The easiest way to create a bootable Windows 98 or Me CD requires just your Windows installation files, any drivers you need and a CD-burning tool such as CD Burner XP Pro, which you’ll find here. Armed with these you can create a bootable disc that lets you manually start the Windows installation process, thus giving you full control over Windows.

Find the files
The first thing you need to do is locate your Windows installation files. Again, your recovery disc should have copied these to your hard drive, and locating them is - like Windows 2000 and XP - simply a case of checking a Registry value for the required path.
Click Start > Run, type regedit and press [Enter]. You’ll find where your installation files are stored by checking the SourcePath value under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup. Make a note of where your CAB files are stored - in the case of Windows Me systems, it’ll probably be found in C:\Windows\Options\Install.

Drivers
It’s a very good idea to bundle your drivers with your Windows installation files - unless you’ve got very old hardware in your system, it’s extremely unlikely that the drivers you need will be provided by either 98 or Me.
Unlike Windows 2000 or XP, the installation files for 98 and Me have a very small footprint - around 100-150MB - so you’ve plenty of room on your disc for drivers, patches and other tools.
Unfortunately there’s no version of AutoPatcher that runs with Windows 98 or Me, but 98 SE users can update their machines in a similar fashion by downloading the Unofficial 98 SE Service Pack from here. It’s a 15.6MB download, so dial-up users should definitely make sure it goes on their new Windows CD!

Pull it all together
Building your CD is a simple affair. You’ll need a CD or DVD burner - obviously - but you’ll find the software you need in the form of CD Burner XP Pro. The walkthrough below reveals how to burn and test your new Windows CD, freeing you from the shackles of your recovery disc once and for all.