Wunderbar98

Thanks for the tip @RainyShadow. It was a formal re-install with multiple reboots. Will try to remember this and probably re-install again should Windows 7 become useful. My preference has always been lean installs. Hi @awkduck, i used this QEMU release in Windows 98 to run Tiny Core Linux for my 'Modern Web Browser Emulation' project. https://msfn.org/board/topic/177106-running-vanilla-windows-98-in-2020-and-beyond/page/21/#comment-1177321 An older Damn Small Linux release was also embedded but i didn't check if it has a different QEMU version. http://distro.ibiblio.org/damnsmall/current/dsl-3.x/ Images aren't handled much here aside from web browsing. Occasionally, however, i open them from hard drive. Thus far i've just been mult-selecting images in Windows Explorer and opening them in RetroZilla, one image per tab. The Image Zoom extension is helpful to re-size images but doesn't provide rotation. It's not as clunky as it seems but if someone has a favourite simple and light image viewer please let me know, i'm used to 'feh' and 'gpicview' in GNU/Linux.

No problem @Bruninho, though a separate thread would improve visibility with your project - good luck, game on. Did a fresh reset install of Windows 7 on my new-used computer last week. The partition structure is new to me, separate boot, Acer reset and C: drive partitions. Acer's built-in software was used to burn the OS reset files and drivers to DVD (x4). It was a pleasant experience, no need to fuss with activation or search online for drivers. All hardware worked without hassle. So this is how the rich do it, so easy. The C: drive directory structure seems an evolution of Windows. Software extras, not optional to disable prior to install, included stuff from Acer, Bing, Norton, Office 2010, etc. The default desktop (and icons) look more like a software sales pitch, granted it's Windows 7 Home Premium. More evolution as Windows 9x had this stuff already too. Even the default Windows firewall was disabled in favour of Norton something or other. Fortunately much of the optional software can be removed. I'm sure there's no end to tweaking options. This base windows 7 install, without any updates (not even SP1) or personal software, was a 22 GB hard drive footprint. My Windows XP installs are typically on 10-20 GB partitions with room to spare, including SP3, NET Framework, personal software and some games. My last Windows 98 install used about 1 GB of a 6 GB partition, including updates and all personal software, excluding games. All Windows 7 eyecandy was activated by default, pleasant enough but gets old quick. Considering the faster dual-core hardware, performance isn't snappy like Windows 98 on much slower hardware. Eventually i may performance tune Windows 7 and disable most eye candy and services but it's unlikely to get booted. Really only if it helps with a future printer or tax software. At present Windows 7 doesn't provide anything i can't get from another OS and i have no nostalgia towards it. Without a formal count, the list of system services is longer than Windows XP and, of course, Windows 9x. Being used to having more control over an OS, it's annoying to get popup confirmations even when running with administrative privilege, like directory access and executable launch. If this was an attempt to make the OS feel more secure, all it does is slow things down, surely this 'feature' can be disabled. I read some are applying POSReady 7 updates, seems support just ended October 2021, should keep the OS modern for a while. ^ No turf war intended, personal opinion based on limited exposure.

Hi @awkduck. Not sure this helps, QEMU v0.8.2 runs fine in vanilla Windows 98, not tested in Windows 95. It can be downloaded and extracted from 'dsl-4.4.10-embedded.zip', includes sdl.dll: http://distro.ibiblio.org/damnsmall/current/

Hi all. With grumbling i still refill cartridges, 20 years now. Most refills are completed before i could drive to a store. Since i don't purchase online i'm limited to local retailers and private sales. I was fortunate to have someone give away free bulk ink a few years ago, all three colours plus black in 1 litre bottles more than half full. At 3-10 ml per refill, should last many years. Unfortunately they can't be refilled forever and i had to buy one new black cartridge last year. The local big box office store only had one cartridge on the shelf and they no longer sell refill kits. Maybe supply chain issue but more likely being phased out. My printers are more than 10 years old and mainline retailers stopped selling these cartridges years ago. You can buy in-store brand refurbished cartridges but i've never tried them. I did watch one YT video that compared the number or print jobs from a new vs refurbished cartridge and the new cartridge printed many more pages. Don't know, maybe 'big printer' got to him. Printer manufacturers have progressively become better at preventing refills - sad. Fortunately my older printers don't have to jump through too many hoops. My Canon MX310, for example, can be reset with the proper hardware button sequence. It will warn about low or uncertain ink but still allow printjobs. No 'chip resetters' or anything fancy needed. My favourite old printer was a Windows 98 friendly HP 882C. It didn't even care if the tri-colour cartridge was dried up and broken, this allowed black/white printing for years. When you physically open a sponge-based cartridge it's amazing how pristine the sponge is (ie. how little ink was injected from manufacturer). I've read most printers estimate ink levels based on the number of print jobs, not how much ink was used. Many printers apparently even count colour cartridge use when printing black and white ('rich black' or 'full colour black'). I always wanted to test this, install a new black and tri-colour cartridge, print consecutive pages of only one black and white word. See how many pages you get, does the colour cartridge get flagged, open it up and inspect how much ink is still inside. Probably varies by manufacturer and printer, however, so not worth wasting perfectly good cartridges and paper. There is a popular ink refill franchise here. A few years ago they had a kiosk in almost every shopping centre, now there is only one location left on the opposite side of town.

