Windows 95 install disks?
Hello. I was wondering if it was possible to download Windows 95 on this website and then put the download on floppy disks to make install disks. If I can do this, how do I do it. I hjave only used this website for getting downloads into a virtual machine not putting them on disks. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Comments
You can write standard 1.44mb and DMF (1.6mb) disk images with WinImage.
But be aware that USB floppy drives are lobotomized and can not write DMF disks. For those, you must use a real floppy drive on a real floppy disk controller.
Otherwise, WinImage is my recommendation, as long as you have a floppy drive. You could also put the HDD in a newer PC, install the base system on there, and then move it over, though this is a hacky solution at best.
Hm...
So, as quad82 said, try getting a boot disk. Allbootdisks.com even has CD Boot disk ISOs, no floppy drive needed. Of course if you plan to use Windows 95, unless you can go all CDs, you'll need a floppy drive eventually. If you cannot buy a new IDE Cable (or a Double IDE Cable as whythehellnot suggested), try searching for one in a spare PC not being used. Once that is all set up, try following these instructions:
(on a new computer)
1. Download a Windows 95 ISO (could be any version, like OSR2/B and so on) and an MS-DOS 7.10 (CDU) ISO.
2. Burn both ISOs to separate CDs. If you're on Windows 7+, there's a CD burner built in, just double click the ISO and you should be good to go.
(on the 9x PC)
1. Turn on the PC and insert the DOS CD.
2. Make sure you're booting to the CD. This can usually be done by either changing the boot order in the BIOS, or pressing a key at start up, which is usually posted on the screen while booting, that will show a menu letting you choose the boot device.
3. Press 1 to begin the Install Program.
4. Press Enter at the Welcome Prompt and enter at the prompt where it asks to search for NTFS and HPFS partitions.
5. Agree to the terms and conditions.
6. Press enter when it says it will search for partitions on your Hard Drive.
7. If there were no partitions on the Hard Drive, it will say that it will create one. If there was a FAT12, FAT16, or FAT32 Partition on the drive, it will install onto it. If there was an NTFS or HPFS partition on the drive, even if there's a partition it can install to, it will end the setup process with a prompt saying setup cannot continue.
8. If it formatted the drive, it will say it needs to reboot the PC, do that, keep the CD-ROM in the drive and boot to it again. Press 1 to begin installation again. Follow all the prompts the same way up until it asks to rewrite the MBR Code.
9. Press Enter if you want to rewrite the MBR Code. Do so if you don't have an OS on there that you need/want to keep. If you do and it is a WinNT OS, it will ask if you want to setup MS-DOS 7.10 to dual boot. I've confirmed that does work.
10. Choose the install path you want to install MS-DOS 7.10 to.
11. If it says the directory doesn't exist, create it when prompted.
12. You'll likely want to choose "DOS-Commands Only" and uncheck "Install Add-ons" to make this as traditional a DOS system as possible when it asks what to install.
13. It will let you review the install options before you begin the installation. If it is all correct, navigate to "Next" and press Enter.
14. It is installing now. Let it finish until the next prompt.
15. It will now ask if you want a "DOS Start Up Logo" to be displayed upon boot up, similar to the Windows 9x Startup Logos. Choose yes if you do. I like it personally. Press Enter to continue.
16. Since the goal is to install Windows 95, we probrably don't need a bootlog.txt for our temporary DOS installation. I'd choose "no", but if you want to, then I don't see any problems other than it being pretty pointless. I think by now that after you Press Enter, it goes onto the next prompt, so I'm not gonna bother typing it now.
17. Select "No" when it asks if you want to lock drives because of Long File Names.
18. I'd select "Enable UMB Memory", but I don't completely understand this prompt and UMB/EMS Memory, so if this can be explained to me later, then I'd appreciate it. I believe I chose that one and it worked.
19. Choose "Load Both". This is necessary for the CD-ROM Driver to work.
20. On this prompt, Uncheck everything other than Cutemouse so that you have a mouse on Windows 95 Setup.
21. Choose the correct code-page for your region.
22. Setup is done! Press Enter go to the next prompt where it asks if you wanna reboot the PC. Select "Yes".
23. Make sure the PC boots off the Hard Drive. If not, then the MS-DOS 7.10 CD Boot Menu has an option to do that. Press 3 if you boot to the CD again.
24. Eject the CD from the Drive and insert your Windows 95 CD. Since you said you've been working with VMs, I'm sure you know how to install Windows 95. If not I can come back and help with that, too.
I've explained everything in extreme detail, and I even installed MS-DOS 7.10 while I was doing this to get each setup right. The one thing beyond my help is drivers for your machine. I don't have time right now to search for them, so I hope you already have them ready or will be able to find them. If you need images, I can upload them (I think .-.)
Good luck with this project
Oh, I forgot one thing: Windows 95 will complain that the MSDOS.SYS file says "WINVER=4.10" (Windows 98's version number). Since MSDOS.SYS is a boot configuration file, you can just edit the line that says that to the correct version number. In other words, after installation:
1. Open Notepad.
2. Choose Open under the File Menu.
3. Navigate to the C:\ Drive and type "msdos.sys" into the bar and make sure "open all files" is selected.
4. Under Edit, click Replace.
5. In the "Find" bar, type "WINVER-4.10". In the "Replace" Bar, type "WINVER=4.00". Click "Replace."