Wunderbar98

Hi frankr2994. Default paths on a base system are: PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND My base system also does not have the WBEM directory, so PATH=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\WBEM is likely set by something you've installed, query Unofficial SP3. How slow? Depending on hardware Windows 98 boots quite quickly. As LoneCrusader mentioned network connections can cause hang-ups and delay. If not going online recommend disabling ethernet hardware altogether. Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager tab -> Network Adapters section. For every network adapater listed, right-click, select properties, check 'Disable in this hardware profile'. Personally i would also remove all Control Panel -> Network -> Configuration tab -> Network Components and ensure File and Print Sharing is disabled. It will lean out these system components. Reboot and see if boot time improves. If there's still a problem, back up and modify C:\MSDOS.SYS. It's a hidden file, ensure Windows Explorer's View -> Folder Options -> View tab -> Hidden files section is set to 'Show all files'. BootMenu=1 Logo=0 Reboot and at the boot menu select 'Step-by-step confirmation'. Press 'y' at every prompt and see if you can determine a hang-up. Otherwise review C:\BOOTLOG.TXT Boot analyzer software is available, never needed it.

Thank-you for the link Drugwash, good one and works fine without JS on RetroZilla v2.2.

Regarding site connectivity, vanilla Windows 98 with RetroZilla v2.2 and the above modifications works well, night and day difference compared to SeaMonkey v1.1.19, Firefox v2 and Dillo. For anyone wishing to run a vanilla system, recommend installing RetroZilla from the get-go as the primary browser. Deleting the following bookmarks from my Windows 9x Web Helper script, which fail with SeaMonkey v1.1.19 but load without issue using RetroZilla v2.2: https://sourceforge.net https://www.autohotkey.com/docs/Tutorial.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_98 https://wiki.debian.org/LTS https://www.startpage.com https://duckduckgo.com/lite https://www.openbsd.org/ https://github.com/topics/web-browser The following site was recently mentioned as problematic in the thread 'What does the copy Opera 12.18 into a 12.02 folder accomplish?'. With JavaScript disabled this site also loads fine in RetroZilla and scrolls to the bottom without issue: https://www.motherjones.com

Spent tedious time digging through different operating system browser ciphers and testing them in vanilla Windows 98 running RetroZilla v2.2. Tests were performed using: https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/viewMyClient.html To the best of my ability, no additional 'missed' ciphers were discovered, aside from the two recommended earlier by ClassicNick. These are also the only two green light cipher results from the SSL Labs test. As mentioned previously they help with site connections and should be added as new true booleans in RetroZilla v2.2 via about:config: security.ssl3.ecdhe_ecdsa_aes_128_gcm_sha256 security.ssl3.ecdhe_rsa_aes_128_gcm_sha256 All other RetroZilla ciphers were reported to be weak with the following ciphers flagged as INSECURE. These insecure ciphers should be disabled (toggled false) via about:config, filter string rc4_128: security.ssl3.ecdh_ecdsa_rc4_128_sha security.ssl3.ecdh_rsa_rc4_128_sha security.ssl3.ecdhe_ecdsa_rc4_128_sha security.ssl3.ecdhe_rsa_rc4_128_sha security.ssl3.rsa_rc4_128_md5 security.ssl3.rsa_rc4_128_sha

Thanks for all responses. All text and mobile links above worked in RetroZilla v2.2 without JavaScript - nice. Wish all developers created more accessible sites. When a banking site revamps it usually means more JS usage tracking and features that add little value. Amazing how many CPU cycles are now needed just to log in and check account details. Sometimes i complain but they need to reach a threshold before being noticed. Developer's ears close when they learn i am not using 'approved' software, all of my OSs and browsers. For me, aside from incorrect code changes, is ensuring modified *.xpi extensions maintain the same directory structure. After modifying an extension, zip the contents of the extension, not the directory. To confirm correctness extract the modified extension, it should show extension_directory -> install.rdf file, not extension_directory -> nested directory -> install.rdf file. This is the entire content of my RetroZilla v2.2 userChrome.css file. It's sometimes hard to see which is the active tab. Use any predefined colour and uncomment bold as desired. /* Active tab bolded red for easier viewing */ tab[selected="true"] { color: red !important; #font-weight:bold }

