What size HDD for a DOS Build?

Digital X · 27 Nov 2016 at 21:47

I have been looking at 120GB, and I think that's ample.

I haven't installed Windows 98 since it came out so not sure of the size, plus a few games on floppy/cd rom.

Also the last thing I forgot to buy as I was just assembling the bloody PC now! typical..

UnworthyBean · 27 Nov 2016 at 21:55

For Windows 98 that's more than enough, overkill if you ask me. Fairly sure a full install of Windows doesn't even take up half a gig and the games from that era are tiny.

Windows 98 did have a max HDD size it could support of 120gb (I think)

Digital X · 27 Nov 2016 at 22:09

Ah, yeah it's been a while you see.

Should I settle with 40GB?

TheVoice · 28 Nov 2016 at 10:44

40GB will be more than enough, my first PC with Windows ME had a 15GB HDD.

snakefood · 28 Nov 2016 at 16:28

I'd say whatever is the smallest you can get, use. This an easier answer might be to just run it as a VM within win7.

Maundie · 29 Nov 2016 at 12:21

40Gb will be huge for Win 98, I remember when I 1st started building Win 98 machines the disks were 4.2Gb, they did eventually get up to 12Gb (I think this was a plateau for the original NTFS format) and when 20Gb came out everyone didn't think we'd fill them.

deshepherd · 2 Dec 2016 at 16:15

TheVoice said:
40GB will be more than enough, my first PC with Windows ME had a 15GB HDD.

Ha! The first PC I put together back in the pres Win3 days of DR-DOS had a 40 MB disk ... I remember thinking at the time that this was insanely large and I'd never get anywhere near filling it!

ubersonic · 7 Dec 2016 at 16:42

If it helps I have a 16GB SSD (compactflash card in CF/PATA adaptor) as the only drive in my DOS/98 PC (well, except the FDD) and it's nowhere near full.

darael · 8 Dec 2016 at 16:47

As above, I'd use a CF card, 16GB will be plenty. Or just use any harddrive and partition it so that it is short-stroking for nippy speeds.