It has been 7 years since Win98 was released

[mark]

I had similar problems to what azagahl has or had. It was a junkie keyboard. Random window openings, cursor moving on it's own, strings of letters inserting themselves into a text file, webpages locking up, etc...........

What's next is a lot about nothing.

Ok, ok, I'm a qualify myself somewhere between a homeuser and dangerous experimenter, maybe that's the same thing. So it's not really a problem for me. If I mess something up, I can re-install Windows. I'm doing that anyway every 30 days or less at the moment because I do live installs of my nLited CD's and I have other partitions to do more installs on my home computer. But I can still get odd behavior from XP. At the office, I wanted to link two XP comps together for file transfers and nothing more. Used a crossover cable, hooked them up, both said they had connections and nothing and nothing and nothing. I rechecked the names, workgroup name, sharing.... Next I follow directions on setting IP addresses for the NIC and so forth and nothing. Primary comp decides to recognize the other, but not the otherway around. I create a new connection on each and nothing. Both comps are running XP. I re-install the OS on one, the other has to much on it to deal with in a short amount of time. I hook them up, go through the same routine again, this time I loose internet connection on the primary one. IP addresses were wrong (how did that happen?), repaired that. Still nothing. I look all over the internet for an answere, nothing new. Clear out all the junk, delete connections, do it again, turn comps off and on, over and over. And then all by their magically delicious selves, they decide to see each other.

I don't know if it's XP or me. I already know that setting up networks can be difficult or near impossible depending on what you are trying to do as a homeowner. But for goodness sake, just linking two comps!!!!! aarrrrrggggghhhhh

Thank you for your attention, you may now resume with the thread.

DL

[prathapml]

And then all by their magically delicious selves....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[SunnyB]

WinXP %windir% size = 3.13Gb

Win98 %windir% size = 546Mb

In Win98 you can run scandisk anytime to fix a potential problem

In WinXP you have to schedule it to run on next boot.

Win98 disk defragmenter is far ahead of that in WinXP.

Being a hardware fanatic I change hardware often.

In Win98 it causes no problem. In WinXP I have to ask permission

from MS and suffer their assumption that I am stealing "their" software.

I never worried about port 135, 445 or 69 in Win98. Not WinXP.

In Win98 I was not afarid to apply a SP or update. Not so WinXP.

All of the old, good firewall applications (Atguard, Conseal PC Firewall) work under Win98. Under WinXP there's Zonealarm or God forbid, (Internet Connection Firewall).

I never upgraded Win98 to Win98 SE. I was and still am happy with the original best.

I also use WinXP and it has some real good points.

I love the Group Policy Editor, Component Manager, Event Viewer, System Restore,

Services Manager.

WinXP is not light years ahead of Win98 in areas of security or stability. WinXP does have a lot of added bells and whistles that are great but not at the cost of secure computing.

[epic]

In Win98 you can run scandisk anytime to fix a potential problem

In WinXP you have to schedule it to run on next boot.

XP has the same feature. Scan disk on the fly.

[un4given1]

WinXP %windir% size = 3.13Gb

Win98 %windir% size = 546Mb

Oh, come on. You can't tell me with the size of drives these days that it really matters to you. I supposed you drive a geo because it's got a 3 cyl engine, afterall a V8 would take up too much room, and is a waste of space, right?

In Win98 you can run scandisk anytime to fix a potential problem

In WinXP you have to schedule it to run on next boot.

Spoken like someone how claims to know about the product they hate but hasn't really used it enough to know the truth...

Win98 disk defragmenter is far ahead of that in WinXP.

this is just an ignorant statement. NTFS... that's all I have to say

Being a hardware fanatic I change hardware often.

In Win98 it causes no problem. In WinXP I have to ask permission

from MS and suffer their assumption that I am stealing "their" software.

This doesn't happen with every change... As a matter of fact, you can make changes to much of your system without this happening. If you swap out a MB or processor you can guarantee it will happen though.

I never worried about port 135, 445 or 69 in Win98. Not WinXP.

