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Running Windows 98 in 2020 and beyond...


Wunderbar98

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Thank-you for all feedback. Nice wooden stand @Bruninho. Keep meaning to mount a retro system on wood, fully exposed, set up on the corner of the desk. Too lazy to post a picture of my netbook 'cooling tower'. Just an empty cardboard box, dimensions ~30 cm wide, ~25 cm front to back and ~20 cm tall, with an old CPU fan duct taped through a hole that blows cool air up to the bottom of the netbook. A hacked USB connector hangs out the side, making it easy to plug in the fan as needed. The box raises the netbook nicely when seated in a recliner, improving ergonomics (reduced neck flexion).

Good to see you around again @siria. Every laptop is different but check closely along the sides, back and bottom for cooling vents. The grills easily clog with dust after a couple years. If you don't want to take the laptop apart, recommend at least vacuuming the grills. There may also be an easy remove RAM cover, slip it off and vacuum out as much dust as possible.

Both Rain v1.0 and v2.0 were tested @jumper. Unfortunately they don't support this AMD k7 Athlon 800 CPU, as outlined at http://www.benchtest.com/rain.html. Same with Waterfall v1.23. I did not feel comfortable installing Waterfall Pro v2.99, as the original author is apparently MIA. Unsure whether it supports any newer hardware, the documentation did not specify. Maybe these coolers will help other users with older processors. Any other suggestions please let me know.

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Thank-you MrMateczko. AMNHLTM was installed, upon reboot it did not provide any system tray information so there was no way to decipher whether the program was working. So then installed Amn Refrigerator v3.2 for Windows 95/98/ME. This provides a system tray graph and popup information. The Pause key appears to halt the entire system, even mouse cursor. Don't think Windows 98 has built-in CPU temperature monitoring to confirm whether the program makes a difference. If anyone can suggest a free real-time temperature monitor please let me know.

Also installed Amn Task Manager, 30-day trial. Seems very good but removed, don't want a trial or to register. Not sure how it works now that AMN appears defunct. If anyone's interested in checking out any of this software:
http://web.archive.org/web/20041128194526/http://www.amn.ru/

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Installed HWiNFO32 v6.24-4120 from below (freeware, hwi_624.exe, ~7MB, no JavaScript needed). This is the graphic version, there is also a DOS version available, untested.
https://www.hwinfo.com/download/

The software is detailed and appears very good. If available and supported, it appears able to detected a multitude of hardware informaton, including temperatures, voltages, fans, etc. Unfortunately this hardware does not provide real-time CPU temperature information, confirmed with lm-sensors via multi-boot GNU/Linux.

Some may find HWiNFO useful, probably information overload for most. As an aside, Windows 98 provides some system information built-in via Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Information. On this system, HWiNFO and Amn Refrigerator will be removed to keep things lean and clean.

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With rare exception most uninstallers lie. Even worse on modern systems, hooks everywhere. In this regard DOS is still king, once something is removed it's gone. No searching through the hard drive for errant entries, like 'Program Files', no messy registry. Long live DOS :)

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14 hours ago, MrMateczko said:

Latest version of AIDA64 still works under Windows 98SE without KernelEx and provides real-time monitoring:

https://www.aida64.com/downloads

Use the ZIP version, the installer version doesn't work without KernelEx.

That's great! I will make another Win 98 SE VM since my original one is a bit corrupted now because I had a problem with my external hdd (where the VMs was stored) and try it out.

I may lose the Win 2000 VM too, I had it for a bit more modern games like Grand Prix 4, but that does not work well because VMware Fusion stupidly assigns 64mb vram to the emulated video card instead of 128mb max as per documentation. For these games, my options are an upgrade to XP or 10 with tweaks for a classic theme. From XP onwards I might be able to assign more vram to the emulated video card. (according  to the documentation, older Windows below XP gets only 128mb; newer can get more than 256mb, even 2GB).

Edited by Bruninho
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Thank-you again MrMateczko. AIDA64 Extreme (aida64extreme625.zip, ~50 MB, April 2020 release, no JavaScript needed) was downloaded, extracted and tested. Although a large download it contains all the *.dll and support files needed so no formal installation is required. It's a 30-day trial version with some limitations noted on the downloads page.

Amazing it works from Windows 95 - Windows 10 and pretty much everything inbetween. It provides lots of system information (hardware and software) as well as system stability, benchmark and stress testing tools for the geeks. Unfortunately it is unable to detect system voltage, fans and temperatures on this particular hardware. Don't believe it's a software issue, just my hardware does not support this information, not even outputed in the system's BIOS. Others may want to check this out.

