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legacykeeper

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Posts posted by legacykeeper

  1. I'm glad this topic has been re-opened. An earlier thread was locked just as I joined. What I like about Windows 98 is CONTROL. There is so much that the 'higher' Windows versions will not 'allow' even an Administrator to do.

    In Windows 2K/XP: Can you package the entire system into a zipfile and then uncompress it on a different hard drive, or restore it WHEN needed (such as for a mis-install) onto the same hard drive, successfully? Can privacy-invading files be removed, especially those buried deep in the system, such as the contents of %windir%\Application Data\Macromedia\Flash Player\#SharedObjects\ ? Are there not "legacy software" entries in the registry that the OS won't allow to be deleted? Have efforts to 'tweak' the system been thwarted because the OS denies 'permission'? Has System Backup ever been needed to restore a sick OS, only to get 'caught in a loop', because the system needs to be functioning for restore, but first needs to be restored to function? (And why is System Backup necessary in the first place? Is it because the OS can't just be cloned or zipped to back it up?) Can files the OS won't allow modification of (even in Win98) be handled by 'dropping' into a low-level OS such as DOS?

    Yes, the latest 'powerful' hardware is needed to run XP (or worse, Vista) fast, isn't it? It is often 'powerful' indeed, gobbling upwards of 200 Watts, requiring multiple fans yet still getting hot enough to shorten its life (including HDD --- and data). Computers can't be turned on or off easily (no, not even 98/ME), so are typically left on. So total electricity use is high, and this could be of greater importance in the future. Yes, more expensive laptops conserve power, but with lower reliability, higher repair cost, and less upgradeability. Windows 98/ME hybrid runs fine on a 25 Watt VIA M10000 M/B desktop. This is great for leaving it on all day, to catch streaming breaking news and the like.

    Are there disadvantages of Win98/ME? Sure. Reboots are required periodically because the resource leakage problem persists. So it is for home users, not corporate networks. The ability to modify system files may increase security risks online, especially relying on third-party security patches. And, the control that Win98/ME affords is useful only for advanced users, usually those who 'grew up' on this OS, and/or know well the privacy risks the Internet presents. For someone just now starting computing, WinXP SP2 Home (SP3 rumor?) may be the best choice, if coupled with privacy software that can bypass OS-imposed 'privilege' restrictions. (Does such exist? Even Zone Alarm Security Suite misses the embedded privacy-robbing system files cited above.)

    Disclaimer: My eXPerience is limited. And I know just enough about Win2K Pro that it just isn't set up for home use. So I could be mistaken about some of the restrictions that 2K/XP imposes on the user. Relevant feedback regarding such errors is very welcome.

  2. The question about which websites triggered the problem is excellent, and deserves the research from me to come up with answers. It's my negligence for not retrieving this info while it was fresh, I apologize. I have my MS History, and will keep it to answer the question.

    The history is now 2 weeks old, so it's grouped only by week. I know the dates, 9/17 and 9/19. Is there a way to get MS History to display by order visited after the current day? Or how to correlate MS History files from another boot drive with the websites visited? I notice some pages I remember visiting not appearing. Notably, the MS update web page appearing after the errors is absent. I fear the same error that caused IE to close may also have caused the history function to fail. I've revisited every web page in the history for that week, without triggering any errors.

  3. WINDOWS 98/ME: S.O.S.!

    I knew it was coming, because upgrading Internet Explorer has been required in the past, to maintain Internet access: the Death of Windows 98/ME.

    And now, it seems that "The Time Has Come": For the second time, "Internet Explorer has encountered an error and needs to close" has been followed by a "Upgrade to IE 7 required" Microsoft web page IE restart, accompanied by a "Sorry IE7 is unavailable for your operating system" message. IS THIS THE LONG DREADED START OF THE 'DEATH THROES' OF WINDOWS 98 + ME??? SAVE OUR SHIP!

    After doing a "Internet Explorer 7" MSFN search, it appears no one has undertaken to graft Internet Explorer 7 onto Windows 98 + ME. I hope I'm wrong in sounding this S.O.S., but unless this gets done - AND SOON - Internet access using Windows 98 / ME will be denied on an ever increasing number of websites, sounding the final death knell for Win98/ME.

    Yes, the use of a third party browser may be a short term interim fix, but I have found that a third party browser vastly increases total system complexity, greatly decreases system reliability (as Internet Explorer cannot be uninstalled), and thus obviates the advantages of staying with Windows 98 / ME.

    Can Internet Explorer 7 be installed somehow, under Windows 98/ME, to keep it alive, without unduly compromising system reliability?

  4. I delete tvdebug.log and other pesky unwanted files in my autoexec.bat file, while in DOS, not in Windows yet. By the way, ZoneAlarm still can generate large junk 'X*.tmp' files in the Internet Logs directory occasionally. So, add another delete command to autoexec.bat.

  5. I have had this happen. I wanted to install Office 97 from my HD rather than a questionable scratched CD. So I tried copying the Office files to my HD before install, and encountered it.