I never worry either... because I have this nice little thing called a firewall. And I'm not talking some software I installed. I have a stand alone stateful firewall. Noone should be without one IMO.

In Win98 I was not afarid to apply a SP or update. Not so WinXP.

What other phobias do you have? Sounds to me like you are just afraid to upgrade to windows XP because you don't know it as well...

All of the old, good firewall applications (Atguard, Conseal PC Firewall) work under Win98. Under WinXP there's Zonealarm or God forbid, (Internet Connection Firewall).

As I said before... External firewall. Software firewalls are a joke.

I never upgraded Win98 to Win98 SE. I was and still am happy with the original best.

I would say your phobia isn't just Windows XP phobia, but upgrade phobia. I would like to recommend a drug to you for that... it's called "phukitall" That will help you get over your phobias.

WinXP is not light years ahead of Win98 in areas of security or stability. WinXP does have a lot of added bells and whistles that are great but not at the cost of secure computing.

Once again, spoken like a user who hates XP and doesn't really know why...

Got any other false ideas in your mind I can help you get the right answers to?

[SunnyB]

WinXP %windir% size = 3.13Gb

Win98 %windir% size = 546Mb

Oh, come on. You can't tell me with the size of drives these days that it really matters to you. I supposed you drive a geo because it's got a 3 cyl engine, afterall a V8 would take up too much room, and is a waste of space, right?

Here I'm talking about file size, library size and directory bloat, and increased access time. You're talking about cars. Stick to the point.

Win98 disk defragmenter is far ahead of that in WinXP.

this is just an ignorant statement. NTFS... that's all I have to say

Ignorance is your assumption that you know what's best for everyone.

I like the ability to access the fat32 drives from my Debian and FreeBSD machines without the need for added software addons.

Being a hardware fanatic I change hardware often.

In Win98 it causes no problem. In WinXP I have to ask permission

from MS and suffer their assumption that I am stealing "their" software.

This doesn't happen with every change... As a matter of fact, you can make changes to much of your system without this happening. If you swap out a MB or processor you can guarantee it will happen though

My hardware. My (paid for) software. My phuking rules.

After being forced to reactivate four times over CPU changes, I was forced to use a VL key to stop their intrusion into my business.

I never worried about port 135, 445 or 69 in Win98. Not WinXP.

I never worry either... because I have this nice little thing called a firewall. And I'm not talking some software I installed. I have a stand alone stateful firewall. Noone should be without one IMO.

It's great that you have a nice firewall but I really don't give a s***.

It has nothing to do with the statement. Maybe on your next thread you can ask what firewall people choose and why.

In Win98 I was not afarid to apply a SP or update. Not so WinXP.

What other phobias do you have? Sounds to me like you are just afraid to upgrade to windows XP because you don't know it as well...

Not one Win98 update / upgrade caused it to stop working to the point that the upgrade needed to be uninstalled. You can't say the same for WinXP.

All of the old, good firewall applications (Atguard, Conseal PC Firewall) work under Win98. Under WinXP there's Zonealarm or God forbid, (Internet Connection Firewall).

As I said before... External firewall. Software firewalls are a joke.

Again you are evading the point. You're talking hardware in a software discussion.

I never upgraded Win98 to Win98 SE. I was and still am happy with the original best.

I would say your phobia isn't just Windows XP phobia, but upgrade phobia. I would like to recommend a drug to you for that... it's called "phukitall" That will help you get over your phobias.

This falls under the category of "if it ain't broke don't fix it" or don't upgrade if the added functionality is not needed.

WinXP is not light years ahead of Win98 in areas of security or stability. WinXP does have a lot of added bells and whistles that are great but not at the cost of secure computing.

Once again, spoken like a user who hates XP and doesn't really know why...

Sounds like you continually miss the point.

Add the total virus infections under Win98 then do the same for WinXP.

An OS that's 4 years older should have a greater number of virus infections.

Why doesn't it?

Got any other false ideas in your mind I can help you get the right answers to?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sure do. How about this from your original post:

"Just curious to know why, that's all."

