[Drugwash]

Here's how things go: it doesn't matter which older version you have installed, that you subsequently have upgraded to July 2007. As long as the July 2007 code does NOT include .NET installation routine, then .NET will not be installed, although it may physically be unpacked in the Auto-Pather folder as an installation kit, from the previous version.

So fear not - the July 2007 code will not install .NET. Period.

[Cadian]

Thanks for the clarification, Drugwash.

I guess my confusion then is that I've misunderstood the wording on the first page:

Please Note: this upgrade installer requires you to have the June 2007 sp2 release already installed

When it says "installed" I guess it means unpacked and ready to go, but doesn't mean I should run the June install routine (which I assume would install .Net Framework) but that I should then unpack the July upgrade and run that install routine... or am I still wrong?

Thanks.

(Note: I don't have any version of Auto-Patcher already installed)

[Drugwash]

Yes, by 'installed' it means unpacked and ready. There is an installer that unpacks all the files and stuff, so technically there's nothing wrong with the wording. It doesn't say 'run', 'launched' or 'applied', but I admit, it can be a bit confusing.

So just install/unpack the June SP2 full version and then install/unpack the July upgrade on top of it. Only then you may run/launch/apply the actual Auto-Patcher routine that'll do its job.

Good luck!

P.S. You do have the choice to install certain modules or not, so regardless of the version, you may opt out of installing whatever you consider unwanted/useless.

This post has been edited by Drugwash: 09 August 2007 - 04:16 PM

[Cadian]

Cheers, thanks for your help!

[dj.tuBIG/MaliceX]

Just a question.

Will using this auto-patcher package interfere with Revolutions Pack 7, Win98SE uSPv2.1a and 98SE2ME?

[soporific]

dj.tuBIG/MaliceX, on Aug 17 2007, 06:46 PM, said:

Just a question.

Will using this auto-patcher package interfere with Revolutions Pack 7, Win98SE uSPv2.1a and 98SE2ME?

Auto-Patcher is simply an automatic hotfix installer: it automatically installs all the updates released by Microsoft (and also people on MSFN) based upon your module selections. So your question then becomes:

Will installing all the official updates from Micrsoft, and all the unofficial updates from places like MSFN interfere etc??

I dunno, but they shouldn't.

[Eck]

Hey soporific, long time no talkie.

Gape is back as I'm sure you're aware.

That's really awesome, but just like earlier experiences some folks had (I guess I was "some folks") interacting between stuff like 98MP10 and Auto-Patcher For Windows 98se, there will likely be folks trying out different combinations of things again and reporting interaction experiences. That post above was just a sign of things to come. That's a good thing. Reporting experiences is the only way to know there may be a problem or something to fix. Although, of course you don't know what'll happen until people try to use them in combination. Like you said, it doesn't appear that they would conflict.

When you first released the Auto-Patcher For Windows 98se I was using it after using the Unofficial Service Pack For Windows 98SE and didn't notice any bumps in the road.

Ya know, I actually am experiencing a feeling of trollishness. That's what I get for not using Windows 98SE and still being interested in what's going on here. I've been a lurker lately, mostly using Debian GNU/Linux (Lenny) and once in a blue moon booting into Vista. Ah well, I'm being supportive here and as far as I know that's not trolling so I'm safe.

Sheesh, and this was probably my favorite website ever (well, besides mdgx's). It's kind of a sad thing. It's hard to have anything to post when not currently using any of this stuff.

[La Iguana]

Hi there,
.. just wondering if it will works (for example) on the Spanish version of Windows 98. I didn't tried it yet, hopefully I have more time to wait your answers, but I need to keep somehow the SP. version on one of my boss computer, and on another hand to try to upgrade it somehow.
Thanks in advance and GREAT JOB you've done.
(sorry for my badly english )

[Max_04]

La Iguana, on Aug 20 2007, 12:17 AM, said:

Hi there,
.. just wondering if it will works (for example) on the Spanish version of Windows 98. I didn't tried it yet, hopefully I have more time to wait your answers, but I need to keep somehow the SP. version on one of my boss computer, and on another hand to try to upgrade it somehow.
Thanks in advance and GREAT JOB you've done.
(sorry for my badly english )

Works, but all updates are in english, therefore it's better that you localize Auto-Patcher for your language.

