Fredledingue

Thanks MDGx, At least i see that one person has been testing it. I'm working actively on the system restore project and a more graphiocal (hta) interface (maybe a progress bar too). It looks very promising. I'm very exited about that now. I hope to release a pre-beta version in two or three weeks.

Solved! Basicaly I had problems with all players and editors I tried. Now it seems it's fixed. I think my system was sort of in a mess. I had other issues (errors, programs non functioning etc) non related to wmv or multimedia which obliged me to reinstall windows and I had thousands of problem reinstalling it and reinstalling drivers which for no reason were uninstalled during the windows reinstall (crashes, BSODs, everything). Now it seems it's bcak to normal. Big disapointement for me: My installed file checker script were of no use in this case... (I think i'v been victim of virus while trying a freeware).

If autoexec is erased after windows has started (basicaly after the desktop is visible) you can put this script in the Start/programs/startup folder so that at every start it will check it out.

Actualy I'm using mplayer2.exe as my dfault player. No other player would open wmv files but this one. Under "porperties" mplayer2 tells me that wmv9 and 8 are both installed.

You should try to find out when the autoexec.bat get wiped off. Here is a small script allowing you to restore autoexec.bat. It checks if the batch file has less than 10 bytes (practicaly empty) and copy autoexec.bak under .bat. Make sure autoecex.bak is identical to theautoexec.bat (open the two files in Notepad) (you can use another name or extention if you want, if you modify this script). Copy-paste the following code in Notepad and save it under Autoexec_restore.vbs. create a shortcut to this script on your desktop for easy access. Set fso = createobject("scripting.filesystemobject") If fso.getfile("C:\autoexec.bat").size < 10 Then fso.getfile("C:\autoexec.bak").Copy "C:\autoexec.bat" MsgBox "Autoexec.bat restored!",,"Autoexec restore" End If HTH

WMV9 codecs installed (see MDGx list of update or website). Wmplayer.exe doesn't exists (deleted) mplayer.exe can open and play all the wmv files on my PC but no other application would. Even a simple player like FastStone player is unable to open WMV files (plays well all the other types), decoders and editors won't open wmv files neither. Only mplayer.exe seems to be able to open them. Can it be because wmplayer.exe is not found or is it a codcs problem? I don't know the codec version in which the files have been encoded.

I also relax sometimes (not often I must say) in font of the old defag. On my HD there are often "stairs" patterns. Sometimes repeated on a large area (about one hundred of the same conbination of 3 stairs of 5 or 10 clusters each). This happens when I compress viddo and delete the uncompressed movie. Sometimes there is one or two block lost in a huge white area...

IMO these two lines are superflous: Temp IS in "C:\windows\temp" by default. It's useful if you want to set it to another location.

new update!

new update! Visit My Website

I also thought of a couple of things to add in the "readme" file for this package: -Not only the included fixes, but also what it doesn't include. Seems overkill? No it isn't. For example if it doesn't include updates for IE, WMA codecs or DirectX, it might be useful to know it. -Give a date of the latest update included. I do NOT mean a date of release for the package. I mean the date of release of the most recent update or file included so that we can look for updates following this one. Usefule to know which patch must be applied post-Maximus Decim Cumulative Update 2.30.

There is no "shell viewer". There are viewer software assiociated with certain file types. This can be modified throught the "view" --> "folder option" --> "file types" menu in Explorer. Just a little search on No Nags or other good stware download sites and you will find dozen of pretty nice free viewer to use with w98.

drugWash, I was kidding... I'm just wondering how you do without recycle bin... do still press Shift+Del when you are 100% sure you want to delete the file? How psychologicaly this affected your computer life... Is it like a yoga or something? Do you consider yourself an "uber geek" or a "high tech masochist"? You realy NEVER need to undelete anything or do think "my fault anyway, should have known before"?

No, XP is not "extremely stable": Just got a BSOD yesterday on our XP platform. Bad luck heh? But back to topic: If someone used w98se until today and finaly bought a Vista license, he probably bought a new computer since Vista requirement is "new computer" and "as much processor speed and ram as money can buy". In the rare cases some crazy ones had the idea to try Vista on a 3~4 years old computer they definetly had a bad surprise and swiftly went back to w98se. Yet they stayed in the stats as "Vista user".

Then I guess you have an "Undelete" software icon on your desktop instead. Because I can't imagine someone deciding to throw a system file in the dustbin...

Reading what Drugwash is doing to his OS, I can say that there are poeple doing wierd things on their computer. Why disabling the dustbin? Never have to restore any item?

Religion? Yeah, there are a lot of Firefox advocates, but here is the core idea: any browser but IE-based ones. Why? Insecure, and has bad support for web standards, even promoting the use of non-standard ones (what do you think those coloured scroll bars and ActiveX are?). When you use IE, you're holding the web back and causing a lot of grief to web developers who have to keep their sites compatible with IE because of its browser user share. I'm sorry for this off-topic post, but I can't stand this kind of ignorance/undeserved bashing. I'm not bashing Firefox. I'm just saying that I feel good with Maxthon (which is safer than plain IE). Displays well so far.

