PychoUnc,

Naah. I have an ATI Radeon 9600XT on the Asus A7V880 you see down in my signiture with Windows XP Home, and an Asus Radeon 9550GE on the Asus A7V333 with Windows 98SE. (I also occasionally play with an old Abit KT7A with a Voodoo 5 5500 AGP.) I install the latest official Catalysts available from ATI for both and generally leave the settings alone, apart from setting DirectX to use 75 MHz refresh rates instead of the random or 60 it'll use by default.

I used to be a heavy gamer years ago (I mean the beginnings of video gaming). I still have my Nintendo consoles (NES, both regular and NES2, GameBoy original and color, SuperNES, the original and another later edition for backup, and the N64) along with all the games I bought back then. I'm mostly at my computer now, so if I want to revisit the games I usually just use FCEUltraNES or SNES9x rather than firing up the old boxes, but I sometimes want to use the original controllers so at times I do use the consoles.

When I bought my first computer I was still into seeing what it could do in gaming so I also have a lot of PC games circa 97-2001. I got more interested in building my own machines and tinkering with Dos and Windows to get stuff (including games) to work than in playing the games themselves.

Now, I mostly listen to mp3's and play DVD's for leisure. My favorites for occasions when I want to game are simple arcade stuff, pinball games, and some old Ms-Dos games. Having to sit and master a game's controls and solve a long adventure doesn''t interest me anymore. I like up, down, left, right, A, B, and maybe left toggle, right toggle. I have no interest in teaching my fingers to use 10 or more gamepad buttons to play a game.

I never got excited by 1st person shooters so all the interest in high frame rates and overclocking to get them never came my way. I want the card to be able to process fast, but I'm more concerned with stability and keeping everything working smooth. Personally, I'd rather have stuff look better than go faster. (In games, not computers!)

So, okay, I got a little boring with my gaming after playing everything that was out there in the old days! I look at new stuff and say,"I played the same thing with not as good graphics." And I'm certainly not going to spend limited funds to buy them with my shelves filled with a lot of games I never even got to yet.

Oh, and I never install Option 3. I use Option 2. If I wanted Windows Me Shell I'd install Windows Me. I just want the good improvements that Me had transferred to 98. 98 always was faster and more reliable than Me and I think one of the reasons was the graphical tricks used by the Me Explorer and Shell that slowed things down. I don't consider that one of the "improvements" I want. If I want to temporarilly make things look different I'll just use a Theme.

is it a bad thing if win386.swp doesn't get backed up?

-eck: yeah, I'm more of an Old School gamer myself, too... I like em simple, too stressed 'n crusty for most of the "involved" games today... Dinosaur I am, I miss the atari 2600's joystick w/only ONE button! (tho I used to be a Master arcade gamer, way back b4 all the arcade games turned into boring "street fighter" style games ; actually won a 10-speed once, accidentally, didn't even know there was a contest on for that game; almost won 2! And every week I won foot-long coneys (6 of em!) and 4 dozen donuts, at the local strip mall, just playin... ah, fun!) -MAME32's oldieMoldies DOS arcade games work for me, along with "just 20 BOTs w/knives" cstrike1.6... And don't forget VERY simple yet suprisingly addictive Jardinains! (really gets fun, after Round 250... on round 700+ now...)

-well, about option 3, looks like I'll be reviewing the notes regarding exactly what improvements are gained, and if stability IS increased, then I'll stick w/it; on my main system here any performance loss is unnoticeable and the stability improvement is VERY noticeable, so we'll see...
>;]

Others will have to fill you in on specifics. For me, the Explorer, Shell, and System Health stuff was what was bad about Windows Me. The updated system files were what was good, and why I used Me for a 9x system until these folks started coming out with 98SE service packs and stuff.

Now, there's no question that 98SE is the most updated 9x system available as Windows Me's System File Protection has made it too much of a hastle for folks to bother putting together updates for. Plus the fact that many folks never bothered buying Windows Me. I'm glad I did since for a long time it was the most advanced 9x system and now I have the cd so I can use 98SE2ME!

I hadn't played games for a while (except for Baseball Mogul and Microsoft Baseball 2001) so you lit up a little fire in me! I installed Microsoft Entertainment Pack, Atari 80 Classics, Activision Anthology Remix, Microsoft Return Of Arcade, and Microsoft Revenge Of Arcade after getting done replying to you. I also installed all the Carmen Sandiego games. See what you did? Now I'll be wasting time playin' instead of workin'!

Played a little JezzBall, Galaxian, Pac-Man, Pole Position, and the old version of Where In the USA Is Carmen Sandiego already. Geez, I haven't scratched the surface. This stuff could take up day and night. Cool!

I remember in the late 70's when I was managing a gas station/candy store type of place and we had a deal with a video game guy. Once every couple of weeks he would swap out a machine and we would share the quarters 50/50. I played a lot of the old arcade games for the first time on those machines, but I was a little peeved that my boss got my quarters! (All's fair. I was playing on his company time!)

Hate to breakup the reverie, but just noticed the ME[legal copy] I have is a ME upgrade disk, has a shiny surface that you have to turn in light just right to read. Please tell me I don't have to go swapmeeting[altho enjoy it] to look for a full retail ver again, to do a clean install 98se/sp2/982me. TIAFAI

-the Upgrade disc should have all the ME CABS.... so 98se2me should be good 2 go...

