98SE2ME = Killer Replacements: ME -> 98 SE

[Eck]

After testing on a VMWare 98SE install and toggling off the 98SE2ME and 98MP10 in auto-patcher then installing them afterwards, all is well.

The only strange thing is that the My Computer desktop icon remains the original default 98SE one even though Explorer.exe's icon in the Windows folder is the newer one and that newer one also appears in Display Properties as the default one.

Don't mind the old one though, since the rest of the icons haven't changed either. If I want the 2000/Me style I can get them from a Windows Me theme I have.

Nice color scheme. I like that it doesn't change the font like Gape's Service Pack does. I like the normal font but enjoy the prettier colors on the title menu's, desktop, etc.

Now let's see what happens when I try installing my USB printer and Microsoft Works/Office stuff. I normally do those earlier but didn't want to spend the time until I saw whether these operating system updates went well.

[MDGx]

The only strange thing is that the My Computer desktop icon remains the original default 98SE one even though Explorer.exe's icon in the Windows folder is the newer one and that newer one also appears in Display Properties as the default one.

Have you tried to delete %windir%\ShellIconCache and then shut down "normal": Start -> Shut Down -> Shut Down?

This way ShellIconCache should be recreated to contain updated icons.

HTH

[Eck]

Ya know, when I installed McAfee 2006 security software the newer style My Computer icon appeared. So now it matches what it's supposed to be.

Maybe their installer deleates that ShellIconCache file in order to refresh things.

But thanks for that tip as I now know what to do myself to refresh things. Another way to refresh if the shortcut arrows look like they're there but they're not (look damaged) is to apply large icons then uncheck it and apply again. Shortcut arrows are then repaired.

I had to do that after Nero 7 stuff got installed.

I remember reading about the ShellIconCache refresh by deleating and rebooting but it got lost somewhere in my brain among the thousand Windows tips that exist there!

Too bad there's no undelete for brain cells.

[ZaPbUzZ]

I need to know a couple of things.

Ater installation the system's autoexec.bat is still loading files into the system directory on each reboot how come?

Would it be possible to place a 3rd party compression utility such as 7zip into a background utility

to automatically load the set of winme files whenever it is needed than scanning the unofficial

service pack cab.

Is there a place online to grab a complete manual installation guide that outlines the components effects and problems that can or can't happen doing this mod.

Thankyou.

P.S. In case people are migrating to NT for driver compatability; winme actually accepts some

xp drivers as it is a hybrid driver system unique to the rest of 9x.

I have been running my own mod of this for years but i haven't been able to the registry, shell and driver components..good job.

One thing i did do is put default system drivers into 98se from winme .. it was good.

Edited January 31, 2007 by ZaPbUzZ

[Eck]

http://www.mdgx.com

I tried to give a direct link to the page but the site navigation leaves the main url there wherever you go. Just scroll down and click on the 98SE2ME link and you'll see the manual installation method.

That autoexec.bat bug existed in very early releases of 98SE2ME. The files are copied the first time you restart after installing 98SE2ME. You don't need them copied again! So you can just delete those lines.

I was hoping to solve the system just turning the monitor off when trying to restart in MS-DOS Mode by installing the patched 98SE versions of USER.EXE and USER32.DLL from an extracted Unofficial 98SE Service Pack sp2.cab file. I need to set the ExittoDos.pif to its own dos configuration in order to get Windows to restart to dos mode properly.

Returning to the 98SE versions didn't fix it so I'll just keep the Exittodos.pif with its own configuration. It works fine that way. Perhaps it's videocard driver related. I just can't set it to use the default dos configuration, but whatever. As long as I can get there!

I'll keep the 98SE patched files. Don't see the need to switch them back.

[celtish]

98SE2ME · UPDATED] · 1-24-2007

Please see the top of this topic for most recent 98SE2ME update.

Excellent as always but why does it always install things with W98, WIN, 256, and *W98.* extensions? They don't seem to have any useful function.

I am using a programme called WinPatcher. Could this be useful if incorporated in 98SE2ME?

Also, would it be possible to have metapad as the notepad?

Edited February 1, 2007 by plonkeroo

[MDGx]

I need to know a couple of things.

Ater installation the system's autoexec.bat is still loading files into the system directory on each reboot how come?

