Dell Win 98

Gift horse needs a shoe

This is interesting. I was ready to chuck this Dell XPi notebook because it crapped out 5 years ago. I bought it used from someone who worked for a company that, unknown to any of us, wiped their hard disks dry as a bone. The only copy of Windows 96 I had was OEM installed on my desk top, so I took it to the local computer place to get it running. They did, but I didn't get a WIN 98 CD, but then they didn't charge me for the OS, so I called it a good deal at the time. It worked for about three months, then quit. Grrr. So, here we are. It works. Why? I have no idea. The battery won't hold a charge, and has crap for memory, so it's really of no use to me ... . Unless. Unless I can use it as a wireless device in the shower, and while I'm cleaning the garage and stuff. Holy crap, it came with a Dell ethernet plug-in deal. It seems to me that all I need to do is plug in a wireless antenna - I have 2-3 laying about - and I'm in like Flynn. Too easy? Of course. The computer says "Windows found new hardware. Put your original Windows 98 disk in the CD drive blah-blah-blah." I am not going to buy a Windows 98 disk (even if I could). Are there any work-arounds? I have a Windows 95 CD, and XP. Thanks.