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Auto-Patcher For Windows 98se (English)


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Hi soperific,

First, this is an incredibly cool piece of software! I ran the alpha on a new 98SE setup, after installing a few of the items myself first. I run IE6SP1 from a Microsoft cd as in the future I can use the cd to install any needed languages, etc and Windows accepts the cd as the source for addin's like that. I also install DotNet 1.1, SP1, and 2.0 and the 2.0 Sec update before DirectX as then it will install the Managed Direct X files. I did use your extracted version as I hadn't saved the October version and wanted to install the thing only once (as things generally work better if only installed once.) I also install WMP 7.1 before WMP 9 as both the Bonus Pack and the WMP Encoder 7 only fully work properly if installed before WMP9. I also installed Motherboard and Video drivers before your pack, as well as the Maximus Decim MDAC updater.

It was fun watching everything zip through. I recieved no error messages though the whole process. After it was done, I proceeded to install some of the MDGx addon's and 98SE2ME, the WMP 10 Codecs, 98SE2XP, and the WMP10 for 9x MDGx pack's.

Now the problems. I believe I suffered from the Module 4 Pack not running, even though the messages made it seem that it did and I did get the Explorer.exe from MDGx's 98SE2ME installed by your Autopatcher.

I say this because following your pack Windows Update needed to install the following:

IE6SP1 KB833989

98 Sec Update KB918547

98 Sec Update KB917344

98 Sec Update KB891711

GDI Detection KB873374

IE Navigation Sound Update

Euro Conv Tool

Mapped Drives Shutdown Update.

I'm not certain about all the Module 4 stuff, but I did check and ScanFrag did not replace the original ScanDisk and Defrag and my 98SE Troubleshooter's are giving me the blank pages so I don't think TSHOOT98 was installed. I have doubt's about the Copy2GB patch as well as the version I have is 2224, not the 2226 version installed by the patch.

Your update patch (or the original one, when trying it again) does not run correctly on my computer. Out of Environment Space now appears (which it didn't when first run) no matter which way I try to run it. The first time I tried your update, that appeared, and also the message that your program needs to access the Windows System Files to run. I then tried extracting the update and right clicking the batch files and choosing the largest Environment Space on the memory tab. Since they wouldn't run that way, I used the update's setup again (which wouldn't complete) and then right clicked the Desktop's icon and adjusted it's Environment Space, as well as REMing out the 2 QuickTime Java lines in my system's AutoExec.bat. Then things would run (even though each box still reported Out of Environment) until trying to process. A box would report that it couldn't locate the FULLFILE.BAT (I think that's what it's called). I tried extracting the newer batch files over the ones in your folder but still got that error. Heck, after deleting ALL your stuff and trying to run the original I still got that couldn't find the fullfile error.

So it seems I can't rerun your patcher to get the updates installed that were missed the first time, or even run it at all now because of that fullfile error. I think having McAfee QuickClean 3's uni.exe running the first time I tried your update to the pack may have caused that unable to access the system folder error. That or the McAfee Firewall 4.02. On all further attempt's I was disconnected from the net and had all that McAfee stuff set to not run at startup and turned off (although uni.exe WILL start up whenever Windows starts up no matter what I set in the McAfee settings). If that QuickClean uni.exe thing is what was protecting the System folder I'll need to uncheck it in MSCONFIG if we can get your program to actually run, as anything protecting the System folder needs to be OFF since your pack restarts Windows alot. I really don't know what was interferring, but EVERYTHING was off when I initially installed your pack, and anytime (except the first time) I attempted running your update to the pack.

I believe that some Module 4 did initially run, but some things got installed and some didn't, even though it wasn't giving me any errors. My OLEAUT32.DLL is 2.40.4518, so I don't think that update was run as I think that is the version installed by IE6SP1.

I'll go and run some of these manually as I used to. I hope the problems running the update patch are within your program and not my computer, as I'd obviously prefer not to uninstall my security software just to run the updates. I'd rather they worked if I just turn the stuff off, please. McAfee is a pain to uninstall and install and update, etc. You have to go through hoops just getting all the program updates to run properly. What's neat is I have the latest 5100 engine and DAT's with the 4320 vxd allowing no Windows slowdown, so I'm fully up to date while using the last McAfee Home version that was really feature filled (7.03.6000.) At least, for 98. The newest version for XP (11) brought back much of what was missing in the Active X versions 8-10.

