Windows 98 - Who Needs It ?

             Reviewed by MerC on a Pentium 150
                    48Mb RAM; 3.2Gb HDD

I suppose the only real answer is none of us, just as we don't
really need a VCR, a CD player or even a PC. Even so, having used
the beast for a couple of months, I now wouldn't be without it,
warts an' all. Like 95 aeons ago, it needs to be tamed to your
specifications, but on balance the time and effort are worth it.

You will see and hear a lot of nonsense on the lines of "If you're
running Windows 95, and Internet Explorer 4, you're already
running 98."  Claptrap. Firstly they may mean IE 4.01, with the
SP1 update, but even that combination does not bring it into the
98 league.  I've used both permutations, and they are not
functionally the same.  Both schemes have certain aspects in
common, such as the option of running the Active Desktop but then,
though most cars have an engine and gearbox, most people would not
mistake a Skoda for a Jaguar. It's not simply the individual
parts, but the way they are put together that counts.

In fact, the Active Desktop alone is a good reason to upgrade even
if you are not netted. This is because you have control - all your
links, directories, drives etc. open in the style you want. You
could have all your directories on Drive C, say, opening with a
Rembrandt as background (as many different ones as you have
illustrations that you can make into .bmp files) with quotations
from Shakespeare (text or sound) and a bar or two of a favourite
ditty. Drive D could then be Van Dycks and so on. However, be
warned. If you are running a tweaked 95 version and you upgrade to
98, if you don't take precautions all your settings will evaporate
to be replaced with the bland Microsoft nanny versions - which I
emphatically do not recommend. It is not too difficult to prevent
this, though.

98 tries to make your directories look like web pages. Since one
of the major features of these is that you design your own, this
sort of customisation is therefore built in. Double clicking has
been abolished - and a good thing too. Along with this you get an
almost paranoid obsession with trying to stop you making a
mistake. You cannot open your Windows directory, or Program Files,
without a dire warning of the possible consequences. You then need
a second click to get to the actual files. If you just turn off
the power (not a good idea under any Windows version, but
sometimes it's forced on you by a freeze), the next time you boot,
your system automatically runs Scandisk, with a rather acidulous
instruction to turn off properly in future.

The actual installation is an adventure all on its own, and I
would suggest getting an expert to do it (wimpish) or use the
method outlined below. The 'upgrading' version costs around œ70 on
CD, and all you need is an original 3.11 or 95 set of disks. By
the way, I have mixed feelings about the 98+ Companion disc. It
has useful features in Virus protection and compressing of files
(and redundant ones in the guise of extra desktop themes) but as
usual with Microsoft your main feeling is that they should have
been included in the original and not added as an expensive

afterthought. They are making enough profit without resorting to
this sort of marketing scam.

Installation Without Tears

1. You can try it if you want, but I had problems trying to
upgrade over 95 with IE 4.01 and SP1. Right at the very end (after
an hour or so of merry anticipation and abandoned mirth) I got the
dreaded Blue Screen of Death, with a message about a .vxd file. At
that point I actually did abandon mirth. When I eventually got it
to load, it would not recognise my CD Rom drives, and insisted on
loading Real Mode drivers.

2. Eventually I arrived at the following as a foolproof(?) method
of installing Windows 98.

a. Save any unique files or others that you want to keep in a safe
partition. If you have room, include the system files which live
in the root of your boot drive, and the Windows\System folder.

Also keep Windows\Web if it exists and you want to keep the
customisation you have already applied.

b. Start the installation and proceed as far as making a Start-up
disc.

c. Abort the installation.

d. Reformat or wipe the partition you are going to install to.

e. Edit the Bios so that "Floppy Drive Seek at Bootup" is enabled.

f. Using the Start up disc, and having your original Windows
disc(s) handy, start installing again. You will be asked to insert
the originals, which the procedure checks for a short time.

The installation then worked correctly for me.

3. Here are a few detailed hints and tips you might find of use
before and during installing Win 98.

In DOS

a. Edit your config.sys file (if you are using one) and check to
see if you have a line such as

DEVICE=EMM386.exe HIGHSCAN.

Replace the parameter HIGHSCAN with NOEMS.

b. Boot your present system in Safe Mode. Access Device Manager
(Control Panel/System).

Examine every category by clicking the + signs. If you come across
any duplicate/multiple identical entries, remove them all. When
you re-boot in normal mode, PnP will pick up any drivers you
need, but this time only single copies. Any multiple drivers
installed gives 98 indigestion.  Proceed from 2a.


In Windows 95

c. If you have edited your Registry (you probably don't need my
advice in that case!) and altered a key called NameNumericTail to
01, reset it to 00. Win 98 has to be able to rename long file
names in the truncated form. If you have never edited your
Registry, now is not the time to start, though.

d. If you have customised your folders/drives as web pages, Save
the Windows\Web directory. Each customised folder will have a file
in it called folder.htt, and if you have changed backgrounds or
text colours, also one called desktop.ini. Rename these uniquely
and Save them. After installation replace the 98 versions with
yours.

e. Disable any virus scanning applets. Also any shortcut which
starts on boot up should be removed from the Start\Programs\StartUp
folder. Care here, as your system has an intermittent habit of
finding where you put them. (Temporarily rename if need be).

f. Save any unique files to a safe partition. Include your present
Windows\System directory.  There are hundreds (probably) of .dll
files, some of which you will need if you are not to re-install
all your applications. Simply transfer the ones listed as missing
(when you try to run an application) from your saved directory to
your present one.

In General

g. Do not rename your Program Files folder (even if you change
back to the original).

h. Do FAT 32 any partition/hard drive of 1Gb or more. This saves
masses of space (if such a physical concept can be said to exist).
On a 1Gb partition it produced an extra 124 Mb for me. Trade off :
defrag is a lot slower - but at least in 98 you can schedule this
to happen regularly at times when you are not using the system.

i. Some of your applications may not run as before. For errors of
missing .dll files, you copied your 95 System folder, (didn't you?)
so they will be in there.  Norton Protected status does not work on
a FAT 32 partition as yet. If Outlook Express complains, you need
to examine your Registry and check that the path to a file called
wab.dll is where the file actually resides.

j. If you have the room, copy all the .cab files from your CD to a
folder on your HDD. They are then much easier to access when
required. (Do this for Windows 95 even if you are not upgrading.
The same argument applies.)

Summary :  You get improved functionality with slight speed
decrease and more hand-holding for beginners. Stability is
improved considerably, and with everything in, you get decent
virus protection, free upgrades and improved Internet access. Not
all problems with drivers have been solved, and the system treats
us all like absolute beginners.  But...

Do it - you know it makes sense !

                              - o -