-now, reinstalling 98se first, that'll take a 98se disc (upgrade or not) -or- the 98se CABS on hard drive, prob at \windows\options\cabs...

Is is there probably because u installed a 98SE2ME edition older than 6-14-2005, which installed Tihiy's msconfig.exe in %windir%\system BEFORE making the c:\w98seold backup.
This is because modded msconfig.exe + regenv32.exe are installed as part of mandatory components, BEFORE the backup is created. But starting with the 6-14-2005 edition, msconfig.exe is renamed to meconfig.exe and then installed in %windir%\system , so it does not replace the 1 u already have anymore, whichever version that is.
So if u used 98SE2ME from before 6-14-2005 u have Tihiy's msconfig.exe [4.90.3000 = please note that build number is identical with original file from WinME CD] in c:\w98seold .
Please see READ1ST.TXT for details:
http://www.mdgx.com/9s2m/READ1ST.TXT

Thanks a lot for noticing.
I'll update 98SE2ME to remove WinME setup CD themes.exe + themes.cpl files, because the ones from Plus! 98 are newer.
I won't include the files from Plus! 98 because u need to have the Plus! 98 CD to install them [legal license issues].

This is probably a video hardware problem, not related to 98SE2ME.

Hope this helps.

U can install 98SE2ME no matter which version of WinME CD u have: Full, Upgrade, Update, OEM, MSDN etc.
Please see READ1ST.TXT, the "EXTREMELY IMPORTANT" chapter for more details:
http://www.mdgx.com/9s2m/READ1ST.TXT

Hope this helps.

Option 3 only adds "annoying" WinME UI interface to 98SE, which in most cases is slower than "normal" 98SE UI interface.
Does nothing to increase performance, that's why I keep it separate from all other options.

Thnx PsycoUnc & MGDx, you just saved my doggies from barkin Dldg latest 982ME now, everything else is already on hdd, will start this eve, w/lotsa coffee & patience & printcopy of SP guide & 982ME handy[for some reason haven't got em memorized]

No. This is actually a good thing, cuz the SWP file may contain private data that can be harvested by viruses/trojans/worms.
And this file is recreated every time your OS boots up anyway.

-ok, but does option 3 increase/decrease stability at all? (I perused your readme.1st again, but didn't notice an answer to this question...)

ME shell + explorer probably do decrease stability, because it is possible that certain ME API functions may not be properly supported by 98SE.
That's the other reason why I keep option 3 separate.
READ1ST.TXT, under the "EXTREMELY IMPORTANT" + "98SE2ME.PIF COMPLETE GUIDE" [the "* Option 3:" paragraph] chapters, contains a little hint:
You may also want to ask Tihiy, he's the author of Revolutions Pack, based on API functions from ME + XP.

UPDATED 6-19-2005:
I just updated READ1ST.TXT:
http://www.mdgx.com/9s2m/READ1ST.TXT
to include this statement:under the "EXTREMELY IMPORTANT" + "98SE2ME.PIF COMPLETE GUIDE" [under the "* Option 3:" paragraph] chapters.

Hope this helps.

MDGx,
How do you back out of option 3-- I reinstalled explorer+shell32+comdlg32 and ran your ZIP files -- the one "To fix the Start button issue" W98SE.BAT(W98SE.INF)
and this made START button work except SEARCH, but MY COMPUTER default is
now -SEARCH- and FOLDER when you click are the default OPEN HERE COMMAND.
How do you change the default for MY COMPUTER and FOLDERS--right click and
you can select OPEN and it works, but can't set as default--this is not set in register
anywhere and FILE TYPES can't set it? Does this have anything to do with DESK.CPL? Versions for the explorer,shell32 and comdlg reinstalled from 98CD
with SFC.
Any HELP here for this?

U can restore 98SE original files from:
Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs -> select "98SE2ME Option 3: Restore
Win98 SE Explorer + Shell32" -> click Add/Remove button -> reboot.
This works only after u already installed option 3 by running 98SE2ME.PIF.
Most [if not all] 98SE shell + UI functions should be restored this way.
This restore funtion does not use 98SE CD, all necessary files were renamed in %windir%\system when u ran option 3.
This procedure is fully detailed in READ1ST.TXT [see "* Option 3:" paragraph]:
http://www.mdgx.com/9s2m/READ1ST.TXT
If u care to see exactly how this works, just open RSTR3F.INF in Notepad.
The command to copy RSTR3F.INF to %windir%\INF and to add the proper entry to Add/Remove Programs are run during option 3 installation from these 98SE2ME.BAT lines:

C:\9!M\START/W RUNDLL32 %windir%\SYSTEM\ADVPACK.DLL,LaunchINFSection C:\9!M\RSTR3F.INF,3M
IF EXIST %windir%\INF\RSTR3F.INF C:\9!M\ATTRIB.COM/B +A -H -R -S %windir%\INF\RSTR3F.INF>NUL
IF EXIST C:\9!M\RSTR3F.INF COPY/Y C:\9!M\RSTR3F.INF %windir%\INF>NUL

As ar as I know DESK.CPL has nothing to do with this, because CPL files cannot be registered by regsvr32.exe, so they can't change UI functionality, except Control Panel UI for the respective CPL file.

