Ideas for future service packs

[soldier1st]

adding NTFS read/write support to the service pack would be a very helpful thing,like if you had NTFS drives on your comp and you could read em,but maybe the sp would add it if it sees or detects NTFS partitions

right now it won't be added but it will bei bet for v 2.1 of the sp

also MS Installer 3 is not compatible with windows 98 se

also 98lite can remove that msn and online service thingy

[diesel_98a]

So pls no more stupid ideeas.

all u have to do is say u don't like the idea, plz don't belittle some idea cause someone else would like to see it added. i have made many suggestions & ideas around this forumn, most have been used but others have not been. and i have yet to have someone call my ideas stupid. besides if u make the service pac and don't like it, then don't added it. not only that i thought the idea of the topic was "ideas for future service pacs", maybe i am wrong but that is what the topic title says.

also the ntfs support is a great idea, i have yet to see anyone call that stupid.

[nil]

@soldier1st and zoem. My "attitude" in previous posts here was hardly worth thinking much less writing (and I deal with flames pretty well - I even laugh when they're witty, more so when they're warranted ) Probably excuses in part what MasterT went off about. My apologies. Peace. I think NTFS reader is a fine idea.

Some other ideas:

* Something like the 'Super Scandisk Wrapper' to workaround the use of DOS scandisk after an improper shutdown.

* Microsoft's standalone Excel Viewer?

[diesel_98a]

Microsoft's standalone Excel Viewer

might as well as add all the other viewers to, just an idea. if anybody doesn't have office, regardless of which version. might be simpler to create and msi & install that way.

[zoem]

adding NTFS read/write support to the service pack would be a very helpful thing,like if you had NTFS drives on your comp and you could read em,but maybe the sp would add it if it sees or detects NTFS partitions

right now it won't be added but it will bei bet for v 2.1 of the sp

also MS Installer 3 is not compatible with windows 98 se

also 98lite can remove that msn and online service thingy

is write support even possible?

not everyone has a licence for 98lite, and not everyone would pay $25 or whateva to delete files, lol.

ive never heard of "super scandisk wrapper", idea so i dont get what your saying. if your saying to use the dos scandisk to do a scan of disks outside of windows by default, im all for the idea. its a lot faster and dusnt require you to disable resident programs whilst scanning so you avoid the "contents changed...restarting scandisk" message.

and i dont believe i was flaming you.

these additional viewers should be made an optional componant rather than included in the mainstream install. i, as well as many others use office packages which open the content of these files.

just in writing that, an idea sprung into my head...not sure if its possible. but an installation system where you can have a BASE service pack and you can download the OPTIONAL componants seperately as wanted and put the OPTIONAL componants into the same folder as the BASE service pack where the setup will detect the OPTIONAL componants and install them also?

[ssmokee]

The suggestion was for Gape, who isn't cr@p at DOS, to consider to

spending the very small amount of time that it'll no doubt take him to

integrate that process into a service pack for those who like me would

much prefer not to do it by hand each time they installed Win98SE (I

generally install his service packs only at that time)

I use a method that lets me take one fully setup 98se and install it multiple times, even on other computers with different hardware (atleast thats what I think you asking for). All it essentially involves is 3 main steps.

The first step ofcourse being is to setup a new 98se installation and get all the basic patches, software, tweaks/modifications you want (this part takes me 2-3 hours, which is why I have spent considerable time testing it).

The second step involves using imaging software (like norton ghost) in order to image the newly setup 98se installation. Once you have the image, copy the image file over onto a secondary PC (I did this by creating a DOS bootable cd with the image file and the ghost.exe executable on it). After you have the image file accessible from the secondary PC, restore the image to its hard drive.

The third step is the most important and must be done if the secondary PCs hardware differs from the primary PC. If its the hardware is the same then this step can be ignored. On the secondary PCs first boot after restoring the image, hit F8 and boot into safe mode. Run regedit and delete the "HKLM\Enum" key, then reboot and all hardware will be redected.

There are additional steps I do, but those steps just boil down to personal preference and arent needed. Ive tested this on seven different white box/DIY computers and it work perfectly. The only problems I ran into were on OEM machines; one Compaq, one IBM.

[soldier1st]

i've always had problems with ghost images or hd images and i did it right

[ssmokee]

i've always had problems with ghost images or hd images and i did it right

What OS were you trying to clone and what was the problem you encountered?

[zoem]

i've always had problems with ghost images or hd images and i did it right

good luck cloning an NT platform. *KERNEL PANIC*

[nil]

How about 'reg.exe' from the Win98 Resource Kit, to overcome Regedit's inability to delete single keys via a registry file. (I've only just been made aware of reg.exe, was using 'Regdel.exe' by Florian Balmer http://www.flos-freeware.ch before now.)

@ssmokee - both my idea of hijacking 'links' and my reasons for suggesting it in the first place seem to have been misinterpreted by some. The idea itself is much like adding a (dialog box) "placebar" to every Windows Explorer window. I didn't suggest it for my benefit; I already know it "works" for me and others, I do it already without Gape's help, and I know how to automate (most of) the process via Gape's service packs (if I happened to want to do it from there rather than use my current method). I created this thread because there didn't seem to be one dedicated to thrashing out ideas for future service pack releases. Just thought I'd clear up that point.

