to create a "ghost" or "mirror" of the drive, and just reload that.



:)

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Originally posted here by ©opy®ight
Or couldn't you just choose Upgrade when running the setup, that way everything stays the same...

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Good solution, yet I have had issues with this method, I think that a clean re-intall can be the only way given some circumstances.

It is always good to keep the book no one reads, with the original OEM #.

Unle :cool: ss you are trying to install a cracked copy.


$0.02


:cool:

Hi Galdron

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Unle ss you are trying to install a cracked copy

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I wouldn't have thought that would apply to Windows98SE. You can copy the original CD and it will work. You can use the CD as many times as you like, and any genuine key will work. Obviously not entirely legal, but my point is that the security is pretty much nonexistent.

:)

AND what about drive imaging software..?

Works for me.. but then my systems are that bloody stable.. I replace the mobos or HDD's before I normaly need to recover a system..then the image is useless.. but then i should be doing this to the C: partition monthly.. ahh wot the hell I am a lazy ****..

yep ghost is a handy (but troublesome at time) Tool

Options:

1. Use drive imaging software (as has already been suggested)

2. Use something like nlite to create a cut-down, pre-configured and slipstreamed version of Windows and burn that on to an installation CD. You can do this with windows 2000 and windows XP. But you can't (as far as I'm aware), do it with Windows 98.

As has been suggested, if you are using windows 98, this is probably not a good thing (YES - I have a windows 98 machine, but it's running ancient hardware and I don't turn it on very often)

Slarty

You can also do scripted installs. (including entering the cd key)

This book covers it.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...478615-0943255

I picked it up at my local bookstore for under $5. But it was on the bargin rack... ;)

shooting an image on the drive doesnt involve a cd key. install norton ghost, make a nice image and when the OS is toasted just shoot on the image. simple. also good for mass producing clone boxes like I do with the sniffer boxes we put on client networks. all have the exact same hardware so I can just shoot an image with all the software I need.

Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but I think he said that his OS is currently corrupted. If he were to make an image now, wouldn't it just be an image of the corrupt OS???