Hope this helps.

Mystery solved.

Quote: eidenk
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2|SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\VarLDID
Not sure of course this is the cause of your problem.

PS : I am a Win ME user.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I started over last weekend with an old backup, windows add/remove worked,
installed Gapes SP2.01, windows add/remove worked, backed up my registry
and then ran 98SE2ME.Windows add/remove did not work. I restored my registry
from the backup and it still did not work. I then went to my unmodified version
of WIN98SE on another machine and compared the registry entries under VarLDID.
In the version that I had run 98SE2ME on the entries28720, 29600, 29601, 29602, 30400
were missing before I had run the update. When I was looking for this problem
on the web I could only find this problem as being a Windows ME problem.
It seems that Windows 98SE does not care if these five registry entries are missing
but with the updated files from Win ME it does. Below are the correct registry entries
for VarLDID for Windows 98SE. In case this problem ever shows up again as I could
only find the entries for Windows ME VarLDID on the web.

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\VarLDID]
"28700"="C:\\PROGRA~1"
"28701"="C:\\Program Files"
"28702"="C:\\PROGRA~1"
"28710"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\ACCESS~1"
"28720"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\ACCESS~1\\HYPERT~1"
"28730"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\COMMON~1"
"28732"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\COMMON~1"
"28740"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\COMMON~1\\MICROS~1"
"28742"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\COMMON~1\\MICROS~1"
"29000"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\INTERN~1"
"29001"="C:\\Program Files\\Internet Explorer"
"29002"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\INTERN~1"
"29400"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\INTERN~1\\CONNEC~1"
"29401"="C:\\Program Files\\Internet Explorer\\Connection Wizard"
"29402"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\INTERN~1\\CONNEC~1"
"29600"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\Chat"
"29601"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\Chat"
"29602"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\Chat"
"29800"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\NETMEE~1"
"29801"="C:\\Program Files\\NetMeeting"
"29802"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\NETMEE~1"
"30000"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\OUTLOO~1"
"30001"="C:\\Program Files\\Outlook Express"
"30002"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\OUTLOO~1"
"30100"="C:\\WINDOWS\\system"
"30400"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\Plus!\\Themes"
"30800"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\WINDOW~1"
"30801"="C:\\Program Files\\Windows Media Player"
"30802"="C:\\PROGRA~1\\WINDOW~1"

-RJM: I've never seen (or heard) of your Add/Remove problem b4... -it's probably user-specific (nice way of saying it's something you've done to your system, not 98se2me )... -have ya tried doing a "clean" w98se install (no extra frills; just std stuff), and then take it one step at a time, watching Add/Remove?

...and on a different note:

-MDGx: thx again for all your excellent, detailed help. -as for option 3, I'm not sure which UI I prefer, and I've been enjoying such wonderful stability w/#3... I'll have to experiment, remove #3, see how that affects stability/UI...

>;]

PsycoUnc,

What I am trying to say, is that as eidenk said back on page 10 about this problem, is that some registry cleaners will remove registry entries in VarLDID. While this was not an issue for Win98 users it was for Win ME users, as a web search will confirm. And as there is no posting of the VarLDID section of the registry on the web for Win98 as there was no problem with the add/remove windows components with Win98. I decided to post it here as the problem will probably surface in the future as more people try 98SE2ME.

I have a similar problem. My 98SE runs pretty fast, but after using 98SE2ME (without option3) I've noticed some slowdown from a fresh boot and it just gets worse from there. I find myself needing to reboot after doing only a few tasks or else it feels like I'm using my old Commodore 64 again.
If I install option3, I tend to get wierd glitches that end up crashing my system. I like the UI, but I can't use it for long. Yesterday, I gave it another shot and it ended up giving errors on every file I'd try to open, saying it could not be found. I tried to open Control Panel to uninstall that option, but Control Panel wouldn't open due to a runtime error. A similar problem occurred after installing Tihiy's Revolution's Pack.

I've tried installing the 98SE2ME several times, but each time I find myself having to restore shortly after. I've ordered a DVD burner so I can back up my HD, reformat, and do a clean install of Win98SE. I'm hoping it will help. Before using this, I had Windows running pretty smooth, but since I've tried this, things haven't been quite right. For example: I'm experiencing the reboot hangups (try to restart and it exits windows and hangs) again and can't seem to get rid of it no matter what.

Here's my specs:
1GZ AMD Athlon
512 MB RAM
64MB Nvidia GEForce4 MX 420 (so I chose to "avoid using 32bit icons" with RP3.6)
Win98SE 4.10.2222A
BIOS - AST Research 10/12/00

BTW, I've installed all the updates available through Windows Update, as well as the Unofficial SP 2.01. I keep my PC pretty clean as far as viruses, spyware, and adware are concerned... so I know there's no problem there.

Also, I've read through the included documents several times and read through much of mdgx.com, but I'm still unclear about this.... After installing 98SE2ME, just what updates/fixes/etc. are there left to do from the lists? ex: Do I need to do the XP SP2 functionality serperately?

Thanks for all the work you've done. I'm sure I'll get it working right eventually.