The oldest available NoScript extension was found to work in RetroZilla v2.2. It is good for anyone wanting fine-grained JavaScript blocking plus other stuff for safer browsing. Also good for older hardware that gets overwhelmed when loading JavaScript heavy websites. It should work in Firefox v2 and SeaMonkey v1.1.19 but has not been tested. Used only briefly, will update post if problems observed. Go to https://noscript.net/getit. Download the oldest available NoScript version 2/3 down the page, right-click and select Save Link Target on 'latest NoScript version compatible with Gecko < 1.9 is 1.10'. The usual manual install method did not work in RetroZilla: File dropdown -> Open File -> select noscript-1.10.xpi file A minor install.rdf file modification was needed: - Unzip noscript-1.10.xpi file - Open install.rdf in WordPad - RetroZilla identifies as SeaMonkey - Under !-- SeaMonkey -- reduce minimum version to 0.1 - Rezip the extension into *.zip format using exact same directory structure - Rename noscript-1.10.zip to noscript-1.10.xpi - Install noscript-1.10.xpi into browser IMO the default whitelist allows too much through, remove items as desired. Edit1: Recommend backing up the user profile before NoScript install, as it does not install in the usual manner (solely in to the profile's chrome sub-directory). If NoScript removal is desired either restore the backed up profile or manually delete the following from the profile directory: - Entire 'ABE' sub-directory - Entire 'pref' sub-directory if it only contains noscript.js, otherwise just noscript.js - NoScriptSTS.db file Edit2: Modified noscript-1.10.xpi file attached. noscript-1.10.xpi

Agreed, believe we are Ying and Yang @siria. You are quite knowledgable and have been very helpful, thank-you very much :) Regarding Windows ME Scan Disk, haven't noticed an appreciable difference but i only have a small drive and rarely perform surface scans. Query whether MS made error finding, speed or stability improvements. Just speculating though. I may not re-install ME's Scan Disk on a fresh system. Maybe someone else can comment if the ME version is actually any better. Windows ME Disk Defrag is awesome, however. Extremely fast, mesmerizing compared to stock Windows 98. Microsoft appears to have done a great job at opening up a performance bottleneck. If uncertain, just install them after a full system backup, run Scan Disk and Defrag, see what you think. So far neither of these have caused issues, such as file loss, or appreciable instabilities. I can not comment on KernelEx issues, other than those are the types of situations i have thankfully been able to avoid. Fortunately i have not yet found a need for newer software versions that could not be run in vanilla. Although some may disagree and be perfectly content working offline, couldn't agree more @Bruninho. That's why connectivity and browsing has consumed so much of this thread. This system was originally intended to be offline for 'gaming'. Wasn't long before i wanted internet access to learn more DOS, perform research, download gaming-related files, check on news and weather, etc. In case some readers have never used Windows 98 SE or just want to walk down memory lane, stock screenshots: https://guidebookgallery.org/screenshots/win98se

Thank-you for your provocative post @bphlpt. Thus far running vanilla has served my purpose and i have little desire to delve into kernel extensions and the like. The primary reason for repeatedly mentioning vanilla is to keep this from turning into yet another hybrid system thread, with numerous posts related to mis-matched software versions and broken software. Most members have tweaked their systems to such degree that they are no longer certain which software runs on a fresh install. Recent examples above. Believe me, getting tired of typing 'vanilla'. My system and i are not pure, there are inconsistencies, we are all hypocrites, i have been transparent. For example, my system uses Windows ME ScanDisk and Disk Defrag, mentioned early in this thread. They are just drop and replace from MS, no compatability layering required. So i pick and choose too. If the software installs without manipulation, then to me it's vanilla Windows 98 compatible. If it's been custom coded and/or compiled to work with Windows 98, such as RetroZilla or a Bash script, that's fine too. In the end, the system administrator decides where to draw the line. I just want a stable system, using software intended for the system. In the Linux world, doing otherwise is referred to as a Franken* system and often leads to instability and unintended complications. All the software i've installed has been specifically coded for Windows 9x, most tested on thousands of Windows 98 systems back in the day. If someone modifies and compiles software specifically for Windows 98, as with RetroZilla, then why not. An about:config change in a stand-alone browser should not be compared to kernel extensions or modifying system files, that is not fair play. The component has already been compiled in, it's just a default about:config oversight. If my future hardware exceeds Windows 98 limitations, then of course i would make changes to get the system running. If RetroZilla continues to be unmaintained and stops working well with the ever changing internet, then i too would consider 'enhancements'. Almost all of my browsing is without JavaScript anyway, poor page rendering is par for the course. This is a trade-off i have happily lived with for many years for a calmer computing environment and to prevent unauthorized code execution. In general what is acceptable to me is software that can easily be installed and removed, without affecting the kernel or any critical system files. I do not desire compatability layers, nor do i necessarily need more recent versions of software, to me this is what a newer OS is for. In my assessment, if upgrading Firefox from v2 (vanilla) to version 3 or 8 is still inadequate to securely perform banking and emails, the improvement is negligible. This thread is intended to be an archive for users that just want a basic Windows 98 system in the present day, the barriers, knowing some software versions that may work, some work arounds and what to expect. More experienced Windows 98 members may want to start a new thread, as you proposed, showing off the best Windows 98 is able to roll out. In my opinion this would be worthwhile, if for no better reason than providing a clear and simple how to. To newer members, the many, often overlapping, enhancement projects are probably overwhelming. Another fun project would be to install Windows 95 for it's 25th anniversary, tweak the heck out of it and see how it runs.

