I aquired an older tower ( GateWay 2000 and I want to rebuild it ) that still has winz98. It won't let me install 98se or XP so I think it's just too old. It's a tall tower and I need suggestions on where to start!

Originally Posted by Jimmiet

I aquired an older tower ( GateWay 2000 and I want to rebuild it ) that still has winz98. It won't let me install 98se or XP so I think it's just too old. It's a tall tower and I need suggestions on where to start!

Hey, First check how much memory the PC has, for xp you need at least 512MB of RAM to work good, make sure the CD ROM is working properly. What kind of CPU it has? how about the hardrive how big is it.

1. Get more memory
2. Check CD ROM if is reading good, if not get a new one "IDE"
3. Check the hard drive space. Get one a least 20GB and up of storage
4. check processor (i had xp working in a Pentium II 450MHz)
5. You need to boot the xp cd from the BIOS, go to the bios setting go to boot oder and make sure the cd rom is set as first boot.
6. you need to format the hardrive as NTFS on the setup. NTFS=more than 30 GB of hard disk space, FAT32= 30 GB or less of hard disk space.


P.S most important thing "MEMORY" RAM.
good luck

Thanks for responding Isaurio but you may regret it soon LOL. With the help of a friend, I built a computer but he kindda gave me everything I needed ( used parts ) and all I had to do was install them. I'd ask him but he's in Alaska and I can't communicate with him for another month or so. The point I'm trying to make is; I don't know much about computers and some things I say may sound dumb.

Here we go LOL!

1. I only have 2 slots for memory sticks so is it possible to get 512 on this older unit?
2. Yes, I believe the CD Rom is working properly so the problem is most likely that the computer has only 64 mb of ram.
3. The hard drive is a Maxtor ( DiamondMax VL 40 5400 rpm ). I also see ( 20.4 GB at disk drive ) on the label.
4. I don't know how to ckeck the processor except to put it back together and go into > my computer < !! Since I have that thing opened and parts everwhere; can you tell me what to look for? I see intel on several chips but don't have a clue as to what is what! LOL

Almost forgot; I see this black thing by the power supply with a sticker reading ( CPUPEN036AAWW 166CMHZ )...

If you can/will help me with this, I can get to the bios and do the rest my friend! Again; Thanks for the help

PS; Will this thing run streaming videos and play games for my grand-kids? If not, please let me know what I need to change!

The two things you should be asking yourself are how much do i want to spend and what do i want it to do when its finished, if all you want it for is surfing the web a couple of raptors in a raid array are not going to speed up your browseing much, but if your useing p2p 24/7 you need to be looking at 250 - 500gb min, plus here in uk older parts like ddr1 memory are about twice as expensive as ddr2 and anything pre ddr1 is more again, if its just for the experience use all second hand parts and install a linux distro or its a bit naughty an pre-activated os off the net, if its to keep look for motherboard/cpu/ram bundles you can usually pick them up pretty cheap cos their last years model, if they have sata and ide sockets you can use the drives youve got for now and upgrade to sata later, same goes for your psu (check wattage and how many pins on the main plug i brlieve the 20 pin will work on a 24 but im wouldnt swear to it), choose wisely and you will have onboard graphics, stick linux on if you dont want to splash out for windows its a bit odd but there are benefits, some have flight simulators and pretty high spec games on them, plus you will miss 90% of virus's.

As for games it all depends what the games are, you could spend a grand on parts and some games would still struggle.

Just update your ram, and hard drive, but check the max ram memory on you motherboard.

A hacksaw with a blade that has 18 or 24 teeth per inch will also do the trick. Get ready for a vigorous upper body workout if you use this method!

The hacksaw suggestion is good, but requires too much physical exertion. Tin hawkins came out with a song about an old computer which says "If I shoot it...no need to reboot it."
Sometimes rebuilding an old computer is more of a hassle and more of an expense than it is worth. The ability of the motherboard, the amount of RAM it can handle, the CPU speed will make the effort and funds you put into give very little return.
Building a new computer from scratch sounds like a huge project...but after you have read and studied up, and then sit down to do it...it really isn't that hard as long as you are slow and careful.
I believe in simplicity.
I start with a simple basic case design such as an mATX tower...

This is, for example is easy to work with, comes with a 480W power supply, rear case fan, power cord, and screw in stand-off mounts for a motherboard.
As far as mainboards, the simplest approach is to get a motherboard/CPU combo. Often times the CPU is already mounted onto the board, and a heat sink, CPU fan and cables are provided.

One of my favorites is a Biostar board with an AMD CPU. The board comes with a disc with the drivers, and it comes with installation instructions as well as a chart which identifies all the areas of the board and tells you what they do.

Take the model number of whatever mainboard you use and go to Crucial.com.
Use the model number to find the right type of memory for the board.
When you get the memory sticks in, mount them into the motherboard, then mount the board into the case. (making sure you have already installed the heat sink and CPU fan.)
Making sure you have a couple of SATA cables, get you a decent SATA hard drive and SATA DVDRW/CDRW drive. Plug one end of a SATA cable into the rear of each drive, and the other end into the SATA ports on the board. Connect the SATA power connections from the power supply into the back of each drive.
Connect the correct cables from the power supply to the mainboard. Connect the CPU fan to the mainboard. Connect the rear case fan to a power lead. Look at the chart/instructions of the board to guide you. Connect the case's USB cables to the board and the LED lights. (Instructions that came with the board will show you where it all hooks up.) Fortunately, power connectors are designed so that it's sort of hard to connect one to the wrong spot, but still, look closely and be careful.
Of course, with a new system you'll need an operating system. If you're going Windows go with XP or 7. If you can, get a 64 bit dual core CPU, get the maximum amount of RAM for the board, and a 64 bit version of Windows.