Content
Windows 98
Windows 98 was released on June 25, 1998. The key name of the development process was Memphis. It was the successor graphical operating system of Windows 95. Like its predecessor, it was a 16 bit and 32 bit hybrid monolithic product
The release of Windows 98 was preceded by a remarkable public demonstration at COMDEX in April 1998. Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was highlighting the ease of use of the operating system and its improved Plug and Play support. However, when program manager Chris Capossela connected a scanner and tried to install it, the operating system hung up, showing a blue screen. Bill Gates joked that "that's why we're not distributing Windows 98 yet." Video recording of this event became a viral phenomenon on the Internet
But the main difference between Windows 98 and Windows 95 was that its kernel had been modified to allow the use of Windows NT drivers on Windows 9x and vice versa. This was achieved with partial migration of the kernel from Windows NT to Windows 98, even if it still maintains its MS-DOS Windows GUI architecture. This allowed for reduced production costs, as Windows NT and Windows 98 could use almost the same drivers
Editions
Windows 98
It was released on June 25, 1998. It was still a 16 bit and 32 bit hybrid system. Its internal version number was 4.10.1998, or 4.10.1998A if it had been updated with the Microsoft Security CD. Internet Explorer 4.0 remained an integral part of the Windows Explorer interface (Active Desktop)
Windows 98 included new hardware drivers and the FAT32 file system (which was also supported by Windows 95 OSR 2 and OSR 2.5) supporting partitions larger than the 2 GiB allowed by Windows 95. It also supported new technologies such as DVD, FireWire, USB, AGP and ACPI. It was also an innovation to integrate the Internet browser into all areas of the system
Windows 98 Segunda Edición (SE)
On May 5, 1999, Microsoft released Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), which was an update to Windows 98. Its internal version number was 4.10.2222A or 4.10.2222B if it had been updated with the Microsoft Security CD. At the time of its publication it suffered an antitrust trial, for making Internet Explorer an integral part of Windows 98, which Microsoft lost
It included fixes for many minor issues, improved USB support, and replacing Internet Explorer 4.0 with the considerably faster Internet Explorer 5. Shared Internet Connection was also included, which allowed multiple computers on a LAN to share a single Internet connection via NAT. Other features of the update included Microsoft NetMeeting 3.0 and built-in support for DVD-ROM drives. This version was the most stable of all of the ones in this series
Ending support
Microsoft planned to discontinue support for Windows 98 on January 16, 2004. However, due to the continued popularity of the operating system (27% of Google visits in the October-November 2003 period were made since Windows 98), Microsoft decided to maintain support until July 11, 2006. Support for Windows Me also ended on that date
Features
Microsoft Windows 98 is an operating system and as such, it manages all the processes that occur on the computer. It was an improved version of Windows 95. Windows 98 incorporates all the new features that emerged from 1995 to 1998
Windows 98 was an operating system that was created from MS-DOS, Windows 3.1, and Windows 95. Its main difference from the previous ones was that it used the FAT32 file system, storing the data more efficiently and quickly than the already obsolete FAT16 file system, allowing several hundred MiBs of additional hard disk space to be used. In addition, the programs were running faster and the computer used fewer system resources
- New and updated: among the new features of Windows 98 were: better AGP support, functional USB drivers, multi-monitor support and WebTV. It also offered support for the FAT32 file system, allowing the use of disk partitions larger than the maximum 2 GiBs accepted by Windows 95. It was the first version of Windows to support ACPI. As in later releases after Windows 95, Internet Explorer continued to be integrated into the Windows Explorer interface (a feature that was called Active Desktop)
- New driver standard: Windows 98 was the first operating system capable of using the Windows Driver Model (WDM). As this situation was unknown when Windows 98 was released, many hardware manufacturers continued to develop using the old VxD driver standard. This situation resulted in Windows 98 being believed to be able to use only VxD drivers. The WDM standard was extended years after its release, thanks to Windows 2000 and Windows XP, as these systems were no longer compatible with the old VxD standard. Currently, although hardware manufacturers do not develop drivers directly for Windows 98, they use WDM drivers compatible with Windows 98-based systems
- Physical improvements: the great improvements of Windows 98 were not visible, all those users who already had installed the plugins and accessories that Windows 98 incorporated were not going to notice substantial differences with the naked eye, but the real improvements occurred in the internal structure of the operating system, in its skeleton and in its heart. The 32 bit architecture was significantly improved, including a new driver model, the Win32 Driver Model (Unified Driver System for Windows 98 and Windows NT 5.0), whose main advantage was the simplification of the process of creating drivers for devices by hardware manufacturers, making it easier for users to install them. Win32 includes support for hardware devices such as: USB, DVD and IEE 1394
- Software improvements:
- Ease of use: on Windows 98 file management is as easy as browsing World Wide Web pages. This made it easier to find the desired information, whether it resided on the computer itself, on a network or on the Internet. The new page-based interface made it easier to browse the PC, select, open files and programs, use control panel, and customize the Start menu
- Peripheral support: Windows 98 was compatible with the USB (Universal Serial Bus) system. And it offered the possibility to use up to eight monitors, you could easily expand the size of the desktop, have different views of a game or an application or view multiple applications at the same time
- On-Screen Help: if you needed help, Windows 98 made it easy for you to access a comprehensive, continuously updated product information system. This system provided information for all Microsoft products through the Web Help feature
- Browser integration: it allowed the Desktop and folders to have the same shape, functions, and specifications as Microsoft Internet Explorer, although it could already be done with Windows 95 by installing Microsoft Active Desktop. Therefore you could access the folders with a single mouse click, consult information about each one (as if it were a web page), incorporate the possibility to preview images (BMP, TIF, GIG, JPEG, etc.), in the folders themselves and included the Forward, Back and Upload buttons, to facilitate navigation
