More details please.......

Do you have a win98 installation disk?
What are you going to "reload the system" from?

When you say it goes through some checks, do you mean the screen is
Black with white text? (If so, this is normal for Win98)
This is the BIOS, depending on whose BIOS is installed -
The dominant being American Megatrends, but you may have
Phoenix Technolgies, or one of a few others.
Whilst this Black screen/white text is loading, you will see a prompt
It maybe: "To run Set up hit del" (American Megatrends)
Or: "To configure set up hold F5" - Look for a prompt to run set up,
try it, It should load a Blue screen/White,Black, grey text.
This is the basic configuration of the PC, it is navigated via the
arrow keys, which will jump to apt headings and Hi-light, then hit
enter key for the sub-headings/settings.
A quick example: It is here disabled/enabled is first initiated
some users to save time on boot, navigate to "floppy" A drive
and by simply hitting the enter key, the "enabled" option
changes to "disabled" etc (Don't you try it though).

You should post more details:
Win98 installation disk?
Boot floppy?
Let us know if you can run Set Up?
Be exact - Is there an Operating system installed?

If it has been formatted, and the "previous owner" did not
REinstall an operating system, then you have a blank canvas
There are several factors to consider before installing an
Windows operating system:
XP is "hungry", anything less than am AMD 450/Pentium 500
and 128ram - then don't consider XP, primarily as XP compliant
software being the main resource devouring culprit.
If you son is going to use the PC just for surfing and basic stuff,
and the PC is lo-spec, Then win98 is fine - if you have it to install?
(Because win98 was previously installed, but is now I suspect
removed, It dosen't mean you have to reinstall the same Windows
operating system - when it was formatted, the win98 compliant
software was also removed...It's effectively a blank hard drive)

tap the F8 key on bootup till you get to DOS menu the choose "command
prompt" (usually #5),  but if it were me, I'd go to bootdisk.com and get
a bootdisk for win98 (whatever version you have) and bootup from it,
then install the O/S again.  (of course, I'd also format first, but
that's just me, I like to start fresh)

good luck,
niteowl

On 4/27/04 12:39 PM Gill shared with me these great words of wisdom...