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Thanks jaclaz.

Thanks jaclaz, I've put it on my list. I'll be trying out first Total Commander with the InstallExplorer plugin, also after the experiment regarding Opera's internet-shortcut-bug http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...st&p=804994 where Total Commander produced an error msg.

WinRAR v3.42 gives the same error msg & cannot extract either Thanks for the hint about InstallExplorer http://www.totalcmd.net/plugring/InstallExplorer.html I will try it out, seems to be interesting. I was always wondering how Kaspersky etc. was able to look into setup files. Maybe this is a useful tool for virus checking setup files where Kaspersky just gives a warning (e.g. Unknown format GhostInstalller)

Try the instructions by mdgx http://www.mdgx.com/add.htm#JAVA" Ignore "Warning: This is not a supported Operating System!" error message! Install requires Microsoft .Net Framework Redistributable (NFR) 1.1 or newer (free)! FIX: Run Java SE 6.0 install executable -> stop at "Welcome to Java" screen -> open Windows Explorer or File Manager -> browse to %windir%\TEMP [default is C:\WINDOWS\TEMP...] -> run .MSI installer!"

Hi CharlotteTheHarlot, I don't use any file managers. I use under Win98 only BeyondCompare for most most of my file operations, like deletes, it doesn't have the sluggish-file-delete-problem of Windows Explorer. BeyondCompare is very mature and only once did I encounter a bug, which has been fixed. To replicate your file-opening with the various file managers, I added a selection "Open with - Opera" to the right-click menu inside BeyondCompare (Tools - Options - "Open with"). When, inside BeyondCompare, I right-clicked then on an internet shortcut .url in \Windows\Desktop\ or on a .mht file, selecting "Open with - Opera" Opera opened the desired page (SUCCESS) and msgbox: NONE. This confirms your finding that the internet-shortcut-bug is probably a Windows Explorer bug. Opera does NOT have this bug unter WinXP. Maybe somebody with WinME can verify whether the internet-shortcut-bug exists under WinME also? If the error does not occur under WinME, then maybe a WinME-dll could help, rather than a registry patch???

Hey, me too. I used the MS Basic Compiler under CP/M quite a bit What CP/M computer did you have?

Hi ivanbuto,Why do you want to use v6 instead of v5? Sun is regularly maintaining their Win98/Me version v5 (update 15 on 9-Feb-08, update 16 on 28-May-08) just like their WinXP/Vista version v6 (last update 7 on 10-Jun-08). If you click on the Download button on their site http://java.com/en/ they even switch you automatically to their Win98/ME page (if you're accessing the site under Win98). If Sun takes so much effort in maintaining separate versions, then there must be a reason somewhere. I also had v6 installed under Win98, but then I changed back to v5, I was just afraid of surprises. A lot of software is using Java (Azureus, the charting applet of my online broker, the anonymizer JAP, SageTV software for the TV tuner card, even the Britannica/Brockhaus software). The worst case scenario would be if the Java applet hangs my system while I am in the middle of an online trade. Please let me know your reasons.

Here another last version for Win98: TextPad v4.73 [17-Jun-04], Shareware, still for sale, download location of US version: http://download.textpad.com/download/v47/txpeng473.exe General download page for US and localized versions, both v4.73 and v5.2.0 (not for Win9x): http://www.textpad.com/download/index.html Mature software, v5 is their Vista version, my preferred Notepad replacement.

The internet-shortcut-bug is still there in Opera v9.60 (under Win98SE US version). The work-around is to have Opera already loaded before double-clicking on the internet shortcut on the desktop. Opera has removed the URL-selection under Preferences-Advanced-Details, maybe the people at Opera were working to fix this bug? I have set Opera back as my default browser, since the work-around solves the problem, even though in an inconvenient way.Re colored icons: The grey icons actually help you focus on the content of the web page you're reading, instead of on the browser controls. When I weigh improved readability of the page content vs more visible browser controls, I would go for improved readability.