I was reluctant to overwrite MBR on my new dual boot. Fortunately GRUB2 was a champ, automagic boot entries below all work. The actual Windows 7 C: drive is /dev/sda3, booted by Windows 7's /dev/sda2 boot partition. Devuan GNU/Linux Windows Recovery Environment (on /dev/sda1) Windows 7 (on /dev/sda2)

Congratulations on your Windows 98 printer @Mr.Scienceman2000, laser printers are nice. Unfortunately all mine are deskjet type for Windows XP and newer. It's getting harder to find local ink cartridges for these too. I'm sure it happens sometimes but i don't recall a printer ever failing, the actual hardware (other than printhead), always those pesky cartridges. Welcome back @Drugwash, you're alive!

Hi @UCyborg. My hardware is 10-20 years old and many of my Windows games more than 20 years old. Had to look up Vulkan - you're chatting with the wrong fellow :) Yes it sounds like good strides but gaming left me behind. Wayland won't be trialed here unless it matures and i get much newer hardware, unlikely on the hardware. Many years ago, probably now improved, i setup SimCopter in Wine and MechWarrior 2 in Windows XP because i didn't have a DOS or Windows 9x setup. IIRC my hardware was too slow for DOSBox, SimCopter never ran well in Wine and MechWarrior 2 (DOS release) was okay but required additional 3rd party files for Windows XP. Since i'm now blessed with appropriate hardware and OS it's my preference to play natively. My situation is probably rare, most run adequate hardware to make DOSBox trivial. If i haven't mentioned before, SimCopter was enhanced and now runs on Windows 10. Guess i'm a tweaker but i do think using terminal is inevitable even if just minor, as you indicated. Most members here are computer enthusiasts so doesn't matter. To me not much different than Windows users using DOS or terminal commands, modifying registry entries or browser about:config settings. The first post was minor edited to correct configuration file data. Note the 'cvt' command can be expanded to get a Modeline for a desired refresh rate, otherwise it defaults to 60 Hz. Just had to use this again on ~12 year old hardware to get desired resolution using Nouveau driver. Examples: # Modeline based on 60 Hz 'cvt 1152 864': Modeline "1152x864_60.00" 81.75 1152 1216 1336 1520 864 867 871 897 -hsync +vsync # Modeline based on 75 Hz 'cvt 1152 864 75': Modeline "1152x864_75.00" 104.00 1152 1224 1344 1536 864 867 871 905 -hsync +vsync The dual-boot Windows 7 system i'm setting up is from Acer, which already hogged 3 primary partitions (boot, Windows 7 OS reset files, C: drive). I didn't want to mess with it as the reset files made it convenient to restore C: drive to factory fresh. My preference is to work with primary partitions. The C: drive was shrunk and a new GNU/Linux partition added using a LiveCD with GParted. A swap file was created, rather than adding a separate swap partition, similar to linked information. https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-add-swap-space-on-ubuntu-20-04

Hi @UCyborg. I had graphic problems, not unsolvable. My 20 year old systems need xorg.conf files or snippets that take experimentation. Each graphic driver has it's own options. One system needed a switch from Openbox to Fluxbox because of screen lag. On another it was necessary to switch out an old ATI card for old NVIDIA. Personally i use GNU/Linux for '2D' and videos, Windows gamers should probably multi-boot. For me running a DOS or Windows game in GNU/Linux (DOSBox, Wine, Steam) is a waste of time - use the correct OS for the application. I know Steam is quite GNU/Linux friendly, so maybe running it with newer hardware is okay. https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-play-pc-games-on-linux Most display/login managers have configuration options, shouldn't be hard to fix. My personal systems use a Window Manager without a login manager. So i just boot to TTY (text), enter username/password, then 'startx'. Xorg is still used here extensively, works fine. Haven't trialed Wayland, query whether it works on my old hardware. Nouveau is used lots here, no real problems but you and i have different graphic uses. With GRUB2 running 'sudo os-prober' dumps additional OS' found to terminal, example below. Previous GRUB releases identified my Windows 98 install correctly. Probably not many users now multi-boot with this old Windows. I could report a bug or manually modify the boot menu entry but i'm lazy, it still identifies a Windows release. Fortunately Windows 2000 and Windows XP still show correctly. /dev/sda1:MS-DOS 5.x/6.x/Win3.1:MS-DOS:chain Then 'sudo update-grub' automagically updates /boot/grub/grub.cfg and the MBR (previous location). The 'sudo grub-install ..' command specifies which partition or MBR to install boot function. It can also be installed to all MBRs if desired. Using 32-bit hardware narrows the field. Thankfully my favourite distributions still support it and i'm transitioning to 64-bit. Debian the 'Universal Operating System' probably runs on more architectures than any other OS. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debian#Architectures My 64-bit hardware runs 64-bit GNU/Linux and 64-bit software when available, example web browser. Here Windows XP 32-bit runs nice on my 64-bit hardware. To each their own i guess. Funny so many years after 64-bit release we're still having these conversations (1970s supercomputers, late 1990s more common). For those terminal adverse, good luck, only half joking. Many distributions are user friendly - run installer from CD / USB and press Enter 10x to accept defaults. Probably won't be long though before using a terminal, personal preference anyway. Even the friendliest GUI distributions, like Puppy Linux, eventually require poking around under the hood. For some the 'apropos your_query' command (search manual page names and descriptions) is useful to find system commands and information and auto-complete is your friend. Most commands have a man(ual) page. Note running something like 'man grub2' won't work, as manuals are often split into specific commands. For example, run 'apropos grub' to identify the 'grub-install' command, then 'man grub-install' to read up on it's purpose and usage. Of course the internet knows all and most distributions have decent forums.

