Disable Software
By: Arie SlobBefore you start installing Windows 98, you should disable software that could cause problems during setup.
This includes Anti-Virus software, both software as well as the anti-virus protection at BIOS level. Windows 98 setup makes changes to the boot sector, and anti-virus software is designed to prevent this.
To check if you have virus protection at BIOS level, you'll need to re-start your computer, and access the BIOS. The virus protection can usually be found in the BIOS features setup part, and is called Virus Warning. If you can't find it, read your documentation.
You will also need to disable third-party display drivers/video utilities.
You also have to disable any MS-DOS based programs. Use Alt + Tab to find out which programs are running, and close all programs except Setup. If you don't do this, Setup will give you an error SU0358. For more on Setup error messages, see "Setup Error Messages" in \Win98\Setup.txt on the Win98 CD-ROM.
Uninstall any utilities or tools that protect or encrypt the Master Boot Record (MBR) or partition TABLE (for example, uninstall Bootlock included with Symantec Norton Your Eyes Only).
Disable all TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) programs and device drivers loaded in Config.sys or Autoexec.bat, except those required for partition or hard disk control, network drivers, or any driver required for operation of a device such as your video or CD-ROM.
Use Notepad to open your Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files. If you see anything suspicious loading there, comment it out by inserting REM followed by a space at the beginning of that line. Reboot to make sure you haven't disabled anything important.
Some porTABLE computers automatically suspend operation after a specified time-out interval, or when the cover is closed. You should disable this feature while Windows 98 Setup is running.
For more information on using TSR programs and drivers with Windows 98, see "Using Terminate-and-Stay-Resident (TSR) Programs and Drivers" in \Win98\Setup.txt on the Win98 CD-ROM.
Examine your StartUp folder (\Windows \ Start Menu \ Programs \ StartUp). If you see any program icons there, create a new folder (call it StartUp-backup) and move the icons into the new folder for now. You can restore them after the Windows 98 setup.
Some programs are not launched from the StartUp folder, but from a Registry entry. You may need to adjust the properties for such programs to disable them. Usually that is done by right-clicking on their icon in the System Tray and choosing Properties, Options or Settings.