Hi dencorso,Thanks for the correction, it should read "with manufacturer-provided Win98 drivers". NUSB is a great generic driver for USB-sticks, SDHC card readers, external HDDs, external floppy drives and other USB mass storage devices, especially for devices which are not supported by their manufacturers under Win98. So most large-capacity USB-sticks on the horizon WILL most likely be able to run under Win98 with NUSB, even when "Windows 98" is not on the box anymore. I prefer however to use as much as possible manufacturer-provided drivers for mass storage devices, some stored data can be critical. When a manufacturer provides a driver for Win98, it (should) mean that the device has actually been tested by the manufacturer under Win98. NUSB has worked fine for me on unsupported devices, but don't forget the comment by Maximus Decim when you install NUSB: "Remember! You install it at own risk!" NUSB will be put into my listing "Toolbox for SDHC cards" http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...st&p=802886 It's possibly the most important tool there, I will list it after being more informed about the uninstall, NUSB makes a lot of system updates http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...st&p=802886 You are particularly knowledgeable about NUSB, your info would be greatly appreciated. Maybe some improvement in the readme.txt file, but which great programmer likes to document?If you want a single driver for all your USB mass storage devices NUSB is truly great and simple. But when you want to use NUSB only for those USB devices which don't have a Win98 driver, and for your other USB devices you want to keep on using the manufacturer-provided drivers, it may get complicated, esp. for USB devices where you have to specify the location of the manufacturer-provided driver during installation. Some manufacturer-provided drivers have special features, like the one for the BusLink USB floppy, which allows under Win98 the assignment of drive letter B: to the USB floppy. Then there are special drivers for USB combo eSata-USB enclosures, the MSI StarReader which can read SIM-cards and which updates the ASPI layer, etc. The automaticity of NUSB can be overcome by (temporarily) renaming \INF\Usbstor.inf and usbstor.PNF before installing a device with its own manufacturer-provided USB driver. Question: For the emtec card readers I want to use the manufacturer-provided driver, but that driver does not install an eject-utility in the system tray. How can I use the manufacturer-provided driver but have the emtec card reader included in the NUSB eject-utility in the system tray (i.e. use only the NUSB eject utility, but not the NUSB driver)?

I initially thought it was a security issue, but then msimg32.dll on the German WinME CD had the identical size and version info under Beyond Compare/Version Viewer, but differed substantially under Beyond Compare/Hex Viewer. So MS just localized the file content, not its version info. Possibly Maximus Decim may have picked up a file from a non-US version of WinME, or from a beta.

Hi Rick, You don't need a 2nd HDD for 2 or more instances of Win98, just use System Commander and install them to different partitions on the same HDD.

SlowDown is a classic, ftp://bretjohnson.us/programs/slodn310.zip the author's homepage http://bretjohnson.us/ has more DOS utilties.Here 3 DOS programs which I still use occasionally under Win98, in a full-sized DOS window, on a 700-MHz laptop: - DCF 5.3 (=Disk Copy Fast) for archiving old floppies as dcf images, which can later on be handled with Winimage under Win98. doesn't need to be slowed down. - VGA-Copy-pro 5.30, works fine with SlowDown, for reading/copying weak floppies (99 retries) - DiskDupe v4.07 for cleaning a floppy head with a special cleaning floppy, needs SlowDown

msimg32.dll from MDCU v3.05 works fine for Opera v9.60 under Win98SE, BUT: it is NOT the same as msimg32.dll in Win_12.CAB on the US WinME CD. Any idea why?? msimg32.dll on the German WinME CD also differs from the one on the US CD, but works fine with Opera v9.60 under US Win98SE. So I would guess that any language version of WinME msimg32.dll works fine with Opera v9.60 under any language Win98SE opsys.

hi galahs, Congratulations, your list is going to be a classic one, probably still of interest in 5 years or more. Here a suggestion: how about adding the release date of the last version? Here another addition to your list: Sisoft Sandra Professional ANSI 2004.SP2b (Win32 x86) v2004.10.9.133 [12-Aug-2004], was $$$, but apparently not for sale anymore.