- Improved Start Menu: the Start menu is much easier to customize because it allows you to modify the shortcuts you have created, allowing you to drag, move or delete them to place them according to the needs of each specific user
- New attendees: New wizards such as the Enhanced Installation Wizard, Maintenance Wizard, Troubleshooting Wizard, etc. and an online help system are added
- Performance improvements: considering the test results of beta versions of the software, Windows 98 completed many common tasks, such as system startup, application loading, and system shutdown, faster than previous versions. PC performance improved substantially thanks to new wizards such as Tuning, Disk Defragmenter and the new FAT32 file system
- Full Integration with the Internet: Windows 98 was a fast, easy-to-use and powerful platform that allowed you to make the most of the possibilities of the Internet. Microsoft Internet Explorer was fully integrated with Windows 98, which made it the fastest platform for running Internet Explorer
- Internet connection: it's easier because of the Internet Connection Assistant, which obtained information from the Internet Service Provider and then helped you set up your system. Using Outlook Express, you could easily send and receive email messages, read, and manage newsgroups. Maintain chat conversations, video conferencing, and share applications on the Internet with the help of Microsoft NetMeeting. Windows 98 also offered many Internet access options, including the ISDN Connection Wizard and dial-up network access
- First edition of Windows 98: included Internet Explorer 4 and the channel bar, which had access to the Internet Channel Guide. By "subscripting" the websites that the user (channels), could have their contents sent directly and automatically to the PC desktop (or where they wanted to save them), they could view content from pay-TV channels, such as Disney, ESPN, Sportszone, Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine
- Second edition of Windows 98: it included Internet Explorer 5 and the Radio Bar, which had Internet access to the Windows Media.com Media Guide (successor to the Internet Explorer 4 Channel Guide). Internet Explorer 6 for Windows 98 later included the Media Bar, which included the Radio Bar and integrated the browser with Windows Media Player
Applications that came included
Windows 98 significantly increased or improved the number of tools for system maintenance over Windows 95. Other tools or wizards were also included to check, control, and troubleshoot common problems that might arise when using your PC. There were also wizards to help the user use all these tools. The main developments in system management and maintenance tools were:
- Maintenance Assistant: it is a tool that served to plan the maintenance functions of the Pc. The main utility of this wizard was to create a periodic calendar for the scan disk run, Disk Defragmenter, Disk Cleanup, and Compression Agent, if it would be in use. For these tasks to be performed, it was necessary for the PC to be powered on with Windows running, so it was advisable to set the execution at a few times of the day when the PC was not used
- FAT32 file system: is an improved version of the FAT file system. This new version allowed to format discs larger than 2 GiB, as a single disc. In addition, FAT32 used smaller clusters than the previous version, allowing for more efficient use of space on large-capacity disk drives
- FAT32 Conversion Utility: to increase flexibility, Windows 98 included a graphical fat32 conversion tool, which could easily and safely convert a FAT16 system disk drive to the new FAT32
- Disk Defragmenter: the new Disk Defragmenter used the defragmentation process to increase the speed at which the most commonly used applications were running. To do this, Disk Defragmenter creates a log file that identifies the most commonly used programs. Using that log file, the Defragmenter uses it to save, in contiguous areas of disk, the files associated with the most commonly used programs. Grouping all the files associated with an application in the same area of disk increased the speed at which the application was running
- ScanDisk: Windows 98 was improved to run ScanDisk automatically in the event that the system shut down incorrectly or there was a serious disk error. This tool significantly helped users to ensure that their disk drives were in good working order, with no lost clusters, no files with "crossed" links, etc.
- Disk Space Liberator: it was a tool that automated the task of removing unnecessary files from disk, thus increasing the available space. This tool was especially useful to help users remove files from the Internet cache and they could take up considerable space. In addition, the user could customize this tool to identify the files they wanted to delete
- System Information: displays a report on the overall status of the report, indicating possible errors that might exist. It showed the status of the Windows registry and allowed to repair possible errors. Summary of errors on the disk surface. Possible conflicts between installed program versions. Possible configuration conflicts between installed devices that could cause some malfunction. Reports of corrupted files that could cause some system malfunction
- System File Checker: this tool was responsible for checking the files of the operating system itself and if it found any that were damaged it replaced it with the original
- Scheduled Tasks With the new Tune-UP Wizard, we could create a number of PC maintenance tasks to run in a way programmed by us (Scandisk, Defragmenter, etc.)
- File Security: many times we install applications that unknowingly load older versions of libraries, drivers, (*.dll, *.com, *.vxd, *.drv, *.ocx, *.inf, *.hlp, etc.). Producing bugs on our PC, Windows 98 carried a new utility called "System File Checker Utility" that was responsible for checking that that didn't happen
Minimum requirements
| Component | Minimum requirements |
| Processor | 80486 DX2 to 66 MHz or higher |
|---|---|
| Free space on hard disk |
|
| Memory | 16 MiB (24 MiB recommended) |
| Screen | 640 x 480 VGA Monitor (recommended 1,024 x 768) |
| CD-ROM drive | Recommended 12x or higher |
| Additional units | Disquetera de alta densidad de 3,5 pulgadas, a no ser que pueda usar la unidad desde CD-ROM y que soporte el inicio del programa de instalación desde un CD-ROM |
| Additional components | Mouse or other pointing device |
Note: Both Windows 98 and Windows 98 SE have significant issues associated with hard drives larger than 32 GiB. A software update was made public to correct this deficiency