    There is a solution, however: 'Zip' up the offending directories, then 'unzip' to the desired destination. Zipping up the entire system is also the best way to back up, clone, move, and restore a Windows 98-ME system. To restore, you only need a second HD with a functional Win98 system. Security features in Win2K and XP disallow this simple process. :(

  6. A very useful unofficial Windows 98 support website, "A Better Faster Windows 98" has sadly disappered.

    The URL was http://users.accesscomm.ca/gbraun/w98/

    I anticipated and prepared for this, and saved every page off this website that I could.

    I couldn't also save most of the downloads and external links, many of which were excellent.

    (I only recently moved up to DSL.)

    This website even included a 137GB HD barrier smashing program that WORKS!

    It even includes large HD ScanDisk and Defrag, in directory WINDOWS\COMMAND\BIGHDD.

    Tragically, I now find that these saved web pages are somehow corrupted, and do not open.

    I lost a hard drive and thus had to restore this data from a zipfile, and the extraction process apparently failed.

    Did ANYONE else out there save this valuable website while it was up and running (successfully)?

    It's very aggravating to have prepared, only for it to fail when it really matters.

  7. No, Microsoft hasn't waived any of its OS copyrights. BUT: The rules for OEM licenses are more liberal than most people think. This is from a Microsoft webpage, dated May 2005, now dead URL http://www.microsoft.com/uk/partner/traini...cs/default.aspx

    A carfully proof-read quote from the printed hardcopy, under the title "Refurbished PCs", reads:

    "A refurbished computer is a computer system that has had substantial hardware modifications. The end user will need a new license if the modifications have essentially created a 'new' PC.

    Generally, you may upgrade or replace ALL of the hardware components on your customer's computer without the need for a new operating system license. The exception to this is if you upgrade or replace the motherboard AND chassis. This is considered to result in a 'new PC' and the end user will need a new operating system license." (The capitalization of the two key words ALL + AND is added.)

    This means that all that is needed to keep an OEM license alive, (if the machine was bought new, or with its documents esp. the Certificate of Authenticity), is to keep alive and use the chassis --- or any other component --- of that computer. Even motherboard replacement is OK. Since the chassis is essentially breakdown proof, this means the OEM license need not ever expire.

    A stray junk Win-OEM chassis won't do, as it must be ascertained that someone else somewhere isn't using that OEM license based on another stray component from the same machine. This is because the OEM license must be used on only one machine. Used Win98/ME OEM computers are cheap. The only problem is finding one with its documentation available intact, which is required, for the reason stated above.

    So, even though Windows 98 is not in the public domain, it is closer to it than some people have been led to believe.

  8. After finally getting my DSL connection to work, I could download the large 180MB file overnight. Alas, the link for the Version 1.7 update, http://z31.zupload.com/download.php?file=g...;filepath=18522 is not working. Repeatedly clicking on "Download File" gives no results. I am eager to test this package on a new Win98 system, and then repackage it into a "Windows 98 Final Edition" install CD, for any future reinstalls. Are there any other 'mirrors' from which the update file is available for download?

  9. I have used Windows 98, ME, and 2000 Professional.

    2000Pro is used by many large organizations, including critical infrastructure, so it must be a good operating system for those that know how to use AND ADMINISTER it well, on an appropriately powerful modern machine. It is set up for large networks of computers, which is typical of the corporate and business environment. It is not optimized for the single-user personal computer, whereas Windows 98 is. The trouble with most powerful systems is electricity use and heat buildup is too high. The heat requires loud cooling fans and high utility bills, esp. in summer A/C (when you pay twice, once to generate the heat and again to A/C it out.). I have a special desire for my computer to be QUIET. Windows 2000 has many background processes, and too little user control. It won't even allow deletion of leftover registry entries from uninstalled software. "zip" programs won't back it up, the usual "in use" problem occurs, which does not in Win98 (unless Symantec or possibly some other software is installed.) Win98 can be transferred directly from one HD to another, if a registry editor program is used to fix the DOS misenumeration problems that occur. Try this with Win2000, good luck! On my modest 1GHz machine, Win2000 takes over a minute to open Outlook, and that is with an install with the user name as "ADMINISTRATOR".

    I found WinME to be buggy, with frequent soft crashes (by soft I mean rebooting clears the problem, though unsaved data is lost.) There are too many unstoppable background processes, and retains most of the disadvantages of Win98.

    What I like about Win98 is that it can be configured to have the fewest number of background processes. I use MSConfig aggressively to use as few startups as possible. Task scheduler is disabled. I even invoke "stimon", the prerequisite for the imaging hardware, only when I need it. Too many crashes are caused by a background process hitting when the computer is already busy.

    The biggest disadvantage of Win98 to me is that heavy use of Explorer to reorganize folders and do copy and delete operations soon dramatically slows down the OS. Win2000 doesn't have this problem. (Why is this and is there a fix for it?) Ironically, Win98 is better for intermediate level 'power' users, especially those who 'grew up' on DOS in the 1980s. I would probably recommend a newbie to get a new computer with XP Home, at least there is support for problems.

    In Win98, there is a file in Windows\Internet Logs\ called "tvdebug.log". Win98 won't even allow it to be deleted. The filename doesn't appear anywhere in the Registry, at least not as text. Some background process is maintaining this logfile. Is there a way to disable this in Win98? (I don't have WinTV installed, either the Win98 option, nor a TV card driver.) The fewer unnecessary background processes running, the faster and more reliable it will be.

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