It's so good to be home

[Fredledingue]

I spent 3 weeks away from home and the only PC I sued was the one of my father: an XP platform.

Not that I can't work on XP but... when I came back home and switched on my w98SE, everything looked so easy, so clear, so simple.... what a relaxation for the mind!

For example I can browse MyComputer, click on C:, then My Documents and I'm in (guess what?) my document folder!

I almost forgot how such a difficult operation (reaching your user's My Documents folder through browsing the drive tree) on XP, was so easy on w98!

Then I wanted to make a demonstration of my last HTA toy: the software compilation browser (look at my site in my sig if you want to check it out). Basicaly it's an HTA working like a webpage and displaying the content of a cd, the way I like, with textes etc...

Worked like a charm on w98. Worked terribly slow on XP!

And it's full of small things like these...

[mr_bumbles]

Sounds like you got your hook baited and ready for the fish to come in and start biting.

bUmBleS

[Fredledingue]

what do you mean?

[oscardog]

I agree, i find its design far more intuitive, i always switch to classic desktop when i have to repair customers xp pcs, seems more productive. That and the lack of the annoying "I know what you want to do" approach when a cd or memory card is inserted, (I know it can be disabled, but then the owners would have to think for themselves) makes me appreciate my own systems.

[kartel]

I totaly know what you mean.

98 rules

Edited August 16, 2006 by kartel

[Fredledingue]

Someone should start a XP-as-W98 project. A post installation script to disable all the make-it-look-slower options and make-it-realy-slower services and craps to make it behave like a w98 OS.

Not sure if it belongs to w98 or Xp forum...

[os2fan2]

Doesn't SP2 make windows go slow?

[nitroshift]

Doesn't SP2 make windows go slow?

Unless you have 32Mb of RAM and a Pentium 1 processor, nope.

[wizardofwindows]

no xp sp2 doesnt slow down windows.when sp2 was released alot of people complainted it broke some previous app installions and some panned it as evil but this happens everytime anythings released.i have xp pro sp2 running on a P2-266mhz with 128 sd 100 ram and it runs fairly decent overall. Edited August 17, 2006 by timeless

[prx984]

as long as you slipstream the cd with the sp2 pack and reinstall the os, it runs perfectly fine. im still no fan of updating an OS after an installation. i prefer to have all the updates on the cd (mainly just SP2 and xpize and stuff) an update that major changes a lot of files and stuff, so of coarse the computer will slow down after that. its better to reinstall the os with the updates imo.

the reason i say this is, my dad has a laptop for work that originally came sp1, a guy at work who does all the computer stuff for the company. he installed SP2 on this laptop, and it just killed it. the thing now takes over 2 minutes to boot up. its a celeron 2ghz with 512mb of ram

[wizardofwindows]

its funny how if u run xp for a few years if u jump on a 98 box you automatically can remember and quickly how 2 run 98.it like a imprint on your brain when i use 98se ill admit it is easilier with less steps.

[Fredledingue]

One question:

Are you, like me, opening the "My Document" folder via the C: folder tree or via the "My Document" special tree?

I find the "My Document" special tree pretty useless.

[Andromeda43]

One question:

Are you, like me, opening the "My Document" folder via the C: folder tree or via the "My Document" special tree?

I find the "My Document" special tree pretty useless.

A fix:

Find your own Doc's folder and right click it.

Send to: Desktop as a shortcut.

It will be right there on your desktop when you want to look into it.

When I set up a new XP PC for someone who's been using a 98 or ME computer, I always go through all the hoops to make XP look like 98, from the start menu right on through the file folders (Classic Folders).

Yeah, XP will never be another 98, but it will look close anyway.

When XP is properly tweaked and tuned, it can actually boot up and shutdown every bit as fast as the old 98 machine. My own XP PC, boots up in 20 sec's and shuts down in 8 sec's.

I've seen many 98 machines perform much slower than that.

Someday, all those old 98 PC's will just grow old and die. Eventually we'll all have to learn how to tune XP to run the way we want it.

I've already found enough tweaks and tune-up tips to make XP run almost 100% better than it does "out of the box".

Out of the box, or "Off the Store Shelf", XP runs like a three legged dog.

I spend about two hours cleaning out the junk and tuning up every new PC that I install for my customers.

The increase in speed and funtionallity is amazing.

It's Do'able!

Cheers!

Andromeda43 B)

[prx984]

i was using my old compaq armada 1700 laptop which has 98 on it last night and i gotta tell you, that little computer still performs very well for its age. i had an old mouse hooked up to (logitech track man marble) and i was browsing the net with it, i loved it. it ran so well (apart from the small screen, it was very useable)

i was browsing the forums here on it for a good hour and a half sittin at my desk and just enjoying the oldness lol. i like using some older computers sometimes, reminds me of simpler times.

well, i do like 98, and i do like xp, they both have their advantages. i like XP because it performs better and has better handlind of certain stuff, but if i wanna get some stuff done really fast, ill use 98. i use XP mainly now as most of my software now needs it, plus i like the look of XP over 98. but, i still have a lot of software written for 98, so i use that for my older stuff. i have a scanner that needs 98 too, so i use that on there.

well, 98 will always hold a place in my house. as i need it, i run a webserver on it too.

[Andromeda43]

Cygnus,

I have no problem with anything you're saying.

I understand you completely.

I can see why some would think XP is a real dog compared to their tweaked and tuned 98 machine.

XP is a much larger OS and requires more tweaking and tuning than 98 to run as well.

The difference really comes in when we realize that the new XP machines are running CPU's and RAM several times faster than that running on the old 98 machines.

My own XP system is tweaked and tuned for peak performance. I wait for literally Nothing.

When I have to go back and use my little Compaq Laptop with 98/SE on it, I feel like I'm in a slow motion movie. I do like that little PC and I've always had a fondness for 98/SE, but it just can't compare to my XP system, which of course, I built myself.

Like my little Commodore 64, the 98 machines will someday be gone from everyday use and will become just a curiosity. I'll hate to see that day, but I know it's coming.

Y'all have a great day now, Y'hear?

Andromeda43 B)