The only thing in my AutoExec, by the way, is my path statement:

SET PATH=%PATH%;C:\PROGRA~1\WIN98RK;C:\PROGRA~1\ATITEC~1\ATICON~1

SET CLASSPATH="C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\QTJava.zip"

SET QTJAVA="C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\QTJava.zip"

Nothing is in my Config.sys.

Again, this thing is superb! I hope you can figure out how you or I can fix the rerunning of the patcher problem's.

This is installed on a real computer, not VMWare. It's on an 80GB partition. Right now the rest of the HD is a hidden by Partition Magic NTFS partition. I haven't yet installed XP (or Vista to my 2nd HD with a hidden NTFS partition) as I want to get 98SE sorted first. I prefer this to VMWare, even though I have that, as then I can use 98SE for Direct X gaming, Dos Mode gaming, DVD's, etc.

Also - Another problem. In System Information, when I click Internet Explorer, I get a blank page. And when I click File Versions, I get all the files listed as "file missing" except for IEXPLORE. Internet Explorer, OfficeXP, and Works 8.5 run fine though.

Just to report: I manually installed all the module 4 stuff except for the 98TSHOOT update (no need for the troubleshooters). So now I believe I'm all up to date. I still hope you can figure out why the patcher itself couldn't be run again successfully. And perhaps the System Information Internet Explorer files showing missing and the general IE page being blank there. Maybe that's just a result of one of the updates?

Edited by Eck
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Again, this thing is superb! I hope you can figure out how you or I can fix the rerunning of the patcher problem's.

Feedback, oh glorious feedback!! Thank you thank you thank you!! I was wondering if I had uploaded a complete lemon and was wasting my time with this project, so thanks for your nice words!!

re:

** WMP71: - thanks for the tips and info re WMP71, I will do something similar with the WMP9 module - check to see if WMP71 is installed and install that first before moving on to v9. Ditto the .Net and DirectX modules.

** out of environment errors: - yes, these are the bane of my life. I will be much more thorough for the next release in doing 2 things - clearing variables before exiting batch files, and setting realistic environment spaces. I will also use a ENV space checker to control these errors, rather than let people just discover them for themselves and then are stuck because variables aren't being set.

** Windows update reports you still need updates: - it is my goal and philosophy to get to the point that Windows Update (WU) says you don't need any updates, so can others report on this as well. I will aim to have nothing more to install (according to WU) for the next release. Some of the hotfixes WU reports that you need have actually been superceeded by newer updates. So we install both the superceeded hotfix and the newer one at the same time to fool WU. I have already used this method for installing the following superceeded hotfixes:

- q238453 (installed with q269388), kb837009 (installed with kb911567), and kb916281 (installed with kb918899), although 916281 is being stubborn - this always comes up as still needing to be installed even when it definitely has. 918899 is the problem it seems. I also install both versions of kb918547 (the offical and the unoffical).

** Being barred from the system folder: - I don't know what's going on there - just so you know, the autopatcher is basically an automatic hotfix installer. If you manually ran each update and hotfix, you would get exactly the same result if you ran the autopatcher, except where the code says an update doesn't need to be installed, then the update is skipped. So, it seems there's not much I can do ... any info from others on this would be great.

YOu made a few other points but they were lost in your post a bit - if there's anything I've missed in my replies above, please restate the question, or clarify for me! Thanks again for the feedback, I was beginning to wonder ... about 70 people have downloaded this thing but they have all been silent so far. Cat got your tongue?

Edited by soporific
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Apart from folks here examining the code and recommending stuff to include, and examining code is beyond me, I think most are waiting until they actually have a need to reinstall 98SE before trying your pack or perhaps just waiting for other guinea pigs (like me!)

Regarding installing WMP 7.1 first, let me make it clear what I mean. If you're not going to use Windows Media Encoder there's no real reason. I install Windows Media Encoder 7.1 because the ATI Multimedia Center requires that pre-installed before the Multimedia Center is installed. By the way, I use the Catalyst 6.2 for 9x and MMC 9.08. I have the latest DVD decoder pre-downloaded from an XP install because the ATI downloader will not work on 98 anymore. You still use it to check for the required ATI cd and to install the DVD Encoder, but direct it to the setup.exe already on the computer. So I get the latest Cyberlink PowerDVD codec.

So to make it right, you'd also need to include Windows Media Encoder 7.1 to be installed following WMP 7.1, but before WMP 9. I also suggest you make WMP 7.1 a custom install and leave out the Adaptec Cd Burning plugin. That has issues. The Roxio one in WMP 9 fixed the problems so that one's okay. I've also heard that the file convertor that is in the WMP Bonus Pack causes issues so I now customize that install as well and leave that out.

