WINDOWS 98/ME: S.O.S.!
I knew it was coming, because upgrading Internet Explorer has been required in the past, to maintain Internet access: the Death of Windows 98/ME.
And now, it seems that "The Time Has Come": For the second time, "Internet Explorer has encountered an error and needs to close" has been followed by a "Upgrade to IE 7 required" Microsoft web page IE restart, accompanied by a "Sorry IE7 is unavailable for your operating system" message. IS THIS THE LONG DREADED START OF THE 'DEATH THROES' OF WINDOWS 98 + ME??? SAVE OUR SHIP!

After doing a "Internet Explorer 7" MSFN search, it appears no one has undertaken to graft Internet Explorer 7 onto Windows 98 + ME. I hope I'm wrong in sounding this S.O.S., but unless this gets done - AND SOON - Internet access using Windows 98 / ME will be denied on an ever increasing number of websites, sounding the final death knell for Win98/ME.

Yes, the use of a third party browser may be a short term interim fix, but I have found that a third party browser vastly increases total system complexity, greatly decreases system reliability (as Internet Explorer cannot be uninstalled), and thus obviates the advantages of staying with Windows 98 / ME.

Can Internet Explorer 7 be installed somehow, under Windows 98/ME, to keep it alive, without unduly compromising system reliability?

well part of the problem with the ie7 installation is that every file init has an evil check for windows version.
ie can be removed with 98lite
i wouldnt think that Third party browsers would be that complicated because there not intergrated with the os

Why is this a problem? You shouldn't use that piece of s*** in the first place. The amount of IE-only sites is always dwindling, and there really aren't enough of them to worry about it. Besides, you can spoof your user agent string to pretend you're IE with any alternative web browser if necessary.

This actually sounds a lot like IE4 for Windows 95. I call FUD.

Firefox -- aka Firefox 3 -- is what we should be worrying about not that piece of sw.

As was said, you can easily spoof winXP IE6 if need be. (Use PrefBar with firefox.)

you can always use opera if firefox 3 isnt an option

Or User Agent Switcher.

This post has been edited by Analada: Sep 20 2007, 10:24 AM

There's a thread (somewhere) on FF3 but I thought i'd just post on this comment from awergh.

Of course, you're right to a point. But what if one doesn't like Opera? I'm not sure that it has all the plug-ins and emulations possible with FF. I use TrackMeNot and a number of add-on goodies with FF that I've simply not seen with Opera. Bottom line: FF is definitely preferred.

SO here's hoping FF3 will be available with win98 with the help of the project?

As for IE, I think it's a non-issue. Best not use at all IMO.

Excuse me, sir, no offense, but you are a moron who obviously made opinions about things you have no clue whatsoever
Almost every sentence of your post is wrong or at best uninformed wrong assumption.

What a hilarious post and subject

A browser retruns such error when a sophisticated, non-standard internet content cannot be opened with this browser. The "Upgrade to IE 7 required" is BS. Most of the time upgrading will not solve the problem.

The best reaction is to write to the webmaster (once you get to the website) and complain that his website cannot be viewed under normal conditions.

It's a huge mistake to create a website which depends on a certain browser type and version or from a certain OS. Because the 17% of internet users who don't use XP and the even higher number of those who don't use IE at all won't have access to this website. And more and more poeple are switching to alternative OSes and Browsers.

Finaly, I would be extremely cautious about visiting a website which forces me to use a specific software on a specific OS. Because the only reason a webmaster would like to do so is to infect your computer. So in fact such error means that your system is protected against potential threats.

This post has been edited by Fredledingue: Sep 23 2007, 11:53 AM

IE's user agent strings can be changed in the registry. The information here doesn't give user agent info for IE 7 but points you in the right direction:

http://www.pctools.com/guides/registry/detail/799/

I have used this "trick" in the past for sites that "required" Windows XP.

Just a guess but on that page use MSIE 7.0 (instead of MSIE 5.5), and I would use Windows NT 5.1; (R1 1.1) for Platform (instead of Windows NT 5.0)

I agree with others, designing sites like this is just stupid.

I have left my platform as Windows XP on my 98 partion, the only drawback that I have found is WindowsUpdate site doesn't function properly.

This post has been edited by Steven W: Sep 23 2007, 10:54 PM

You should be able to put this registry change into a .REG file for both cases, and double-click the proper one for which user-agent string you want.

There is no stupidity here just Microsoft's greed at work IMO. When you've got 80 billion dollars in the pocket like Bill Gates has you can push many levers and enforce many such diktats. Seems obvious to me.

Microsoft never enforced or encouraged this. It's a relic of the late nineties when sites would only work properly in one of the two dominating browsers... because they designed for one of the two.

I agree. M$ can't control all the websites and html is a worldwide standard which hasn't changed since IE4.0.

My opinion is that the only reason to require XP is to introduce a virus in your machine. I mean the only intentional reason because it can be simply poor prorgaming in some script. That's why I recommand to write to the webmaster about that. He may be unaware of this bug.

This post has been edited by Fredledingue: Sep 24 2007, 03:11 PM

You seem to forget netscape, firefox is not to far behind its destiny (nobody seems to learn) i choose to give the opera guys a go

Ur in the confidence of Bill Gates maybe ?