PowerQuest PartitionMagic 8.01 The last version of PartitionMagic which runs under Win98 and which I can recommend is the one by PowerQuest; I prefer to stay away from Symantec. The last version by PowerQuest was v8.02 [25-Apr-03], but v8.01 build 1274 [14-Mar-03] is preferrable, no difference detected except for the introduction of the PowerQuest activation key. This supposition that only the PowerQuest activation key is the difference between v8.01 and v8.02 is in line with the statement from Symantec: "If you have version 8.01, there is no need to upgrade to 8.02. Version 8.02 was made obsolete by the acquisition of PowerQuest by Symantec" http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/power...62?OpenDocument I have not found a version history of PartitionMagic.. There is a bug fix ENPM801_H1.ZIP which has been removed from http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/power...62?OpenDocument with which you can update to v8.01 build 1312 of 28-Aug-03 The bug fix file is currently only available elsewhere with 2 sources, who knows for how long. The patches for the French and German versions of PartitionMagic 8.01, however, have not been removed from the Symantec site: ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/francais/pr.../FRPM801_H1.ZIP ftp://ftp.symantec.com/public/deutsch/pro.../DEPM801_H1.ZIP PartitionMagic v8.01 is the best tool for converting WinXP partitions from NTFS to FAT32, so that you can access WinXP stuff under Win98. WinXP SP2 runs fine from the converted partition. Cleanup after the conversion is recommended (MS Error-Checking under WinXP gives no err msg; but under Win98 err msgs [long filename errors; NDD only: Invalid Disk Table in Boot Record] may be cleaned up ok with MS ScanDisk & Norton Disk Doctor under Win98)

In theory Internet Explorer v5.5 under Win98SE does NOT run with Flash Player v9, only with old Flash Player v8. Opera and Firefox work fine with v9.0.124.0About 6 months ago, when I tried out under Win98SE the Bytescout Movies Extractor Scout v3.02 demo http://bytescout.com/moviesextractorscout.html , the demo also installed somehow Adobe Flash Player ActiveX v9.0.115.0 as displayed by http://gemal.dk/browserspy/flash.html when I went there with IE 5.5 SP1. Any explanation why? After uninstalling the demo, Adobe Flash Player ActiveX v9.0.115.0 was still there. Is there a way to turn off Flash Cookies?

Under Win98 when you double-click on the installer of v3.0: This program has performed an illegal operation ...

Thanks for the info. I am still using the really old KAV v4.5 under Win98, the key is valid until 2010, I had no problems with a signature update today. In the info they did not mention v4.5, they only mentioned non-supported versions 6 after Oct.1, let's see whether v4.5 will still get signature updates after Oct.1 It's Oct.15 now, old KAV v4.5 still updates its virus signatures Ok. Did any user of other builds of v6.0 experience difficulties in getting virus updates? Or were they automatically updated to v6.0.2.621?

