Quickie Windows upgrade question...

[Duncan]

So, I'm looking to upgrade the ancient laptop handed down to me by my dad, and I'm wondering a couple of things.

1) I see tons of sealed Win98SE full-install kits (for non-Windows PCs) on eBay, but not nearly so many of the Upgrade kits (for PCs with Win3.1/95/98 installed). The question then: Is it possible to use the full-install kit on my Win95 machine without having to reformat the HD, or is there no other way around it? (I ask because I don't want to pay the extra for the Upgrade version if I can get around it.)

2) Does anyone know of any clearance deals (online) that will get me a new copy of Win98SE for less than $60 shipped?

Come on, people, I need portable MAME!

[NoahsMyBro]

You can install the upgrade version of Win98 on top of Win95 with no problem. It will function identically to the upgrade version.

I have many copies, with the Certificate of Authenticity. Pay shipping and you can have one.

[Ed Oscuro]

You can install the upgrade version of Win98 on top of Win95 with no problem. It will function identically to the upgrade version.

:hmm2:

Well, the thing is that an upgrade version will leave many loose ends lying about from Windows 95...if you're using a Win95 machine in the first place hard drive space probably isn't that easily come by, correct?

One thing you might think of doing is looking through eBay for hard drive pulls - see if you can find one that has Windows already installed.

[Duncan]

Noahsmybro, you've got a PM.

You can install the upgrade version of Win98 on top of Win95 with no problem. It will function identically to the upgrade version.

:hmm2:

Well, the thing is that an upgrade version will leave many loose ends lying about from Windows 95...if you're using a Win95 machine in the first place hard drive space probably isn't that easily come by, correct?

One thing you might think of doing is looking through eBay for hard drive pulls - see if you can find one that has Windows already installed.

It's not too bad -- Dad had it upgraded once (1998, I think?) before his company gave him a new laptop. Right now it's got 96MB of RAM and something like a 4GB hard drive. I had SimCity 3000 Unlimited and The Sims installed on it simultaneously for a while, so it's certainly capable of quite a bit.

And that's why I'd like to make it my MAME machine.

It's a Toshiba Tecra 550CDT, if that tells you anything. I know they're fairly common, as I've seen a few like it at school in the past. I'll have to search for a new battery, though, since it won't run for more than a half-hour or so without needing to be plugged in.

[punkoffgirl]

Why's this in the Gaming forum?
/me scratches head

[Duncan]

Why's this in the Gaming forum?
/me scratches head

It's vaguely gaming related, since I'm planning on using it as a MAME machine. I also figured I'd get more response here than in the Restoration Society area, where it probably rightly belongs.

Humor me, please. Just for a little while.