By the time you can see a DOS prompt, the computer has finished
booting. If Windows is working OK, you can start Windows from a DOS
prompt by entering the command "win".

You need a Windows Startup Disk that matches Win98. You can obtain a
Windows Startup Disk at:

http://www.bootdisk.com/

Boot the computer with this Startup Disk in drive A:. Then issue the
command:
    fdisk
FDisk allows you to change the overall setup of the harddisk. After
doing whatever you want to do with FDisk, shut the system down and
bott it again  with the Startup Disk in drive A:. Then issue the
command:
    format C: /s
The Format program will reformat the harddisk and install the DOS
system files. At this point, you should be able to boot the computer
with no floppy disk in drive A: and get a prompt indicating that drive
C: is active. Try the DIR command to verify that DOS is working.

I would next install the CD-ROM software. Add your CD-ROM driver to
drive C:.

The CD-ROM driver will normally have a name with the letters CD in it
and it will have the extension .SYS. One way to get a CD-ROM driver is
to run the installation program that came with the CD-ROM. Also, you
can usually get a driver from the web site of the companmy that made
the CD-ROM. Or you can search your C: drive for *CD*.SYS.

Using Notepad or any word processor, make a text file, name it
CONFIG.SYS and add it to drive C:.  This file should look like this,
but with the name of your CD-ROM driver in place of CDDRIVER.SYS:
DEVICE=CDDRIVER.SYS /D:MSCD000
DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS

Add a copy of MSCDEX.EXE to the boot disk. You can get MSCDEX from the
folder C:\Windows/Command.

Using Notepad or any word processor, make a text file, name it
AUTOEXEC.BAT and add it to drive C:.  It should look like this:
MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD000

At this point, you should be able to boot the computer with nothing in
drive A:, get a prompt showing C: to be active, and access a CD-ROM
(probably labeled drive D:).

Bill Starbuck (MVP)