Windows 9X Setup

Installation Notes

Cautions Before Installing Windows 98
Before installing formatting or deltree'ing Windows, it is important to backup a customer's data. When performing such an action, the registry is removed and rewritten. This will require the customer to reinstall their software. While some products can be reinstalled without the loss of any data, others cannot. Some software packages, including the preinstalled version of Outlook, keep data in the Windows directory. This means that even deltree'ing Windows can cause a loss of information. If the customer is not sure if all their data is backed up, including contacts, calendar, and e-mail information in Outlook, give them your extension and get them appropriate assistance before starting a reinstall. When they finish backing up their data, they can then call you back and complete the installation procedure.
There are several places you can turn to for assistance with backing up a customer's data. A few answers and resources can be found below:

• 3rd Party Applications. Send them to the vendor. Do not risk deleting or not backing up the data, especially from financial or other business packages.
• Outlook Calendar, E-mail, and Contacts. There are several versions of this program available, and each version has different locations for storing information. Get the customer in touch with a Dell software technician.
• Microsoft Office Documents. Unless the customer has changed the location, in which case they should know where they stored their data, all Office documents are stored in C:\MY DOCUMENTS.
• Outlook Express. Because Outlook Express is a built in part of the Windows 98 operating system, you are responsible for assisting customers with this product. All data for Outlook Express is stored in C:\WINDOWS\APPLICATION DATA\MICROSOFT\OUTLOOK EXPRESS. If you backup the entire contents of this directory, you can then put the information back in after a successful installation.

Hardware/Software Requirements