I forgot to mention that I also install Windows 98 Resource Kit (the full version), System Policy Editor (from the Resource Kit Cd, forceASPI 1.7, and TweakUI after IE6 SP1, but before any Service Pack. This wasn't necessary with Gape's Pack since he includes those. Not the Resorce Kit, as that's just personal choice. I might as well have all the tools available.

As far as DotNet, there are people who don't want that installed so you might want to make that optional in some way, and the same with TweakUI or the ASPI drivers. 4.71.a2 can be installed by ForceASPI 1.8, but that newer version is buggy more times than not. Better off with the 4.6 version installed by ForceASPI 1.7. The ForceASPI installers are good because they install the registry entries needed for ATAPI cd drives. The ASPI drivers themselves are really only for SCSI drives and will make digital playback and cd burning broken if installed without the registry entries (like Adaptec's official installer does, it breaks things). And you must run DumpASPI and KillASPI before running INSTASPI, otherwise the files won't be replaced.

Gape's pack also offers a Windows 2000 color scheme, 256 color tray icons, and his Explorer.exe also changes the Recycle Bin, Network Neighborhood, and My Documents desktop icons to the Windows Me style. It was a little weird to wind up after installing your version with only the My Computer icon changed and the same old green desktop and the rest of the older 98 style icon's. It's kind of of a mixed decade theme! I'd rather you either left the My Computer icon alone or replaced them all with the Me style. It just looks weird with only one changed. Perhaps that's what your MDGx 98SE2ME installs if Gape's pack isn't installed first? Maybe you should let folks install 98SE2ME themselves since that changes quite frequently. This way they'll just install the latest one once. Since I didn't have the Windows Me cd in the drive, I just got the few things it automatically installed from your version then installed the latest one myself afterwards.

Like I said, I went back and extracted your pack, then installed all the module 4 stuff manually. You're right that it hadn't installed. As I said, I couldn't get the update to the Auto-Patcher to run. I used previously downloaded stuff from MDGx to be sure of a few of those. As I had let Windows Update install some of them, you're also correct that installing MDGx's unofficial versions puts the working files in and fools Windows Update since its version had already been installed.

Heh, the rest was just my babble about my current problems that might not be related to your pack. Not sure about System Information not showing anything when clicking on the Internet Explorer link. It should report the version and some other stuff. Then, when I click file versions it's supposed to show all the IE files and their versions but it just showing "file missing" for all except IEXPLORE.EXE.

That never happened to me before. Not sure if it's caused by something in your pack but it's just something I haven't seen before. Like I said, Internet Explorer works fine.

Try to read all that. I don't mean to be so long winded. I just have stuff to report! I don't know how else to do it without typing it. But you're not the first to tell me my paragraphs tire them out. Sorry.

Please keep at it. This was no failure! It worked fine (the first time, anyway) with the exception of it skipping over module 4.

Edit - It wouldn't help for those using non-Microsoft keyboards or mice but I also installed Intellipoint and Intellitype software before your pack as the Mouse fix is supposed to be installed after those.

I don't see how your pack could check to see if the system has Microsoft keyboard and mouse hardware so I don't think those would be a good addition to your pack.

Additional info - I needed to use this the IEBugfix from the 98 Upgrade Pack in order to fix extreme Explorer slowdown. That just installs the 2 files from IE 5.5 into the Windows folder and puts in a registry entry directing Explorer to use it. The newer files in the System folder are left alone.

If you extract his pack you'll find the fix in the w folder. It's really an unofficial type of thing but I couldn't run things smoothly without it. Things would slow down so much my system would freeze.

I tried to attach it but I guess this post is exceeding the length rules here.

Edited by Eck
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So to make it right, you'd also need to include Windows Media Encoder 7.1 to be installed following WMP 7.1, but before WMP 9.

thanks for the tip -- i went looking for the download on the M$ site but they've stayed true to form and discontinued offering it for download ... jeessus h mohammed .. Why, oh f**king why, do they have to make life hard? Don't they know we HATE them for this? But then...

... I found out about possibly the best site I've stumbled across this year (a big call for me) - http://www.filewatcher.com/ - all I needed to enter was the most likely filename, which I got easily from google and I got to this! - http://www.filewatcher.com/m/wmencoder71.e...524144.0.0.html

- far out I was happy!

