RetroOS

As he points out in the quote, it is not hard to make an app API level compatible. The problem comes with support and testing... And of course, what environment is used to create the app. If one was using Microsoft Visual Studio for example, then Microsoft has done an outstanding and notable job of exterminating 9x. With a few MS tweaks to the compiler and libraries, it could have still been compatible if the app writer wanted - even if the app was not 'officially supported'. But of course, M$ are running a business (the digital god reigns!). Supporting a previous product (you know, post-sales support), is not good business, unless the majority of customers are using that previous product. In this case, it makes good business sense to push those customers to the 'new' product before dumping the old one... Remember, Micro$oft are a business and as such, the almighty dollar is the bottom line, not the customer (unless it will significantly affect their bottom line...). It's not like WE have a choice, really. There is always: In a world without Fences and Walls, who needs Gates and Windows. Anyway, it's good some people still support the old school! Skype is a perfect example of an app that is API level compatible, but does not claim to officially support 9x, although it works fine (except webcam).

Auto-Patcher 98 has everything on Windows Update and more including many newer updates. Even though Windows Update for 9x is no longer updated, Microsoft are still updating components like IE6 SP1 and WMP 9. Regarding your original problem, it would appear that some update in Auto-Patcher 98 has affected something... tcpmib.dll is titled as "Standard TCP/IP Port Monitor Helper DLL". It is not native to 98SE and from what I can tell, it has never been a 9x file... It most certainly is a reference from the printer driver. Have you run Auto-Patcher 98 again to check that everything is up to date? Also, did you install KernelEx or Revolutions Pack? (If so, these two could possibly be interacting)

Welcome to MSFN Cyberguy! - One of the few remaining Windows 9x outposts! And, welcome to the over 1GB of RAM with Windows 98 world! I dual boot with 98SE and XP. See below for information I posted on how I got 1.5GB of RAM working and also got 1.125GB usable in Windows 98SE: http://www.msfn.org/board/VCACHE-fix-attem...288#entry732288

At least Canon still support older models in 9x unlike HP. Ricoh removed 98 USB drivers from their site on June 29 2007, and removed all Windows 9x (and NT) drivers from their site on April 1 2008. Not a problem for me since I never liked Ricoh products either! But seriously, options for Windows 9x users are getting less every year, even if one sourced an older product, drivers could be scarce... Go Epson!

UberKern does not 'patch' code! It is an API wrapper only. Tihiy's comments:

I once had a Pocket PC game demo that when removed from 98SE, removed the entire Uninstall registry key. Nothing in Add/Remove Programs... I had to rollback the registry to a previously good one... It sounds like this may not help you now... But check it out anyway: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221512 It helps if you know when the Add/Remove list got nuked!

One problem is that Vista does not install on a FAT32 partition (unlike previous Windows versions). So... 98 will not be able to access the Vista partition. Other than that, it should work on two separate partitions - I have not actually tried it. Vista should be able to access the 98 partition okay.

KernelEx patcher has to recognise a version and language of file. It does not recognise your file. Post the problem in the KernelEx topic: http://www.msfn.org/board/KernelEx-v033e-r...sed-t71476.html Also, send Xeno86 a PM. He'll let you know what he needs to change the patcher.

Only if you have an HP printer... HP are in bed with Microsoft... Microsoft say jump, HP jumps! A couple of months ago, I bought a just released Epson printer. It came with a full suite of drivers and software that work in 9x. ALL 9x drivers are available and updated on the Epson web site unlike a certain vendor who has blitzed 9x drivers from their web site even though thousands of 9x users still use those printers... HP must has lost it big time to shoot themselves in the foot like that! Are you listening HP? I never did like HP. The only thing that will die is HP products with 9x users... How can I ever recommend HP when I can't even use their stupid devices! May Windows 9x live long and prosper!

So, no installer... Have you checked in Device Manager while the printer is connected for unknown devices (yellow question mark)? If an unknown device is there, then go to properties/driver/update driver and point to 9x driver on CD. If it correctly installs the driver, it should also create the USB printer port...

Tihiy's Revolutions Pack essentially does this, although it uses the Vista icons: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=58357

All USB printers need the supplied drivers installed before plugging the printer in... If you have a look in Device Manager with the printer plugged in and powered on, you should find an unknown device. Delete this unknown device and unplug the printer. Then run the 9x installer from the CD. It will ask you to plug in the printer at some point. This should then install the correct port and printer drivers.

Hi MDGx, Any chance of getting more information on 'this type of bug' in several 9x exes? Which exes? I'm interested now!

