5 replies to this topic

[pizzaguy4hire]

Hello.

This is my first post, but it's a question I've had for a long time, especially since MS shut down their services for Windows 9x.

I am looking for a way to make Windows 98SE (Specifically) a more "up to date" OS. I have a disc from MS that includes updates to
I think February 2004, but past that, everything is "as-is." Is there any way at all to get 98SE to a place of usable functionality
on the web and in general? I know I can run it in a VM, but that's more complicated and way more than I want to deal with.

Also, my computers are running chips that are not supported - I have a 64bit Athlon chip in my laptop, and an Intel Atom 270 in my
"net top" and various others that seem to be too new. Is there any way of getting drivers that will allow 98SE to function on new
equipment and systems? I have SATA, amongst other things, that need to be addressed.

Thank you all.

Zach

[Cristiano]

my friend, you have an trouble in your hands... win98 was abandoned by every single developer since long ago. it's nearly impossible find drivers to make that OS work with certain hardware, like sata. worst: even if you find an working driver, the OS himself will be unable to read the hd after an certain point. even worst, win98 doesn't work well even for internet usage, due the browser. imho, there's too many limitations in this OS. but there's an option: if you disable everything from win xp, you will have an OS that will work far better than 98. if you do everything right, win xp will eat only 56MB of RAM, but you need know what you are doing to reach that

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[_def_x_]

@Zack

Your biggest issue will most likely be running such an outdated OS on modern hardware (it may be impossible), setting that aside, you
may want to have a look at this sticky -> Here!

I would recommend using a virtual machine and experimenting with any of the listed updates, etc, assemble a collection of stable products,
install the OS and updates in a VM and begin testing. Keep the good stuff and ditch the rest, at least you will have a more recent update
package. Good luck

BTW, I know what it's like not wanting to let go, I'm still not over my first girlfriend from when I was 15, so I keep her in my basement

[bizzybody]

Check the forums at msfn.org for an "autopatcher" for older versions of Windows. It doesn't work like Autopatcher, downloading the updates. It's more like the original Autopatcher, a big download of everything.

If you want to do some serious updating of Windows 98, there are projects there for using tons of files from Windows Me, installing Media Player 10 and a project to add "NT" (actually XP) kernel functions to 98 so it can run many programs that normally require XP. An extremely useful update is NUSB. That installs the Winme USB drivers into 98SE so for USB Mass Storage and many other device classes you don't need to install individual drivers for each USB device. That makes 98SE much more stable and you can use any number of USB storage devices.

USB support on 95b through 98SE is much like PC Card support was under Win 3.1x and DOS. It requires a device driver for the controller and individual drivers (point drivers for PC Card) for each device. Some drivers work with more than one USB device, usually due to more than one manufacturer using the same chips in their USB devices. Those were called class drivers for PC Card. With several drivers loaded it hogged memory and could cause conflicts and instability. Four or five USB sticks from different manufacturers on pre-WinMe systems could get downright terrible.

WinMe's USB drivers mostly put an end to all that mess like how Win95 put an end to the PC Card driver mess.

[_def_x_]

@bizzybody

Those sound like pretty nice updates for 98, have you tried any of the update packages, how did it work out for you? I read many of the forums at MSFN but some of the projects have been going for so long it is difficult to find the starting point, or the projects have changed hands so many times or have dissolved like HFSLIP I can't determine if they are worth looking into.

AutoPatcher is lacking updated documentation too so I should keep quiet

[Cristiano]

so far i know, autopatcher doesn't work under 98. i don't have nothing running it to be sure, but i have an clue from the sources (in the environment detection): minimum is NT4, but i don't remember about any version for it. so, to be in the safe side, don't try it bellow win2k

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