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Installing Windows

When installing or reinstalling Windows, it is strongly recommended to uninstall the already-installed version of Windows
However, before removing the Windows directory, make sure to set aside the small files which are working fine. To do so, create a directory c:\command, and copy into it the c:\windows\command directory, as well as the following files:

  • c:\windows\himem.sys
  • c:\windows\emm386.exe
  • c:\windows\smartdrv.exe
mkdir c:\command
xcopy c:\windows\command c:\command
xcopy c:\windows\himem.sys c:\command
xcopy c:\windows\emm386.exe c:\command
xcopy c:\windows\smartdrv.exe c:\command

Add this line to the file autoexec.bat :

PATH=%PATH%;c:\command;

Make sure that you can access your CD-ROM drive under DOS.
Once all of these precautions have been taken, type "smartdrv 2048". This is a program which speeds up disk access by creating a cache, a memory area where the system stores the most commonly accessed information.

Type the following command:

deltree c:\windows

  • This irreversible operation deletes Windows and all of your personal settings.

    This reinstallation guide is given for information purposes, and this website may not in any event be held responsible for any damage that such an action may cause.


Then launch install.exe and Windows Installer will ask you, one by one, which elements you want installed.

Installing Windows NT 4

Windows NT4 can be installed on top of an already-existing operating system. It will create a start menu by itself where you can choose which OS you want to load each time you boot up the computer.

As in Windows 95/98, it is best to launch smartdrive before installation to reduce installation time. In addition, you must make sure that your file system is not FAT32 (or, if there is a partition, that the partition is not FAT32).

Once these precautions are taken, you can launch installation by typing the command:
winnt -b (the switch -b is there to prevent Windows NT from creating 3 disk drives; this can be done later)

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