Happy New Year all! Hi @Bruninho, me too, 7-Zip v9.20, magic. Hi @UCyborg. I stopped reading 'how many computers' when someone mentioned something like 40+. Here six are used, probably typical for a modern household that likes computing (office, hobby, graphics, media centre, kitchen/portable). I don't travel much anymore but for me that would be the most beneficial use of a smartphone (maps, restaraunts, gas stations). Before smartphones some were using dedicated map devices, not sure these exist anymore, probably need to subscribe too. Hi @NotHereToPlayGames. Agreed desktops are usually superior but laptops are, well, portable. In my younger years many sportbikes (Ninja, GSXR) were used for a speed fix. Now that it's apparent we're all suffering in this polluted fishtank my travels and consumption are minimal. Here same, take advantage of cash-back/point systems, pay in full every month. When SHTF though, cash-back won't matter much. If you don't mind, i'll push one of your turbos out of the way and park my van on your driveway for a few years (good movie). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3722070/ QEX2 v1.10 (full function shareware, donations, Windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP) was recently installed to convert text documents into *.pdb (Palm Database files) for reading articles in my Palm Tungsten (PDFs converted to text via GNU/Linux 'pdftotext' command). http://qland.de/software/qex2/index.html

Hi @msfntor, sounds like 'floaters'. For most a nuisance that needs to be tolerated but the root cause can be urgent. Modern living is hard on our eyes. Too many screens and bright lights, small living spaces. Remember the 20/20/20 rule, rest (close) your eyes when possible and train yourself to blink deliberately and slowly. It probably won't fix the problem but your eyes should feel better overall. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/eye-floaters/symptoms-causes/syc-20372346

Thanks for your generous offer @D.Draker. Seems a fair way to gift a game during a pandemic, I graciously accept. The main game is more than enough, thank-you. If you want to PM the game ID that would be great. If we're both still active here when i finish, i'll notify you and purge all gaming content, then it's all yours again! The extraction still fails in Windows XP trialing Universal Extractor 2 RC3. Error popup indicates 'data1.hdr could not be extracted' and 'it appears to be an InstallShield Installer, which is supported, but extraction failed'. The log file isn't useful (to me). I think the Universal Extractor 2 documentation indicated Windows XP was only partially supported, maybe that's the problem. Doesn't matter, 'unshield' in GNU/Linux was used to extract 'data2.cab' (43 MB) directly via command line to get the patched 'SpellForce.exe' (10113024 bytes). Game on. Hi @Mr.Scienceman2000, i usually use the lesser computer to get the job done too. Posting here with 1.8 GHz Windows 98 seems a waste of horsepower. Hi @UCyborg, impressive downclocking to 800 MHz single core, my favourite CPU speed. Using modern bank sites while trying to avoid swap with 384 MB RAM is a challenge here. Depending on the site, it's sometimes amazing how many JavaScript domains can be blocked via NoScript or similar. Thus far i'm still able to get all finance done on non-SSE2 and non-64-bit systems but it's difficult, hence the 64-bit purchase. One finance site, using an older SeaMonkey with dated JavaScript handling, the dollar amount input field doesn't work. The work-around is to open SeaMonkey's Developer Tools and change the JavaScript enabled input field from 'type=text' to 'type=number'. Then i can bypass the 'text' processing JavaScript and enter my dollar value. Here a smartphone isn't required yet. If it does i'll become a van dweller and pay cash for everything. Actually i'm slowly modifying my old truck. Used to be 'preppers' were sort of extremist. With the climate change problems experienced in my country this year, now it's just common sense to have an emergency plan. If i need to evacuate i'll grab my Windows 98 system first (just joking), i'll stay in my truck vs a virus infected hotel anyday. Hi @RainyShadow, sorry just saw your PM now. Notifications don't seem to show correctly in RetroZilla, will check it out, thanks again.