Wouldn't it be great if they were free to home users... Afterall, Windows 9x users are a dying breed...

dencorso, you mean 36-bit 28-bit LBA of course... EDIT: hehe, thanks dencorso for counter-correcting me! It is in fact 28-bit LBA addressing. 36 bits is needed to represent all the bytes, but is never used when accessing LBA blocks on the hard drive... I'm confusing myself!

Well actually, it is necessary to download the entire updater... Unlike the 2000 and XP Autopatchers that linked to direct Microsoft downloads (the reason M$ shut them down), Auto-Patcher 98 bundles all updates in the updater pack. Many of these updates are no longer provided by Microsoft (who don't want to know about 9x) or they are unofficial update packs and so on.

WinDiff 6.0.6000.16384 is the version that comes with the Vista SDK. As mentioned, I have not looked into the Windows Server 2008 SDK... I will check it out and post results...

What you need is soporific's Auto-Patcher 98: http://www.msfn.org/board/Auto-Patcher-For...ish-t80800.html There is a scan option that will report updates and packs that are installed and those that are needed. B) It is best to go to the manual selection menu and select everything before doing a scan. This way it will give a full report.

On Windows XP/2003/Vista, run the PSDK for Vista Web Install and install only the Tools. It's only some MBs to download. http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;displaylang=en There's also the SDK for Windows Server 2008 Web Install, although I have not tested the Tools in 9x... http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;DisplayLang=en

That makes sense since XMSDSK is a DOS driver and as far as Windows is concerned, it is a Real Mode driver. So... Windows will be switching between Protected and Real modes when ever the RAM drive is accessed... This would cause real contention in the Windows kernel if the switching happened with paging... The ideal option would be a RAM Drive VxD that could bypass VMM and access the addressable RAM outside of Windows control... Dream on they say!

Actually, the 36-bit 28-bit LBA ATA specification has a limit of under 128GB or under 137438953472 bytes... It all depends who's selling the size! Hard drive manufacturers use 10^9 (1000000000) bytes for each 'GB' since it 'looks' bigger to the buyer! Everyone else uses 2^30 (1073741824) bytes per GB since computers are binary (2) based. Originally 1KB was decided as 2^10 since it kind of looked like a base-10 number and was close to 1000 (1024). Therefore 1MB was 2^20, 1GB was 2^30, and so on, not 10^3, 10^6, 10^9... So, back to the original concept, 128GB or 137GB... Who's selling? When you buy that 1TB disk, is it 1TB or is it actually 931GB? Windows Explorer and every other piece of software will give the 'correct' base-2 sizes (converted to base-10 for us humans of course!). The only ones who use base-10 '000' for computer storage calculations are storage hardware manufacturers! Afterall, you don't go and buy a 537MB stick of RAM, you buy a 512MB stick. When drive sizes were smaller, they could explain away the descrepancies by terms like "the format takes up space" and "Windows does not report all the space"... But now, the descrepancy between the manufacturer size and the real size are getting noticable... So, next time that sales person tries to pull a fast one on you about the formatting, just tell him that actually the labeled drive size is the "formatted" size, and that hard drive manufacturers need to catch up with the 80s (and then the 21st century!).

Actually, March 2008 Redist did install some updated MDX dlls - I watched the status line... Of course, they may not do anything in 9x... Thanks MDGx. Delivering the goods as usual! NEW: Java RE 6 Update 6 is out.

I use Windows 98 Second Edition - that's only nine (9) years old! Hey BenoitRen, cheer up, you're using classic software! Afterall, all the Windows 98, 98SE, Me, 2000, XP, 2003, users can thank Windows 95! Anyone using that eight years young OS called Windows Me (Microsoft experiment)?

Hmm... I installed the March 2008 Redist recently with no problems... It started, copied some updated Managed DirectX files, and ended successfully... Not sure why yours fails... DirectX cannot be 'uninstalled' since it is an integral part of Windows, so you can't remove it and reinstall it... What is your Windows version? 98, 98SE, Me? Also, what update packs (if any) have been installed - like Auto-Patcher 98SE, Unofficial 98SE Service Pack, Revolutions Pack 7, 98SE2ME, and so on?

Hi winxpi, Microsoft dropped two files out of the DirectX redist since Dec 2006. These two are BDA.cab and DirectX.cab. These two files have to be installed before any newer updates will install on Windows 98/Me. If you have never installed the December 2006 DirectX redist then any newer ones will not install properly. Download the Dec 2006 DirectX redist and install first, and then you can install newer ones any time. Download: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;DisplayLang=en