hardware problem installing windows?

[Tsaico]

Here is the situation, there is an old computer my neighbor wants to reformat and re-install windows 95. Fine. Said there mightbe problems in the boot record (virus) and so I fdisked, reformatted. Copied cabs over to the HD and then ran setup like normal. Then it tells me that there is a compression software on it and setup cannot continue. I fdisked again, no luck. I even put in another 1.6 gb hd and it stil said the same error message, though this was a blank HD i had lying around and had never been connected to the computer until now. SO this makes me think it doesn't have to do with the HD since it had the same problem with both HD even after fdisking and re-formatting.

My question is: Has anyone seen an error like this before and how do I get rid of it so I can install windows?

 

[PH0ENIX]

Win95a, perhaps?

I can only take a guess and say you may be attempting to install 95a, and your partition is FAT32.

This would make the disk unrecognizable to setup... try creating a partition without saying yes to large disk support - or try a newer version of win95, if you have access to one.

That's the only thing I can think of - having never attempted to install 95a to a FAT32 partition, I don't know what the exact error message you would get is... this could be it!

Just my .02

Ph0.

 

[obenton]

I'd go into BIOS configuration and see if there's an IDE setting or drive recognition issue that might be causing the problem.

 

[PH0ENIX]

If he can create a partition, access it, copy files to it, and start windows setup from it - i'd HIGHLY doubt that it's CMOS fixed disk config that is the problem...

 

[Acts837]

the best luck I have had when dealing with older OS/BIOS/MBR issues has been to download the manuf. hard drive utility and use this to prep the disk.

 

[Tsaico]

it is win95a... th eorigional disc that he has... wow.. thank you guys for the problem/answer