Thank-you for the notes and links @Dixel. The files were downloaded but Universal Extractor fails with the Gold edition patch on both Windows 98 (Universal Extractor v1.5) and Windows XP (fresh patch download, Universal Extractor v1.6 portable). Attempting to extract data1.hdr in Windows 98 provides an empty error log (uniextract.txt) but a Universal Extractor error popup indicates 'appears to be a supported InstallShield CAB archive'. In Windows XP the uniextract.txt error log indicates 'An exception occured, this might be a new version of InstallShield not supported at the moment'. AFAIK v1.6 is last release of Universal Extractor, the systems used are 32-bit, non-SSE2. No reply required as i may never get to the game. When the time comes i'll patch SpellForce to v1.38. If there are CD checks and i own the CD, no problem my systems have optical drives. Christmas came and went, still busy but relaxed a bit. Aside from a little FreeCell there was no gaming, so yeah not much of a gamer anymore. Lesson learned, enjoy games when you're young and don't assume you'll always have time when you get a little older. After a few months of checking finally bought another used system. I was open to Pentium 4 for an ultimate Windows 98 multi-boot but ended up purchasing a newer Acer Aspire (2010 era, 64-bit, 2.8 GHz dual-core, Windows 7). The hardware will be refurbished and Windows 7 OS reset. Windows 7 probably won't be used but may come in handy for income tax software (most vendors here dropped Windows XP). Never used a Windows release this new, everything throbs and glows. Apparently Windows 7 was supported until early 2020 so should provide a decent user experience. The system will primarily be used for secure web browsing and data handling via BSD or GNU/Linux. For anyone price checking this used Acer Aspire AX1400-E3802 was purchased for $50 CDN (about 5 Big Mac meals). It included a 20" LCD monitor, new in package PS2 mouse and keyboard, used desktop speakers plus subwoofer, used HP printer and used router. The router is newer than mine and not provided by my ISP, so may switch over. As this Acer supports good old fashioned VGA and PS2, i can stop fretting over a 'can of worms' upgrade to Raspberry Pi4 (HDMI mini converter, HDMI monitor, USB mouse/keyboard). In all my years only two new 'modern' systems were ever purchased. My custom Windows 98 build in 1999 and an HP Mini netbook in 2009 (runs great, portable business use). Up until now i never paid for used hardware but ended up purchasing two used systems in 2021. The first a Dell Vostro (2010 era, 64-bit, 3.2 GHz dual-core, Windows XP) and now this Acer Aspire. Both are capable and overpowered for my needs. Pending hardware failure they should be good for 10+ years. Unfortunately the Vostro has IME (Intel Management Engine), still good for unimportant computing, which prompted this Acer purchase. Apparently AMD didn't introduce PSP (Platform Security Processor) until 2014/2015. My needs are fairly basic so there was no need to maximize hardware before Intel IME / AMD PSP.

The Insert key likewise slow scrolls up, also not mentioned in 'Keys' popup. Unfortunately it does not repeat when held down. Official slow scroll up/down keys are the letters 'p' and 'l'. My hands don't always hover there so Insert/Delete is convenient.

Thank-you for the SpellForce tips @Dixel, feel free to post or send the link. I will hoard the patch and get the game if i find a private local sale (physical copy) or they change licensing. I've been a good boy respecting licensing and don't do Steam, GOG, shipping and online purchases. Dungeon Siege isn't the best but it's fun, can be played when dozy. It was purchased from a clearance bin when i was a Chris Carter fan. I own his masterpieces Total Annihilation (1997, Windows 95) and Total Annihilation: Commander Pack (includes 275 page paper strategy guide). Less than one quarter of the missions have been played - wannabe gamer. Thanks for the input @RainyShadow. I never used a MUD just old school Dungeons and Dragons, until my Momma threw it away. I must be mistaken, zMUD seems to support Windows XP. http://www.zuggsoft.com/zmud/zmudinfo.htm Just checked out eXoDOS, thanks. I don't DOSBox or emulation (much) but did notice at least 7200 DOS games, cool. Pasting their site information below, as it's not always easy or convenient to set up a DOS machine today. Link intentionally omitted as there may be several (thousand) licensing issues :) --- eXoDOS is an attempt to catalog, obtain, and make playable every game developed for the DOS and PC Booter platform. We strive to find original media rather than using scene rips or hacks. This collection uses DOSBox to allow these older games to play on modern systems. Games supported by ScummVM give the user a choice between emulators. All required emulators are included and have been setup to run all included titles with no prior knowledge or experience required on the users part. This pack includes 7,200 DOS games. The focus is on games that were either released in English or are fairly easy to play without a knowledge of the native language. This is not every DOS game ever made, however it is a very high percentage of all commercial releases. There are thousands of freeware, homebrew, and shareware games that will continue to be added in future packs. The games have already been configured to run in DOSBox. Games which are supported by ScummVM will give you the option at launch as to which emulator you would like to use. --- Thanks for the information @Mr.Scienceman2000. Long live DOS, Windows 9x, Gopher protocol and now BBS ! If anyone using old browsers can't see linked images (blankspace), the image URL is associated with filtering the HTML source for 'spacer.png'. The 'Planets' image from @Mr.Scienceman2000. https://msfn.org/board/uploads/monthly_2021_12/planet.GIF.f404f305a315fb9793c27a89cbd1aadf.GIF Re-watched The World Is Not Enough (Bond, 1999). Greed, power, pipelines and oil - not much has changed. Moneypenny was already using a flatscreen, lots of CRTs in the movie too. GPS with waterway mapping used on the Bond speedboat. A Hewlett-Packard PDA running Windows CE. Elektra, villainess, may have been running an NT based Windows setup (didn't want to pause the VCR). A reference to the millenium bug - Windows 98 still runs fine in 2021 - phew. Best part a few minute tribute to Desmond Llewelyn (1914 - 1999 RIP) at the beginning of the tape, his last appearance was in this movie. He apparently played 'Q' in 17 Bond films, starting in 1963.

