Lewis
Member
- Aug 5, 2005
- 15,483
- 621
I loved windows 98, it was truly a workhorse if it was not for 98 we would not be this far. I still keep 98 and 95 on a separate hard drives, and I don't know why, threw the 3.1's out though. :adore :twolove :love2
Windows 98 (codenamed Memphis) is a graphical operating system released on 25 June 1998 by Microsoft and the successor to Windows 95. Like its predecessor, it is a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit monolithic product based on MS-DOS. Windows 98 was succeeded by Windows Me on 14 September 2000.
Windows 98 was the first operating system to use the Windows Driver Model (WDM). This fact was not well published when Windows 98 was released and most hardware producers continued to develop drivers for the older driver standard, VxD. The WDM standard spread years after its release, mostly through Windows 2000 and Windows XP, because these systems are not compatible with the older VxD standard. Today, even if hardware producers are not developing drivers optimized for Windows 98, the drivers written to WDM standards are compatible with Windows 98 based systems.
System requirements
* 486DX-2/66 MHz or higher processor (Pentium processor recommended)
* 16MB of RAM (24MB recommended, it's possible to run on 8MB machines with /im option used during the installation process)
* At least 500 MB of space available on HDD. The amount of space required depends on the installation method and the components selected, but virtual memory and system utilities as well as drivers should be taken into consideration.
* Upgrading from Windows 95 (FAT16) or 3.1 (FAT): 140-400 MB (typically 205 MB).
* New installation (FAT32): 190-305 MB (typically 210 MB).
* Note: Both Windows 98 and Windows 98 SE can have significant problems associated with hard drives that are over 32 Gigabytes (GB) in size. This issue only occurs with certain Phoenix BIOS settings. A software update has been made available to fix this shortcoming.[2]
* Note2: Also, both Windows 98 and Windows 98 SE are unable to handle hard drives that are over 137 Gigabytes (GB) in size, because of missing 48 Bit LBA support. Data corruption is possible. An experimental third party software update is available to fix this shortcoming.[3]
* VGA or higher resolution monitor
* CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive (The First Edition was also released on Floppy Disks, but is very rare)
* Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device (optional).[4]
Like its predecessor, Windows 95, and its successor, Windows Millennium Edition (Me), users can bypass hardware requirement checks with the undocumented /im setup switch. This allows installation on computers with processors as old as the 80386.
Press demonstration
The release of Windows 98 was preceded by a notable press demonstration at Comdex in April 1998. Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was highlighting the operating system's ease of use and enhanced support for Plug and Play (PnP). However, when presentation assistant Chris Capossela plugged a scanner in and attempted to install it, the operating system crashed, displaying a Blue Screen of Death.[5] Gates remarked after applause and cheering from the audience, "That must be why we're not shipping Windows 98 yet." Video footage of this event became a popular Internet phenomenon.
Windows 98 Second Edition
Cover of the Windows 98 Second Edition Box
Windows 98 Second Edition (often shortened to SE) is an updated release of Windows 98, released on 5 May 1999. It includes fixes for many minor issues, improved USB support, and the replacement of Internet Explorer 4.0 with the significantly faster and less error-prone Internet Explorer 5.0. Also included is Internet Connection Sharing, which allows multiple computers on a LAN to share a single Internet connection through Network Address Translation. Other features in the update include Microsoft NetMeeting 3.0 and integrated support for DVD-ROM drives. A memory overflow issue was resolved which in the older version of Windows 98 would crash most systems if left running for 49.7 days.[6] Also included on the CD-ROM is the option to install Microsoft Plus! themes for Windows 98.[7] Windows 98SE could be obtained as retail upgrade and full version packages, as well as OEM and a Second Edition Updates Disc for existing Windows 98 users.
Windows 98 Second Edition
Cover of the Windows 98 Second Edition Box
Windows 98 Second Edition (often shortened to SE) is an updated release of Windows 98, released on 5 May 1999. It includes fixes for many minor issues, improved USB support, and the replacement of Internet Explorer 4.0 with the significantly faster and less error-prone Internet Explorer 5.0. Also included is Internet Connection Sharing, which allows multiple computers on a LAN to share a single Internet connection through Network Address Translation. Other features in the update include Microsoft NetMeeting 3.0 and integrated support for DVD-ROM drives. A memory overflow issue was resolved which in the older version of Windows 98 would crash most systems if left running for 49.7 days.[6] Also included on the CD-ROM is the option to install Microsoft Plus! themes for Windows 98.[7] Windows 98SE could be obtained as retail upgrade and full version packages, as well as OEM and a Second Edition Updates Disc for existing Windows 98 users.
Product life cycle
Microsoft planned to discontinue its support for Windows 98 on 16 January 2004. However, due to the continued popularity of the operating system (27% of Google's pageviews were on Windows 98 systems during October-November, 2003),[10] Microsoft decided to maintain support until 11 July 2006. Support for Windows Me also ended on this date.[11] By that time, Windows 98 market share had diminished to 2.7%.[12]
[edit] Dropped features
There was a feature planned for Windows 98, dubbed DeskBar, that was removed soon before retail release, likely due to time constraints. However, the developers left a way to find the tab for settings to do with this feature, which can be unhidden by holding "Control" when selecting Properties on the taskbar context menu.