Best Regards,
-Ex

-yes, that's what I mean, using some over-zealous registry cleaners caused potential probs in your system, which were made evident when 98se2me was installed... Every registry cleaner I've tried (with the single exception of MS Regclean 4.1a) has caused problems, sometimes delayed or hidden until something "triggers" it later... if you hadn't used the cleaner, this problem wouldn't be here... even tho it took 98se2me to trigger the prob, the potential for the prob was still there, and only because of the registry cleaner... which means, there very well could be (& prob are) more potential probs lurking w/in your registry, because of the cleaner, just waiting for another trigger... not good... and that's why I called it "user specific", cause many reg cleaners are VERY well known to cause just such problems, and should be avoided like the plague, IMHO... >;]

Microsoft RegClean is really, really old. There are plenty of programs now that install stuff that is only registered while the program is in use. Even Microsoft DirectX has registry entries dealing with the gamepad controllers that are only connected while a joystick is in use. And forget about Office programs. RegClean was simply not designed to recognize these kinds of things.

A regcleaner that is safe like the old RegClean, but updated for new types of programs is Macecraft Software's Jv16Powertools 2005. It is now a commercial program, where in years past (while "jv" was a "16" year old kid) it was free. But it is the best out there, and quite usefull for more than simple registry cleaning as well.

MDGx,

Ah, that explains it. The 98SE2ME installed here is from 6-11-2005. So I now have 2 of the same versions, as I renamed one of them to MECONFIG! No problem. I'll just delete that one.

The nag screen at bootup if msconfig is used still shows up though. Was that one of the ones Tihiy removed? If so, then I do have the patched newer version as msconfig and the Tihiy version as meconfig. And that's the way 98SE2ME sets things up now, so I'll leave it alone. I use it infrequently anyway. Whatever's there is working, but it is just strange having the static vxd and environment tabs instead of autoexec and config. I'll just ignore that stuff for now. If I want to clean boot I know what to do!

Should I extract the Themes.cpl too? I just extracted the Themes.exe from the 98Plus! cd as I didn't know the control panel applet was different as well. It's too bad everyone can't use the fixed version of Themes.exe. I guess the only Microsoft release of it is on the 98Plus! cd. But the same can be said of 98SE2ME. Folks need to buy WinMe to use it, as well. And Microsoft never seems to give up on stuff. Ms-Dos use still needs a license! They should do what Rockstar Games does with GrandTheftAuto 1 and 2! Use our old stuff free and maybe you'll buy our new stuff.

It's pretty weird that Dosbox runs dosgames better than Dos. Just thinking aloud here, don't mind me.

-true, old regclean doesn't do much... I occasionally have to go in there and yank old stuff out myself... but I'd rather suffer thru that, rather than risk the results of an automated aggressive regcleaner, because once your reg is corrupted (which often isn't obvious; can be very sneaky), your whole install is untrustworthy... and I've had far too much experience w/that scenario ... now, I've used jv16 (free) in the past, and liked it, but is it worth the risk? It can make it seem like new progs are buggy, when in fact it's your "cleaned" reg which is at fault, and I like to test new progs all the time... -then again, I've only tried freeware, maybe the paid stuff is more reliable, but again, is it worth the risk of never being sure if your reg may be corrupted? (I'd rather have old stuff lingering around in there, to be yanked manually by me every now and then...)
>;]

PsychoUnc,

I know what you mean. It depends how one uses the thing though. It's great for when I'm experimenting a bit like with Creative software. After uninstalling it and even using DriverCleaner, I can go in the jv16powertools2005 and look at the installed programs list. In the Creative example I would see stuff like ASIO, CDDB Control, etc and from past experience know that If I tell jv16 to remove the related entries like that it will be better to do so before removing the Creative program folder as this will unregister the stuff Creative leaves behind before I delete the files. This actually saves me from breaking an association since jv16 checks for what registry entries are associated with the particular installed program and when I click remove, it gets rid of them automatically. And believe me, Creative stuff isn't all located in one conveniant registry tree!

I also do trust the registry cleaner part of it (the original program he started with). But I only run it once in a while when I'm going to do a whole temp folder file deletion, Scandisk, Defrag.

It did mess up some stuff on my XP box but that was my fault. I now know to just close the taskbar notification area background tasks but not to clean boot using msconfig when I'm going to run the registry cleaner. See, I clean boot with the ethernet card connection disabled and ZoneAlarm off and everything except the Microsoft services unchecked in msconfig before running Disc Defragmenter. I don't suggest doing this and then running a registry cleaner! When I did that it deleted my startup shortcuts from the StartMenu's Startup folder (like Office and stuff), and the ATI Catalyst Control Panel's systray icon's startup routine. When I went back to normal startup in msconfig these things did not come back! Even checking show icon in systray in the ATI software didn't bring it back to run at startup. I needed to run the Catalyst Control Panel's add/remove programs uninstaller and repair the install, and I needed to run the office repair tool from the Word program's help menu to get back those startup shortcuts. After doing these things everything seemed okay, but as you said I didn't really know!

So I now run it as I said, with just clicking exit on the stuff in the systray, deleting the contents of my system temp folder and the Windows/Temp folder, empty my browser cache's then run registry cleaner. I then reboot. After that I disable the net, tell ZoneAlarm to go away at startup, and uncheck all but the main Windows stuff in msconfig's startup, and leave only the Microsoft stuff checked in services, reboot and then do a quick checkdisc from the GUI and run Disc Defragmenter. And I only do all this once in a blue moon or after I've installed a bunch of things to the HD or have been doing some video editing and have put in and removed large DVD size files.

