Member Avatar for geraray

I need to install Windows 98 on a new PC consisting of the following specs:

MainBoard Asus P5N MX Socket 775
Processor Core 2 Duo 2.53 Ghz
RAM DDR2

Reason to install an old OS such as Win 98 is taht it will have installed on it a VRT (Vehicle Road Test) machine which is based on a DOS version, and supports only Win 98.

My question is, if this is possible to have Win 98 on such a PC.

Thanks
Ray

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Short answer for : it’s technically possible but impractical to put a retail Windows 98 installation on an LGA775/Core‑2‑Duo board like the P5N‑MX. Windows 9x was not written for multi‑core/multiprocessor systems, modern SATA/AHCI controllers, or today’s chipsets, and it has documented memory/boot problems once you get into the hundreds of megabytes or over ~1GB of RAM. (en.wikipedia.org)

Practical options (ranked):

  • Leave the working P4 box as the dedicated VRT machine — cheapest and most reliable.
  • Run Win98/ DOS VRT in a virtual machine on your new hardware if the VRT software talks over files, serial COM, or a simple USB/ethernet protocol (VMs are much safer). QEMU and 86Box offer solid serial/LPT passthrough; VirtualBox/VMware can work but have quirks with Windows 9x guests. Test the actual hardware I/O you need before committing. (qemu.weilnetz.de)

If you still want to try native Win98 on the P5N‑MX (risky, time‑consuming):

  • Use an IDE/legacy drive or switch SATA to “IDE/Compatibility” in BIOS so the installer can see the disk; P5N‑MX is a modern Nvidia chipset board (chipset + SATA) so driver gaps are likely. (manualzilla.com)
  • Disable extra cores/HT in BIOS if the option exists, and keep RAM modest (or add the System.ini tweak below to limit Windows to ~1GB). Back up everything; expect missing drivers for audio/LAN/chipset. (ftp.zx.net.nz)

Example System.ini tweak (add under [386Enh]):

[386Enh]
MaxPhysPage=40000

This is a documented workaround to limit physical RAM usage under Win98. (ftp.zx.net.nz)

Final note: USB→parallel “printer” adapters usually only present a printer device and won’t work for device‑level LPT/EPP/ECP hardware — use a real onboard/PCI parallel card with Win98 drivers or keep period‑correct hardware for the VRT box. (king-cart.com)

(You were right to be cautious, and — modern motherboards and Win98 are a poor match unless you virtualize or use legacy hardware.)

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Member Avatar for jbennet

Nope. 98 doesnt support more than 256mb ram very well, and doesnt support over 512 at all It also does not support SATA, PCI Express, Multiple cores etc....


it MAY work but its very unlikely

Member Avatar for geraray

Hello jbennet many thanks for your reply. At the moment it is working on a P4 1Gb RAM but wanted to upgrade to a Core 2 duo.

Member Avatar for Dragonf1re

I would be very surprised if it did work, there isnt any driver support on that board for windows98 as far as I know.
Prob better off trying to find an old/recon P2/3 board and building the old PC with 98.

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