[RetroOS]

Hey Soporific, your Auto-Patcher is the best!
I've been using it for some time.
However, I have found a problem that did not occur a couple of versions ago.
I have Tihiy's Revolutions Pack 7 installed that uses different user32.dll and user.exe files.
Even though I have the Q891711 "Unofficial fix for newer cursor and icon format vulnerability" set to by-pass, it installs anyway...
The problem?
It does not version check the two user32.dll and user.exe and back-dates them.
Since these two files are version level matched with shell32.dll and explorer.exe, Windows blue-screens on start-up.
I have to manually replace the two files from the Revolutions Pack install files part way through the Auto-Patcher install process to get back into Windows to complete it...
This has happened for the last three Auto-Patcher updates...
I have standard English US Windows 98 Second Edition.

Something to look into with your scripts.

Keep up the good work!

[soporific]

RetroOS, on Aug 26 2007, 03:46 PM, said:

Something to look into with your scripts.

I will check it out, thanks heaps for the feedback.

[Eck]

Hi again. I guess its gonna be an end of August, early September full version?

Not wanting to deal with all the separate upgrading needed by the use of other methods, I'm just sitting back and waiting for your next full version. I'll try that. If 98SE blows up on me again I'll try a format and Gape's pack. If that blows up I'll just try again with the Maximux-Decim version of these things.

It's likely not the update packs, but some weird interaction of unknown different things I've tried to troubleshoot in the past but with only, at times, short lived success and other times, no recovery possible.

I'm not asking for help here as you'd probably need to be sitting at my system to figure it out, but just telling what I'm brainstorming about. You know of my travails! Kind of impossible to figure out exactly what causes the problems. I suppose with mass Windows 98SE usage a lot of people with similar hardware to mine would encounter the same things. In that case big companies would put techs on call to test out why they're happening and how to prevent/fix the bugs. Not gonna happen.

I'll just try installing less bloatware than I would normally do with an operating system I'd use as my main one. It doesn't look like any version of Windows will replace Linux as my main operating system anymore, just different Linux distro's perhaps. Though I seem to be loving Debian Lenny enough these days not to stray from that for too long.

I just want to replace Vista on my Windows hard drive with something I can stand to boot into. 98SE was always my favorite. I've got 250GB to deal with so I'll likely do a 98SE/XP Pro dual-boot. I'll put my bloat onto XP and use 98SE for my old games.

Which reminds me that I'll likely need to reinstall Linux too as there ain't no DriverCleaner for that and I'd like to replace my Audigy 2 ZS with my SBLive so I can get the nice VXD MS-DOS within Windows sound drivers. People on the Debian forums could likely redo the Alsa Kernel modules quick as a flash but I'm rather clueless. Don't know. I'll ask over there if I could just keep things and just run alsaconfig or something to get it to load the stuff for the different card. I have a feeling it's more detailed than that.

I must be stubborn! With all the trouble I've had I just may try this 98SE thing again.

[soporific]

Eck, on Aug 29 2007, 01:56 PM, said:

Hi again. I guess its gonna be an end of August, early September full version?

Hey there ... i read your stuff even if i don't reply to it ... so'kay ... if its not completely obvious to all and sundry, my AP releases sort of exactly match the release cycle of the irreplaceable MDGx, when he gives us a swag of new updates, i usually get my act together and pump out another version. You'll notice there 'asn't been any movement on the updates front since the 18th of July (or so the thread says). And i've also got my hands full with a couple of other projects ... so i guess the next version may as well be September ... no, scratch that, i'll just end up having to release a service pack ... it'll still be August 2007. out soon ... or soonish ... or (update to MDGx's updates post + 7 days) --- also haven't checked out Gape's new baby yet ... that's going to be fun but time consuming ...

[Eck]

I see. Yeah, it's already got just about everything and you're pretty much together as to how it functions too. Unless there's a lot that's new there really isn't a point to repackaging everything again. The full one plus the update is fine.

Gape back and working on things again is great since it was his putting together a stable updater including all vital packages to install in one step was the start of this whole 3rd party forum to take up and fix what Microsoft left broken or fixed incorrectly for Windows 98SE. An open communication and sharing of knowledge between the projects can only help make things better.

While I was involved many of the other projects focused more on eye candy but I have noticed that they more often include improvements that help run XP installers and allow many newer programs to run on 98SE. I've stayed away from both in the past, even back when it was mostly eye candy and I had things working stable. I just didn't want to mess with new bugs caused by too many changes to a 98SE base system. I just wanted what was there to work correctly.

