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I can't install windows 95

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by brian 1 view

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I have a Gateway 2000. 486DX with 32mb of ram and a 500MB harddrive. I then put in a win98 boot disk install windows 3.1 after it's done. Then i try to run it it tells me to install dos 5.0 i insert the floppy in drive a: and type install it reads the disk and then it says to insert the disk 1 and reboot and it boots off it and says "Missing command interpreter ( how ever you spell it.)
or it bad. i then tell it where it is on the hardrive it finds it goes to a: prompt but doesen't run setup to install dos. please help me.

17 replies

by yjeanty

Brian,
If you have the set up disk for windows 95 you can bootup to A: drive run fdisk at command prompt delete the primary partition. You them would have to re-boot the computer to A: drive again and re-created the dos parttion. If you can view the cd drive them you should be able to run windows setup.

by saihib

You need a Win95 boot disk. Check your e-mail. Boot from that disk. Are you installing the Win95 upgrade instead of a full version? And that's why you're installing Win 3.1 first.

by saihib

You need a Win95 boot disk. Check your e-mail. Boot from that disk. Are you installing the Win95 upgrade instead of a full version? And that's why you're installing Win 3.1 first.

by dmiles

The DOS programs you are installing are not operating systems ,but are graphical user interfaces,you cannot use the WIN98 start-up disk because it is FAT32.
Insert 95 start up disk and type FDISK /MBR,at the command prompt type FDISK,repartition and format the drive,now if you need more help go to www.oldskool.com
http://computing.net/dos/wwwboard/forum/4474.html,go down the list and locate dos 5.0,click and in the coputing cloumn is a listing from emoclews,this site has the disk for download.

by jdfcomputer

Find a DOS 6.22 set on installation disks and use them to build your hard drive. Windows 3.1 works much better with that operating system.

by Former member

try changing the bios boot sequence to boot from a: drive first, fdisk, format then install dos windows then 95,98

by spn

ok
1)Dont format the machine with the win98 disk(FAT32) if you did youll need to re-format it with a dos or a win95 bootdisk(FAT16)

2)Win 3.1/3.11 is not a OS its a graphical interface if you want to run 3.11 you need to intall DOS 6.22

3)ifyou realy have to install Win95 Format with a bootdisk and install WIN95A ,then install the MSDUN 1.3 pathch if you going to use the Net and Bob's your uncle

Hope that helps,any other Q's I will be happy to help with.SPiNner

by csmith

Brian,
The reason you get the Missing/Bad Command Interpreter message is that each version of DOS has its own command interpreter, and they won't interchange.
The quickest way to manually load a 486 with Windows 95 is as follows.
With yourDOS 5.0 disk in A: partition and format the hard drive. (Single partition)
Put the first Windows 95 disk in A: and type A:\SETUP.EXE (Don't bother with Win 3.1)
(If you have a CD-ROM and a WIN 95 CD make sure the CD-ROM drivers called in A:\CONFIG.SYS and A:\AUTOEXEC.BAT and that they are included on A: and Type D:\SETUP.EXE)
That's it.
An upgrade version of Windows 95 will say it can't find the previous vwersion of Windows. Just put the first Windows 3.1 disk in any floppy drive and tell Windows where to find it. (It only checks one file on the first Windows 3.1 floppy.)
The rest of the installation will be absolutely normal.
Regards, Chris csmith@smithandyoung.com

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