Logo

Tiny Core: Remaster - Win98 install 

Remaster for Windows 98SE install

Remastering Tiny Core to create a standard build to be used for installing Windows 98SE (or similar) to a thin client.

Basically we integrate the necessary tools and add some additional data files as mentioned below.

Target

We want something that will set up the internal flash drive as a DOS bootable drive containing the installation/setup files for Windows 98 (or similar). With the right tools this can be done from a Linux system running off a USB flash drive. What we're doing here is creating an appropriate environment using Tiny Core as our base OS. We boot off the flash drive (/dev/sdb1) and run a script to set up stuff on /dev/sda1, the thin client's internal flash drive.

The script:

  1. Writes a partition table to sda to support a single bootable partition. (Requires sfdisk in util-linux.tcz)
  2. Formats the partition as FAT32. (Requires dosfstools.tcz)
  3. Writes the MBR boot code to /dev/sda and the boot loader to /dev/sda1. (Requires ms-sys)
  4. Mounts /dev/sda1
  5. Copies the standard DOS files to sda1. (Requires files in /boot_dos on the USB flash drive)
  6. Copies the Windows 98SE installation files from /win98. (Added by the user).
  7. Copies additional files from /extras. (Added by the user).

Prerequisites.

  1. DOS files from a Windows 98 boot disk.
  2. ms-sys compiled from source.
  3. Tinycore-current.iso
  4. The script make_win98

Remastering

run ezremaster

Select: use ISO image, Path to ISO: /mnt/sdb1/TinyCore-current.iso. Accept default of /tmp/ezremaster for working directory.

Select next

Set boot codes: kmap=qwerty/uk

Ignore 'optional mydata.tgz'

select next

Load the following apps as 'outside initrd on boot':

  • kmaps.tcz
  • util-linux.tcz
  • dosfstools.tcz

Select next - ignore SCM extensions Installation

Select next to reach Remaster step #1 screen.

Select next to start the process - it runs and extracts the files from the iso

At the Remaster step #2 screen switch to a terminal window and...

  • cd to /tmp/ezremaster/extract
  • copy ms-sys to usr/sbin
  • copy make-win98 to usr/sbin
  • Navigate to /tmp/ezremaster/image/boot/isolinux/ and edit isolinux.cfg to suit.
  • Navigate to /tmp/ezremaster/image and copy over boot_dos directory.
  • Rename cde to tce
  • Create the win98 and extras directory.
  • Copy nusb36e.exe to the extras directory.

hit "create ISO"

wait awhile

cp the iso /tmp/ezremaster.iso to /mnt/sdb1/TinyCore98.iso

Subsequent User activity

On Windows use LiLi to create new boot flash drive using the new iso

rename flash drive to WIN98_INSTA

copy the files from the win98 directory on the Windows 98 ISO to the win98 directory on the USB flash drive.

Copy any additional files (such as drivers) to the extras directory.

Files

patch.w98 automates the patches needed.

#!/bin/sh
#
# Program to patch the Windows 98 remaster

EXTRACT="/tmp/ezremaster/extract"
IMAGE="/tmp/ezremaster/image"
SOURCE="/home/tc/remaster"

# Patch/add files to initrd

cd $EXTRACT
sudo cp $SOURCE/ms-sys usr/sbin/
sudo cp $SOURCE/make-win98 usr/sbin/
cd $IMAGE
sudo cp -f $SOURCE/isolinux.w98 boot/isolinux/isolinux.cfg
sudo mv cde tce
sudo mkdir win98 extras
sudo cp -R $SOURCE/boot_dos/ .
sudo cp $SOURCE/nusb36e.exe extras/
echo Patching done

 


Any comments? email me. Added April 2021