Hi @Bruninho, thanks for the browser link. Briefly installed SeaMonkey95 but it only supports TLS v1.0. Let me know if you find the chosen one. For me running vanilla, RetroZilla has been very good the last few days. Most of the websites i routinely visit are now accessible. Thanks for the feedback @Drugwash. Hopefully your old Windows 98 machine will continue to have a good long life. Reading posts from yesteryear, you're the Windows98 fellow. 'Other reasons...' adds a nice air of mystery. For me Linux is now my frame of reference @siria. Like everyone else, i do not function in a vacuum. I have not used Windows on a daily basis for many years. These are, therefore, the tools i use to solve some computing issues. There are likely others in my position, having left Windows around the Windows 98 - XP era. So what are their choices and present day frames of reference. In all likelihood either Apple, Linux, BSD or Solaris. I know nothing about Windows scripting or compiling, just some DOS. Eventually i may begin Windows coding and compiling, it's tempting but life is short and there are other projects. All Linux tools and mods mentioned in this thread install and launch from a vanilla Windows 98 system. FWIW Unix-tools existed long before Microsoft existed and Linux was born before Windows 98 was conceived. Apparently Windows 10 is now Bash compatible. It's not the new and shiny, rather real applications to solve computing problems. Thank-you @dencorso for your informative post, readers will surely find it helpful. Presently i only own one hard drive exceeding this limit and the system does not run Windows 98.

HoppaLong wrote: - This is not related to KernelEx, but I was just reading about Puppy Linux for 98. http://www.freeveda.org/linux/puppy/PupWin98.htm - If it works, this could be a way to use 98SE as a stable platform for a basic Linux operating system. Hi HoppaLong. This is already described in detail on this thread starting on October 28th and a few posts afterward: https://msfn.org/board/topic/177106-running-vanilla-windows-98-in-2019/page/3/#comments KernelEx is not required. Any questions just PM or post on the vanilla Windows thread, no sense cluttering KernelEx. FYI - It's a multi-boot, you'll be running Linux, not downloading from Windows 98. You can also set up much newer Puppy versions, as outlined.

JasonSlaye: - i got the two devices listed in the driver list but since i deleted one it never got back - I should propably make a full new install with a WIn98SE - Maybe do you get a tips for reveal it. Hi JasonSlaye. I can't help with your specific hardware but an OS re-install is almost never required. This works well for me for stubborn hardware installs and undesirable driver purges. - Right-click C:\WINDOWS\INF and select Find. - Complete several keyword searches to identify failed drivers, for you maybe ATI, fire, v5000. - Temporarily rename each file extension to temporarily disable it. On my system for example, rename DXNVIDIA.INF to DXNVIDIA.INF_DISABLE and DXNVIDIA.PNF to DXNVIDIA.PNF_DISABLE. - Several renames may be needed if numerous undesirable drivers were previously installed. - To ensure nothing was missed repeat searches with similar keywords but now use Find -> Containing text, as *.inf file names may not be intuitive to the hardware device. - Note culprit INF files may be located in C:\WINDOWS\INF\OTHER, in which case all Find searches should have 'Include subfolders' checked off. - Right-click My Computer -> Properties -> Device Manager tab and remove all entries under Display Adapters. - Reboot and your system will find the new video card, then install the desired driver.