This Links v2.25 port to DOS is indeed stable and good. Couple recent discoveries. The right-click 'open (link) in new window' actually opens up a new 'window'. Although tabs aren't supported, 'windows' are managed similarly via the Windows dropdown or keyboard (Alt-F1 to Alt-F#). If more than one window is running the 'q' (quit) key closes only the active window. Not documented in the 'Keys' (keyboard shortcut) pop-up, on this keyboard the Delete key allows scrolling two lines at a time. This is a nice discovery, as scrolling via up/down arrow is sometimes jumpy (jump from link to link). Slow scrolling via mouse can also be done by holding down middle mouse button plus up/down and, of course, Page Up/Down and Home/End keys to move about quickly.

You didn't miss anything @Mr.Scienceman2000, Online Services installed affiliate components from America Online, AT&T WorldNet Service, CompuServe and Prodigy Internet. Web TV for Windows, never used here, includes WaveTop Data Broadcasting (WaveTop capability to your TV tuner) and the actual WebTV for Windows. I'm not sure my Windows 98 SE install CD has the channel bar. I've seen single player BBS games like Minesweeper and Dope Wars. Are you also able to play interactive games with friends or just record high scores? BBS was never used here. In 1999 i subscribed to newsgroups via Outlook Express until Google groups infiltrated and changed to an HTML format that required JavaScript. Watched a very good YT video @D.Draker 'The Story of SpellForce: The Order of Dawn in 7 minutes' (lots of spoilers). Very beautiful game, like the combination of RTS and roleplaying. Someday i hope to finish the Dungeon Siege (original 2002, Win98/ME/2000/XP) multi-player map (Utraean Peninsula), half done. Large world, lots of monsters, playing single player (no network or party members). I find it more fun than the single player campaign (Kingdom of Ehb map) as there are no party members or pack mule to micro-manage. The character's ranged (archery) and nature magic (healing) skills were intentionally developed to change the gameplay and strategy. The single-player game (Kingdom of Ehb map) was finished a long time ago. Good game, nice graphics, more of a hack-n-slash (walk 10 paces, fight enemies, repeat). Neverwinter Nights (BioWare 2002, Win98/ME/2000/XP) still sits in the cabinet. A lower spec Windows 95 build was planned (450 MHz, 64 MB) but i can't spare a power supply. FreeDOS released 1.3RC5 this month.

Yeah still neat to see trickle development for DOS and old systems @Mr.Scienceman2000. I am also thankful for the 'modding community', who extended the re-playability of my old games. Thanks for your enthusiastic post on a garbage topic @D.Draker. TBH all Bonds are pretty tacky, to me the early (1960s) releases were best. Not sure they stand the test of time well, amazing the franchise is still around. Never heard of SpellForce, will check it out, thanks for the suggestion. As reported on the previous page (DMA Tuning), the best my old 5400 RPM drive could manage on my faster 1.8 GHz Windows 98 was 11.4 MB/s. Using the same AIDA32 benchmark test, 20.6 MB/s on my slower 800 MHz Windows 98. Definitely explains why my slower system often feels more responsive. Oh well, the systems are installed, tweaked and stable, not going to swap drives. Noticed a couple issues recently, wanted to share if it helps someone. Don't ask how much time was wasted troubleshooting. It's often difficult to pinpoint the cause when configuration changes are completed long before a problem gets noticed. Add/Remove Programs -> Windows Setup tab -> Multimedia -> Audio Compression. This is necessary for some, not all, built-in system sounds, like C:\Windows\Media\START.WAV. If Audio Compression is not installed, this WAV file won't play if configured as a system sound or in Windows Media Player v6.4. Add/Remove Programs -> Windows Setup tab -> Multimedia -> Video Compression. This is necessary to playback some video files, such as AVI files in games like EarthSiege II. If Video Compression is not installed, the game's introduction video, for example, plays black screen with sound only. My systems are not 'lite' but reasonably lean. Everyone has different preferences. Many Windows Setup options are outdated, unnecessary or undesirable. The following provides a functional system without too much clutter. Add/Remove Programs -> Windows Setup tab -> Installed: Accessibility 0/2 Accessories 5/12 (Calculator, Games, Imaging, Paint, WordPad) Address Book 0/1 Communications 0/9 Desktop Themes 0/17 Internet Tools 0/5 Multilanguage Support 0/5 Multimedia 4/9 (Audio Compression, CD Player, Video Compression, Volume Control) Online Services 0/4 Outlook Express 0/1 System Tools 1/10 (System Monitor) Web TV for Windows 0/2