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On 5/6/2020 at 8:41 AM, Wunderbar98 said:

Thank-you MrMateczko. AMNHLTM was installed, upon reboot it did not provide any system tray information so there was no way to decipher whether the program was working. So then installed Amn Refrigerator v3.2 for Windows 95/98/ME. This provides a system tray graph and popup information. The Pause key appears to halt the entire system, even mouse cursor. Don't think Windows 98 has built-in CPU temperature monitoring to confirm whether the program makes a difference. If anyone can suggest a free real-time temperature monitor please let me know.

Also installed Amn Task Manager, 30-day trial. Seems very good but removed, don't want a trial or to register. Not sure how it works now that AMN appears defunct. If anyone's interested in checking out any of this software:
http://web.archive.org/web/20041128194526/http://www.amn.ru/

i've never tested amn refrigerator ( any version ) on 9x, but there are at least two other cpu usage viewing software you can test. i currently bookmarked the pages for now. as for cpu temperature monitoring, i have used hwmonitor 1.15 ( windows 98 version ) and / or speedfan 4.28 for 98SE. other choices you have for 98SE is DTemp 1.0.0.34 for checking storage device temperature only ( also works on windows 95 ). there is also Hmonitor 4.1.4.5 (October 2004) for possibly checking cpu temp or other system temps, tested working on both windows 95 and 98SE, then there is aida32 3.94.2 ( both windows 95 and 98SE tested working ) which is mostly for checking system information but might also show storage device temperature, then there is HDD Health (S.M.A.R.T. monitor) v. 2.1 beta, build 159 - for checking hdd temperatures and other info ( windows 95 and 98SE tested working ).

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Thank-you cov3rt for all the information. Downloaded hwmonitor_1.17-win98.zip (v1.17.0, released 2010, 499 KB, no JavaScript needed). In RetroZilla change View -> Use Style -> to 'None' to see the 'zip - english Windows 98 version' link towards the bottom of the page.
https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/hwmonitor.html

The download is relatively small and the software does not require installation. Unfortunately it does not detect any sensors on this particular hardware. Giving up on checking sensors on this hardware. As mentioned, the system BIOS does not even output information regarding fans, temperatures, etc. You outlined several softwares above, hopefully others will find it beneficial.

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= Inkjet Printer Tips - Part I =

Passing on some tips for inkjet printers with sponge cartridges and built-in printheads, maybe it helps keep an old printer alive. The biggest problem is dried up cartridges. Distilled water or isopropyl alcohol (99% pure) liberally applied directly to the print head via gentle cotton swab is a good ink solvent. Occasionally injecting 1-2 millilitres of water or alcohol into the base of the cartrige's ink sponge during refills has also been helpful - most cartridges have a temporary plastic ink well at the base of the cartridge, between the sponge and printhead, seperated by a non-removable filter, that gets gummed up over time.

The household Canon MX310 has non-airtight lids for the paper tray inlets/outlets to help prevent the cartridges from drying out between use. A small plastic tray of tap water is placed on the inside of the paper outlet tray when the printer is not in use, near the print cartridge resting position. No rust or issues with humidity have been experienced and it slightly increases the humidity level inside the printer. The water needs to be topped up every 1-2 weeks.

Printing a small multi-coloured test page or spacing out print jobs twice a week helps keep the printheads active and the ink flowing. Better to use a little ink a couple times a week than throw away a dried up cartridge. Fortunately my old printer is refillable without the need to reset or trick the system. If you are fortunate to have one of these older types of printers, hang on to it for dear life!

Although it would be ideal to top up ink cartridges with a refill every couple weeks, like a continuous flow system, frequent cartridge removal will prematurely wear out the gold electrical contacts. So the best is probably to use the printer until print quality shows the cartridges are either drying up or low on ink, then immediately maintain and refill them.

Personally i have not found my cartridges to be as picky about ink type as the manufacturers would have you believe. If refilling cartridges through a top drilled hole, cover the hole with tape after refilling and use a pin to poke a much smaller breather hole. This will help prevent the inside of the cartridge from drying up. If you do not have a priming clip, let the cartridge rest for several hours after refill, in the proper parked position of the printer (after blotting), then run the printer through one deep clean cycle. Although it wastes some ink, it usually primes the cartridge nicely.

The black and tri-colour cartridges currently in the printer were obtained used, refilled several times by the original owner, used by this houehold for several years with numerous additional refills, still working okay. Print quality is, unfortunately, down with slight streakiness. The other issue with hacked refills (ie. using different inks, diluting with water) is that colour matching won't be perfect. For most print jobs it's acceptable.

