Windows 98

Windows 98 (codenamed Memphis) is a discontinued Microsoft Windows graphical operating system released on June 25, 1998 by Microsoft and the successor to Windows 95. Like its predecessor, it was a hybrid 16-bit and 32-bit monolithic product.

The first edition of Windows 98 was designated by the internal version numbers 4.10.1998, or 4.10.1998A if it had been updated with the Microsoft Security CD. Windows 98 Second Edition is designated by internal version numbers 4.10.2222A or 4.10.2222B if it had been updated using the Microsoft Security CD. The successors to Windows 98 were Windows 2000 and Windows Millennium.

History

On June 25, 1998, Windows 98 arrived, which was an improved revision of Windows 95. It would include new hardware drivers and the FAT32 file system that would support partitions larger than the 2 GB allowed by Windows 95. This edition was a one of the latest for PC-9821.

In 1999 Microsoft released Windows 98 Second Edition, whose most notable feature was the ability to share an Internet connection among several computers through a single telephone line and some improvements to Windows 98 original.

Versions

There were two versions: Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition (SE)

Windows 98

Windows 98 installation disk

Windows 98 was released on June 25, 1998. It was a hybrid 16-bit and 32-bit system, but it featured a number of improvements, such as improved FAT32 support, improved AGP support, improved USB support, for FireWire and support for ACPI. In this first version, IE 4.0 was maintained as an integral part of the Windows Explorer interface (Active Desktop).

Windows 98 Second Edition (SE)

It was an update to Windows 98, released on May 5, 1999. It included fixes for many minor problems, improved USB support, and the replacement of Internet Explorer 4.0 with the considerably faster Internet Explorer 5 at the time. Internet Connection Sharing was also included, which allowed multiple computers on a LAN to share a single Internet connection via NAT. Other features in the update included Microsoft NetMeeting 3.0 and built-in support for DVD-ROM drives. The upgrade was a successful product.^{[citation needed]} However, it was not a free upgrade for Windows 98 (First Edition) buyers, which was a Notable problem since some programs required Windows 98SE.

CD Room installation Windows 98

Windows 98 Concepts

Microsoft Windows 98 was an operating system and as such, it was in charge of managing all the processes that occurred on the computer. This was an improved version compared to the previous version: Windows 95. In Windows 98 all the innovations that emerged from 1995 to 1998 were incorporated.

Windows 98 was an operating system that was generated from Windows 95, Windows 3.11, Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS. Its main difference from the former was that it used the FAT32 file system, which made it faster as it stored data more efficiently, creating several hundred MB of additional disk space on the drive. In addition, programs ran faster and the computer used fewer system resources.^{[citation needed]}

New and updated features

Among the new features of Windows 98 were better AGP support, functional USB drivers, and support for multiple monitors and WebTV. It also offered support for the FAT32 file system, allowing it to support disk partitions larger than the two gigabytes maximum accepted by Windows 95. It was also 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 called Active Desktop).

New controller standard

Windows 98 was the first operating system capable of using the Windows Driver Model (WDM). This fact was not well known when Windows 98 was released and many hardware manufacturers continued to develop and use the older driver standard, VxD. This led to the misconception that Windows 98 could only use VxD drivers, but this was never true.

The WDM standard spread years after its publication, mainly through Windows 2000 and Windows XP, as these systems were no longer compatible with the old VxD standard. As of 2021, although hardware manufacturers never directly developed drivers, Windows only primarily used WDM drivers compatible with Windows 98-based systems.

Screenshot of the Windows 98 home disk

System Requirements

Hardware	Windows 98	Windows 98 SE
CPU	486 DX2 to 66 MHz	486 DX4 to 100 MHz
RAM	16 MB	24 MB
Hard drive	Updated from Windows 95 or from 3.1: 140-315 MB (normally 205 MB) of space
	New installation using the FAT16 file system: 210-400 MB (normally 260 MB) of space
	New installation using the FAT32 file system: 190-305 MB (normally 210 MB) of space.
Disquester	3 1/2"
CD Reader	Yes.
Screen	640x480 16 colors VGA (recommended 32 bits)
Mouse	Microsoft Mouse or a compatible pointer device

Despite these requirements, it was possible to install Windows 98 with only 8 MB of RAM and a 386 processor if the /NM switch was used when starting the installer from DOS. However, the performance would not be optimal.

NOTE: Both Windows 98 and Windows 98SE had significant problems associated with hard drives larger than 32 GB. A software update had been released to correct this deficiency.

Public Demonstration

The release of Windows 98 was preceded by a notable public demonstration at COMDEX in April 1998. Microsoft CEO Bill Gates was remarking on the operating system's ease of use and its improved Plug and Play support (PnP). However, when program manager Chris Capossela connected a scanner and tried to install it, the operating system crashed, displaying a blue screen. Bill Gates joked that "that must be why we're not shipping Windows 98 yet." The video recording of this event became a popular internet phenomenon.

Product life cycle

Microsoft planned to discontinue support for Windows 98 on December 31, 2004. However, due to the operating system's continuing popularity (27% of Google visits in the October-November 2003 period were from systems using Windows 98), Microsoft decided to maintain support until July 11, 2006. Support for Windows Me also ended on that date. On July 11, 2006, self-help support for Windows 98 and ME was discontinued.

In August 2011, Microsoft shut down the Windows Update site for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Millennium, and Windows NT 4.0.