Member Avatar for EvaC1964

Purchased a computer at a yard sale. Windows 95. The computer says "Ultra". Never heard of it before. Seemed like a decent little learning comp for my son.

Issue: It came with no discs. There is an error with Internet Explorer. Need a disc to solve. Couple of other minor glitches. I want to wipe the system and set it up new for J. I have several restoration discs for Windows 95 and 98 that come from Gateway. I have done quite a few wipes for friends and family but I always have the software that came with each computer.

Question: Can I use a Gateway Windows 95/98 restoration disc in an "Ultra" Computer? I think I can, but son will be devastated if I screw it up. Or he will want to keep using my computer and I am not so good at sharing my toys, lol.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by mmiikkee12

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For ’s yard‑sale “Ultra” PC: the first priority is preserving whatever is on the hard drive before trying any restore media. Image or copy any documents, email files and the Desktop to another disk (use a USB adapter or a second PC if needed). Check the case, underside and inside the lid for a Windows COA sticker or any manufacturer/model markings; note the BIOS splash or the System Properties “registered to” string — those clues make driver and product‑key recovery far easier later.

A practical path that builds on points raised by and is this: don’t assume a branded Gateway restore disc will be an exact fit. The most reliable route is a genuine, unbranded full Windows 95 install CD (not a manufacturer‑only restore disc) used with the machine’s COA key. Before wiping, catalogue the hardware you’ll need drivers for (chipset, video, audio, network). If drivers can’t be located, a reinstall can leave the machine unusable for network or graphics until correct drivers are found.

If the only complaint is Internet Explorer, try repair first — reinstalling IE often replaces corrupt components without a full OS reinstall. When a clean install is chosen, prepare boot/install media on another machine, use the install media’s partition/format tool to initialize the drive, then install Windows and driver packages in this order: chipset, video, audio, networking, then browser and updates. Keep the COA and any original driver disks; if possible make a full disk image beforehand so mistakes can be undone.

If sourcing genuine install media or drivers proves difficult, preserving the existing system for offline learning or installing a small, modern lightweight OS are valid alternatives for a child’s learning PC. Always ensure reinstallations use properly licensed media and retain any original product keys.

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Member Avatar for mmiikkee12

You could install Linux on it. However, Gateway recovery CD's are designed to only work with Gateway computers.

Member Avatar for kccomputerdr

windows 95 disks are a dime a dozen lately. buy one on ebay, but be sure it is an oem disk that includes the certificate of authenticity.

Member Avatar for mmiikkee12

That DiskGenius thing does little more than change your partitions around. If you did that to the Win95 partition, it would just erase Win95, without reinstalling it. But that's something I always do right before I reinstall Windows - delete the old partition and make a new one.

BTW, you could do the same thing with FDISK on a boot disk...

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