Your responses all seem hateful, derogatory and hostile.

Do you have a vested interest in Windows XP or it's development?

[tim_horton]

why u guys fight a battle of wits over who lovs xp longhorn is a year away and there be a xp is 5 years old thread with people knock xp so whats the diff 98 is great 4 run of the mill surfing etc its ok as far as virus go who cares xp gets them longhorn will its a never ending saga .if 98 gets u by then great i use 98se/xpsp2 im not a avid digital media or gamer i surf built webpages mild resources and i use whatever os boots first .gotta go need more coffee .IE 7 is it the next big thing and why does it seen like with anti spyware and other programs that nowaday its seems all the crap u need 2 protect u from spyware viruses is getting as big as a os weird.chow

[azagahl]

Cool, some new security patches for 98 SE.

http://www.msfn.org/comments.php?shownews=12193

Another reason to use 98 SE. Prompt support from Microsoft without the instrusive big-brother activation features and gigabytes of disk-thrashing bloatage.

FYI, I installed the latest 98 SE SP on a 1 GB 98 SE Athlon 3400+ machine last night and it's just unbelievably smooth, stable, and responsive. It's a real pleasure to use when compared to my similarly equiped XP PC.

It does take a few seconds to boot up, but I am loading a pile of TSR's. I may try rebuilding vmm32.vxd, which should help a bit.

this is just an ignorant statement. NTFS... that's all I have to say

Actually I'm using FAT16 for my swap partition and RAM disk and it works quite efficiently. The RAM disk slows down a bit if I turn on drvspace compression though.

Your responses all seem hateful, derogatory and hostile.

You only get to act like that when you are Bill Gates' personal IT admin. My credentials aren't sufficient yet.

[FixitMad]

Hello All,

I guess I will have to put in my two cents as well. This topic has been brought up as well under Sonic Foundry's Vegas Video forum. (Now owned by Sony Mediasoftware). First off before anyone gets mad, I've used most of the M$ products (Dos, Win3.1, Win95,Win98, WinME, WinNT, WinXP). For me, I still love using Windows 98se because it does what I need it to and I like its speed. I use Windows 98se to make videos, music, play game, etc and everything I use it for it works great, especially with the unoffical SP1!

If Windows98se does everything I need it to do (in terms of OS's) why would I have to upgrade? Should I upgrade because Microsoft is telling me to? Windows98se is stable and I have tweaked it in the way that I like. It runs well and performs like it should. I build PC's for myself and some friends. Since I own several copies of Windows 98se licensed, why would I find a need to Upgrade to WinXP. For me Windows98se can do everything that XP can for my use.(and I stress MY use; maybe not yours) We use WinXP Pro at work and I have noticed several issues that make me happy that I stayed with Windows98se. I am not harping on anyone for upgrading. Fine! If you are happy with the upgrade, great!

My whole deal with this "registration" is that this can be used (down the road) to prevent me (the paid license user) from using the Software that I paid for. I brought this issue up with Sonic Foundry and they told me in an email "they are working on making this issue smoother". My whole beef is in the past I purchased "downloadable" software only to find out that I have to key in a Serial number and then a registration key. I now cannot use a program I PAID for because the company is no longer in business. The software, VidoeCraft from Andover. If I purchase a full "boxed" edition, I should NOT have to now register the software in order for me to "use" it. Sonic Foundry several years ago indicated to me, that if the software was installed from an actual "CD" I would not have to go through the registration process. Yeah, right. That did not last. I have a lot of software from Sonic Foundry, one of which is Siren Jukebox (which is no longer made) and if Sony decides to stop providing "a registration key" I'm screwed.

I've also noticed something that I have not before. My Pentium 3 PC crashed and I erased everything on the PC and I reinstalled everything I had on there only to find out that my Computer ID is now Different from before!!!! Protecting "downloadable" software is OK with me. But when I have purchased only CD "boxed" products from whomever, I would expect I should be able to use it when I need to and NOT go through the hoops to register it. --There is my two cents again--

For me Windows98se can Burn CDR's,DVD's,etc. Yes, Win98 is old. So is DOS! I have older DOS programs for my DOS PC. Just because something is OLD does not mean it is obsolete. There are several web pages that describe how "older updates" to some software package are actually better than the new revison. Case in point, CD Burner BIOS's. But that is for another story.