So, I do trust the thing but I recognize that it's only a computer program and will botch things up if I hide everything from it! It didn't know, "Oh, he disabled some stuff so I'd better not delete those things." We learn by screwing up. Generally, if ya don't mess aroung with the startup controls it is very aware of what not to delete. And, it was my choice not to let it back up what it was deleting. It does offer to do so before making any changes. I just remembered having a problem with jv16 crashing when it had built up some backups so I usually don't bother and pray it knows what it's doing! The fact that it is the latest and very recent version comforts me about that.

MDGx,

I just went ahead and used Winzip to extract Themes.cpl from the Plus98! cd and overwrite the Me one. I figured that it was safe enough as that is what runs fine on 98SE anyway. No problems.

I think stuff is as it should be now. I'm gonna go play somethin'.

Can someone help me with this problem? After installed Win98SE2ME i have a problem when i try to open a picture file.

I made animated startup and wait logos for 98SE2ME if anyone wants them. You can grab them HERE... or as attached to this post Click to view attachment.
If anyone can point me to the actual font used for "Me", I'll use that instead of the one in these pics. I just used Kauffman font and edited it by hand from memory.
Here's the preview pics:

I could do a gazillion of these if anyone cares. Just let me know what you'd like to see as the background.

Cheers,
-Ex

Ex, they're great! Excellent job!

Could you make an another version for 98 SE Service Pack (without 2 ME part) ?

I'm using all files installed by 98SE2ME all the time for the past 5 years [I experiment on my PC 1st before posting here any new files ], except option 3, and never had instability or slowdown problems. I've also personally installed 98SE2ME, various editions, on more than 10 computers, and never noticed such issues.
So IMHO, your problem is probably hardware related, unless... please see examples from this post:
http://www.msfn.org/board/?showtopic=46349...ndpost&p=337661
Other things to consider:
- CPU + mobo chipset:
I have an Intel CPU + chipset, cannot test AMD.
As far as I know AMD requires mobo specific drivers.
- video controller issues:
please make sure u have installed current version of NVidia Forceware drivers 71.84:
http://www.nvidia.com/object/win9x_71.84.html
and DirectX 9.0c:
http://www.mdgx.com/dx.htm#MDX
and eventually other necessary drivers from your chipset/RAID/SCSI/SATA/etc manufacturer.
- make sure your HDs don't run in "MS-DOS compatibility mode":
control panel -> system -> performance -> file system.
- if u installed Tihiy's Revolution Pack, you may experience instability.
Please ask Tihiy about Rev Pack issues:
http://www.msfn.org/board/?showtopic=39333
- unexpected exit/reboot issues may be related to ACPI/APM/power saving drivers/settings.
I don't like power saving feature, so I completely disabled it, I mean I deleted all power/ACPI/APM related files + reg settings.
A registry value that might give you exit/reboot problems is this one:Make sure this REG_SZ value is 0 . U can do this from MSCONFIG:
Advanced button -> Disable fast shutdown -> OK -> reboot.
- make sure you boot with the bootlog.txt option enabled in MSDOS.SYS [option 2 on the menu]:
http://www.mdgx.com/msdos.htm#MEN
and then get Boot Log Analyzer, which checks/reports on slow loading/failed drivers (.SYS, .VXD, .DRV, .DLL, .386 etc) at bootup by analyzing C:\BOOTLOG.TXT:
http://www.woundedmoon.org/win32/bootloganalyzer123.html
Direct download [235 KB, freeware]:
http://www.woundedmoon.org/win32/bootloganalyzer123.zip
Full guide here:
http://www.mdgx.com/newtip14.htm#SUYG
This way u may find out which drivers/system files cause problems.
- insuficient case/CPU/chipset/video/HD cooling + overclocking may cause random/unexpected reboots/exits/errors/lockups.
- an underrated power supply unit [PSU] and/or unstable current may also cause random/unexpected reboots/exits/errors/lockups.
In such cases u may need a better PSU [make sure its rating is at least 400 W], a surge supressor and/or a good quality UPS [Uninterruptable Power Supply].

Please notice what kind of error messages you get [eventually write them down], or what exactly happens when you shut down/exit/use programs/etc, and then post here, so we can figure out what's wrong.

To my knowledge 98SE2ME does not delete any LDID values from the registry.
If some of those VarLDID values were erased prior to installing 98SE2ME, then you need to determine which programs/system files/etc do that, and eventually avoid to install/use them, because those REG values should always be present for proper operation, no matter which 9x OS you're using.
If those LDID problems become evident only after installing 98SE2ME, that doesn't mean 98SE2ME causes them, that means you need to find out which program/patch/etc is the culprit and eliminate it.
Also, if you already found which Windows ME files/programs are affected by or affect the VarLDID REG values, please post the links here, so I can also check them out, and find out if there is a 98SE2ME related issue I can fix.