My favourite local HTTPS weather page now works for the first time in 2019 following ClassicNick's about:config tweak. This is good.

Thanks for that informative post Bruninho, you've been around the block with this stuff. As most of my hardware is not SSE2 capable, SeaMonkey stops for me at v2.49.4, even in a recent Linux install. SeaMonkey is a terrific browser, they have been struggling as of late. You can't really blame them for dropping Windows XP support, do any other browsers still actively support it? Forgot i already tried RetroZilla v2.2, but dismissed it too early. This time around installed rn10950's release: https://github.com/rn10950/RetroZilla/releases/tag/2.2 This forum's RetroZilla thread can be found here: https://msfn.org/board/topic/174987-retrozilla-an-updated-version-of-mozilla-for-windows-95-and-nt4-22-released/ It's a similar experience to SeaMonkey v1.1.19 with improvements. TLS v1.2 support is not evident from browser preferences or about:config. To confirm browser capabilities load this (from RetroZilla thread): https://www.ssllabs.com/ssltest/viewMyClient.html Additionally, the last RetroZilla thread post from ClassicNick indicates modifying about:config for improved cipher support. --- ClassicNick: Retrozilla does support AES-GCM cipher suites, but you need to enable them through about:config. search "security.ssl3" then create a new Boolean "security.ssl3.ecdhe_ecdsa_aes_128_gcm_sha256" and "security.ssl3.ecdhe_rsa_aes_128_gcm_sha256". Retrozilla works very well, and I'm excited for the next version (especially a 3.0 release). --- No other browsers tested thus far in vanilla Windows 98 pass the TLS v1.2 test. Quite a feat, believe Firefox didn't introduce this until version 20 something. Note the last working version of Opera for vanilla Windows 98 was not tested, just a personal preference. Old Opera versions have been highly praised on this forum many times. From brief RetroZilla usage, obvious improvements were noted. For example, built-in updated certificates, startpage search engine works, some previously inaccessible websites now load (Wikipedia, https://sourceforge.net). All of my SeaMonkey tweaks still work: - Custom search engine engines mentioned on page 4 of this thread (November 6th) - Old SeaMonkey / Mozilla extensions linked on page 11 of this thread (November 28th) Of course, rendering is poor compared to a modern browsing experience, JavaScript engine is dysfunctional and many sites still don't load, take what you can get. Hopefully developers rn10950 and roytam1 will eventually re-visit RetroZilla for further tweaks. To me this drawn out testing experience was worth it. Secure and functional online access remains the primary obstacle from keeping Windows 98 fully viable. IMHO I am now using the best browser for this old system. Thanks for everyone's input, i've always got to learn the hard way, by doing. Now just have to clean up almost half a dozen browsers and a whole bunch of scattered bookmarks.

Thanks again for all responses. My screenshot needs are simple, it's good enough Windows 98 has a built-in tool. Thanks for the information @Drugwash. Windows compiling or cross-compiling for Windows isn't something i want to start, compiling in Linux no problem. I will keep my existing script, tweak as needed. Bash scripting is easy for me and no compiling is necessary. Getting to be an old dog, set in my scripting ways. Still an awful shame so much good software gets left behind. You don't have to answer, curious you don't multi-boot Windows 98? Tried everything @siria and the Firefox linked still failed. When i reference SeaMonkey, it's actual SeaMonkey (v1.1.19). Always enjoy your rants, don't understand too much of the modern world either. To me >90% of websites should still be HTTP only, no HTTPS. Guess the Wikipedia administrators justify it, as users need to be able to securely log in and edit information. Most websites are like this, people logging in to news sites or blogs to comment on articles. May take another look at RetroZilla, can't remember if i already tried it. SeaMonkey v1.1.19 supports SSL2, SSL3 and TLS. Can't see a TLS specification in settings or about:config, presumable TLS v1.0. Re-installed Firefox v2.0.0.20, it provides TLS v1.0. This also failed on Wikipedia today. IMHO, regardless of the workarounds and browser juggles, failing to keep a modern OS on a system for fallback is an exercise in frustration. Doesn't matter if it's Windows 98, 2000 or XP, newer releases may just bump up the inevitable a couple more years. My significant other clings to Debian 7 (Wheezy), even though long term support ended in 2018. It's now ancient in the Linux world, three major releases old. So far i've worked around issues by modifying source code, compiling newer software, using curl instead of wget, etc, but it will require eventual upgrade. My newer Linux installs just work, no need for this stuff. For me the biggest limitation is not the OS but the hardware, as many Linux distributions and newer browsers no longer support 32-bit systems. It's all a moving target anyway, just fun to experience the ride.

