Windows 98 Security Updates (New March 13, 2005) and Why is my computer running slow?

Microsoft ^ | March 14, 2005 | Microsoft

[Spunky]

"(sorry Netscape and AOL users)."

OK what are us AOL users to do? I know, you will say to get rid of AOL, but it is hard for us older people to adjust to something new. :-)

[expat_panama]

Amen to that. In fact, I kind of like having all that stuff slowing down my PC. It lets me have a nice nap everytime I click on a new favorite.

[Mad Mammoth]

Why would anyone want to run Windows 98?
Maaaybe because with Windows 98, you don't have to 'request' a product activation code from Microsoft by giving them a digital fingerprint of your machine so you can use their latest wondertoy aka 'XP'.

You go ahead and let 'em probe your electronic colon for the privilege of running NTFS, I'll run Win98 and be FAT(32) and happy.

[Prost1]

"Microsoft - Mediocre Products by Design"

[Allen In Texas Hill Country]

Works fine by me. It actually has some good security tweaks you can do to it. and...I did not have to update hundreds of dollars of Win98 only compatible software.

---

My main machine is also W98SE. Can't remember the last time it blue screened. Doesn't, never has run slow. Changed a mother board a year ago when the old one smoked itself. But kept 98SE. It is so compatible with everything why not.

Oh, I have 4 other machines. Two XP Pros and two XP Homes. I can't stand the XP Home system It is nightmare city in a network. The 98 machine and XP Pros all talk to each other including full access to every file 'without any usercodes or passwords'. But I cannot get the XP Home machine to do the same. @!#$%^@#$%^#$%&^#%^&%^

[Graymatter]

My old pc has W98. Still better than that infernal xp pro that sits gathering dust on my other desk. While I'm at it, I say Mozilla sucks, at least while it's running with my W98.

[Mad Mammoth]

There is yet another simple way to keep your machine cleaned up, and it's been working for me for years. What you need is a basic understanding of DOS, your autoexec.bat file, and the directory structure of your machine.

Create a batch file in DOS called 'CleanX.bat' (or whatever name you want to use), and type in the following lines:

c:\windows\tempor~1
deltree/y *.*
cd c:\
:end

Save the batch file in c:\windows\command

Now in your autoexec.bat file, insert the line 'cleanx.bat' so it runs before Windows actually initializes, and every time you boot up, ALL of the Windows Temporary Internet Files will be wiped clean as a houndstooth. Windows will recreate any directory structure needed after you erase the previous existing files.

Note: exercise caution when using that 'deltree' command.

Regards,

MM

[Mad Mammoth]

*** WHOA!! ***

A slight correction - that batch file first line should be:

cd c:\windows\tempor~1
deltree/y *.*
cd c:\
:end

Oh yeah. Like I said, be careful with that deltree command. LOL

[Eagle9]

Here's a pretty good review of LitePC.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1284539/posts

[RightWinger]

Now-a-days, you need two computers so you can access the internet to repair the one that fails.

My old computer has Windows 98. The wife uses it to do bookkeeping and word processing. It runs well for the applications I run.

My new Dell has Windows XP.

[PeaceBeWithYou]

I've been running SpyWareBlaster and SpywareGuard from Javacool software, and AdAware hasn't found anything other than tracking cookies(Dataminers) since. They work with IE and the Mozilla browsers.

[libertyman]

'Cuz my computer is over 6 yrs old (a terribly slow 56k dial up) & Windows 98 is all I've got!

But it beats having NOTHING.

[MoralSense]

b

[Edit35]

While you are at it, you might as well DELETE COOKIES

I always thought that if I deleted ALL cookies, I would delete the automatic sign-on cookies which lets one enter a website without having to type in your USer ID and Password over and over again.

Also, wouldn't it eliminate the cookie which lets me log onto my local bank website, or my Ameritrade stock account website??

[flada]

Slightly off topic... I have been using Mcafee anti-virus software for the past year. Mostly because they were generous enough to provide it for free to military members. When it expired 2 days ago, I found that it would be almost $40 to renew it for one year.

Instead, I uninstalled it and downloaded AVG. Upon running the initial scan with AVG, I have found three trojans on my laptop.

I still commend Mcafee for their support of the military, but wonder why they didn't find these trojans.

[libertyman]

I've got AdAware SE Personal...it that the OLD one?

I went to the Lavasoft website & downloaded No Adware, & I thought it was free. It checked my computed alright, but after finding a ton of stuff that it says I should get rid of, it wouldn't delete it 'cuz it said I must REGISTER 1st! Doing so costs $29.95, of course. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

[stylin19a]

Thanx. Nice thread with a lot of decent first hand experience comments.

I ran IERadicator on my Win95 486 box. I helped beta test 98lite. Ran it on the 486.

With the advent of XP, the cheap price of Ram and cheap large HD's the need for lite isn't there.

However, if one still runs Win98, the biggest boost with 98lite was the ability run the Win95 shell.

There was an even more complete IE crappola remover here:
http://www.ifrance.com/snoopy81/ROM2.htm

FreepOn

[BJungNan]

I did not know you had to register and pay for Ad Aware SE. Mine was free. Check the page. Usually they give you a few "Upgraded versions" that you pay for before you get to the link that is the free download. CNET should have a quick easy link.

Here is the download link (scroll down just a bit)
http://gogov.com/Netcessities.htm

[BJungNan]

Windows NT4 is better than Windows 98, and it will run on that hardware.

I had some issues with NT and switched back to 98 SE.

[BJungNan]

OK what are us AOL users to do? I know, you will say to get rid of AOL, but it is hard for us older people to adjust to something new. :-)

If my mom can do it, you can. She is off AOL. Once you get a cable modem or DSL and get rid of that dial-up connection, you will never go back.