XP SP2, WMP10, 2003 SP1 etc system files are not part of 98SE2ME.
98SE2ME installs only WinME system files, none other.
The only file installed from XP SP2 is EXTRAC32.EXE, which is not a system file, therefore it can't influence OS performance or stability.
READ1ST.TXT contains full details on this subject:
http://www.mdgx.com/9s2m/READ1ST.TXT
and this page [linked a few times in READ1ST.TXT], which is actually the do-it-yourself-98SE2ME-step-by-step guide, contains complete list of files installed by 98SE2ME:
http://www.mdgx.com/98-5.htm#KRM9S

Eck:
I have just installed again Bonux XP for WMP9 + WMP10 XP using the batch file from this post:
http://www.msfn.org/board/?showtopic=35997...ndpost&p=309394
and everything went ok.

Hope this helps.

Looks like that particular pic does not exist in that directory.

Great job, cool logos!
I hope you don't mind if I use them in 98SE2ME to replace the old "Blue Windows" logo with yours.
Thanks a lot.

I need some help here, I can't install drivers for my sound[onbooard, see sig for mobo] were installed b4 982ME, ckd systems/device drivers in control panel b4 install[do this whenever clean installing as precaution] now they're gone?, yellow ? shows in device drivers under "sound,video,& game cotrollers" & can't update/reinstall. Goes through to end of install then get msg that drivers can't be installed because the digitall sig has not been approve by MS for install on this operating system. What the F? is this ?, never ran into b4. HEEeeelp please!

I got the exact same problem when I enabled "option 3". Also, the exact same thing happened when I tried the Revolution's Pack. It was more than just pictures though, it was nearly every file on my HD that got that error as well as being unable to open Control Panel, My Computer, etc. (no I didn't install RP on top of option3). This error was mentioned in my first post also.

Gape, Thanks! HERE'S the same logos, but without the "2 Me", (you'll have to right-click/save as). If there are other changes you would like me to make, just let me know.

MDGx, Thanks for all the help. I'll have to go through that piece by piece later. I'm glad you like the logos.... sure you can use them however/wherever you want. I can also change them to suite whatever you'd like. I went with that background for my PC cause I've got a silver XP theme going on.

BTW, I went ahead and installed 98SE2ME without option3 on a different PC, (HP 500MHZ PIII, 64MB RAM, onboard everything), and so far I've not noticed any problems. I also reinstalled Windows 98SE on my PC, (not a clean install though), and tried 98SE2ME without option3 again... and so far I've not noticed the major slow down like before. I used to run RegCleaner every so often, so maybe it deleted some of the entries you mentioned. To give you an idea of how it's doing now... I've not rebooted since I had Photoshop open to make those logos yesterday and it seems to be gagging when I move around the start menu, but I seem to be ok otherwise. I haven't opened my 3D modeler yet tho... that proggy is pretty taxing. Usually (with standard 98SE), I can have Photoshop open working on Textures, Zmod open working on models, and a game open testing them in-game, all at the same time without any hiccups on my PC. But thanks again for the help. With the info you gave, I'll get the kinks worked out with my PC.

-Ex

edit:
Did another set while I was at it...

You can get it HERE, (right-click/save as).

I tested this on my old PC:
Intel Pentium III Tualatin 1.3 GHz CPU overclocked at 1.4 GHz
Intel 440BX PCI/AGP chipset
Abit BE6-II 2.0 RAID mobo
Highpoint HP370 UATA5 RAID HD controller
Chaintech A-GT60 NVidia GeForce4 Ti 4600 128 MB AGPx4 video card
IBM DeskStar 75GXP 120 GB UATA5 HD
Creative Labs Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold ISA sound card
MS Intellimouse Explorer 4.0a laser mouse

What I did step-by-step:
1. Installed 98SE full from "scratch" from MS setup CD, not as upgrade. No other apps/tools/tweaks/updates/etc.
2. Installed PFE [Programmer's File Editor 32-bit = better Notepad replacement] so I can "see" text files properly.
3. Installed MS DirectX 9.0c in order to allow NVidia Forceware video drivers to install properly [see #4 below].
4. Installed NVidia Forceware video drivers 71.84 so I can "see" something better than 16 colors or 640x480 VGA.
5. Installed MS Intellipoint mouse software 4.12 to fix erratic movements mouse cursor issues due to 98SE "stock" mouse drivers bugs.
I use a MS Intellimouse Explorer 4.0a laser mouse, but as far as I can tell these erratic movements are not related to mouse hardware.
6. Disabled all Power saving/ACPI/APM/Stand by/Turn off/etc features from Control Panel -> Power Options.
7. Installed Gape's SP 2.0.1 option 1 only = "Main Update [All Updates and Hofixes]".
After reboot, I noticed "Working in Background" mouse cursor spinning for 15-20 seconds right after Windows UI completes loading.
8. Used Startup CPL [ http://www.mlin.net/StartupCPL.shtml ] and disabled "SystemTray"="SysTray.exe" item under the "HKLM / Run" tab.
"Working in Background" mouse cursor stopped spinning for 15-20 seconds after reboot.
9. Installed 98SE2ME 6-21-2005 edition option 2 only = "ONLY ~ 700 WinME system files".
Everything worked OK after reboot, no Control Panel Add/Remove Programs errors, no mouse cursor spinning for 15-20 seconds, no sound card driver errors [I use a Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold ISA on this older PC, needs no extra drivers from Creative Labs, 98SE properly detects + installs necessary drivers from setup CD] no Explorer/Find Files/My Documents/Start Menu/etc glitches/errors, nada.