Would it be possible to place a 3rd party compression utility such as 7zip into a background utility

to automatically load the set of winme files whenever it is needed than scanning the unofficial

service pack cab.

Is there a place online to grab a complete manual installation guide that outlines the components effects and problems that can or can't happen doing this mod.

Thankyou.

P.S. In case people are migrating to NT for driver compatability; winme actually accepts some

xp drivers as it is a hybrid driver system unique to the rest of 9x.

I have been running my own mod of this for years but i haven't been able to the registry, shell and driver components..good job.

One thing i did do is put default system drivers into 98se from winme .. it was good.

Thanks a lot for your appreciation.

I hope you enjoy 98SE2ME.

To answer your questions:

1. Autoexec.bat is used to run batch files right after (re)boot but before Windows GUI starts [win.com].

But after those batch files complete their run, the modded autoexec.bat is deleted and replaced with original [unmodified] autoexec.bat [if any].

2. The WinME files installed by 98SE2ME into C:\9!M are extracted from the installer, which is built using InnoSetup [ http://www.jrsoftware.org/isinfo.php ], which in turn uses 7-zip compression to shrink files to maximum compression ratio available. This is detailed in READ1ST.TXT:

READ1ST.TXT

under the "UNINSTALL 98SE2ME" section, and also in INNOFILE.TXT [part of INNOFILE.ZIP]:

http://www.mdgx.com/9s2m/INNOFILE.ZIP

Whenever 1 runs the main batch [98SE2ME.PIF], and then selects an option, necessary files are copied from C:\9!M to respective target directories, and necessary files [if any] are extracted from WinME CABs, which must be present for most options.

Disk space taken by 98SE2ME installation files is ~ 9 MB.

After installing desired option(s), 98SE2ME can be completely uninstalled, thus freeing that disk space.

3. Complete 98SE2ME guide is here [in plain TXT format]:

READ1ST.TXT

See the "98SE2ME.PIF COMPLETE GUIDE" section for details on all installed components [8 options total].

Same READ1ST.TXT pops up whenever one installs 98SE2ME, or any options.

4. Win98 SE also accepts certain NT4/2000/XP/2003 drivers, even better after installing 98SE2ME options 1, 2 or 8.

HTH

[MDGx]

http://www.mdgx.com

I tried to give a direct link to the page but the site navigation leaves the main url there wherever you go. Just scroll down and click on the 98SE2ME link and you'll see the manual installation method.

Any web page [html document] can be viewed or saved [copied to clipboard] from any web site [even the ones with frames, like mine], if using:

- MS Internet Explorer: right-click on plain text [without links] on the page you want to view [even inside frames] -> select Properties -> see Address: (URL) -> triple-click on top of the actual URL to highlight it entirely -> right-click -> click Copy -> then paste URL into address box in any web browser or text/doc application.

- Firefox/Mozilla: right-click on plain text [without links] on the page you want to view [even inside frames] -> select This Frame -> click Show Only This Frame -> this will show the frame [web page] URL in the address box, you can then cut + paste.

- Opera: similar way.

HTH

[MDGx]

Excellent as always but why does it always install things with W98, WIN, 256, and *W98.* extensions? They don't seem to have any useful function.

I am using a programme called WinPatcher. Could this be useful if incorporated in 98SE2ME?

Also, would it be possible to have metapad as the notepad?

1. All those files are backups of files that are replaced by 98SE2ME options.

READ1ST.TXT explains what they do, which files they back up, how to restore original files by using those renamed files, and how to delete those backups if you wish:

READ1ST.TXT

2. The only purpose of 98SE2ME is to upgrade Win98 SE to WinME level.

Therefore it does not install 3rd party apps, games, tools, tweaks etc.

This is explained in READ1ST.TXT under the "FAQ" section:

READ1ST.TXT

3. I chose PFE [Programmer's File Editor] because has features no other Notepad replacement has.

Among other unique features: it is the only text editor I've seen which opens huge text files fast, without "choking".

Of course, it is a matter of personal preference which text editor one wants to use.

PFE is installed only by options 1 and 5.

Option 2 [main option which installs the ~ 700 WinME files] does not install PFE.

HTH

[Eck]

Alright! I didn't know that trick with getting the urls. Awesome.

