waywyrd

This looks interesting. Being a bit nostalgic I wish I could still run Win98SE, with IE removed, courtesy of https://www.litepc.com/98lite.html, MDGx (from this forum) and a guy from the UK who had method he called Speedos. I had an incredibly fast O/S, with few or no BSD's, and it would run for hours before needing a reboot. Even though I started with a fairly high spec computer for the time, after the 98SE mods there was an significant speed and response increase.

Thanks BudwS and cc333 for correcting me regards Apple. Probably will end up with a Mac when Windows no longer viable. Unless they make the iPhone-esque system feature locked. That happens, they'll treading in Microsoft footsteps. :-)

Just done a fresh install of Win 10, at their request, on a relatives laptop. And found the install options to turn off the spyware etc reduced to two questions, and they were basically only locatation based. That's it, sticking with Windows 8.1, and running various Linux distros in a virtual machine. After that when Win software I use won't run anymore, then maybe a Mac. Not that I like the notion everything must be Apple to run on it!!! Waywyrd.

Thanks for the share.

Hi RanCorX2, Interesting reading about your batch files. Something similar was done by Bold Fortune for WinXP. Enabling you to disable, remove services etc, with batch files and also revert changes with batch files. Would you be willing to share your batch files or how you write them? Regards, Waywyrd.

Only really useful if one can still get the software. Would it be allowable under the forum rules to post the software (assuming the licence allows it of course)? I totally agree with the above comments. This thread ought to be stickified... even if only the Freeware software is allowed. When I've got the time I'll see if there's anything I can add in the way of software links that are allowable.

Hi, First of all thanks to Fred Vorck. I don't know whether he visits these forums or not but thanks to him and others who contributed to this project at: Remove Internet explorer at install . I am now happily running Win2000 with no IE installed. Has anybody else tried or currently using this way of installing Win2000? Inevitably I'm going to have to scrap "Windows" altogether and "get my head around Linux". I say have to because while I'm not a computer "geek" I still like to some sort of choice as to how I run my pc, without this "one size fits all approach" that Microsoft seem to be forcing on the end consumer. Oh by the way I still run Win98SE, which has been "98Lited" with a few other modifications and the stability is incredible. Plus I rarely if ever have problems with viruses or other malware. Though I'm not a "geek", I've never been 100% happy with a web browser so heavily tied into an o/s as Windows. Regards, Waywyrd

Hi All, With regards to Win98 security I came across this link: http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/2072/whyxpbad.htm On MDGx's site among the links for WinXP. Does anybody else have any thoughts on this. Personally I found two areas of interest "Windows XP is not real" and "Services-based architecture". I'm currently running a dual-boot 98 & XP, but this page has made me seriously consider dropping XP altogther and "migrating to Linux" when Win98 is no longer viable. Or am I having a "knee-jerk" reaction? Regards, waywyrd

Hi, Could we add 'maximus-decim' service packs for Win98 and IE6.0? He seems to have put in a fair amount of work. I've used both his update packs with good results. Waywyrd

Hi, This is beginning to seriously look like George Orwell's "1984". I've only read two of the threads (one wanted Quick Time) and it's a very scary thought! Agreed and seconded. waywyrd

Hi, To Tilstad, being the original poster of this thread, I've got to say I found your comments very interesting and informative. When I originally posted the thread, one of my thoughts was that it wouldn't be too long before WinXP was 'obselete' in Microsoft terms, and there was no way (if I could avoid it) I was going to 'migrate' to Vista. I'm currently dual-booting Win98 and WinXP. Mainly because some programs do work better under XP and I also wanted a little bit of knowledge as to how XP 'runs'. With regard to a mass migration movement, maybe this Win98 forum would be a good platform to start from. Personally, I've already started to tell the people I know that I'm not 'migrating' to Vista, and perhaps more importantly why I'm not. The issue of having to inform Microsoft and hold your hand up every time your PC wants 'a tea-break'! Waywyrd

Hi, I find myself pretty much in the same position. I'm not above tinkering with the O/S etc, to customise to the way I'd like it to be. But, I feel 'stuck with' MS until someone can create a minimal, fully functional O/S, where you can add the programs you want and still have the compatability with the file formats that Windows users take for granted. Waywyrd

Hi, Thanks DeadDude, for your kind comments. I'm glad that other members are realising that the aim/point of my original post was to ask if anybody had found or was using a viable alternative to Win98. Perhaps I should have made it plainer from the start, that I wasn't neccessarily thinking of other Microsoft O/S. Neither was I looking for 'the best' O/S, if there is such a thing? There's been enough posts about which is the best O/S, usually ending up in a 'slanging match' as to why such-and-such O/S was rubbish etc. The aim of this post was/is to see if there was a viable alternative to Win98, other than just upgrading to Vista. While, with regard to Linux, the choice is good, what isn't so good is 'going through hoops' to get it to handle all the various hardware and file formats, that Win98 handles almost 'out-of-the-box'! Waywyrd

Hi, Thanks very much to 'wild weasel' and 'BenoitRen'. You guys have "hit-the-nail-on-the-head". This was the sort of answer I was looking for when I posted my original question. The 'reactos' system sounds like a very good idea. Particularly for those of us who would to use a pc O/S without having to go through hoops finding the right hardware drivers and software to run it. I was lucky when I tried Ubuntu, it found all my hardware and installed the relevant drivers. Even so I still had problems in other areas with different file types and applications. Regards, Waywyrd

Hi, Just a personal recomendation with regard to backing up, I personally use DOS versions of Ghost or DriveImage. Others may disagree, but from the research I've done on the web and from various newsletters I've read by people who know wayyyyy more than me, the DOS versions of Ghost/DriveImage are virtually 'bulletproof' when it comes to making and restoring a corrupted O/S. This is the approach I've been using for the past 4-5 years. Being able to restore the O/S with all your settings, programs etc., within 10-20 minutes is almost miraculous, compared to 1+ hours re-installing just Windows! Waywyrd