If I remember correctly, Windows 98 didn't have the concept of restricted users, so everybody basically had administrator rights. The problem is probably that the installer probably looks for an explicit setting that says the user has administrator rights and no user will have that in a Windows 98 environment.

There are a number of free programs that will work in Windows 98. Here are a few that I found (I haven't used these, just found them using google):
infrarecorder
CDBurnerXP
CDRecord

Did you check in Control Panel to see if there is anything pertaining to User Accounts or Administrative functions? I can't remember just what 98 had pertaining to those, but there might be something there.

I'll have to look further when I get home later. I found the software online. Here's part of what it says:

System Requirements

Microsoft® Windows 98/98SE/Me, Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4 or later), Windows XP, Windows 2003 Server (Service Pack 1 or later), MCE 2004 / 2005
Microsoft® Windows Internet Explorer 4.0 or later
LightScribe is only available for Windows 2000 (Service Pack 4 or later), Windows XP, Windows 2003 servers or MCE 2004 / 2005
To install Nero 7, you must have administrative rights for all operating systems above Windows 2000.

If for some reason you wish to use Nero try the link below and look at the old commercial trial versions from v7.5.9.0a back. They appear to be Win98 compatible. On the Filehippo's homepage under CD and DVD Tools there are other applications available which you could research for compatibility too.

DA

Here is a link that might be useful: Filehippo

one problem is that many of those will need the .net framework and you may not have that on your old 98 machine, you would have to look and see, I know that cd burnerxp does use .net framework, it is a very good free program however.
I think I would try to use a light weight program since that old pc may not have a lot of extra room on the drive, nero is a bit bloated and has so much you don't need for what you are wanting to do.
Express burn is also good and does have a version for 98
For earlier Windows versions (98, ME) please click here
Windows 98/ME Downloads that is the page the 98 version is on.
it comes with other components I believe but you can select in the install process just to use the burner, it has been so long since I had it I can't remember exactly.

do you not have a windows media player on that pc that would handle the burning? that would be the first thing to check is if the version that is on there would be able to do the job.

Does that pc not have any usb ports on it? it should have at least one I would think, it may be the older 1.1 format but still that would be the best way to go, just stick a little flash drive in the usb port and drag your files on to it and be done with it.

How does that external burner drive hook up is it to the usb port? if so then just go buy a flash thumb drive and go that route, but you do not have to install nero to use that burner you can try the software that is on the 98 pc, that windows media player should handle it, plug it in see if it recognizes the drive, slap a burnable disc in it and just try dragging and dropping files to it and see if it burns them if so you are good, if not use a flash drive they are super cheap now days, I buy the Kingstons at Big Lots for $10.

Why are you trying to go online with it you need to do something online?

I thought that if I could go online, I could email the files to myself, and open them on my new computer. But I can't go online, since my dsl modem and my wireless usb internet connection thing won't work on the old computer. So I also can't download any of the cd burning software. My cd drive that's built in to the computer says "compact disc" on the front, not cd-rw or anything that makes me think it will make a cd. I do have two usb ports on the back of the computer, so I stuck in a flash drive. Nothing about it showed on the screen, so I clicked on Control Panel and Add New Hardware. It showed Disk 2.0 which I guessed is the flash drive. I tried following the steps to install it and now it says the "device is installed, but it has a problem". It says there is no driver. I had never tried to use a flash drive on it before. I haven't used the computer since 2005. Is there a way to make the flash drive work without going online to download a driver? I'll try to figure out if there's windows media player software already on the computer and try to use the dvd/cd burner that way. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Sandisk and some others have drivers for their usb drives,,, I know I stuck one on original W98 here for a cruzer and the driver said 98SE or better...... it worked with a hub.

If you can find and burn a win98 usb drive driver to CD, then you can make like simple maybe on your win98 machine.

fwiw,,, if I recall Win98 had Policy Editor that set user rights. To disallow installs or allow installs would be a function addressable there.

I didn't know I could burn a driver to a cd. Can I download one from the internet, and save it on a cd instead of in my computer? I can't find any mention of Windows Media Player on the old computer. I found in Control Panel, Multimedia, and there is a list of multimedia device drivers. I'll keep looking for something that makes sense to me.

I finally found Windows Media Player (mplayer2.exe) in Program Files. I plugged in the Pioneer dvd/cd burner, put in a blank cd, and opened Media Player, but all it looks like the Media Player is for, is for playing music. I can't figure out how to make it do anything.

Does your DSL modem use ethernet or USB?

If it uses ethernet, you don't need your Windows 98 computer to run the DSL installation disk as your DSL modem has already been programmed and is already connected to the internet.

To connect to the internet (if using ethernet), all your Windows 98 computer needs is an ethernet card, ethernet driver installed, and an ethernet cable from the ethernet plug on the Windows 98 computer to the dsl modem.

If you programmed the DSL modem using USB, I doubt if Windows 98 would work as you have no way to install a driver for it.

Just a thought.

Terry

P.S. I have a triple-boot system with Windows 98SE, Windows 2000 SP4, and Windows XP SP3. I have Bellsouth DSL. When I originally setup my DSL with Windows XP, the other operating systems had no problem connecting to the internet.

I think the dsl modem is hooked to my new computer with an ethernet cable. I will google to find out about ethernet cards, etc.. I never knew it would be so complicated to try to get these old files. I just now clicked on Control Panel, and Users, and made myself a user, with a password, then restarted the computer. The installation disk still said I have to have administrative rights to continue. I appreciate all the help.

If the old computer has an ethernet card in it, you could get a crossover cable and directly connect the two PCs, then set up file sharing and copy files from one to the other.

The main problem that you're running into is that you're working with an OS that is 11 years old and is no longer supported, so things you buy now will probably not have any support for it.

Something that may be even simpler for you, especially if you plan to retire the Win98 machine, would be to simply pull the drive from the Win98 machine and put it in the new computer. If you don't plan to retire the old machine, you could do this temporarily just to copy files.

if you have the new pc then you just use that pc to go online find your free program or driver or what ever it is you need for the old one, use the new pc to download it to the new pc, do not open it or install it, just download it, save to a location you remember, then just burn it from the new pc to a cd or use the flash drive. all the flash drives have directions on use with windows 98 and list the driver which is usually found on their website so that should be a very quick and easy fix, download that driver with the new pc, burn to cd put cd in old pc, install driver off of it, use flash drive with newly installed driver.If the dialog box does not open automatically for the usb drive go to My computer and look for the drive listed there right click on it there. Or go to your file right click on it, copy to, and select the drive letter of the removable drive.

Thanks, I will try that. I didn't know that a driver could be put onto a disk.