Installing and running Windows 98 from a USB stick?

[Candlelight]

We have a system at work that needs Windows 98 or less to function, and last week we had to replace the pc cos it died. While we were able to replace it within 3 days I was thinking about another avenue to take but thought I'd get some advice first.

Would it be possible to install Windows 98 on a bootable USB stick, plug it into any machine and reboot it to allow Windows 98 to run? If the required software was on the usb stick then it would be a temporary solution until the machine is replaced (if it goes again).

I know Windows 98 was just starting to get it's head around USB (Win 98 SE would be better) but I was wondering if this sounds like a plausable idea.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

98 is essentially bugfixed 95SE. The USB support was nowhere near as resiliant as win2000 and later versions.

Because USB is a bit hinky, I'd probably not try a thumb drive. That being said, they do make tiny circuit boards that will take a flash memory and make it look electrically like an IDE drive.

So, a 4 GB Compact Flash card is pretty cheap these days, and the CF/IDE can often be had for under 10 bucks. This has the advantage of going in the box just like a regular hard drive and just goes on the IDE cable where the dead drive was.

Here's an example of the type of CF/IDE adapter I'd recommend for a project like this. Note that it has a 40 pin connector like the hard drive in your PC, and requires a floppy power connector (some will have the normal HD power connector, but will be physically larger). Not an edorsement of the vendor, but go to ebay and look at item number 280316971362


The word "bootable" in the description is also a plus.

Swapfile activity will be a little sluggish compared to a real hard drive, but it'll work.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

...and if you're not doing hardware development, you could always use VMware to make a virtual machine to test software on.

 

[Candlelight]

I've already got a virtual machine running Windows 98 (along with 3.1, XP and 7, plus Eeebuntu) but was wondering if it were possible to go via a USB route.

Thanks for the tips, will try the flash card route, although it may not be a quick a solution as I'd like (walking up to a machine and rebooting would be ideal).

 

[Silvercrest]

Because USB is a bit hinky, I'd probably not try a flash drive.

<coombs> "Hinky?!" <coombs>

 

[Mr. B]

A quick google search revealed that it's been attempted with some apparent success (like this guy). However, it appears problematic as 98's USB support was not great.

I would imagine there must be an easier way to accomplish whatever it is you need to do? Is it a specific program you need to run?

 

[Alpha_Geek]

Thanks for the tips...

No problemo!

Depending on what you're doing, another possibility might be to use a drive rack and sled with multiple hard drives (and multiple sleds for the bays, but you have to buy the bay and sled as a unit). This is the methodology I used when I was creating recovery images for different application bundles that were shipping on a common hardware platform.

Search Ebay for "mobile rack hdd" to see examples.

I'd use a drive in the sample machine, install OS and appplications on it, then run sysprep on it to reset the COA number. Then the drive would be removed, shoved into another machine with a rack as the secondary (non boot) drive, and then I'd use Norton Ghost to create the drive image for the recovery disk and pre-ship installation.

That's probably more information than you wanted. LOL Maybe someone will find it useful.

AG

 

[USS KG5]

...and if you're not doing hardware development, you could always use VMware to make a virtual machine to test software on.

I was going to suggest a VWWare virtual machine - so you can use a new PC without crippling it with a knackered old OS.

 

[Candlelight]

This PC requires a serial port to do it's function, something none of our modern machines possess, and before you suggest it, the software fails when you attempt to use a usb-serial adapter.

In saying that, maybe my initial request wouldn't work at all!

 

[Alpha_Geek]

There are PCI serial card solutions these days.

Google for:
pci rs232 card

I've used a few of these from various vendors with ok results. (Some of the hardware around TV stations is still dependant on the venerable RS-232 standard as well.) If you're building your own PC, many motherboards do have a serial port on the board, but don't ship the cable and connector for it. A little hardware geekage will deliver results in those cases.