As an aside ssmokee, I don't use imaged installations on other people's systems unless the hardware is identical. My general install approach is to create (at least) two partitions (Ranish from a floppy/usb disk is nice), install Windows from the users original CD (noting their preferences during the install to add to msbatch.inf later), then dump all the cab files, and applicable patches/upgrades and third-party software/drivers/batch files from a general install CD, to a non-boot partition and finish customising the system via DOS scripts or by hand. Backing up the system partition at that point is smart to allow quick reinstalls on that hardware but a benefit of leaving (and adding to) the install partition is that it allows the user to easily reinstall the OS after major hardware upgrades (eg. a hard disk transfer to a new hardware setup) by booting to DOS, wiping c:, then starting a batch file to begin the install process. I'm just getting the hang of how to do more with inf instead of batch files, and searching MSFN has been heaps of help in working on ways to improve the reinstall process. (The forums here have been highly educational and with one notable exception have been friendly to boot. A blanket thanks to all. )

@diesel_98a - I considered suggesting some of the other MS viewers though I figured only Word and Excel files would be common enough to justify their inclusion, and a lot of editors (even Wordpad) can at least partially read Word files already.

@zoem - your optional components idea sounds very do-able and likable. The idea could be extended (albeit with a fair amount of work) to serve as a way to make hybrid OS service packs happen without needing to distribute actual files - if the install process finds ME CAB files for example it might allow for the option to add ME components to 98.

I meant to add a link to "Super Scandisk" but forgot. here it is: http://www.hyperlinx.cz/lsg/other/ssc10.zip. It's almost the opposite of what you say, it makes Windows Scandisk rather than the DOS version run after an improper shutdown, just like it's done with Windows ME. You learn to appreciate the idea after DOS scandisk renames your files with short file names.

@Gape - re. the suggestions I sent, as I'm sure you know changing the default .bat action from open to edit isn't a flash idea (unlike the others .bat files are likely to be started as commands). Good luck with your service packs.

[ssmokee]

@ssmokee - both my idea of hijacking 'links' and my reasons for suggesting it in the first place seem to have been misinterpreted by some. The idea itself is much like adding a (dialog box) "placebar" to every Windows Explorer window. I didn't suggest it for my benefit; I already know it "works" for me and others, I do it already without Gape's help, and I know how to automate (most of) the process via Gape's service packs

That in itself I would say is a good idea, but the hard part is getting everyone to agree on what links should or should not go in there.

As an aside ssmokee, I don't use imaged installations on other people's systems unless the hardware is identical.

As I mentioned this isnt a problem from my tests. Ive tried this on systems with VIA, Intel, and SIS chipsets, different video and network cards, all with good results (except from the two OEM machines). In the next updated version I make Im just going to set a .reg file on the desktop that will delete the "HKLM\Enum" key to speed things up.

My general install approach is to create (at least) two partitions

Personally I wouldnt dream of doing it any other way. A hard disk with two or more partitions just has way too many advantages over the single drive single partition setup.

install Windows from the users original CD

It wouldnt make a difference if you use your win98se cd or someone elses really. If its the product key your worried about...not wanting to hand over your personal 98se product key over to other people, then that I understand and I have found a way around that to using a cdkey finder/changer. What Im going to do in my next version is just plunk it on the desktop so all I have to do after I built a system is just change the key, the delete the key finder executable from the desktop.

The tweaks and programs (yup the CAB files are all there to) that I put on my base image and setup are suitable for all computers, and take a significant amount of time setup and cant be accomplished by a script...though it would be nice if installer executables accepted arguments that would let me do that. Any necessary customizations to suit the user after that are quite trivial.

The basic idea behind what Ive done is just take out all the crap that MUST be done each and every install, and totally eliminate it. This lets me get right to the stuff that matters (office apps, email client, drivers, etc.).

[erpdude8]

here! here!

This mite b stupid to ask but is a recently new discovery to me. but how many ppl know of windows 98's capability of viewing image files as thumbnails in folders? i hav recently discovered this was possible by checking "thumbnail view" in the folder's properties, and then opening the folder and clicking "view as thumnails" or whateva.

I know about the 'Thumbnails' folder view capability in 98, zoem.

The Thumbnails view option in Win2000, ME, XP & 2003 is already

available for ALL folders in those versions of Windows.

[azagahl]

>> The second step involves using imaging software (like norton ghost)

Is there a good freeware alternative to this?

I found a dos program called "savepart" but have not tried it yet.

[ssmokee]

Is there a good freeware alternative to this?

I found a dos program called "savepart" but have not tried it yet.

Well there is Partimage on the linux side, which comes with the SystemRescueCD. I have not tried Partimage yet...its on my to-do list. I actually had no idea partsave even existed on the DOS side...I will check it out.

[soldier1st]

i had problems cloning windows 2000

none of the other comps run 98 anymore or the win 9x/me oses,only 2000,xp