Hi herbalist, Main reason: so that I can access the partition also under DOS 6. Also, Win98 is possibly faster when running under FAT16. I can also run old DOS 6 tools, like DCF & VGACopy, in a full-size DOS window with SlowDown; I am not sure this works if Win98 is on a FAT32 partition, although it would be interesting to try. If you don't use DOS 6, then the Win98 opsys could be also on a FAT32 partition. FAT16 has worked fine for me during the past 8 years, I had no reason to change. I leave \Windows\ and \Program Files\ together on a FAT16 partition, and try to never install applications/software to \Program Files\. This arrangement allows for very fast opsys backups (or: restores): under a 2nd Win98 or under WinXP I just zip up the about 1.5GB in \Windows\ and \Program files\ (or: delete the previous \Windows\ and \Program Files\, then extract backups from zip file). This directory-based backup allows opsys restores, even if you have resized your partitions, or if you have moved up to a larger HDD with more partitions. The boot stuff is handled by System Commander, System Commander saves/backs up the files necessary for booting & wipes out any boot-sector infections. This directory-based restore allows to restore for example opsys backup #15 (made 5 years ago on laptop A, 30GB internal HDD, different partition structure) on laptop B, 120 GB HDD. Recently I started to use Partition Table Doctor v3.5 (a must-have), to also back up the disk structure.If \Program Files\ were also to contain my applications, my opsys backups & restores would get huge and slow, too unwieldy to make regular opsys backups. After installing 2-3 new applications, I make a new opsys backup. The install-to directories of applications I usually back up only once, into application backups. My backup strategy consists of opsys backups, application backups & data backups. I have about 50 opsys backups, each between 0.5 and 1.5GB. I can restore the state of my computer to roughly any point in time of the last 8 years. I make on average about 10 opsys restores a month, mainly after trying out new downloads. I also note down chronologically in a text file all installs & uninstalls of software & additions of hardware. I am currently restoring an opsys backup of 12 months ago and re-installing about 10 applications because a year ago I had installed the Buffalo wireless network card WLI-CB-G54S; after throwing out the card I couldn't get rid of its driver anymore, without the Buffalo driver other wireless network cards would not be able to connect to the Internet anymore. By having a chronological sequence of opsys backups I can also quickly identify when a virus infection started & what caused it. I have 8 old near-identical laptops (all Dell Inspiron 7500) in different locations, the internal HDDs are easily exchangeable, and I was always able to recover from a disaster with the above backup method, without a major head-ache. When I travel by plane, I usually just take the HDD with me, not the laptop; at the destination I insert the HDD into another laptop there. So in short: I install Win98 applications to a different partition to allow quick backup of the Win98 opsys. The partition with the Win98 applications was in the first years also FAT16, but then I changed to FAT32 after the applications exceeded 2GB. That's why I have Win98 on FAT16 & the Win98 applications on FAT32. What separates the worlds of Win98 and WinXP is NTFS. I don't like NTFS, and when you run WinXP under FAT32, WinXP becomes a likeable flavor of Windows, generally superior to Win98, but you shouldn't use it on the Internet for security reasons. BTW, Panasonic etc. don't like NTFS either, their SD/SDHC cards are for FAT/FAT32. NTFS is good for corporate use, to lock out your co-workers, but not for consumer/home use. The only use I have for NTFS is for files > 4GB. Eventually I will try to get Vista running under FAT32...

Buy System Commander 9 and get yourself PowerQuest PartitionMagic v8.01 (not the version from Symantec). The pdf file (esp. chapter Operating System Limitations, pp127-129) on the System Commander 9 CD is very helpful, they used to have it as an accompanying book.I am using many operating systems, a good partition plan is essential. In your case (Win98/XP) I would suggest the follwing: C: 2 GB FAT16, primary, install System Commander there, this is your boot partition, also for old DOS 6 if you need it D: 2 GB FAT16, logical, for Win98 \Windows\, E: 20 GB+ FAT32, logical for your Win98 programs + data F: 30 GB+ NTFS, logical, for WinXP, WinXP programs + data (to be converted later to FAT32) G: 30 GB+ NTFS, logical, for huge files >4GB On my desktop I have Vista on a dedicated 2nd internal HDD, booting via System Commander from C: After the installation of WinXP, go into PartitionMagic and convert partition F: (WinXP) from NTFS ==> FAT32. WinXP under FAT32 is enjoyable, fast, and more under your control, you can make virus checks & backups under Win98. WinXP+applications on FAT32 is noticeably faster/crisper, esp. on older/slower machines.

