Instructions for Installing Mindows

  1. Download min98.zip
  2. Unzip min98.zip to a folder e.g. c:\min98
  3. Copy c:\min98\*.* to your Windows setup directory e.g. c:\win98 , overwriting any files in that directory, if already present.
  4. From a win95 installation or CD, copy into that same setup directory the following files:
    • explorer.exe
    • comdlg32.dll
    • shell32.dll
    • notepad.exe
    Note : The 95 files should be from an early version of Windows 95 that does NOT have the dreaded Internet Explorer "integrated" into the OS.
  5. For the time being at least, copy the entire setup directory to a clean hard disk.
  6. With only the clean hard disk in your system, boot from a floppy, and navigate to the setup directory.
  7. Execute install.bat

Sit back and watch Mindows install.

Instructions for creating a boot CD

Last updated December 12, 2005

As time allows, I will explain the contents of bootcd.zip. In the meantime, advanced users can probably figure out what to do.

  1. Basically, one should first install Windows using the technique outlined in min98.zip. For the time being, I'll assume the installation uses the default %WinDir% named "Windows".
  2. Then create a boot floppy as outlined inbootcd.zip.
  3. Next, copy the entire Windows directory to the folder c:\min, navigate to that directory, and make sure all files and directories are unhidden and not read only (unhide all directories and then apply attrib *.* -r -s -h /s ).
  4. Now we gotta patch the registry - system.dat and user.dat - with the files
  5. patchsys.exe and patchuse.exe provided in bootcd.zip . Copy them to c:\min, and execute in either the windows or dos environment.
    6. You should now be in a position to burn the contents of c:\min to a CD, which should then contain the directory \min .

And now you should be ready to boot to Mindows on drive R - good luck - refinements can be made from here.

Admittedly sketchy, but be patient.

I have received a question about the GDI error which occurs when booting from the CD. This usually results from the \fonts directory being hidden or some of the files in the \fonts directory remaining hidden.