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= Inkjet Printer Tips - Part II =

If you are fortunate enough to have a spare set of cartridges for an old printer, if the backup set has already been opened and used it will typically dry up and become garbage in short order. Some people use a combination of plastic and tape to keep the cartridge's printhead sealed. For me this hasn't worked well, probably best for short term storage, not long term. Depending on the cartridge structure, if it's a sponge filled inkjet cartridge, the 'lid' of the cartridge can often be removed with a hobby knife. Physically remove the sponges, rinse out and save the ink in your refill jar. Thoroughly wash out the sponges, ink collection well and printhead of the cartridge with warm water and allow them to fully dry. Now they are like new, never filled, and available indefinitely as a backup. To prepare for use just re-insert the sponge, tape or hot glue the removed 'lid', inject ink and prime the cartridge.

Although likely hard to reach, periodically clean the printer's printhead parking position rubber cap with a moist cotton rag. The rubber cap needs to be in reasonably clean condition so the printhead seals effectively when parked, otherwise the nozzles may dry out. The printer's ink discard tray and any soaker pads should also be quick cleaned periodically with a scraper or rags. If it's an old or high use printer, excess discard ink may overflow and mess up the printer or desk or prevent the printer from properly swiping clean the printhead. It's disgusting how much ink is wasted during the printer priming process. Excess salvaged ink is saved in a recycled glass pickle jar, diluted with water slightly and used for caligraphy and quill writing projects.

For years i've also been keeping all opened ink pens, felt pens, highlighters, markers and small glue bottles in recycled glass pickle jars. A small, damp scrap of cotton cloth is placed in the jar and the humidity level is monitored every couple weeks. Re-moisten the cotton cloth if it's dry. If there is visible moisture on the sides of the jar then it's too wet, let it dry somewhat to prevent mold and mildew. Pens can be stored in this environment seemingly forever without degradation of performance.

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RetroZilla supports the Gopher protocol out of the box, including Gopher images and HTTP linking. Gopher was removed after SeaMonkey v1 but was previously supported in many browsers. Newer browsers use plugins and in GNU/Linux install the gopher package and run it from a terminal. The Wikipedia link below includes information on Gopher supported browsers.

A DOS console mode client is linked below, most recent release January 2020, nice demonstration YouTube video. Untested as this system does not currently have a packet driver installed (gopherus-1.2.1-dos16.zip, 98 KB, no JavaScript needed to download). The developer also created a package manager for FreeDOS that supports the Gopher protocol, pretty nifty. There appear to be many historic Gopher clients for DOS.
http://gopherus.sourceforge.net/

Some decent Gopher launch points, floodgap provides the Veronica 2 search engine. Retrocomputing and 'DOS' related searches appear to provide lots of interesting stuff.
gopher://gopher.floodgap.com/
gopher://gopher.quux.org/1/
gopher://freeshell.org/1
gopher://gopher.rp.spb.su/1

Why is Gopher Still Relevant?
gopher://gopher.floodgap.com/0/gopher/relevance.txt

Gopher protocol.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopher_(protocol)

Sad Gopher is now mostly a historic relic, so lean and fast. Although some new content is available, evidenced via current topic searches in Veronica 2, Gopher can't compete with the World Wide Web for reading and research, current information, etc.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just came back to give a small update.

Only three machines are running on my mac so far: Windows 3.11, Windows XP (with Inexperience Patcher to look like classic Windows 9x) and Windows 10 build 2004.

On my iPad Pro, thanks to UTM (Still no sound tho) I have Windows 3.11 (exact copy) and Windows 98SE, vanilla state AFAIK. I haven't updated it yet but I have a few games running on it, although I do not have proper 3Dfx/Glide support. The same games are on my Win XP above running flawlessly thanks to nGlide.

I have only the unofficial service pack for 98SE waiting in line on my iPad to see what happens. I am not using KernelEx (the only reason for it was the web browser). I am using Netscape Navigator 9.0.0.6, with a NSS patch thanks to roytam1, I can access a few https sites now.

There is a patch for QEMU which adds 3Dfx support, but I failed to compile first time. I got a tip from other forums and I'll probably try again. If it works, then there is the ideal scenario for me:

On mac, with QEMU patched, I could use 2 VMs (3.x and 9x) while I could transfer the W10 to Parallels Desktop instead of VMware for DirectX 11 support (and therefore might be able to play rFactor 2, finally)

On iPad, I doubt the developer of UTM will at least give a look on the patch, but at least he says sound should be fixed after release 1.0 so I keep waiting. Win 3.x and 9x will be running there. Thanks to QEMU (UTM is also a QEMU wrapper) I expect to have exact copies of the same machines between the mac and iPad.

I struggled a lot to make Win 98 usable but for now it should be half decent. Maybe in the future I can toy again with KernelEx + something these guys on other topic here are doing with Firefox 24+ to be able to surf modern web. Now I just want to play my games.

Edited by Bruninho
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