Most of my hardware was received used, more than 10 years old, often poorly or not maintained. As my systems get older and precious, more energy is spent refurbishing hardware. For me the 1-3 year category is ideal, these systems don't run 24/7. A sticky is placed on the tower after cleaning, noting the date and whether the processor was re-seated with fresh thermal paste. Priority is given to systems with the most estimated runtime. My shop is indoors so a vacuum and dry brushes are used. Everything gets pulled, contacts cleaned and re-seated. Power supplies are given special attention, opened up and thoroughly cleaned. One power supply was so dirty it is doubtful there was any cooling airflow. Congratulations on fixing your audio jack @UCyborg.

Thanks for the information @Bruninho and @Mr.Scienceman2000, will keep an eye out if i watch these again. Re-watched Tomorrow Never Dies (Bond, 1997), one Bond per week on VHS til end of year, no newer broody-Bond here. Paraphrased from poor memory, Elliot Carver (Carver Media Center bad guy, world domination through information control) in video conference asks a crony whether the software is ready. Crony replies, yes with bugs as requested, users will be forced to update for years. Good storyline, amazing humanity has not yet destroyed itself. Holiday season approaches and many probably won't be socializing as much. Maybe time to fire up some old gaming hardware. I used to think myself a gamer but was too busy back in the day and now don't play much anyway. FPS now make me nauseous. Estimating Windows 9x era total game title count seems difficult. The Archive_dot_org site indicates 7263 MS-DOS games (hard to believe, query unique) while Wikipedia indicates only 2418 DOS games. Not sure Windows 9x can play them all though (ie. backwards compatability of DOS v7.10). Of course there were also many non-DOS (Windows) titles for Windows 9x era (1990s - 2005-ish). I don't have a count estimate, for sure hundreds. By comparison it appears Playstation 2 may be the most prolific console. Wikipedia indicates over 3800 titles, don't think this includes backwards compatible Playstation (original) games. Regardless, Windows 9x era gaming appears to give the venerable Playstation a good run for most playable games on a system.

OpenOffice hasn't been updated since 2014 (didn't realize). https://www.libreoffice.org/discover/libreoffice-vs-openoffice/ Correction @UCyborg, 'Does average mortal have anything to gain by worrying about anything?' No but we do anyway. The systemd software, for example, works. It just turned the GNU/Linux community upside down, as it is more than a simple 'init' system, breaking the Unix philosophy of minimalist, modular software development. And, as @Mr.Scienceman2000 indicated, dependency issues with lots of software. So to many it's neither mimimalist or modular. Now that it's mainstream, distributions not desiring this 'init' system have to put forth extra effort. Personally, run what you want, what do i care. This forum is full of members running all sorts of interesting stuff. I think the fear was that it would take over the entire GNU/Linux ecosystem and become more similar to Windows, no disrespect intended. From what i see the various GNU/Linux communities are strong, there's lots of diversity and it's still possible to run as lean and modular as desired. It also seems to have spurned more interest (diversity) in 'init' systems. To me this can only be a good thing, especially regarding OS attack vectors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy https://www.howtogeek.com/675569/why-linuxs-systemd-is-still-divisive-after-all-these-years/ Since this is in Windows 9x sub-forum and some may be using smaller drives, recommend reviewing anticipated hard drive footprint before installing the distribution of choice. The smallest distributions require only a few hundred megabytes while full-featured distributions many gigabytes.

