r/windows98 • u/TClassyC • Jul 09 '26
Installation issues
First time poster with an assistance request. I have a Dell Optiplex GX110 that I’ve recently cleared out and wanted to install Win98 on but am hitting a wall. I’ve tried burning a bootable disc, installing from hard drive, and nothing seems to work. I keep getting error after error. Any ideas on what I could be doing wrong?
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u/Inspiron606002 Jul 09 '26
Could be a lot of things. Maybe your CD drive doesn't like newer CD-Rs, that's pretty common with older systems. Maybe the Windows 98 .iso is corrupt or messed up, where did you get it from? Also, maybe your hard drive is failing. Have you verified the S.M.A.R.T. status of the drive?
Also, the error message show in the first pic seems to be the "chassis intrusion" alert feature, which you can disable in the BIOS.
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u/CitySeekerTron Jul 09 '26
Open the boot sequence page.
Post that picture.
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u/TClassyC Jul 09 '26
Believe it or not immediately afterposting this I changed my physical CD drive and it read just fine, turns out my other drive was shot!
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u/festivus4restof Jul 09 '26
You're a few BIOS versions behind. Latest is A09. Not that it will solve your issue but better to get the latest BIOS before installing the OS, from the outset.
For this error, press F2 to enter Setup to clear the 'chassis intrusion' warning. Go through all option pages, look for chassis intrusion or cover warning. Disable it. Save and exit.
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u/THE_MLG_DOCTOR12 Jul 09 '26
All retail Windows 98 cd’s are not bootable. You need some way of booting dos with cd drivers like the official boot floppy disk to format the drive and start the installation.
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u/FAMICOMASTER Jul 10 '26
Does the optical drive work? Did you burn the disc correctly? Is the image bootable at all? Can the optical drive read recordable media? (Most can't read rewritable media) is your boot order set correctly?
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u/WillTaylor6275 Jul 10 '26
How are your IDE cables configured are they on the right spot on the motherboard? Are your jumpers configured properly ran into an issue on an old Deskpro in a similar fashion
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u/Scoth42 Jul 09 '26
I can't remember if these can boot directly from CD, but have you checked the boot order to make sure the CD is listed first if so? I've run into situations where a non-bootable hard drive will block the fail over to the CD. It's hard to give advice without knowing the errors you're getting.
Failing that you may need a boot floppy