Win98 - Win98SE

as the title suggests, what's the best way to upgrade to win 98se from win 98?

can it be done thru windows update website, or do i have to get hold of a win 98se cd?

also, can I just install win98se over the top of win 98 without losing installed programs etc?

thanks in advance

Ming

 

A good way that works quite well ( or always has for me )

Yes, you do need a Win98SE CD.

1-Get a Win98SE UPGRADE CD.
2-Make sure you have a 98 Startup disk ( floppy )
3-Boot to the Floppy
4-Insert 98SE CD into CDROM
5-At the A:\ prompt type CDROM letter:\Win98\setup. The letter of the CDROM would depend on how many partitions you have on your PC. The CDROM would be 1 or two lettters above that.
6-Watch the screens CAREFULLY and at the proper screen make sure that Windows installs into the EXISTING folder. ( normally C:\WIndows )
7-Sit back and watch the screens go by and allow the machine to reboot when it wants to.
8, 9, 10. After all is done you can sit back and enjoy your new OS.

As I said earlier this method has not failed me yet. The XP I am running right now is XP Pro over 98SE which was put over 98FE which was put over 95B ( OSR2 )

OOPS !! I forgot something. If you are running AV software and/or a Firewall MAKE SURE THEY ARE TURNED OFF before starting.

BillyBob

 

IF you have installed all of the MS updates for Win98, my "understanding" is that you will now have a machine, that for all intents and purposes, is running SE?

 

WhitPhil--My understanding is that Win98SE has networking connectivity and USB capabilities that Win98FE does not, and that the updates to the latter do not change that. The value of these capabilities depends on whether you need them. But more and more recent hardware require the USB capabilities in Win98SE. That is why I finally capitulated and went with XP.

 

I have to ride the same train as Welshjim on this trip.

SE ( at least on my machines ) was/is far more stable and will run more than FE would.

And it ran ALL of the USB hardware that I had ( which actually was the same as I have now ) and ran it all just as well as XP does.

BillyBob

 

Jim:
Thanks. As I said,it was my understanding.
I guess the easiest way is to check what the features are for SE, compared with what gets implemented by the MS updates. (given you can still find all that stuff!)

 

That's incorrect. Windows supported USB starting with their first Win9.x OS -Windows 95. There was minimal support starting with Win95 (a) and they got progressivley better with versions (b) & (c). By Win98 (FE) rolled out, it was fully integrated with the OS and did not have the problems like Win95 did.

Win98SE had internet connection sharing capability which the first edition did not support. BOTH versions supported networking.

Minghawk: as for your upgrading question, yes you will need the Win98 SE upgrade CD as previously been pointed out.

 

Maverick--I am sure you know more about this than I do.
But I think you misunderstood my first post. I did not say that Win98FE had no USB capability. Rather that Win98SE had more USB capability. This is anectodal, but when I first got cable, I wanted to buy a Toshiba modem. The box, however, said that it required Win98SE, and this was confirmed when I called Toshiba. They said it had to do with USB. (Somewhere I got the idea that Win98FE did not support USB2, but that maybe totally erroneous.) Anyway I did run several USB1 devices while I had Win98FE. But I did not buy the Toshiba modem.
A couple of references on differences between 98FE and SE
http://www.geek.com/techupdate/may99/win98se.htm
http://www.noccc.org/bytes/revuprod/v01/421.html
There seems little disagreement that network connection capability is a main feature of SE. The info on USB is a little more cloudy. But I do not remember ever being offered "improved" USB capability by MS for my Win98FE for free.

 

Perhaps that's not what you meant but it was your statement above that suggested it.

Notice the last bullet point on the Geek.com website:

"enhanced support for USB, IEEE 1394, and broadband network connections " emphasis on "Enhanced ". If you look at MSKB's website, it confirms that networking capability was present in the FE.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;234762&Product=w98

If Win 95 supported networking, why would MS take it out of Win98?

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;152562&Product=w95