** My problem with this post is that originally it was asked why people still use Windows 98se, just curious. It obiviously was used for other things**

I do find it interesting that Microsoft is now Extending their service for us Windows 98se users. There must be more users using Windows 98se than M$ would like to admit! Check out this link: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=LifeAn1

Thanks.

[randiroo76073]

Right on the money FixitMad, when you pay the money you should own it, barring making copies for resale. Shouldn't have to keep jumping thru hoops. I run 98se cause it does everthing I need + some, thanks to Gapes usp for it. If I wanted to donate to MS I would, without reservations.

[tim_horton]

Long Live 98se party on garth..

[un4given1]

Yes, the original question was why... If your answer is based on truth or necessity then I understand. This conversation became an argument because too many of you 98 users decided "Windows 98 can do this BETTER... Windows 98 can do this and XP can't..." That's where the problem came in.

Real issues I see..

Cost

"it ain't broke so don't fix it"

Activation woes

I understand all of those...

I have based my opinions of both 98 and XP on hundreds of systems that I have built and or administered. If you are having an issue with speed or something else maybe you should determine if it's your system and it's incompatability or of it's a true issue.

If you are informed about the differences and don't make any false statements then I will respect your answer. If you retaliate and argue about what one can do that the other can't, when it can... then you lose my respect. Base your answer on fact over opinion and there wouldn't be an arguement, because fact always trumps opinion.

[azagahl]

Real issues I see..

Cost

"it ain't broke so don't fix it"

Activation woes

You forgot a couple:

-Bigger target (both bigger OS and more visibility) for virii and malware

-Signifcant performance degradation

-Significant memory consumption

-Waste of disk space

-Backwards compatability problems

-Cumbersome interfaces (e.g. Find)

-Poor troubleshooting (e.g. Shift-F8).

I have based my opinions of both 98 and XP on hundreds of systems that I have built and or administered. If you are having an issue with speed or something else maybe you should determine if it's your system and it's incompatability or of it's a true issue.

I thought XP was supposed to be easy to use. Does a home user really need the experience of having set up a hundred systems to avoid all of the problems us forum members are reporting?

If you need to hire someone with so much experience to help set your PC up then that is a significant cost that has to be added for this OS.

If you retaliate and argue about what one can do that the other can't, when it can...

You mean like using 1 GB on 98 SE?

BTW, I think one big reason people like XP is because its "newer". Not actually better, just newer.

And some people just buy a PC and it comes with XP installed, and they don't know any different. Micros~1 has been in trouble before for strong-arming manufacturers into distributing their OS, so the number of users of various OS's isn't necessarily a good measure of which OS is better.

Personally I am still waiting for a good reason to upgrade to appear in this thread.

[randiroo76073]

Alright Unforgiven1, hows about you tell me, why should I upgrade to XP, other than bells and whistles & pretty face, what does XP have to offer over 98se, other than headaches. If it's so simple to use & so much better how come so many people want me to revert their machines back to 98? Some of them have had XP for at least 2 yrs, and are just plain tired of the hassles. This is the best MS has to offer???

[prathapml]

what does XP have to offer over 98se

  This is the best MS has to offer???

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Someone is certainly rolling with laughter!

All along he has been posting into this thread which is now more than 180 posts large..... about how XP is better.

Well, other than that, WinXP when fortified with SP2, is the best desktop OS out there. Reasons? un4given1 posted a lot of them.

Some of them have had XP for at least 2 yrs, and are just plain tired of the hassles.

Please ask them to not use illegal software. Pirating is an offence, no matter which version.

Also, I agree with azagahl and un4given1 on this:

Cost

"it ain't broke so don't fix it"

Activation woes

Win98se still isn't a bad idea if the above's your reasons.