I find this support stuff very confusing.So i came up with my own theory ,maybe because of third world (emerging) countries still run 98se at least 10-15% in bussiness its better to keep them running then bombard them with upgrade to xp ads scare tactics etc.because if u can force people to upgrade by simply making it impossible to install on 9x which we,ved seen over the last few years.So are we fortunate?is it purely security concerns/or do ms want to squeeze every dime out of any 9x user by allowing 98se continous use? Myself i think its demand by folks in emerging countries who cant afford or have yet to upgrade.either way its a bonus to 9x users.