Jump to content

Getting drivers for 98FE


herbalist

Recommended Posts

Last winter, I obtained a Dell Optiplex GX260 that came with XP-SP3. I originally wanted to make it dual boot with XP and 98FE, only to find that the chipset and other drivers were for 98SE. I settled for SE and XP, but now I want to try installing 98FE again. The details regarding the hardware are in this thread. How difficult would it be to modify the drivers to work on 98FE or to deceive the installers that the OS is 98SE? Is the incompatibility of these drivers and 98FE real or artificially added to the installers?

Link to comment
Share on other sites


It depends on the drivers. Most VxD drivers will work OK. The WDM support of SE is much better than that of FE, so there is where problems may lie. The best one to answer your question fully would be PassingBy, but he's been absent for a long time, now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

dencorso is AFAIK correct. Remember, FE is (in extremely loose jargon) an "upgrade" of 95OSR2, hence the poor WDM support. VxD's will more than likely work. The WDM versions are usually better for 98SE and ME (but maybe not always; might depend on the age of the hardware?). Some 98SE drivers will work on ME (but again, not always).

My experience only. Don't take my word for it, try it yourself. Worst case is a reload.

(have an old Optiplex GX1 sitting here not-running... sheesh!)

(just a post to back up dencorso :thumbup )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Last winter, I obtained a Dell Optiplex GX260 that came with XP-SP3. I originally wanted to make it dual boot with XP and 98FE, only to find that the chipset and other drivers were for 98SE. I settled for SE and XP, but now I want to try installing 98FE again. The details regarding the hardware are in this thread. How difficult would it be to modify the drivers to work on 98FE or to deceive the installers that the OS is 98SE? Is the incompatibility of these drivers and 98FE real or artificially added to the installers?

You'll have two problems.

You will need to find audio & video drivers that will adapt to the Dell GX 260 and be windows 95/98 compatible.

Windows 98 FE offers no characteristics of 98 SE and all the similarities of Windows 95. There are lots of drivers missing in Windows 98 FE that are in Windows 98 SE. Possibly, it would best searching for Windows 98 SE upgrade CD that was aimed solely for Windows 98 FE. But of course, if you do that it will just make everything Windows 98 SE. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On that note... (haven't tried this) maybe the Win95 (latest) ones will work(?). Again, some from SE will work, some will not. I have an FE CD here, but don't use it (SE instead). You may want to update it with all of the (known) patches before trying for remaining drivers. FWIW, check your CD in the "drivers" folder.

ARGH! "Modern motherboards that..." topic; this is a "fairly recent" MoBo ("as compared to" - just checked the Specs) - could present some problems. Trial-and-error may be the way to go, as not many folks here work with FE... First thing you'll want (natch) are the Intel Chipset Drivers. So, doubting (many/most of) the 95-specific ones will work.

HTH, and happy reloading/testing! (second-best assist may be rloew)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope this question isn't impertinent but why would you want to use 98FE anyway if you have drivers for 98SE readily available? I used 98FE for five years before I moving on to 98SE and see no point in going back to FE unless you have some kind of experiment in mind, particularly when you mentioned modding the installers or the drivers themselves. If you wanted to install 95OSR2 I find it easier to understand.

That said, I wonder if this would work:

1)First install 98FE.

2)Then upgrade to 98SE using an upgrade or full retail CD.

3)Next install the 98SE drivers.

4)Then go back to 98FE by uninstalling 98SE.

Presumably anything that was not part of the upgrade itself would remain installed. Or would it???

It depends on whether the post-upgrade third party registry entries are preserved during the 98SE uninstall. How does it usually work when uninstalling a Windows upgrade?

Even if this method were to work there is a chance some of the drivers for 98SE may not work properly with 98FE.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Arminius -

Some folks only have 98FE. 98SE is getting harder to find as a "legitimate source" (i.e. eBay etc.). I have been lucky enough to have found "thrift store" computers with OEM versions (yes, I know it's possible to "upgrade" with it; let's not discuss that).

Having said that, it's not really the point. Maybe the OP just wants to "try it out" (who knows). In addition, Member Contributed Projects are sometimes worthwhile for those that wish to contribute. It may be just in the "how-to" knowledge obtained (there's a lot of that here on MSFN). Besides, I think herbalist likes his 98FE and may want to transfer his old already-set-up one to his new "gadget" (dual-boot).

Welcome! (and yes I do see your point in the "method" suggestion, so not necessarily impertinent.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have both FE and SE CDs, several versions of each. On my old HP, both are installed, but no matter how much tweaking, stripping, and modifying I do, the 98FE system has always been faster while being equally reliable and functional. I had FE installed on the Dell for a short time, until I learned that the 98 drivers I had were for 98SE only. In that short time, I had an OS that was booting in under 15 seconds and was reacting so fast it seemed like the apps were open and ready before I let go of the mouse button! Except for drivers for this hardware, everything I use works as well or better on FE as it does on SE. As light as SE is, it's bloated when compared to FE. Instead of stripping out the excess with 98-lite, I'd prefer that it wasn't there to begin with. I would like to duplicate the HPs 98FE system on the Dell. Transferring or cloning the existing FE system is not possible without major alterations. It's also got junk in it from 5 years ago that I don't need on a new system. None of the other operating systems I use have come close to the long term reliability that 98FE system has given me. The install is 5 years old and was my default system for all but the last few months. Yes, I very much like my 98FE system.

Regarding the drivers, I have found chipset drivers that I think will work. Might have display drivers too. I have another sound card I want to install, with 98 drivers. The network card shouldn't be a problem. More than anything else, I need to find the time to do it. Another hard drive or 2 would help too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Windows 98 FE is much faster than Windows 98 SE. It is the reason why I moved to wards Windows 2000 once I retired Windows 98 FE.

You are pretty much on your own for the majority use Windows 98 SE on MSFN. I learned that years ago when there was more traffic in the 95/98 forums.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...