When I looked with Paragon Partition Manager 9.0 RecoveryCD v8.08 (NOT the Windows software, but the CD which apparently boots from Linux a different version) I made an interesting discovery: The Recovery CD saw a 4GB SDHC card, freshly formatted by Panasonic Formatter, as having 2 partitions! The 1st partition was displayed as File system: Free, Size: 4.0MB. The 2nd partition was displayed as File system: FAT32, Size: 3.7GB. Somehow the RecoveryCD kept Panasonic's code in a separate partition. I then created with the RecoveryCD a multi-partition SDHC by just using the space originally occupied by the 2nd partition, leaving the Panasonic code in tiny partition 1 untouched. I created 3 primary partitions. When booting into WinXP, I put this 4GB card into a card reader which was set by Hitachi Filter Driver to fixed, and then copied my standard 122MB of photo files onto these fixed partitions. The speed increase was substantial: Partition 2: FAT32, 1289 MB - 85 seconds = 1.43 MB/sec Partition 3: NTSF, 2080 MB - 180 seconds = 0.68 MB/sec Partition 4: FAT16, the remainder (about 480MB) - 105 seconds = 1.16 MB/sec In a 2nd test I created an extended partition containing 3 logical partitions of similar size, each partition 32kb cluster size (=64 sectors/cluster) Partition 2: FAT32 - 75 seconds = 1.63 MB/sec (FAT32 in the single extended partition is therefore faster) Partition 3: NTSF - 200 seconds = 0.61 MB/sec Partition4: FAT16 - 107 seconds = 1.14 MB/sec In a 3rd test I created a similar extended partition containing 3 logical partitions, but this time each partition had a 16kB cluster size (=32 sectos/cluster) Partition 2: FAT32 - 83 seconds = 1.47 MB/sec Partition 3: NTSF - 210 seconds = 0.58 MB/sec Partition 4: FAT16 - 132 seconds = 0.93 MB/sec This contrasts with a previous similar test of Acronis Disk Director 10 under Win98: 132 seconds = 0.92 MB/sec as top speed of an SDHC card formatted by Acronis. Because the RecoveryCD somehow leaves the special code by Panasonic intact, it can create the by far fastest multi-partition SDHC cards. Paragon Partition Manager 9.0 RecoveryCD boots into Linux 2.6.18.2-34-paragon & recognizes an SDHC card in an USB 1.1 port and in a USB 2.0 add-on PCCard. Paragon Partition Manager 9.0 RecoveryCD is the TOP TOOL for creating multi-partition SDHC cards. Maybe some more tricks can be found to bring the speed of multi-partition SDHC cards up to the 4.06 MB/sec of the class 4 SDHC card formatted as a single partition by Panasonic Formatter

ChipGenius v2.64 (runs under WinXP, does not run under Win98) Quite useful utility for SDHC card readers, for some card readers it identifies the chip used. Does not tell whether a card reader works with SDHC or just with SD cards. Very handy for documenting your card readers: in contrast to ListUsbDrives v1.7.8, the displayed info can be transferred with copy & paste. No installation, just double-click on the .exe Added to my toolbox. Download location: http://www.mydigit.cn/mytool/chipgenius.rar An excellent list of controller chips, including chips in SDHC card readers, is contained in: http://www.hjreggel.net/cardspeed/info-controller.html Amazing, 24 manufacturers of controller chips for card readers & memory cards. BUT: Knowing the manufacturer of the controller chip still doesn't give you a Win98 driver for the card reader.

This is kind of a grey/overlapping area: SDHC cards are useful under Win98, but to prepare them properly, you need WinXP. eMule is for me a must-run-on-Win98 application, for security reasons, but after 2 days to a week, eMule hangs. I suspect mainly because of physical failure of the HDD: reading & writing small amounts of data for very many threads, all over the HDD, and that uninterrupted for a long time, may just stress the HDD too much. Maybe by using SDHC cards instead of a HDD as location of the Temp directory of eMule, uptime can be significantly increased. During the past 2 weeks the mule (on a dedicated old laptop) has been running with a 4GB micro-SDHC card as a 2nd Temp location, together with a 60GB Temp directory on the HDD, but I haven't seen a change in uptime. I will know for sure after having moved all Temp files onto SDHC cards. Thanks for the links jaclaz, I'll be checking them out.

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