Improving Windows 9X

[pjmh1981]

I wanna know if there's a way to upgrade Windows 98, ME with Windows XP components and updates. For example would be interesting to have a Windows 98 as secure as Windows XP is.

According to Microsoft when you have a valid license of Windows XP or whatever operating system that is superior to an older os. You also have license over that operating system. Is something called Retroactivity, so I think is not illegal to apply updates to older os when you have license of a newer os.

I wanna update Windows 98 with new drivers, apply new hotfixes and to wide the compatibility. Could someone please tell me how can be done?

I need Windows 98 because there's older PCs that only support it and I have license of Windows XP. Still nowadays too many people uses Windows 95 and 98.

By the way, I know there're a lot of Driver Packs provided for other MSFN's members but I wanna make this whole process on a Windows 98 and the drivers pack are in English but my language is Spanish.

Some of you put the driver packs, thanks for that , but that does not work for me if you don't explain how to do that with other windows languages or how to get the files in a particular language.

About Windows XP I wanna ask if someboy knows a way to identify the drivers contained on DRIVERS.CAB, this is because when I install my PC I use to use nLite to do so, but how my video card is a GForce FX 5200 windows XP SP2 installs an updated driver that I don't wanna use because is causing me a lot of troubles. I have to remove all the drivers for Graphics Adapters to force the installation of my driver, I don't want this 'cause it makes my Windows lose compatibility and useless to install drivers when I install new hardware (I do this very often). What files must I seek for, What is need to change, Can I use this to add new drivers?

Please answer ASAP

[KiLLERHOLiC]

I don't think it's possible to use WindowsXP updates on a windows 98, cause the way they are made is so different.

Windows 98 is based on DOS, Windows XP has it's own kernel based on W2000.

And for you second thing, why don't you just delete the graphic drivers when you use nLite already?

[pjmh1981]

KiLLERHOLiC. I know that Windows XP is too very different but somewhere on this forum I found a topic that talks a little about placing some windows xp functions on windows 98 through the Service Pack 2 implementation.

And some kind of tips on how to integrate Windows ME updates, but im not too sure about that. They say it can be done but I haven't tried.

I just don't simple remove the graphics drivers because I want to be able to select in one way what drivers to remove from each category. I have 5 pcs at home and building 5 discs (one for each pc) isn't a good solution. I need to keep some drivers and remove others.

Thanks for your help

[KiLLERHOLiC]

Ok, i don't really know anything about Windows98, i didn't use it for more then 4 years already.

But you could delete the original ms/nvidia driver, and put in your custom drivers. So you have a newer version, and you can install it on every computer too.

[jaclaz]

You are looking for this:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showforum=91

more precisely this:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=33936&hl=

and referred link:

http://www.mdgx.com/98-5.htm#KRM9S

jaclaz

[pjmh1981]

Thanks for the info, but I want to do all that I've explained before except that I want it on an unattended install. I don't want to install windows and then try to remove and update each component by last links.

By the way. Does anyone know how to make the boot disk for Windows 2000 SP4. My Windows is in Spanish.

I hope you can help.

[prathapml]

Does anyone know how to make the boot disk for Windows 2000 SP4.

Do you mean to make bootable floppies for use to start the install, or do you mean to make your CD bootable?

[RJARRRPCGP]

Windows 98 is based on DOS, Windows XP has it's own kernel based on W2000.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's not correct. Windows 98 is based on Windows 95, not DOS. Windows XP is based on Windows NT.

[dman]

That's not correct. Windows 98 is based on Windows 95, not DOS. Windows XP is based on Windows NT.

killerholic IS correct. win ME, 98, 95, 3.1 are all written over the DOS codebase. That is why you still have real-mode DOS in all of them. NT/2000/XP are on the NT codebase.

EDIT: wow, just noticed how old this thread is.

[RJARRRPCGP]

That's not correct. Windows 98 is based on Windows 95, not DOS. Windows XP is based on Windows NT.

killerholic IS correct. win ME, 98, 95, 3.1 are all written over the DOS codebase. That is why you still have real-mode DOS in all of them. NT/2000/XP are on the NT codebase.

EDIT: wow, just noticed how old this thread is.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's correct that there's a DOS codebase for backwards compatibility, but it's not just an "operating environment" that appears to be a DOS application like Windows 3x and earlier was.

Windows 95 and later has 32-bit components. Windows 9x don't require DOS drivers (except HIMEM.SYS, which is required during the loading process before the 32-bit memory management takes over) unlike Windows 3x and earlier.

[jaclaz]

RJARRRPCGP,

Windows 95, 98 and ME are based on DOS.

The DOS is not there as backward compatibility, it is the CORE.

Windows 3.1 has never even been called an OS, it is a graphical shell over DOS (up to 6.22)

Unlike that, Windows 95, 98 and ME are Operating Systems, based on DOS 7.0 or 7.1 and 8.0.

Microsoft have made miracles to convince people that windows 9x/ME are really self-standing Operating Systems, (and succeeded with you), but they are not.

jaclaz

[dman]

yeah, like jaclaz said, it's still DOS, they just hid it better.

[RJARRRPCGP]

RJARRRPCGP,

Windows 95, 98 and ME are based on DOS.

The DOS is not there as backward compatibility, it is the CORE.

Windows 3.1 has never even been called an OS, it is a graphical shell over DOS (up to 6.22)

Unlike that, Windows 95, 98 and ME are Operating Systems, based on DOS 7.0 or 7.1 and 8.0.

Microsoft have made miracles to convince people that windows 9x/ME are really self-standing Operating Systems, (and succeeded with you), but they are not.

jaclaz

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If DOS was the core, then it wouldn't be 32-bit at all!!! Come on. DOS is basically only required until Windows finishes loading. It does require DOS however for the boot loader.

The Windows 9x core actually consists of the following files:

KERNEL.DLL

KRNL386.EXE

KERNEL32.DLL

USER32.DLL

USER.EXE

GDI.EXE

GDI32.DLL

and probably some other files.

[dman]

DOS is basically only required until Windows finishes loading

Think of the implications of what you are saying... if windows had bios level access to machine, why does it need dos to load at all? It could load itself. In fact all bios level calls still go through the old 16 bit subsystem, I.E. DOS. (yes, win9x is part 16 bit, it's achilles heel) The most important file here is not himem.sys, it is io.sys and command.com. These files define all calls to bios, even after windows has loaded.

I agree it is more difficult to see the line than with win 3.1, but 9x is still just a shell around dos with 32 bit extensions.

http://www.skrause.org/computers/dos.shtml

[jaclaz]

Maybe this can help in clarifying the question:

http://www.karbosguide.com/hardware/module6c3.htm

DOS is basically only required until Windows finishes loading. It does require DOS however for the boot loader.

Yep, just try to boot in windows 9x/ME, THEN delete the following files:

C:\COMMAND.COM

C:\IO.SYS

C:\MSDOS.SYS

C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM

(and remove them from memory)

Then, remove from the PATH the C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND

No, I am joking, don't do that, but you can try the following:

from within windows 98, run MSInfo

(Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->System Information)

Click on Software environment, then check HOW MANY are the 16 bit modules loaded and HOW MANY are the 32 bit ones.

Win9x/Me is a DOS based 16/32 bit Operating System, as compared to Windows 3.x, which was a 16 bit shell to DOS, and Windows NT/2k/XP/2003 which are true 32bit operating systems in which a DOS virtual machine is implemented for (partial) backward compatibility.

See here too:

http://www.winsupersite.com/faq/millennium.asp

On a side note, how did you get your handle?

A cat walking on your keyboard during forum first registration?

jaclaz