Brave dude tries to use Windows 98 for his daily life, gets a big surprise

BGR News, via Yahoo ^ | February 28, 2017 | Mike Wehner

[Leaning Right]

Anyone old enough to remember using Windows 98 when it was still current can attest to the fact that it was a really fantastic operating system. It made big improvements over Windows 95 in almost every area that mattered, and at the time it actually looked extremely sleek and clean. Today, of course, it’s absolutely ancient, but one brave man took it upon himself to see if it’s still possible to use a Windows 98 system as your primary computer today, and the results are actually quite astounding.

[Leaning Right]

Here's the "big surprise" in the article's title. The man was able to get his Windows 98 machine (a Compaq Armada e500 laptop) to do pretty much all that he needed it to do. He could watch movies, play music, and run MS Word.

He was even able to surf the web relatively well. His only real problem was that he couldn't get YouTube to load.

[Vendome]

bigger SSD, more memory, best AV card it will take, should work just fine...

[Two Kids' Dad]

Such bravery, using an outdated computer as an experiment! Quick, award that man a purple heart!

(just playing)

[dynoman]

I used Windows 98 about an hour ago.

[kaehurowing]

I miss the old screensaver.

[relictele]

Thank you. I detest clickbait headlines.

[PLMerite]

I remember Windows 98 Second Edition, and not fondly.

[SisterK]

I miss XP.

[yarddog]

I was relatively late getting into computers. My first one ran Windows 95. I paid $45 for it at WalMart. It had originally been $850 but they kept reducing it as it had been returned.

When it got down to $90, I bought it but could not get it to work so it was returned again. A week later I noticed they had it down to $45 and sold “as-is”.

I decided that the monitor was worth more than that and bought it again. It turned out that a kid had originally purchased it and had installed a newer processor which somehow fouled it up.

I had a cousin who was computer savvy and he stopped by one day and got it working. I remember the hard drive was less than one gigabyte yet it had several video clips installed at the factory. I still have it and suppose it still works but have not used it in a long time.

[NativeSon]

I thought it was running his pacemaker or something like that

[Secret Agent Man]

I don’t. Use it every day.

[dangus]

Podesta? Is that you?

[Bullish]

Windows 98? I remember Windows 3.1

It wouldn’t do anything.

[Fiddlstix]

Bookmark

[SanchoP]

I loved 98SE. It was so frustrating it drove me to get off my lazy duff and learn Linux.

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[Prov1322]

OK, speaking of first computers...my first was an IBM Selectric typewriter as the monitor (and printer) and keyboard that was hooked up to the mainframe in Princeton by a 28.8 baud acoustic modem coupler. I kid you not.

Not an IBM Selectric in this photo but otherwise that was the setup.

[yarddog]

I just remembered my first one was a TI 994a. Not sure that is the correct name. It cost $99 and even tho I was not really into computers I was learning to program it. Actually pretty easy.

It tore up after a few months and they replaced it with a refurbished unit. It lasted only a short time and I just gave up on computers until around 10 years later when I got the Windows 95 one.

[Daffynition]

I remember those days well. We used *word perfect* and were so proud of our little selves.

[shawnlaw]

How many clocks could you open before 3.1 would crash? I think I got 20+ once... wonderful being a Federal employee in the 80s