Hi @Mr.Scienceman2000, thanks for your feedback. The simplest definition of 'fan' was implied, 'a person who has a strong interest in or admiration for a particular person or thing'. Fanatical fan, that's different. Similarly, nothing derogatory was implied with 'beloved (mobile or old) Windows software'. Thanks to this forum i have a large hoard. Blue vs Red pill, yes easier to be happy not knowing. Sometimes i wonder if that's why entertainment and social media are so strong, another method to avoid the truth about a multitude of significant, earth-changing and depressing issues. I have no doubt you're a GNU/Linux user, you use it for more tasks than used here. If you use LibreWolf and SeaMonkey then, of course, Mozilla-based isn't viewed as pure evil (yet). Concerning is that without Mozilla's involvement, most systems requiring full-featured browsers would almost exclusively run Chrome-based. I'm aware of ungoogled-chromium, but still. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:StatCounter-browser-ww-monthly-202011-202011-bar.png Your general rule seems accurate. For me this was the end of the Windows 9x era (Microsoft) and mainstream adoption of overly complex GNU/Linux software, systemd for example. To me software in general has become overly complex and following KISS principle is usually best. Eventually i may likely use BusyBox-based systems or OpenBSD exclusively, hand-pick a few applications. --- Interesting snippet from a Tiny Core Linux post a few days ago: I've had the great pleasure of communicating with some REAL OG's of unix. Some of our forefathers so to speak. Quite a few these days have resigned themselves to just running the terminal inside their Apple Macs. Some may be doing likewise in an Ubuntu or sometimes a *BSD box. Lamenting about how there are too many "distributions" are out there, or simply giving up with a big-box computer. ---

Your oldest hardware i would call fast @NotHereToPlayGames. GNU/Linux isn't for everyone, i use old Debian and current Devuan, check out Distrowatch. If all you want is a modern browser, Tiny Core Linux with latest Firefox, they use a script called firefox_get_latest or similar, the entire OS and browser should be about 300 MB. If Windows XP is already drive one, partition one, then GParted from a liveCD can shrink the Windows partition, add GNU/Linux partitions for the filesystem and swap (defrag Windows XP first). If you want to lean out your Windows XP installation partition, for leaner backups of the XP operating system, create a second NTFS partition first to transfer 'My Documents' data. You won't need to re-install Windows XP, unless user error, though a full backup beforehand is a good idea. The suggestion from @Gansangriff is very good if you can spare a second drive. Physically disconnect the Windows XP drive before the GNU/Linux install to prevent accidental over-write. After GNU/Linux is installed, reconnect the Windows XP drive (as primary). From here you can simply choose which system to boot from the BIOS or computer's boot screen (drive 1 Windows XP, drive 2 GNU/Linux). More common, re-configure Grub2 (whatever boot loader) and install it to MBR of either drive (or both). If using Grub2 then commands like 'sudo os-prober' and 'sudo grub-install' will find Windows XP and you have a happy dual-boot. Now your Windows XP install, which took lots of time to set up and customize, can regularly be backed up to the second/separate physical drive with a copy/paste or 'sudo cp -axv ...' command, no future Windows XP re-install should ever be needed on that hardware. Since i personally consider modern GNU/Linux more secure than Windows XP, and you'll likely use GNU/Linux for sensitive browsing like banking, one advantage is Windows XP won't have access to a GNU/Linux filesystem. GNU/Linux will still be able to mount and access FAT and NTFS, so file sharing can go in that direction.

Call me fan @Mr.Scienceman2000, no problem, DOS and Unix based despite flaws. What i don't understand is ranting and complaining. I recently had a Windows 98 fragmentation issue that took lots of time to test, troubleshoot and find obscure documentation. No rant, just another puzzle to solve. GNU/Linux has been good to me, pros greatly outweigh the cons. If the Mozilla bashing thread has fizzled, maybe start a Linux bashing thread, then a thread about fellow members who don't know what they are talking about or whatever else makes you rage. Eventually the reflection will become an angry, old man. Use your time how you see fit, really what's the point. Fly away if you want, personally it would be nice if you stayed, your inputs are (still) appreciated. I'll share some dirt, two most frustrating computing experiences, that's why they're memorable. An ISA sound card with dip switches (no documentation or internet help) in my early Windows 98 days and the first time a Samba network was installed at the office (GNU/Linux and Windows file and print sharing). Both tasks took far longer and were more frustrating than anticipated. In both cases the hardware and software worked fine, i just needed some learning and experience. I never needed another ISA card and now i have good Samba notes with a working config file example, subsequent setups took a fraction of the effort. Whatever works best for the use case, of course, the purpose of multi-boot, use the strength of every system. This has extended the productive life of my old hardware many years. Most kernel contributions are corporate, bad old Microsoft, at least they don't have full control yet (embrace, extend, extinguish). Eventually something big will surface and users will flee, it's all shifting sand. Use a different distribution, avoid systemd, PulseAudio, D-Bus, blobs, Mozilla and Chrome. Use a hardened or custom kernel, simple/lean distributions and software, Linux from Scratch. How far down the rabbit hole.. There have never been more OS options, switch to BSD or many other choices. To me the future isn't bright though, poor moral compass and corporate greed will win. Eventually probably just turn off the computer as much as possible and enjoy other pursuits. To me computing isn't nearly as fun as the earlier, more innocent, days of the internet. Henceforth all heavy software will more appropriately be called full-featured @UCyborg. Even though my hardware is limited, full-featured software is required on a daily basis (office suite, browser). Hi @Gansangriff, in general newer LibreOffice releases aren't much more useful for me, review the changelogs. I do remember, however, from v3 to v5 or v6 they added extra image manipulation features inside Word document tables, something that was useful here. The rapid update cycle gets tiring, though. We use fairly complex spreadsheets and on one occasion a major LibreOffice release required re-working some tabbed-sheet formulas. Since most here don't use 20 year old hardware (22 year old BIOS), LibreOffice load time was tested on an 11 year old Windows XP dual-boot. after fresh Devuan Beowulf boot running MATE desktop. First load of LibreOffice to a new text document was 15 seconds, decent (2010 era, 3.2 GHz dual core, 64-bit, SATA drive).

