First off, if you have the upgrade cd, you just pop it in and run it from the windows prompt (like autorun). Follow the instructions and you're set.
If you have the non-upgrade CD, you create a directory for the cab files and copy the cab files from the CD. Reboot to the command prompt. Rename win.com to wincom.old and rename the windows directory to windows.old and then create a new directory named windows. Move the directory you created earlier and it's contents to your new windows directory. I recommend calling the directory cabs (c:\windows\cabs) so it's easy to recall later. Enter that directory and execute 'setup /is' and install windows. All of your old data from outlook and any other apps you had data for will be in the old windows directory but the base applications like winamp, photoshop, office, etc, will all need to be reinstalled.
If you do it right, there's no need to format or lose data. When the windows setup runs, it looks for the win.com file specifically and since you've renamed it, it doesn't sense that it's an upgrade. Keeping the cabs in a subdirectory (windows will b!%@# during the install that c:\windows exists and want to install in c:\windows.000 but don't let it) allows you to have quick access to all the cab files later without requiring a CD -and- it makes the initial install move along about 60% faster.
I've done this in the above manner a lot, or used to do it a lot. nowadays, with bootable CDs, M$ is making things more difficult.
Good luck! |