So if anybody is experiencing any errors/glitches/etc, some of them may be [?] due *exclusively* to 98SE2ME option 3, which as I said before [quoting from READ1ST.TXT]:
CAUTION:
WinME files installed by option 3 may change and/or lose Win98 SE interface functionality, stability and/or performance!

I am working on improving option 3, but I'm going to need access to more computers to test it on, because the ones I already have access to did not have these bugs.
Until then, if anybody gets such errors and you think they are related to 98SE2ME option 3, please uninstall option 3 from Control Panel, as detailed in READ1ST.TXT.
Only if Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs -> select "98SE2ME Option 3: Restore Win98 SE Explorer, Shell32 + UI" -> click Add/Remove button -> reboot option is not available, then run this command from the Run box:

CODE

RUNDLL32 C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ADVPACK.DLL,LaunchINFSection C:\WINDOWS\INF\RSTR3F.INF,XO

Replace all C:\WINDOWS instances above with your actual Windows 98SE location only if different.

Hope this helps.

I still can't figure out why my sound drivers get kicked out & won't reinstall, no I'm not using opt-3, just 1&2. I'm on my 3rd clean install, have all hrdwr drivers in stalled & am ready to install SP2.0.1. Have printout of 982ME Readme & adhere strictly to it on install. Is there some way to turn off this Digital Signature checker thing in 982ME???

-MDGx: ? why did u disable systray? -is that a performance/stability issue, or just personal preference?

-are ya using the latest VIA "4-in-1" drivers? I vaguely recall issues which the newer via 4-in-1's fix... ?

Hi MDGx, one off-topic question - how you managed to use Tualatin processor on this mobo? Abit states at http://www.abit-usa.com/products/mb/bios.php?model=119
(Please mention: This board does not support Tualatin core P!!!/Celeron processors.

I have several Intel 440BX based boards and I always thought that they don't support Tualation processor?

Petr

-about that pIII 1.3ghz: I also heard that particular cpu had stability probs? (otherwise, I wanted to upgrade my nephew's 866 pIII to that cpu...) ?

--edit: whoops, that's a slot cpu, maybe I was thinking of similar speed socket-type p3? or maybe w/a cpu adapter? -dunno, was couple yrs ago, memory sux for us Psyco's... >;]

---edit again: ??? -the pic from the mobo link shows a slot-type board, but a pic from tom's hardware showing the tualatin (celeron) pIII 1.3 is definitely socket ??? -and, at tom's, it does mention that I can't use that cpu w/intel 815ep (nephew's mobo), so there goes that issue... "If you own an old board with an Intel 815EP chipset, you can forget using any new CPU with a Tualatin core"

Am using ver 4.56[latest I found] ver 5.0 only adds better AGP & USB support for me[tried it b4 I went into this clean install]. Have ckkd both VIA site & ASUS for newer sound[ what is on my Inst CD] & no go. Am in holding pattern right now, kinda waitin to see if anyone's got ideas.

PS: PsycoUnc, my BE6 is a slot 1, don't know if all are.

[OT]

x Petr

try this link:

http://www.mrufer.ch/pc/tualatin_e.html

or this:

http://digilander.libero.it/grandecigno/Tua_BX_41.htm

the process is the same for more bx motherboard.

I have abit bx133 with celeron tualatin 1100(100fsb) overclocked 1463(133fsb).
The problem is the agp divisor that at 133 is only 2/3. You need a video card capable to go at 89mhz fsb if you want use p3 tualatin 133 or overclocked celeron (normally all gf3, some gf2 and 8500) or a pci video card.

With the proper adapter, it can work...

Socket 370 tualatin adapter:
http://www.strattoncomputer.com/so370adcpuup.html

Slot 1 tualatin adapter:
http://www.strattoncomputer.com/slot1-fcpga2.html

Officially, my Abit BM6 motherboard will only support non-coppermine CPUs up to 600MHz.

Notes from the QT bios revision: "Supports 1.5V (cB0 stepping) Celeron 566(66) and 600(66) MHz CPUs. CC0 and newer stepping Celeron CPUs are not supported."

However with a bit of work, I managed to run a 1.1GHz coppermine chip on it...
http://www.3feetunder.com/krick/bm6/

And I later used one of the Socket 370 adapters above to run a 1.4GHz tualatin CPU in it.

Digital signature is a WinME "feature" [a.k.a. MS WQHL Certification program], but should not normally interfere with driver installation.
If you see an option [Advanced] to turn it off from the dialog box, please do so. More info [scroll down to "Windows Millennium Edition policy" title]:
http://winqual.microsoft.com/help/use_help...efits_help.aspx
The dig sig nag box does not appear at all on my PC, but I must have had disabled it a long time ago.
If u still get such nagging dialogs after doing this, open the respective driver INF file(s) in Notepad and disable [comment, remark] the line that says something like:

CatalogFile=XXXXX.CAT

with a semicolon in front of it, like this:

; CatalogFile=XXXXX.CAT

Save the modified INFs, and then (re)install the respective driver(s).
U can also delete all *.CAT files from the respective driver directory.
This should completely disable that nag box.

Hope this helps.