Typing now from Firefox in OpenSUSE Linux 10.2. Gosh, this operating system is cool. I'm a first timer in any Linux and after years of spending, and spending, and spending $$$, I am simply amazed and can hardly believe how absolutely everything in this Linux world is free (excepting the hardware, ink, paper, cds, dvds). It appears that the only thing I'll really need a Windows setup for is for complete game compatibility. Unbelievable. Where have I been?

I was so afraid of needing to learn complex new commands but found that not only are they not so complex, but really the only time it was absolutely necessary to leave the GUI was to install the proprietary ATI videocard driver so I could get all the neat desktop 3d effects. And the KDE GUI is, well, not dissimilar to anything I've used before. And it's pretty too!

I'll stop since this isn't the place I guess, but I'm finding this new to me thing quite exciting. I'll likely keep multi-booting with my Windows stuff mainly to keep my games alive but, to be honest, I've got XP on here but I can't seem to want to leave this here strange new world so I can begin the much more tedious process of installing all my Windows programs.

At least I'm glad I didn't have the funds to get Vista the first day. I see now it will cost me just $259 instead of a whopping $400 as it's been discovered that we can upgrade with a clean install without having XP previously installed just by running the Vista upgrade setup twice, leaving out the key the first time and choosing a clean install the second time. Then it'll format and install itself fresh. I've got 2 XP Homes and 2 XP Pros so I certainly qualify for the upgrade price discount anyway. Heck, with all the feedback I sent in during the Customer Preview time and all the money I've spent on Microsoft software I find it hard to justify spending even that much money on the thing. Still, it'll be at least another month before even that'll be possible for me. Might not do it at all. I'm searching for things I CAN'T do with the free Linux running the computer at this point, and wondering what Vista can offer me that's worth $259.

[crashnburn]

jus' luvin' all this work and effort in this package....... but methinks i do have a wish....

in the windows restart drop down menu is it possible to 'see' RESTART IN SAFE MODE..... as opposed to the F8 key or using meconfig...???

[Eck]

That would be a redesign of the software, something that 98SE2ME does not do.

Do you often need to go into Safe Mode? If so, just set the option in msconfig to show the startup menu. I used to leave it like that when using BootMagic. It was hard to time my pressing the Ctrl key so that BootMagic would boot me to the startup menu. To make getting to Safe Mode less of a pain if I did need it, I set the option in msconfig to always give me the startup menu.

[Max_04]

@MDGx:

I've a problem with 98se2me...

after installation of option 1, control volume in sounds and multimedia is disabled.

Then, I don't succeed to remember reproduction and recorder devices, in tab voice, clicking on Apply.

This is a general problem of localized version of 98se2me....

it is happened also in english version?

THX.

PS: Italian localization of 98se2me is fully updated with your last update.

I've tried with Microsoft Windows ME Control Panel Sounds + Multimedia Tool Errors MMSYS.CPL 4.90.3001 Fix and Microsoft Windows 98 SE Disabled Sounds + USB Devices WINMM.DLL 4.03.2201 Fix.

After extraction, I've installed infs, no change, same issue.

Maybe I must remove 98se2me modifications, to install 98 SP + Microsoft Windows 98 SE Disabled Sounds + USB Devices WINMM.DLL 4.03.2201 Fix and then to reinstall option 1 of 98se2ME?

No, tried also this....

Problem is occured during installation of 700 win ME files.

Edited February 12, 2007 by Max_04

[hankjrfan00]

It has been a while since I have installed 98SE2ME. I was just wondering if it still uses a batchfile based installer. It seems like it would be "cleaner" to use an inf based installer. Also it would be nice if their were an option to not make backups.

Thanks

[MDGx]

It has been a while since I have installed 98SE2ME. I was just wondering if it still uses a batchfile based installer. It seems like it would be "cleaner" to use an inf based installer. Also it would be nice if their were an option to not make backups.

Thanks

1. I still use a DOS batch system [and an INF sub-system where applicable], INF system by itself is too primitive to cover all functions.

2. Backups are created only if you wish to [you have 99 seconds to press N (No) if you don't want to backup], and only if you install 98SE2ME for the 1st time [and if it doesn't detect any older backups].

Complete details in READ1ST.TXT, the "BACKUP + RESTORE WINDOWS 98 SE" chapter:

READ1ST.TXT

HTH