Computer OS setup

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JHZR2

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Hi,

My grandfather is stuck on Windows 98, as he still uses some old DOS programs. His computer doesnt seem to be doing that great however, and so it seems like time for an upgrade.

He will not waqnt to switch from his DOS setup for the recordkeeping programs that he uses.

Is the best setup to retain this ability a plain windows 98 SE box, or is there a better option? It should be simple, no dual boot or whatnot...

Thanks for the advice,

JMH
 
If he likes Win98SE and never touches the internet, then he's fine. I suggest buying a used Pentium III PC, anything newer isn't worth it due to the way P4 chips are architected when running 16-bit programs.

Say a 866-1.3Ghz PIII with 256MB of RAM, a new WD 80GB hard disk from NewEgg.com (for about $50) and you're all set. I bet it runs quite fast, too!
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On an older computer 2000 may not be an option. Win 98 with a good, simple AV like Clamwin, and a good spyware program like Spybot, doesn't do to bad, if you don't mind rebooting every once and a while. I'm posting from a win98 machine right now. However, I recently installed FreeBSD for my server and was very impressed. still a steep learning curve, but very simple once setup.

What programs is he running in DOS? They certianly will have newer counterparts that he could use.

-T
 
No need to upgrade, with older windows9x it is important to periodically clean the temp files out and defrag the hard drive.

My mom still uses the 486/75 notebook i gave her (w95, Juno, Word and MGI Photosuite for pics) and it does quite well. But i do have to do some minor maintenance (like above) periodically to keep it from drowning.

A simple fix is to save all his files on floppy or whatever and then reformat the HDD and reload the w98 OS, then reload the applications. That'll clean it up quite nicely, just like new actually.
 
98SE is more stable then 95 and has a few more features which are useful. Do not use ME, it has no advantage over 98SE and is a terrible OS.

Don't use Internet Eplorer on either. The newest security updates are not available making it terribly suseptible to spyware. Use Firefox or Opera.
 
quote:

98SE is more stable then 95 and has a few more features which are useful. Do not use ME, it has no advantage over 98SE and is a terrible OS.

Don't use Internet Eplorer on either. The newest security updates are not available making it terribly suseptible to spyware. Use Firefox or Opera.

98SE is ok, but in the area of security it is not that good, so if your dad is not doing much online then it is fine. If you want, someone out there made a 98 lite kit that remove the internet explorer from 98, by replacing it with a 95 equivalent file. That thing is much less memory hungry and much faster.

Windows is not good in self cleaning so periodic reinstall is important. Or what you can do is backup the fresh install on a CDROM/DVDROM using something like Norton Ghost, and reinstall it when ever your dad think it is starting to suck. (make sure you backup the data file first, however)

Good luck.
 
Why not use a machine with Windows XP and run the DOS program in compatibility mode? I have yet to see a DOS program that won't work (but I'm sure there are a few).
 
Our home PC is an older 333 Mhz Pentium II as I recall. I added a 40 GB drive as the original was 7 GB, and have maxed out RAM at 256 MB. I had a lot of problems with Win 98, and I think I'm currently running XP with Office 2000 with essentially no problems. I am using a few features of the MS software firewall, a router for a hardware firewall, AVG anti-virus, AdAware, Spybot, do regular updates, and so far have stayed stealthy and problem free. It is tedious though as I need to turn off as many processes as possible.
 
JZHR, I suggest going to LitePC.com and downloading the freebie that allows you to remove IE from any Win9x system. If you have a few of the Windows 95 files on hand from an installation CD, you can turn 98SE completely into Windows 95 ("look ma, no IE!!") and then ONLY install the criticial network patches for 98SE by manually downloading and installing them.

Most patches are related to IE and Outlook Express, so there aren't all that many to install. Grab Firefox and put it behind a firewall. All without spending a dime on software or hardwar.

(A fresh hard drive will make the entire experience much quicker though...)
 
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because that would force him to buy new hardware and upgrade for no reason.

The box already has problems and it's running on 7+ year old hardware. There are so many advantages to Windows XP and PC prices are so cheap that trying to salvage an old box just isn't worth it unless you're a kid that wants to learn about computers. Especially if he's running an application that he can't recover if the system goes down.

Tiger direct has a system for less than 250.00 that includes WinXP. Dell has them for only marginally more.

quote:

98SE is ok, but in the area of security it is not that good, so if your dad is not doing much online then it is fine. If you want, someone out there made a 98 lite kit that remove the internet explorer from 98, by replacing it with a 95 equivalent file. That thing is much less memory hungry and much faster.

Windows is not good in self cleaning so periodic reinstall is important. Or what you can do is backup the fresh install on a CDROM/DVDROM using something like Norton Ghost, and reinstall it when ever your dad think it is starting to suck. (make sure you backup the data file first, however)

By your own admission Windows 98 isn't the greatest OS in the world (although it was good in it's day). Rather than an OS that you have to periodically reinstall, why not invest a little and get a much better system that will be light years ahead in reliability? Rather that hassle with purchasing Ghost and a DVD burner (which would require an investment of about 1/3 the cost of a decent new PC anyway), why not save the grandfather the headaches of Windows 9X?

Respectfully,
Mike C. MCSE+I (Win2k3) MSCDBA, CCNP, CWNP
 
michael, "why not invest a little..."

I'm thinking that this may be the case where some people believe that if it still powers up, then it MUST be fine. Thus they won't buy anything new unless performance on that ol' clunker is so bad there's no other option. This isn't all bad, as it's a LOT cheaper than buying a new PC ever 3 or 4 years!
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Do two IBM PS/1's equal 1 IBM PS/2 ??
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[ November 09, 2005, 11:45 PM: Message edited by: ToyotaNSaturn ]
 
Thanks for all the replies. I wanted to know my options, as my grandfather, due mostly to limited knowledge, believes that 98 is necessary to run his DOS apps.

I could always bring my XP laptop with a floppy drive over to test... for his peace of mind.

His modem isnt working for some odd reason, and so I'm thinking that between age and whatnot, that it might be time for a new computer, and likely a better monitor.

He has little to no internet connectivity, but doent use the net for much but email. He uses free juno as his ISP. So securtiy and patching isnt THAT important, especially since he likely wont be savvy enough to do a lot of it (plus with dialup it takes a long time sometimes).

I didnt see any tiger direct PCs with OS for $250... are they refurbs? There are some no-os boxes that look attractive though...

Thanks,

JMH
 
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