I also suggest you make WMP 7.1 a custom install and leave out the Adaptec Cd Burning plugin. That has issues.
i'm on the case ...
As far as DotNet, there are people who don't want that installed so you might want to make that optional in some way, and the same with TweakUI or the ASPI drivers.

OK, the selectable modules function works a treat -- it was much easier than I thought, and the interface will be very quick to make choices -- actually it may even be faster than using a mouse to click little check boxes - the way it works is the default choices are shown and all you have to do is press the corresponding number to change the option ... actually, why don't I upload some screenshots ... hmmm, good idea, just a sec ...

SH01.gif

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SH02.gif

there, now you can see for yourself - in the above example, I pressed 8 and the option changed - that's a good set of modules - just press S to start! The other modules (Net Framework, ASPI, Notepad replacement, the IE 5.5 browseui.dll fix) are being tested now and as I go it will be easier and easier to just whack in more options, hotfixes, and 3rd party freeware apps simply as modules that you can unselect at will.

version 1.5 alpha will be released soon!! Change log is currently:

- summary: the changes from 1.2 to 1.5 are significant !!

- a superior file version checking system has been devised that now handles this question of which file to install using a much better method - actually checking the file version numbers and performing arithmetic. there's probably an official way to do this, but stuff trying to decipher how to do that, i prefer the challenge of re-inventing the wheel over trying to understand what Microsoft is trying to tell me, anyday.

- the selectable modules function has been added. Its very quick to set which modules you want and then to start the install. I thought it was going to be harder than it turned out. (see screen shots above)

- I'm slowly changing over all the checks the program uses to see if an update needs to be applied. As i've said I've worked out my own system of checking for the newest file version when offered a choice during installation, which means the autopatcher won't go 'out-of-date' and be unusable (which it was until this point). I'm probably re-inventing the wheel, but then again the method is pure DOS which can be useful in some circumstances I can think of.

- many less reboots are performed due to exhaustive checking whether each hotfix needed it or not. There's still quite a few reboots, sorry but they seem to be needed, but only if you need the updates. A fully patched computer shouldn't install a single thing and won't reboot even once.

- a much better distribution of hotfixes into modules. (see screen shots above)

Edited by soporific
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Great package btw....

thanks for all your tips and info to-date!! and your kind words ...

Be sure to remove the obselete updates from ths pack.

sorry, but I couldn't resist this reply to the above!

-- you wouldn't happen to know anywhere I could find a list of obsolete hotfixes, do you? :sneaky:

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Great package btw....

thanks for all your tips and info to-date!! and your kind words ...

Be sure to remove the obselete updates from ths pack.

sorry, but I couldn't resist this reply to the above!

-- you wouldn't happen to know anywhere I could find a list of obsolete hotfixes, do you? :sneaky:

lol u alright with me :thumbup

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Just a note to the screenshot, current DX9.0c is October 2006.

Petr

I've released an updated package, here: http://repository.jimmsta.com/msfn/dx9cOct06.exe (approx 30MB).

It has been tested on Windows 98SE, and Windows ME machines. It contains 1 new file since the August release. All NT files have been stripped, to reduce the file size.

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I needed to use the Auto-Patcher again and found some work-arounds. Perhaps you'll soon eliminate the need for this, but for now it got the program to work.

For the Out of Environment error and the cannot locate fullfile.bat -

I first ran the original version and exited out, then the module update.

Then I went to the Windows\AutoPatch (extracted files folder) and right clicked the main Auto-Patch bat file and in the Memory properties tab I chose the largest Environment in the drop-down. I think it's 4096.

Then I ran the new shortcut pif that changing the environment created to run the Auto-Patcher.

Since the files had been updated by the module update the whole thing ran fine.

I had to use this again because my motherboards built in Ethernet driver likes to hold on to the device, not letting me easily disable the internet from Device Manager. It winds up crashing Device Manager and not disabling the card. This didn't happen on XP, but I guess the Via driver isn't as stable on 98.

McAfee was also giving me a problem with the newest DAT's where I was getting freezing and BSOD's in the McAfee vxd's. They used to fix this stuff pretty quickly in an updated DAT but I fear they're not bothering to test these on Windows 9x anymore.

So I formatted and installed fresh with ZoneAlarm and Avast instead along with a D-Link PCI Ethernet card, a DGE-530T. A shame really, since I liked that Mcafee suite with the VirusScanner, Firewall, and QuickClean (7.03, 4.02, 3.02 versions).