Thnx MGDx, just got in from mowin, pop a cold 1 & will mod file Will post back later

As I said, only because the mouse cursor was spinning for 15-20 seconds right after the UI loaded.
After disabling systray and rebooting, the 15-20 sec spinning cursor went away.

Actually quite simple, I bought a PowerLeap PL-IP3 Slot 1 Tualatin P3 Celeron adapter:
http://www.powerleap.com/PL-iP3T.jsp
which has its own voltage regulator.
Way back then, that was the only way [short of using a soldering gun to mod the VR on the back of the motherboard PCB] to upgrade an Abit slot 1 P3 mobo beyond the 700 MHz P3 slot 1 CPU, unless u use a "slot-ket" adapter, but a primitive slot-ket only supports P3 CPUs up to 1.1 GHz [probably similar to the procedure u used to upgrade to 1.1 GHz].
The last slot 1 P3 CPU made by Intel was the 700E MHz "Coppermine" if memory serves.
More details here [feel free to look around on this page to see my old PC specs]:
http://www.mdgx.com/pc.htm#CPU

Great Googliotomy, used 06-21-05 98se2ME ver[b4 was 06-18-05 ver]] no probs with sound drivers Now on the road to rest of rat killin
Have a great week/weekend MGDx

Regarding Randiroo76073's Soundcard driver install problem, I had the same thing happen to me when I was installing the Creative Audigy 2 ZS drivers on my Sblive5.1. Without 98SE2ME this works fine as long as you use the latest ctcomp.exe patch over at driverheaven.

With 98SE2ME, that unsigned driver nag greys out the Advanced box so you can't go in there and tell Windows to ask instead of prevent unsigned drivers from installing. The driver was impossible to install because of this.

I tried using SystemPolicyEditor, but that does not effect the Windows Me driver verification from not allowing the install. That only effects 98SE's driver verification manager. It is set by default to allow all drivers. If I set it to ask, it will ask at the very beginning of the driver installation, but the Windows Me one will still pop up when the actual driver installation is ready to activate the driver. And on the soundcard driver the Advanced box it greyed out. I did successfully install an unsigned driver for another device when the Advanced box was selectable! It only greyed it out for the soundcard driver. On the other device (forget what it was) I clicked the Advanced and chose "Ask" and everything proceeded as it would on Windows Me.

So the only solution to try is changing the inf to ; out the catalog? Is the catalog unimportant?

As you know I using a different card right now so I can't test this. I'm interested to see whether randiroo76073 is successful when he ;'s out the catalog file.

Perhaps this is something that can be left out of 98SE2ME? Are there certain files that activate the Windows Me driver verification check? The 98SE driver verification tool is still there as it popped up when I told System Policy Editor to use it. It will perform the function you set in System Policy Editor or the default "install all" if you leave it as default. However, the Windows Me one ignores the System Policy Editor. It seems we have an extra Driver Verifier that we can really do without.

Edit - Oh. I just noticed that he installed them fine with the later 98SE2ME. Perhaps this is related to the problem we fixed with my USB Modem drivers. Hmmm, maybe things can be left alone then. It does seem that it might be better to just have the 98SE Driver Verifier there though. This way System Policy Editor can still control it. Unless there is something buggy about it that the Windows Me files do better?

Oops, my internet bugged out somehow and I had the post uploaded twice. Deleted the redundancy! Sorry.

Hi there. I'm a new poster. I'd like to say first off, thank you to all the people including MDGx and others who have contributed to the exciting program 98SE2ME. It was refreshing to try it and experience a whole new look to Windows 98SE and its usage. I have since reverted back to regular windows though, because there were some problems and I wanted to eliminate as many variables as I could to troubleshoot. I wanted to ask anyone who has knowledge regarding 98SE2ME a question pertaining to my present problem. It seems that for some time now, I've been unable to access MS-DOS from within Windows. I first noticed when I tried to install 98SE2ME that the PIF extension for the file wasn't recognized by Windows. Instead I used a BAT file I believe that was in the file folder for the program. After 98SE2ME was installed, at some point, I realized that my MS-DOS prompt icon was missing from my start menu. It could still be accessed from the run command, after I searched online for solutions and workarounds.
In any case, after some time, I reverted back to the old 98SE config, and also uninstalled the 98se service pack(which I had installed before 98SE2ME), and a few days ago, when trying to enter MS-DOS mode from the shutdown menu, Windows said 'access to specified file or device(EXIT TO DOS.PIF) denied'. I have since seen that I cannot access MS-DOS from the run command either, with COMMAND.COM, and now REGEDIT doesn't work either. I tried the POLEDIT program, and under DEFAULT USER, I found that both regedit and ms-dos were unabled. But after unchecking themand rebooting, the system still is the same, ie. won't recognize pif files, allow access to regedit or command.com(however i can still open REGEDIT if I click on it in Explorer). After rebooting, the poledit program still has all options clear(nothing disabled), but I think there is something in my registry that either I damaged myself, or a program has. It just seems like it has gone from minor to progressively worse. I will try to do a boot-up without the registry enabled to see if that makes a change, because I've already replaced the woa386.mod file, as well as one other that Microsoft lists as the main causes for MS-DOS problems. If anyone knows of any causes of this, or of how to make DOS work properly again, the info would be much appreciated, as I haven't been successful so far in finding a solution.

Good luck with the continued progress and keep on truckin'!