Member Avatar for curt50

Hi all, I have the same problem as robert 1023 had. My pc is custom built it has a amd duron 700mhz processor. I have two hard disks one ( let's call this hd-0) has windows vista with 4 days left to activate and have no product key, so that one's a lame duck. The other drive(let's call this hd-1) I installed windows 98se. this one won't connect to the internet. I downloaded the winstockfix to a disk useing hd-0. when I diconnect the cable from 0 and connect to 1 the CD won't read any files on the CD, it shows up as blank. can anyone please help?

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Short summary and practical next steps — two separate things are happening in ’s thread: the burned disc that looks “blank” under 98 is usually a media/format problem from Vista’s burner (Live File System / packet writing or an un‑closed session), and the Windows 98 machine can’t use the network because the NIC driver is missing. ’s hunch about the disc needing to be “closed” is on the right track; follow the checks below to fix both problems.

Recreate the installer disc as a classic, finalized data disc (Mastered / ISO 9660 with Joliet) instead of the Live File System (packet‑writing). In Vista choose the “Mastered / With a CD/DVD player” option when burning, or produce a single ISO and burn it with a tool that finalizes the disc — that makes it readable on older OSes. Microsoft documents the Mastered vs Live File System workflow and notes UDF/packet‑writing incompatibilities that cause discs to appear empty on other systems. (learn.microsoft.com)

For the network driver: boot the PC into Vista (where networking works), open Device Manager and get the NIC identification (Details → Hardware Ids or the adapter model). Use that vendor/model to locate a Win98SE driver (look for “legacy” or archive/old drivers on the manufacturer or motherboard site). Copy the driver package to the 98 drive (or put it on a properly burned Mastered CD) and install via Device Manager on 98 — uninstall the problem device and then Scan for hardware changes or run the Hardware Update Wizard and point it to the driver files. The Device Manager error/driver reinstall guidance is documented by Microsoft. (learn.microsoft.com)

Checklist (do these in order):

  • Re‑burn the patch/driver disc as Mastered (finalize it) and verify it reads on Vista.
  • From Vista, note the NIC model/hardware ID and download a Win98SE driver (or use a known legacy PCI NIC that has Win98 drivers).
  • Copy driver files onto the 98 partition or a finalized CD and install via 98’s Device Manager.
    Note: Winsock repair tools only fix the TCP/IP stack; they won’t make Windows recognise hardware if the NIC driver is missing.

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Member Avatar for caperjack

Hi all, I have the same problem as robert 1023 had. My pc is custom built it has a amd duron 700mhz processor. I have two hard disks one ( let's call this hd-0) has windows vista with 4 days left to activate and have no product key, so that one's a lame duck. The other drive(let's call this hd-1) I installed windows 98se. this one won't connect to the internet. I downloaded the winstockfix to a disk useing hd-0. when I diconnect the cable from 0 and connect to 1 the CD won't read any files on the CD, it shows up as blank. can anyone please help?

did you install network card drives when installing win98 ,did it ever connect to the net with win98

Member Avatar for curt50

was never able to connect with windows 98, can't install drivers for ethernet card error code 28. however when i switch drives i can connect. why won't the cd player read the files i downloaded from winstock? it reads files from my windows 98se disk. Any idea's??

Member Avatar for caperjack

did you close the cd when you burnt it ,been awhile since i used 98 ,seem to remember having trouble with 98 not reading disk that weren't closed,but that could have been win95 lol

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