missing CAB files?

[AnneK]

Am trying to install hardware, HP SCanjet 5P, and have the software from HP. When asked for the Win98 SEcond Edition CD, cannot find the required CAB files on CD, nor on hard drive. Have also tried adding games from the Win98 CD, and the same problem, files are not there. Is there something wrong with my computer, or with my CD? What should I try next? Has anyone ever had this problem??
Please help!!

[DonJ]

You will probably want to read up on HP's website concerning "HP ScanJet Scanners - After Installing Scanning Software, Windows 98 Detects New Hardware and Prompts You to Insert the Windows 98 CD-ROM."

It sounds like the same problem you're having...hopefully, the tips listed there will help you out.

Let us know how it goes...Good Luck!
Don

[AnneK]

Thanks Don, I appreciate the suggestion. However, I have already been that route. No options/ CAB files on my hard drive, I have the CD, but they are not on the CD either. I have done the find files thing, the extract thing, all the while on the phone with HP. (That's gonna be a heck of a phone bill) Their conclusion was that my CD does not have the needed files on it. That doesn't make sense to me, but.... Is there any way to get those CAB files if they are not on my Win98 CD, short of buying a new one? Any other suggestions for what to try?

[Sly]

Make sure it is looking in the right place for the cab. file. ie: (X:\win98} where X would be your cd-rom drive.. Your drive letter might have changed since installtion of windows, have you added a new H/D or RAM drive?

Just a thought,,,,, <IMG SRC="smilies/rolleyes.gif" border="0">

[Archer]

Do you have any problems reading the files on CDs?
Have you tried copying the files from the CD to the harddrive,it could possibly be a couple of things.Either the CD itself is scratched/faulty,try cleaning it with a soft cloth prior to installation or the CD player itself has a fault.Recheck the system properties for any conflicts.
Will it play music Cds alright?

[AnneK]

Thank you to everyone who offered help for search for the missing CAB files. Turns out, the CD needed another good wiping, after which the Win98 folder showed up, and I had all the divers I could want.
Now, I want to save them to my hard drive, cause I know I will need them again at some point. Should I re-install Windows98 from the CD, copy and past the folder with the drivers in it, extract the folder? What's the best way to make sure I get what I need?
Thanks again for all the help!!

[Todo]

Well, what I like to do is if you go to the command prompt and at the C:>type "md win98"
then change to the CD ROM drive letter and type "copy *.* c:\win98". just don't use the quotes. I always copy the cabs to the hard drive when I'm doing an install. It makes it a lot easier!

[orange]

If you just copy the cabs, windows won't find them and you'll have to tell it where they are every time you install something. To get windows to look in the correct place you need to edit the registry. Click Start->Run and type Regedit, the registry editor will now open. Before you make any alterations, its best to make a backup. Click the Registry Menu item and select 'Export Registry file'. Type in a filename (i usually use backup.reg) and make sure that under the 'Export Range' setting you have ALL selected. Now click Save. Right, thats the backup over and done with. To change the default search path for Windows cab files you need to browse to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Setup

Double click on the entry in the righthand pane called 'SourcePath' and enter the new path. For ToDo's suggestion you would enter:

C:\Win98\

and then hit return. Make sure you add the '\' to the end of the path. Now close RegEdit and try adding some windows components, they should install from the directory you created (and copied the CABS to!) on your harddrive.

[Orangeman]

I saw a tip listed on CNET once that said that if you wanted to save an easy 30mb of space on your hardrive just delete the cab files. This is probably the worst advice I ever received. I hope this didn't happen to you. I did it and later when I needed one of those cabs and couldn't find them I had to reformat.

Mintin