Hi my name is Nora and I have been trying to load windows 98 se on a dell latitude D800 that was given to me with out an operating system. I wanted to put xp home on it but I was told that xp does not support ms dos and I would have to do an upgradre from 98 to xp, is this true?
Unless you have a particular need for MS-DOS (you shouldn't, in this day and age), the incorrect information you got is immaterial. The D800 wasn't validated for use with old operating systems like Win98, so trying to install it is more than likely going to be problematic as well as unnecessary. The D800 was designed for use with Windows XP, and you should have no problem installing a legal version of same. (Note that you can't use a licensed copy that has already been installed and activated on another system.) The error messages you're getting are more than likely related to the fact that Windows 98 doesn't provide driver support for a number of the devices on the D800, mainly because Windows 98 was released long before the D800 existed. Dell doesn't provide drivers for such a combination either, so I wouldn't go looking for any help from them.
Assuming that you have a valid copy of Windows XP (Home or Pro) to install on the D800, you can follow the instructions at the link(s) below to install it and any necessary drivers. If you plan on using an Upgrade version of Home or Pro, you'll be required to momentarily insert a CD for a qualifying prior version of Windows (98, 2000, ME, etc.) during the process, to verify that you're eligible to install an Upgrade version of XP, but you do not need to install Windows 98 first, nor should you attempt to. If you're using a retail version (non-Upgrade) or unused OEM copy of XP, this step is not necessary.
Windows XP should install most of the drivers you'll need automatically, but you'll need to install the chipset drivers first thing after the core operating system. (See the instructions for same at the first link.) Use the second link for specific device drivers, according to the Reinstall Guide and Driver Installation instructions. Make sure that you obtain all Critical Updates (including Service Pack 2, if indicated) from Microsoft Windows Update as soon as possible after the installation of the operating system and any necessary drivers (most significantly, the chipset drivers, followed by any drivers necessary to allow connection to the internet).
You'll want to make sure that you format any existing partition prior to installing Windows XP, as it sounds like you may have a lot of unnecessary data on the disk related to your unsuccessful attempts to install 98. Another helpful guide for installing Windows XP can be found here:
Flooby
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February 13th, 2006 12:00