• The Forums are now open to new registrations, adverts are also being de-tuned.

Windows98 & ME......No more support

Benzowner

Benzowner

MB Enthusiast
SUPPORTER
Joined
Jun 21, 2004
Messages
3,352
Location
Bristol
Car
Qashqai Acenta Premium 1.6Diesel
Microsoft has announced that as from 11th July 2006, it will no longer support Windows 98 and ME. This, apparently, is because of a loophole in the oporating system would involve a major rewrite of the windows explorer system, and it is not prepared to do this. They are advising all users of the older systems to upgrade to a newer more secure system, either XP or SP2.

I guess my 3.1 is outadate also then:D :D
 
98 works a treat on ym Dell Celeron when XP wouldn't install... Whatever works.
 
Considering the advances in hardware we've seen since Win 98 was released (minumum requirements were a 66mhz 486DX processor and 16mb RAM - SE required a heady 24MB) it's hardly surprising that support for an eight year old O/S is being dropped - actually I'm amazed it's lasted this long.

If your computer isn't up to running XP how can it hope to run some of the more recent software?

Perhaps it's time for an update

Andy
 
Winamp 2.91 is recent enough for me. It works :D.
 
MS have already effectively stopped supporting Win98 from a security point of view as the latest Internet Explorer security fixes won't run on the 98 platform. You can install them but some features just won't be enabled.
 
It doesn't make a lot of difference when Microsoft stop support.. the product will keep working. I'm no great fan of Mr. Gates, but I've been using MS stuff since the days of DOS 3.2, never mind Windows. A couple of years ago we had to bin an old PC-XT clone (running an 8086 processor at 4.7 MHz!!) that had been used for printing labels for over 15 years...

I was sorry to see it go (should have gone to a museum), but we had our money's worth out of that one.. I think it was over £2000 new.

I'm writing this on a machine running Vista Beta 2, but I still run 98SE on one computer at home.. it does the job, and it's one of Redmonds better attempts IMHO ;). I'll keep using that one till the hardware croaks.

Cheers,

Gaz
 
It doesn't make a lot of difference when Microsoft stop support.. the product will keep working. I'm no great fan of Mr. Gates, but I've been using MS stuff since the days of DOS 3.2, never mind Windows. A couple of years ago we had to bin an old PC-XT clone (running an 8086 processor at 4.7 MHz!!) that had been used for printing labels for over 15 years...

I was sorry to see it go (should have gone to a museum), but we had our money's worth out of that one.. I think it was over £2000 new.

I'm writing this on a machine running Vista Beta 2, but I still run 98SE on one computer at home.. it does the job, and it's one of Redmonds better attempts IMHO ;). I'll keep using that one till the hardware croaks.

Cheers,

Gaz
 
gaz_l said:
It doesn't make a lot of difference when Microsoft stop support.. the product will keep working.
Click to expand...

Only problem is that security loopholes will no longer be patched. May not be a problem depending what the PC is used for (e.g. if the PC is not connect to the internet/email).
 
ZoneLabs have also announced that their next versions of ZoneAlarm (firewall) will no longer run on Win98.

Agree with Gaz though - it is the best version of Windows for any machine that really isn't up to XP (and I still have my first IBM portable in storage - an 8086 XT with 2x5 1/4" DD drives and CGI monitor. I think it had a list price of around $4500 new!)
 
I've still got a ZX81 but I don't use that either :)

I can't see how anyone can still be struggling along with a machine that is incapable of running XP they must be missing out on so much.

Let 98 sleep in peace :)

Andy
 
I had Win ME, pretty unstable IMO. Maybe other Win 98 variants were better.
 
andy_k said:
I've still got a ZX81 but I don't use that either :)

I can't see how anyone can still be struggling along with a machine that is incapable of running XP they must be missing out on so much.

Let 98 sleep in peace :)

Andy
Click to expand...
In good condition? Been to an auction house lately? These things sell for good money nowadays (boxed as new recently sold for something in the region of fifty grand IIRC ;-). The ZX81 was my first computer - I was 6 years old, and my fingers were just the right size for that horrid flat keyboard!

-simon
 
SimonsMerc said:
In good condition? Been to an auction house lately? These things sell for good money nowadays (boxed as new recently sold for something in the region of fifty grand IIRC ;-). The ZX81 was my first computer - I was 6 years old, and my fingers were just the right size for that horrid flat keyboard!

-simon
Click to expand...

sadly they aren't worth anything like that - they sell on eBay for about £20 which is one reason why I haven't sold mine :( Maybe sometime in the future but I doubt it as there seem to be so many around

If I thought I could get £50k (or even half of that) it would have been out the door long ago :)

It's in excellent condition with all the original packaging (polystyrene and outer cardboard box with the ZX81 sticker on it) and the ZX81 basic manual.

Andy
 
andy_k said:
sadly they aren't worth anything like that - they sell on eBay for about £20 which is one reason why I haven't sold mine :( Maybe sometime in the future but I doubt it as there seem to be so many around

If I thought I could get £50k (or even half of that) it would have been out the door long ago :)

It's in excellent condition with all the original packaging (polystyrene and outer cardboard box with the ZX81 sticker on it) and the ZX81 basic manual.

Andy
Click to expand...
Hrm...could have sworn I read about one reaching 50k in an auction. Perhaps it was Clive Sinclair's own one or something ;-) Oh well!

-simon
 
Windows 98 was a very unstable OS anyway. If an application crashed it always seemed to take the whole of Windows with it. Most infuriating.

The only reason I can see to stick with Win98 or any of the Win9x platforms is that the OS puts fewer constraints on using the attached hardware, so they tend to be 'better' for games.

If possible, I'd strongly recommend upgrading to W2K or XP!
 
andy_k said:
I've still got a ZX81 but I don't use that either :)

I can't see how anyone can still be struggling along with a machine that is incapable of running XP they must be missing out on so much.

Let 98 sleep in peace :)

Andy
Click to expand...

Not only that, but you cannot even load any s/w or h/w on it as it does not meet the minm requirements of today's programmes. Even loading on a cheap Dell inkjet, requires you to have at least Win 2000 installed.
 
I have a compaq laptop, 486dx75 IIRC, running win98. It was a job to get it on there because it only has a tiny HDD and no cd-rom drive, had to copy it over the network using a dos client for NT server and several other "retro" utilities!

Works very well though, needed to use 98 over 95 because there's so much 95 just wouldn't do.

Personal firewalls etc are pretty much pointless if you are behind a NAT/PAT DSL router, mine also has a rudimentary firewall on it. Takes the burden away from the local PCs :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back
Top Bottom