I'v done much of what you did ManiacOtaku, except deleting Autoexec.bat and the color depth (why do you do that if you have good graphics?). +replaced Notepad by an alternative one (Metapad) (I did so long before uSP2.1 included metapad) +replaced Calc by another one (finaly wrote one myslef) +replaced Explorer by Xplorer2 (well not realy replaced, but notusing it anymore) +deleted all Netscape and AOL references in registry and files (quite a big work if you ask me) +Added Eppie +Created and Added BigOpenBox (see my site on my sig) +Added Maxthon (I know the new religion tells you to install Firefox, but I like maxthon even if ituses the IE core) +Mounted up a virtual ramd disk for all the temp files, Caches and stuffs that I don't need on the long term +Left only the "Show desktop" shortcut in Quick Launch (very useful) and maybe other things I forgot...

Tilstad, What you say is true and chilling. I admit. Personaly my PC usage didn't change in 4 years since I built my w98 machine. But you autocat example is true as is my whife's corel draw. No corel draw on w98. Most professional software will ever install on w98 and if they still do they won't in a foreseable future. On the other hand, w98 evoluated fast enough until now. Had w98 stayed the same since 1999, it would be a pretty usuless OS by now indeed. And what was thought to be impossible on w98 5 years ago is merely a basic update now. But as you said, big software will probably never install on w98. But software developers and manufacturers will also have to rethink the notion of OS dependancy and think of making their product non-OS dependant because of the increasing number of poeple using an increasingly various range of alternative OSes as M$ reached a plateau in its Windows developement but others just start to kick off. I find very pittyful that we must install such and such OSes to run a program. That shouldn't be.

I'v downloaded it. Many thanks to MaxD!!! But I would like to know how this package position itself in regard to uSP.2.1a... Is it a post-uSP2.1 update or a full upgrade since year 1998? Do I need to install uSP2.1 or not? If yes, before or after? etc... It's wierd that the readme mentions nowhere the uSP...

One explanation for /2: Notepad was replaced in Metapad. -download the last version of Metapad because on my PC the Ctrl+5 ( attention: [Numpad 5] ) works and I know that in the last version hotkeys has changed. -Install another notepad alternative -Restore Notepad (not recommanded because original notepad realy sucks)

Thanks a lot! I guess I will have to write that on a sheet of paper...

Theoricaly, if I reformat my drive and re-install windows 98SE fromt he original CD and if I have 1 Gb of memory, I will have a BSOD... because the fix hasn't yet been applied. So, what should I do? Am I obliged to remove one of the two 512Mb stick or not? Thanks.

The problem is that there is not enough developer working freely for w98. Only Xeno has brought an attempt to modify the core of the w98 system to a point it's not w98 anymore and can become a real alternative. Unfortunately Xeno seems to have put his kernal project on"hold" if not abandonned yet. Others made lots of cool stuffs but only in the cosmetic branch. The rest and the most useful so far has been picking up dll's from other systems and bundling upgrade packs into unofficial ones. The Linux comunity is indeed much more vibrant. ReactOS cannot be a NT clone because that would make it illegal. But they are inspired by the NT principles. Now I wonder if it could be possible to take reactOS elements and put them on w98... Sort of w98ToReOS. That would be great!

Linux is not an alternative to w98, but Ubuntu is certainly a good alternative to RedHat . 2000 is not an alternative to w98 neither because if you do this, then why not install XP alltogheter? Old computer? If we need alternatives, I understand it's for new computers and softwares. On old coputers, we talk about "updates", not "alternatives". The big question is shall I need to use XP/Vista the next time I buy a new computer? One thing I don't understand is if w98 has so many issues with new drivers and softwares, why this question is never risen for Linux? How does Linux perform in term of hard/software compatibility versus w98? Then there is the immorality, almost blasphematory, of requesting a new hardware "compatible with w98". Every vendor will tell you to go to the church, confess all your sins, and then, install XP. They don't want to hear of w98 at all. So the new concept, the new request (when you enquire for hardware you want to buy), is not "w98 compatible", but "compatible with all kinds of Oses". This is a fairly new concept, not yet shared in the industry. But the commercial logic would want that hardware be OS independant. That's less obvious with software, but hardware are just pieces of electronics with streams of bits in and streams of bits out. Why does this need a OS? IMO if you ask "a computer on which I can install any OS I want" (carefuly avoiding the w98 word!), they might have something to offer. However, if you ask for a "w98 compatible" machine, they will shake their head telling you it's impossible because nobody use that anymore. And that's not only twisting words. One day ReactOs might be a workable solution. ReactOs and the likes are the only true alternatives... in the making.