Created a Bash script, my solution for connectivity issues. The screenshots are fairly self-explanatory. Allows access to most any site, using cache or web proxy as needed, specify archive.org date, manage clipboard, toggle browsers and search engines, bookmark problematic sites, etc. Needs bug fixes and tweaking, may add more. Long gone, however, are the days vanilla Windows 98 was useful for online banking, sensitive emails, that sort of thing. Forgot Windows 98's print screen functions: When you press the Print Screen button on your keyboard while you're in Windows 98, your screen is copied to the clipboard. Now start the Paint program (click Start > Programs > Accessories > Paint) and from the Edit menu select Paste.Now you can print your screen. If you only want to print an open window, and not the whole screen, hit Alt+Print Screen.

Thanks for the Firefox v3 link @siria. Unfortunately the 7z file does not come as an installer and attempting to run firefox.exe results in an illegal operation stack fault failure. Disabling CSS in Dillo did not help, thanks for the suggestion. I installed K-Meleon v1.5.4 before reading your reply. The default menubar is busy for my eyes, Klassic skin helps. It is very configurable, reasonably light and extensible, very nice browser. Outdated, as you say, everything on this OS is outdated anyway. Compared to Dillo, Google search results work properly, cut/paste works, probably a Dillo replacement. Most of my processors are also SSE only. Hi @Bruninho, thank-you for your reply. I understand your sentiment, still want to stay vanilla to see how things get along. Going to stick with Windows 98 on this system, primarily for it's DOS capabilities. Was initially playing DOS games but am now having more fun working on the system. I use other operating systems for fallback, so no sleepless nights. If Windows 98 was my only OS, i would also feel pushed to move on. Can't comment on KernelEx's complications, never used it. Your Windows 2000 install with latest SeaMonkey sounds awesome, it is a great OS. Why not just dual boot if not ready to let go of Windows 98. It is evident vanilla Windows 98 is becoming more limited all the time. After months of success, Wikipedia failed today using all three browsers, even newer useragents: Your Browser's Connection Security is Outdated English: Wikipedia is making the site more secure. You are using an old web browser that will not be able to connect to Wikipedia in the future. Please update your device or contact your IT administrator.

Mostly just a quick note to siria regarding Google search result issues with Dillo. Finally got Cygwin-lite running okay on Windows 98. When Dillo is launched through Windows, the Google search results do not display properly, also not clickable. When Dillo is launched from a Bash terminal, a new Dillo user profile gets created in Cygwin's home directory. From within Cygwin, Dillo displays proper, clickable Google search results. Don't know why, seems like an issue with porting Dillo to Windows. Dillo also can't copy to the system's clipboard, from Windows or Cygwin, definitely there are Dillo issues. Believe jumper indicated there were two other Dillo ports for Windows 98. Will probably investigate further or may just use old SeaMonkey as a sole browser. Dillo's so blazingly fast though. Might even try your beloved K-Meleon.

Hi Drugwash, thanks for your reply. Your AutoHotKey script sounds great. I reviewed an AHK tutorial, looks ideal for Windows 98. Wish i learned something like AHK or Visual Basic before. As it sometimes takes a lot of hacking to get an extension modified, shame most of these become custom one-offs. Just daydreaming about an organized central Windows 98 repository full of hacked goodies. Everything seems so fragmented now. For anyone getting started with extension hacking, this is something that worked well for me with old extensions that install out-of-the-box. First install the original extension, then just unzip the extension's *.jar file in the user profile chrome directory, hack away, re-zip into a replacement *.jar file, restart browser and test the modifications. Only re-zip everything into a proper *.xpi extension when it works to your liking. Much faster than un/zipping and formally removing/re-installing the entire *.xpi extension for each quick test. Maybe this helps someone save some time and hassle. Reviewed Windows 98 minimum system requirements, though probably slow, crazy it runs on a 486 with 16 MB RAM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_98#System_requirements Kudos to those who still tune and tweak this OS and/or use it as a daily driver.