To anyone posting, please read the thread title carefully. It's purpose is not to compete with your beloved (mobile or old) Windows software, it's to provide a viable solution for old Windows 9x era hardware in the modern era. Old Windows fans, who don't want Microsoft's latest, need solutions for a modern computing environment. To anyone who follows tech news, it's evident they are still using the same playbook: behind the scenes upgrades to Windows 10, difficulty changing default browser, 'Shopping with Microsoft Edge', etc. As @NotHereToPlayGames indicated, 'Office 365 and LibreOffice (the only two options available on company computers)'. If you're farting around at home, doesn't matter. If you need inter-office compatability it's a big deal. And of course the breaking point for all these good old Windows systems is always the web browser, that's another story. So no, newer isn't always better, rarely better actually..but often required. LibreOffice as a project needs to compete with latest Microsoft, not Word 97. If Microsoft adds features and LibreOffice lags, they are no longer a viable alternative. A software monopoly should not be tolerated (or supported). Here's the history of Microsoft Word, of course they already knew basic documents and spreadsheets years ago. The churning adds new features, forced upgrade, more dollars: Word for DOS, Word for Windows 1989 to 1995, Word 95, Word 97, Word 98, Word 2000, Word 2001, Word 2002/XP, Word 2003, Word 2004, Word 2007, Word 2008, Word 2010, Word 2011, Word 2013, Word 2016, Word 2019, Word included with Office 365. Office 365 requirements (Windows): - 1.6 GHz or faster, 2-core - 4 GB RAM or 2 GB RAM (32-bit) - 4 GB of available disk space - 1280 x 768 screen resolution - Graphics hardware acceleration requires DirectX 9 or later - Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016 - The current version of Microsoft Edge, Safari, Chrome, or Firefox - Some features may require .NET 3.5 or 4.6 and higher https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-and-office-resources#coreui-heading-5dcqxz4 LibreOffice requirements (GNU/Linux release): - Pentium-compatible PC (Pentium III, Athlon or more-recent system recommended) - 256Mb RAM (512 MB RAM recommended) - Up to 1.55 GB available hard disk space - X Server with 1024x768 resolution, with at least 256 colors https://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/system-requirements/ Why the bar is always set higher for open source projects, GNU/Linux included, while most force upgrade is beyond comprehension. So when referring to competitve, large scale, modern projects like office suites, where's the bloat exactly? As indicated, this Devuan Beowulf install runs on 20 year old hardware with a hard drive footprint of 3.2 GB. This includes core operating system, graphics, sound, helper applications, window manager (Openbox), 4 web browsers (Dillo, Firefox-ESR, SeaMonkey, Links2), full featured file manager (Caja), music player (Audacious), video player (Mplayer) and LibreOffice. I don't see the load times others are reporting, my LibreOffice test results were reported earlier.

Hi all. We could all list progressively lighter software, which would in turn have less features or become less compatible in modern environments. I could happily write a novel using vi but that wouldn't interest anyone. To re-iterate, the 45 second load time for LibreOffice above is using an 800 MHz system, not many use this hardware today as daily driver. To me it's a good accomplishment: full featured office suite, open source, continuous development, thousands of commits, more features, constantly striving for inter-office compatability, same load time with less RAM than 10 years ago. Hopefully the coders won't think their life's work gets summarized as 'absolutely appaling' @Gansangriff. The memory footprint of a relatively modern LibreOffice in GNU/Linux is 33 MB, what are you referring to when you indicated Open Office at '106,2 MB' (RAM use, package size)? On same hardware with a fresh boot, old RetroZilla loads in 15 seconds in Windows 98 SE while the latest SeaMonkey (non-SSE2 capable hardware) loads in 39 seconds in GNU/Linux. By my estimate RetroZilla is a half-functional browser (basic browser functions, loads most pages, poor rendering, no JavaScript). In comparison, this SeaMonkey still works well on > 90% of websites. Personal preference, i'm not going to discard old hardware or relegate it hobby status because i've run out of fingers and toes to count load times. If RetroZilla took more than twice the time to load but provided the same functionality as a newer SeaMonkey then Windows 98 would still be a viable sole operating system, sadly it's not. There are almost always work-arounds for older hardware, though it's not always feasible to use the lightest alternatives, mostly learn some patience and enjoy the experience. Even modern computing with new hardware and latest browsers has load times but we've all developed work-arounds, such as loading browser tabs in the background.