Windows 98 (codenamed Memphis) is a graphical operating system released on 25 June 1998 by Microsoft and the successor to Windows 95. Like its predecessor, it is a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit monolithic product based on MS-DOS. Windows 98 was succeeded by Windows Me on 14 September 2000.
Windows 98 was the first operating system to use the Windows Driver Model (WDM). This fact was not well published when Windows 98 was released and most hardware producers continued to develop drivers for the older driver standard, VxD. The WDM standard spread years after its release, mostly through Windows 2000 and Windows XP, because these systems are not compatible with the older VxD standard. Today, even if hardware producers are not developing drivers optimized for Windows 98, the drivers written to WDM standards are compatible with Windows 98 based systems.
System requirements
* 486DX-2/66 MHz or higher processor (Pentium processor recommended)
* 16MB of RAM (24MB recommended, it's possible to run on 8MB machines with /im option used during the installation process)
* At least 500 MB of space available on HDD. The amount of space required depends on the installation method and the components selected, but virtual memory and system utilities as well as drivers should be taken into consideration.
* Upgrading from Windows 95 (FAT16) or 3.1 (FAT): 140-400 MB (typically 205 MB).
* New installation (FAT32): 190-305 MB (typically 210 MB).
* Note: Both Windows 98 and Windows 98 SE can have significant problems associated with hard drives that are over 32 Gigabytes (GB) in size. This issue only occurs with certain Phoenix BIOS settings. A software update has been made available to fix this shortcoming.[2]
* Note2: Also, both Windows 98 and Windows 98 SE are unable to handle hard drives that are over 137 Gigabytes (GB) in size, because of missing 48 Bit LBA support. Data corruption is possible. An experimental third party software update is available to fix this shortcoming.[3]
* VGA or higher resolution monitor
* CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive (The First Edition was also released on Floppy Disks, but is very rare)
* Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device (optional).[4]
Like its predecessor, Windows 95, and its successor, Windows Millennium Edition (Me), users can bypass hardware requirement checks with the undocumented /im setup switch. This allows installation on computers with processors as old as the 80386.
Press demonstration
The release of Windows 98 was preceded by a notable press demonstration at Comdex in April 1998. Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was highlighting the operating system's ease of use and enhanced support for Plug and Play (PnP). However, when presentation assistant Chris Capossela plugged a scanner in and attempted to install it, the operating system crashed, displaying a Blue Screen of Death.[5] Gates remarked after applause and cheering from the audience, "That must be why we're not shipping Windows 98 yet." Video footage of this event became a popular Internet phenomenon.
Windows 98 Second Edition
Cover of the Windows 98 Second Edition Box
Windows 98 Second Edition (often shortened to SE) is an updated release of Windows 98, released on 5 May 1999. It includes fixes for many minor issues, improved USB support, and the replacement of Internet Explorer 4.0 with the significantly faster and less error-prone Internet Explorer 5.0. Also included is Internet Connection Sharing, which allows multiple computers on a LAN to share a single Internet connection through Network Address Translation. Other features in the update include Microsoft NetMeeting 3.0 and integrated support for DVD-ROM drives. A memory overflow issue was resolved which in the older version of Windows 98 would crash most systems if left running for 49.7 days.[6] Also included on the CD-ROM is the option to install Microsoft Plus! themes for Windows 98.[7] Windows 98SE could be obtained as retail upgrade and full version packages, as well as OEM and a Second Edition Updates Disc for existing Windows 98 users.
Windows 98 Second Edition
Cover of the Windows 98 Second Edition Box
Windows 98 Second Edition (often shortened to SE) is an updated release of Windows 98, released on 5 May 1999. It includes fixes for many minor issues, improved USB support, and the replacement of Internet Explorer 4.0 with the significantly faster and less error-prone Internet Explorer 5.0. Also included is Internet Connection Sharing, which allows multiple computers on a LAN to share a single Internet connection through Network Address Translation. Other features in the update include Microsoft NetMeeting 3.0 and integrated support for DVD-ROM drives. A memory overflow issue was resolved which in the older version of Windows 98 would crash most systems if left running for 49.7 days.[6] Also included on the CD-ROM is the option to install Microsoft Plus! themes for Windows 98.[7] Windows 98SE could be obtained as retail upgrade and full version packages, as well as OEM and a Second Edition Updates Disc for existing Windows 98 users.
Product life cycle
Microsoft planned to discontinue its support for Windows 98 on 16 January 2004. However, due to the continued popularity of the operating system (27% of Google's pageviews were on Windows 98 systems during October-November, 2003),[10] Microsoft decided to maintain support until 11 July 2006. Support for Windows Me also ended on this date.[11] By that time, Windows 98 market share had diminished to 2.7%.[12]
[edit] Dropped features
There was a feature planned for Windows 98, dubbed DeskBar, that was removed soon before retail release, likely due to time constraints. However, the developers left a way to find the tab for settings to do with this feature, which can be unhidden by holding "Control" when selecting Properties on the taskbar context menu.
I work for a local Central Station and the operators use them to run their Tandem Terminal Emulators. So basically they are not much more than "dumb terminals" running a 16 bit emulator. The three or four I have are 10+ years old and run 24/7.