Learned more about removing extensions from old SeaMonkey v1.1.19 but can't find the link. Manual extension removal is acceptable as there is no about:addons functionality. There was apparently a 'removing extensions' extension but i could not find it. Installed extensions and *.rdf files are stored in the profile's chrome directory, default path: C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Mozilla\Profiles\default\your_profile_name\chrome\ Recommend backing up the SeaMonkey profile, or at least the chrome directory, before surgery. As prevention is better than cure, restoring a good chrome directory after installing extensions that may not be desired is easier than having to remove them later. Manual Messy Method The manual extension removal method is messy and incorrectly modifying *.rdf files causes breakage. These files, however, accumulate cruft when testing and removing extensions. For example, a fresh chrome.rdf file is 2 KB which quickly bloated to 38 KB after testing extensions. 1. Manually delete the *.jar file related to the applicable extension. 2. Use WordPad to delete applicable lines and sections related to removed extensions in the following files. As this is where breakage may occur, it's okay to skip this step if the cruft in these files is acceptable. - chrome.rdf - overlays.rdf - stylesheets.rdf 3. Restart browser, if breakable occurs restore profile and try again or see below. Automated Clean Method This is a cleaner and more automated. After testing extensions and deciding what you want, reset the chrome directory and re-install only keeper extensions. As the browser is outdated, new extensions and updates are not forthcoming anyway. 1. Delete the entire chrome directory, which removes all extensions and configurations. 2. Restart browser, which re-creates a fresh chrome directory. 3. Manually re-install only keeper extensions. 4. Restart browser, nice and clean, everything should work.

Recently upgraded 7-Zip from v3 to v9.20. Works well and can now extract tar.xz files. Nice 7-Zip has provided long term support for older operating systems. Not sure what version they are on now, or even if this is the latest version working for vanilla Windows 98. Good enough, it's often hard to find downloads when many websites are not accessible. Still playing with SeaMonkey extensions. May as well test and grab anything desirable before these old sites go down. All SeaMonkey / old Mozilla add-ons discussed were found on the add-ons links provided quite a few posts earlier. Dropped resurrect extension as it was not useful, commented on in earlier post, will be replaced by a custom script. Added paste_and_go, now a standard feature of full-featured browsers to manually load URLs. Added quickjava-0.4.2.1-mod.xpi. A much older version than mentioned by Drugwash a few posts up. Seems good, i don't use Java but it makes it easy to enable/disable JavaScript from the status bar. Have not yet had time to test what else this old version can block. Added Resizeable_Textarea_0.1a-mod.xpi. Allows resizing text boxes when replying to forum posts, not wider just longer (on this site anyway), semi-useful. Tested video_downloadhelper-3.4-mod.xpi, seems broken for YouTube, did not test other sites, too good to be true. Will find an alternative solution for vanilla Windows 98 that does not require JavaScript or Flash. Edit: Also added undoclosetab.xpi, also now a standard feature on modern browsers. Didn't realize how often i rely on this. This old SeaMonkey is starting to feel a lot less clunky.

Cygwin is a Unix-like command line environment that has not supported Windows 9x for years, not even Windows XP. They provide archived setups that run on Windows 98 but no working legacy repositories could be found through the time machine. Cygwin-lite works, will add a tutorial soon. If anyone knows how to set up a full blown Cygwin install on vanilla Windows 98 please let me know.

Hi siria. Did quick Google tests in Dillo. The issue is only partially useragent related, there appears to be more breakage going on, maybe just a Dillo thing. Also Dillo does not use JavaScript, suspect modern search engines do not like this behaviour. In Dillo a modern useragent now provides cached links but many regular links still remain non-clickable, even featured advertising. The key may be to find a Goldilocks useragent. On old SeaMonkey's default userstring without JavaScript, Google provides clickable results as normal but no cached links. So much for an open, accessible to all internet. Hi Drugwash, thank-you for the information. AFAIK the browser versions mentioned in your post left vanilla Windows 98 behind a long time ago. The add-ons mentioned may be good for those who can modify them for older browsers. Maybe not much new under the sun, just created a prototype helper script too for internet related issues. Presently it also reads/writes to clipboard and i hope to add a URL strip function later. Just curious Drugwash, did your clipboard monitoring script run as an automated daemon or how was it interfaced for user interaction?

