I am so glad to acknowledge here that there are at least some peers at MSFN.org who want to give new life into legacy Windows born with altruistic mind in contrast to XP or Vista.

Resurrection of Legacy OS – not so easy as Linux / Unix

Throughout the time I have known M$ Network OS. It always had horrible manner and rather aggressive behaviour wanting to try getting into root on every partition in the system and network. It always showed that the they always produced software and products to show that they are in business only to make money and great fortune. They succeeded it for the past decades.

In contrast, I really like by far well mannered Windows 3.1, 9X and NT 4.0 because they are less aggressive but still effective to get jobs done. Windows NT 4.0 is even a bit shy and needed protection when sharing boot disk in the same system. Windows 9X and Some DOS games are rather careless about MBR and PBR of pre-existing OS. It was mandating to save and restore these boot records into 512 byte files using either disksave.exe or Norton Disk Editor and like.

Today, I may use another OS such as Solaris 10 or Novel/Suse Linux 11 to perform Internet shopping and ticket reservation and like since I see lesser advertisements and no VM stall/lock up (with Java, Adobe Acrobat and like) on Solaris or even plain Linux. But, I want to keep these legacy Windows OS running as longer as my machines can load them. I am so glad to acknowledge here that there are at least some peers at MSFN.org.

Modification of Default File Locations

Aggressiveness and thoughtlessness got worse in their Windows OS after every release. Their file system structure are inviting for fragmentation, cross linking, virus attack. Unix does not need defragmentation. Unix always use /tmp /var /export on other slice (subpartition) , partition or even on third disk. Always kept System files, User Applications, User Data and Temporary files on separate space or often separate disk. It naturally prevent file fragmentation and elongate the service life of disk. After Windows 9X, M$ and developers put your system root files (Windows/system32), user applications (Program Files) and temporary files (Windows/temp) User App-default (Profile/Application Data), Browser Cache files (Profile/Application Data/Mozzilla/Cache) all in the same partition if you do not learn to designate custom partition space in registry. It is against its up-bringing from M$, Windows NT really likes that separation and shows at least 50% or more speed gain when editing sound files or digital picture files. I never lost system root and application files for 10 or more years of time this way. Not even a lost cluster. I run defragmenter only before installing updates. That is enough.

I learnt to do this file system separation when I first saw Windows 95 back in 1995. Because I thought it was like putting swage ditch and fresh water aqueduct next to each other without even a fence (slice or partition boundary). Temp file can spill over onto the system files or application files if you abruptly shut down the system (about 1 % of chance but it is bad enough). You do not hear too much about need of anti-virus nor defragmenter programme amongst Linux/Unix/Solaris users because files are kept in separate room so to speak by groups that they belong to. When virus attacks the damage is only to a part of file system not enough to shut system down.

Resurrection of Windows NT 4.0

I have always wanted to give Windows NT 4.0 a new life. It now resides on SATA II (I know NT is not so happy as it was on SCSI), 32 bit full colour on nVidia 6600GT on PCI-E, Dual Core 3GHz Processor (NT was fastest and happiest on twin Tualatin 1.4 GHz PIII CPU though) Have mastered to work with USB 2.0 hub, automatically mount USB memory stick. When I need DVD services I just go to XP or Linux partition for that. It would be nice to have it on Windows NT 4.0 as symbol a of new life and mission. Windows NT 4.0 still needs new kernel extensions by community efforts so that newer application continue to work. Everybody gave up writing software updates for Windows NT. It can no longer able to run Adobe Acrobat Reader. Next in waiting list is Windows 98 SE that needs new life but such effort are already going very strong on Windows 9X rather than on Windows NT 4.0. There are only few DOS games that Windows 98 can not run but it is still a best gaming platform.

Why so many OS necessary on one system? It keeps international library of resources so to speak. I often download game files from China and Japan or other part of Europe. Except Windows NT 4.0 and 3.1, system crushes or locks up or gives up and abort being not capable handling decompressed output from RAR, ZIP, LZH and like when Windows encounters some coded characters combination of foreign languages, particularly of Japanese and Russian. I have to depend on Solaris to edit game scripts and take out what seem to cause fatal error in Windows. Solaris has extended support on Japanese and Chinese that can write on FAT and FAT32 partitions. Such as BVE train simulator files from Japan, China, Eastern Europe and like. There are more software written for Solaris and Debian Linux than Windows NT or Windows 98 SE nowadays and they are often free at FTP hosted by many universities all over the world. Of course I naturally have to understand their languages and I happened to do so except for Arabic, Indian and Spanish.

My final word here is that I truly appreciate this MSFN forum where I can learn more than reading any book and keep the pace with the new ideas and developments opening ways to get the best out of OS and applications I already have.

Resurrected Old OS

Windows NT 4.0 (Completed November 2008)

Caldera-SCO Open Linux3.1.1 (Still needs USB Printer port interface device file)

It was a nightmare when I first started back in October. But it at least was built on glib C 2.2.4. I downloaded source code set for X Window XF86 4.7.0 of 11/2007

Luckily all unix/linux are capable of suggesting needed file name and version when the compiler complains. With additional downloads, I succeeded to save this OS to make X-Window working with full multimedia support on 14/12/2008

Pinecloud

Agree! I joined this forum for appreciating their efforts! Just want to give my special thanks to those contributed in the 98 stream.

I've heard in the news the price recently paid for a Harley-Davidson model 1965 (about 35.000 $).

Old doesn't mean bad, only that there are all kinds of interests in forcing users forward to buy and buy and buy....and pay the consequent taxes.

The "improvements" are essentially delivered, and even imposed in many cases, in the interest of the manufacturers, with minimal legal restraints, all over the world.

I appreciate this forum because it is the only one I've found in which you are not considered to be a donkey for the only fact of saying that you are a Windows 98 user.

This OS nevertheless has been valid for a whole generation, has thousands of apps in the Internet and in the HD of many of us, many of them freeware, and even with its artificial resource limits is not the continuous BSOD it was in 1998 but a very stable one. Nowadays it is also no doubt the best friend to clean, repair or restore from scratch XP when you use both in the same computer.

Thank you, MSFN!

And merry Christmas to you all!

Edited December 18, 200817 yr by cannie

Old doesn't mean bad, only that there are all kinds of interests in forcing users forward to buy and buy and buy....and pay the consequent taxes.

And to get complete control over THIER COMPUTER...

[And to get complete control over THIER COMPUTER...

In the old times we appreciated something called "decency". This word has been substituted by "profit".

"Whores were always better paid than nones".

We are now suffering the economic consequences of the change. It is said that the crisis is due to the "lack of confidence". It really means "lack of decency", and not only in the computing sector.

Somebody said: "If the truth is not respected, your neighbor is not respected and help is always an interested word, life becomes a real shame".

Happy Christmas Time and New Year to you all!

Edited December 28, 200817 yr by cannie

Wrong entry when trying to edit the precedent post to modify some unadequate words. Please disregard.

Edited December 28, 200817 yr by cannie