The motherboard's Ethernet shares with the AGP card! How stupid? Now I put the PCI card in a slot that doesn't and no more disconnecting problems. I like to do it that way rather than shutting down and pulling the plug. It's quicker. I do this for defragging, video editing, etc.

An idea for the Auto-Patcher - How about the latest Netmeeting? Don't use it, and I forgot to run it this time. But that is a possibility to include for those that do, eh?

Oh! I forgot to mention that I installed Gape's Unofficial 98SE Service Pack first this time. Solved the problem of digging out the Windows 2000 Color Scheme and the 256 Tray Icons, as well as the matching Desktop array of icons.

Gape's pack also does some nice tweaks such as the Shell Icon Cache is increased. I get the ASPI driver installed and TweakUI as well.

Hey, maybe you could run the Gape Service Pack first instead of figuring out how he does some of his updates. Have it run normally with the options available to the user then on reboot start your batch files.

The only problem might be that for older versions of Microsoft Office through Office 2000, they should be installed before Gape's pack. And for OfficeXP, that should be installed afterwards instead. This is due to otherwise conflicting versions of MDAC files that sometimes make Windows mess up the registry unless doing it in that order.

I don't know. It's just a thought. I still like to have the stuff Gape's pack does done automatically rather than my figuring and doing myself. I like easy!

Edited by Eck
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I needed to use the Auto-Patcher again and found some work-arounds. Perhaps you'll soon eliminate the need for this, but for now it got the program to work...then I went to the Windows\AutoPatch (extracted files folder) and right clicked the main Auto-Patch bat file and in the Memory properties tab I chose the largest Environment in the drop-down. I think it's 4096.

Sorry about all the environment space probs --- i was setting totally unrealistic spaces to begin with which some systems obviously can't handle. The program now records what the current used space is in the log file (i've added a log function) - and I can report the highest amount I've reached is 897 ... it mostly varies between 500 and 800. I dunno what the unit of measurement is ... bytes?

An idea for the Auto-Patcher - How about the latest Netmeeting? Don't use it, and I forgot to run it this time. But that is a possibility to include for those that do, eh?

I'll get around to adding more component options, just keep suggesting them ... I may ignore the suggestions but only for a good reason, i promise.

Hey, maybe you could run the Gape Service Pack first instead of figuring out how he does some of his updates. Have it run normally with the options available to the user then on reboot start your batch files.

The user may as well do that. I'll try my best to include whatever is useful and what I can discern from Gape's work, but I can tell you now that I most likely won't be adding the service pack as it stands. Everything else the autopatcher installs is controlled --- checks are done to see if installs are needed, and log entries are created that specifies exactly what is being installed and I'll lose all of that. This is not a comment on the quality of the service pack, but just common sense. People can run the service pack before running the autopatcher, and all the autopatcher will do is fill in the gaps. So what you did is what others should do also.

the first post has been updated with news of the imminent release of v1.5 --- i'm very very proud of this version. It's nearly ready ...

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- the program can now be run in any folder on any drive (except don't put it in the root of a drive -- i've tested that and it doesn't work, but who would do that anyway?), however, you must be able to write to the directory you choose, so you can't burn it to a CD and run it from there.

I for one, will take your package, and compress it with 7zip, then wrap it with 7zip's SFX extra addon, which will make the package self-extractable to the 'C:\Windows\Temp' directory, and execute the script. This way, you can distribute the package on CD, and still have it work properly. Many of my patches are deployed in this way. (IE6 SP1, DX 9, both on Win9xPP v4.1).

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Oooh, goody!

This is almost as fun as waiting for a new monthly ATI catalyst release.

I likey the noted improvements.

On my latest (hopefully last for a while) new 98SE install I did as I said, installing some of my stuff first including Gape's Unofficial 98SE Service Pack.

For your information, Windows Update claimed it needed Internet Explorer SP 1 Cum update KB916281, IE6 Security update KB833989, and 98 Securiy update KB918547 this time.

I let it do it, then reinstalled MDGx's Unofficial KB918547, KB891711 and KB918899. (And then the IEBugFix thing.)

How come it didn't detect 918899 installed, when Internet Explorer's About and the Windows Updates Checker did? And then it installed that older one (916281)!

After reapplying those, Windows Update was happy everything was there.

But there still is a problem with stuff registering in System Information. Nearly all Internet Explorer files are listed as missing when clicking file versions, and the Internet Explorer link itself there brings up a blank page with no information. Any idea what's causing this?

Edited by Eck
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