Nonconnected computer running 98 need drivers installed/updated.

[pondwalsh]

I recently recieved a donation of computers (Dell Optliplex GX150's.)
for the students in our self contained classroom. They had to be
stripped of their OS which I didn't see as a problem until I attempted
to get them running. We installed Windows 98 since most of software
the students currently use runs best on it. They are not connected to
the internet nor can they be, they are strictly for classroom use and
due to the inability to connect we have run into some major stumbling
blocks. In order to use these machines we need to update the drivers
especially for the graphics/video end of things. Our school district
is on XP so any internet access I have to download drivers is via this
route. I have downloaded whatever I could find from Dell to a flash
drive and to a cd-r but as I quickly discovered the flash drive needed
a driver installed on 98 in order to work...which I had but there was
no way to transfer it to the Dell, even when I copied it to the cd on
the xp system because the 98 system didn't recognize the cd made on
the xp., I have found NO way to transfer anything I have downloaded
to the classroom machines with the equipment I have at my disposal.
The IT people in our district do not have the time to help (even with
answering questions) so this is my last resort. Should I just scrap
the PC's or is there a way? I don't have a clue...

 

[Tom [Pepper] Willett]

You should be asking in a Win 98 newsgroup

:I recently recieved a donation of computers (Dell Optliplex GX150's.)
: for the students in our self contained classroom. They had to be
: stripped of their OS which I didn't see as a problem until I attempted
: to get them running. We installed Windows 98 since most of software
: the students currently use runs best on it. They are not connected to
: the internet nor can they be, they are strictly for classroom use and
: due to the inability to connect we have run into some major stumbling
: blocks. In order to use these machines we need to update the drivers
: especially for the graphics/video end of things. Our school district
: is on XP so any internet access I have to download drivers is via this
: route. I have downloaded whatever I could find from Dell to a flash
: drive and to a cd-r but as I quickly discovered the flash drive needed
: a driver installed on 98 in order to work...which I had but there was
: no way to transfer it to the Dell, even when I copied it to the cd on
: the xp system because the 98 system didn't recognize the cd made on
: the xp., I have found NO way to transfer anything I have downloaded
: to the classroom machines with the equipment I have at my disposal.
: The IT people in our district do not have the time to help (even with
: answering questions) so this is my last resort. Should I just scrap
: the PC's or is there a way? I don't have a clue...

 

[Don Phillipson]

I recently recieved a donation of computers (Dell Optliplex GX150's.)
for the students in our self contained classroom. They had to be
stripped of their OS which I didn't see as a problem until I attempted
to get them running. We installed Windows 98 since most of software
the students currently use runs best on it. They are not connected to
the internet nor can they be, they are strictly for classroom use and
due to the inability to connect we have run into some major stumbling
blocks. In order to use these machines we need to update the drivers
especially for the graphics/video end of things. Our school district
is on XP so any internet access I have to download drivers is via this
route. I have downloaded whatever I could find from Dell to a flash
drive and to a cd-r but as I quickly discovered the flash drive needed
a driver installed on 98 in order to work...which I had but there was
no way to transfer it to the Dell, even when I copied it to the cd on
the xp system because the 98 system didn't recognize the cd made on
the xp., I have found NO way to transfer anything I have downloaded
to the classroom machines with the equipment I have at my disposal.
The IT people in our district do not have the time to help (even with
answering questions) so this is my last resort. Should I just scrap
the PC's or is there a way? I don't have a clue...

Your simplest solution may be to connect one Win98 PC to
one XP directly via their Ethernet jacks (using an ordinary
ethernet cable.) This will let you copy directly from one PC
to the other. (You do not need first to create a new nentwork.)
When you have all the needed Win98 drivers on one Win98
machine you can siimilarly connect it to the other Win98 PCs via
ethernet cable, and copy the stuff over.

 

[Big_Al]

I recently recieved a donation of computers (Dell Optliplex GX150's.)
for the students in our self contained classroom. They had to be
stripped of their OS which I didn't see as a problem until I attempted
to get them running. We installed Windows 98 since most of software
the students currently use runs best on it. They are not connected to
the internet nor can they be, they are strictly for classroom use and
due to the inability to connect we have run into some major stumbling
blocks. In order to use these machines we need to update the drivers
especially for the graphics/video end of things. Our school district
is on XP so any internet access I have to download drivers is via this
route. I have downloaded whatever I could find from Dell to a flash
drive and to a cd-r but as I quickly discovered the flash drive needed
a driver installed on 98 in order to work...which I had but there was
no way to transfer it to the Dell, even when I copied it to the cd on
the xp system because the 98 system didn't recognize the cd made on
the xp., I have found NO way to transfer anything I have downloaded
to the classroom machines with the equipment I have at my disposal.
The IT people in our district do not have the time to help (even with
answering questions) so this is my last resort. Should I just scrap
the PC's or is there a way? I don't have a clue...

Do you have a floppy?

 

[John John (MVP)]

Transferring the drivers on a cd should have worked.

He may have been using stupid "packet witting" software, that "drag &
drop" kind of thing, more like "drag & loose" your files later kind of
thing.

John

 

[LVTravel]

Your simplest solution may be to connect one Win98 PC to
one XP directly via their Ethernet jacks (using an ordinary
ethernet cable.) This will let you copy directly from one PC
to the other. (You do not need first to create a new nentwork.)
When you have all the needed Win98 drivers on one Win98
machine you can siimilarly connect it to the other Win98 PCs via
ethernet cable, and copy the stuff over.

Don, a direct connect, Ethernet to Ethernet, requires a cross-over cable
instead of an "ordinary" Ethernet cable. Also, unless the 98 machine has
drivers already installed for the Ethernet card the device won't work
either.