Hi siria. Hiding in plain sight, maybe yes. At first i thought it was actual competition, disappointingly not. I don't speak Chinese or Russian, wonder how their search engines fair. Depending on my mood, sometimes wasted hours, sometimes a challenge. If your head gets sore from banging against a wall, eventually it's time to stop. My 25% breakage estimate was conservative, yours is probably accurate. It's frustrating to navigate the web and often too much trouble to repeatedly load a web-proxy. Plus bookmarks created while using the web-proxy don't work. It would be great if a URL could pass through a web proxy without actually visiting the proxy page. Or if a web-proxy could be set up as a permanent browser proxy, but i have yet to find anything like this. I've been testing proxies from the site below in SeaMonkey without success, hoping a less secure proxy might just pass through data as HTTP only (no HTTPS). JavaScript is needed to get the IP Address. Even selecting Anonymity: None fails on pages like https://sourceforge.net. Many proxies are unresponsive. http://www.freeproxylists.net/ Most search engine results obfuscate the target URL, making it a hassle to cut/paste the raw URL into a web-proxy. Google search result link example for Ferrari Wikipedia in SeaMonkey: http://www.google.com/url?q=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwiglLaLtZXmAhVUoZ4KHaKJBgYQFjAAegQICBAB&usg=AOvVaw0fHm2OAw5XYLRBnrqJ9Eo5 If a site does not load, mostly i rely on cached links or just go to another site, which is limiting. You're probably right about archived dates, i will research more, thanks for the earlier link. K-Meleon may be the best browser standing for this old OS, i'm used to Dillo and SeaMonkey. I don't use Google search much but did notice a change. Often in Dillo, the Google search results no longer provide clickable links, now useless. For me Yahoo with cached links is the best, even without JavaScript. Most search engines require JavaScript to access the cached link. My favourite startpage search will probably never work in Windows 98.

Hi siria. The resurrect extension could turn into something more useful, will play around a bit. I installed some Linux tools, a Bash script would be easier for me but may be clunky, as it would be seperate from the browser. This would, however, make it agnostic as everyone is using different browsers. In vanilla the internet is fairly crippled. Without cached pages or a web-proxy at least 25% of pages fail to load. Getting >90% of pages to load would make the system much more functional online. Regarding Internet Archive, the /*/ removal is good. The nearest date, interesting. Personally not interested in various archive dates, although others might like it. The /save/ redirect i've seen too. First i heard of googleweblight, awesome and lightning fast, will incorporate something, thanks for sharing. Worked for me without issue on both Dillo and SeaMonkey v1.1.19 using default useragents: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible, Dillo 3.0) Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Win98; en-US; rv:1.8.1.24) Gecko/20100228 Funny, first read it to be google_we_blight not google_web_light :) My Yahoo search engine in Dillo is good for showing cached links: search_url="Yahoo https://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%s" Interestingly Yahoo uses Microsoft 'Bing' caching. The cached link for a Yahoo 'ferrari' search: http://cc.bingj.com/cache.aspx?q=ferrari&d=... Whois bingj.com: https://www.whois.com/whois/bingj.com Forget to list the other Google cache URL earlier: http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:$url Thank you for sharing your notes.

For vanilla Windows 98 the biggest limitation of the resurrect_pages-1.0.7-mod.xpi extension is that it does not fix the inability to successfully load pages that use newer security protocols. When attempting to load an inaccessible site, right-click selecting 'Resurrect this page' from the main browser window is useless as the extension does not recognize the URL in the address bar, just the failed about:blank browser window. There would be merit in modifying the extension to read the address bar URL directly, or from clipboard, then load the otherwise inaccessible page from Google or Internet Archive cache. It could be another useful tool, in addition to the web-based proxy sites. I speak limited JavaScript but may spend some time on this later or just manually prepend the strings below as needed. The magic URL strings, substitute $url with the actual full URL (eg. https://sourceforge.net). Google cache http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:$url Google cache text mode http://www.google.com/search?strip=1&q=cache:$url The Internet Archive http://web.archive.org/web/$url Note if The Internet Archive redirects to their donation page, even when running without JavaScript there is sometimes an Impatient? link towards the bottom of the page. Clicking the link will hopefully forward the browser to the desired cached page.