I still feel that way, especially since I just intend to use 98SE for software that was designed for it and I've always been pretty much satisfied with the standard tools and the normal themes if I wanted to change the look once in a while.

So, if I can just get your pack, 98SE2ME, Explore98.exe (your pack might already have that?) and the 98MP10 or whatever that's called now (keep forgetting the name), running fine I'll be happy.

Edit - I see in your modules file that you do include Explore98.exe. Cool. Printed that thing out so I'll know what's going in.

I got reminded of MDGx's recommended order of installation by his partial post of his readme in the 98SE2ME thread the other day. Hmm, I recall that the last time my system blew up and I gave up the ghost I had waited until installing the AutoPatcher before installing the motherboard drivers and those drivers destroyed my partition table upon reboot. Previous to that time I had always installed the Via Hyperions first thing, and while that went well something down the road would give me that Error loading device IOS real mode memory allocation failed. I would get rid of smartdrv from the Windows folder from either safe mode or the command prompt only and then it would be fixed until it would suddenly happen again and I would have no clue as to what to delete at that point. System hosed! Goodbye 98SE!

I see he suggests waiting until all is done including 98SE2ME before the 3rd party hardware drivers. Um, judging by what happened the last time I think I'll install the Hyperions first thing. I'll get all the via stuff out of the way, like the Hyperions, the USB 1.1 patch, the USB 2.0 Drivers. Then I'll run the Autopatcher and install the rest of the hardware drivers and whatever Office software I want to use, then finish off with 98SE2ME and the 98MP10 stuff.

Edit - Ah! I see you've got the 98MP10 thing in your optional Windows Media section. Hmm, maybe I'll just use that. I'll trust that it's included because it works right when your AutoPatcher installs it so maybe it's best to go with the flow.

Makes me a bit unsure what 98SE2ME will do afterwards but perhaps they're not related that much. Just some XP bits of Internet Explorer and the WMP10 things get installed by this I think.

Edit - Belay that last order Mr. Sulu! I see MDGx updated that 98MP10 again. So I'll make sure that's off in Auto-Patcher and use the new one. Whew! No stopping MDGx, eh? (Thank goodness.)

Who knows? Maybe something will be patched better than the last time I tried so the system will remain functional?

This post has been edited by Eck: 29 August 2007 - 09:45 AM

[Max_04]

This Auto-Patcher can run some risk?

Read here:

http://www.neowin.ne...t=view&id=42266

[Eck]

Sheesh!

Fine! Make your updates complete and have them fix what they are intended to fix. If they did those things nobody would need the 3rd party tools. As it is many updates say they install correctly but don't. And many updates are withheld and you need to call them and sometimes PAY for them.

At this point, the Auto-Patcher in this thread is not a target for removal by Microsoft as far as I know, and neither are the other packages and tools available from here or from the mdgx.com website. They specifically went after the Auto-Patcher for XP as distributed from the neowin website.

I don't think they care what is installed into Windows 9x systems. Windows Update for these systems had been broken for a while now and when it did work installed buggy patches. It was much safer to install the Unofficial 3rd party packages than to use Windows Update.

Hmm. I wonder what's going to happen to the RyanVM Unofficial XP integrator? I slipstreamed that into my XP installs for a long time whenever I installed XP.

Maybe it's another ploy to get folks to upgrade to Vista? You can't use a good updater so XP will remain broken so you'd better buy a new computer with Vista or buy it and upgrade.

Safe? If people want safe they're going to need to switch to Linux. Vista needs all sorts of 3rd party security software to be somewhat safe. Heck, Windows 98SE is safer than Vista. Well, I'm only a little bit carried away there, eh? But in some ways it is. FAT32 file systems are less software dependent than NTFS. And it's software that gets infiltrated by nasties. Direct hardware operating system control as 9x has is less prone to malicious attacks.

Yeah, I'm sure they're worried about security. (Sarcasm.) What they're worried about is helpful DRM work arounds that could possibly be integrated along with these 3rd party packs and become native to the operating system. They're not included in the Auto-Patcher (XP) but can be added by integrators. Then they might have to answer to the mighty Hollywood and recording studios as to why users are being allowed to watch movies and listen to music without their getting a cut. And heaven forbid they might be able to install copying mechanisms to backup their purchases and their software wouldn't be able to turn them off or break things with possible 3rd party patches.

I think it's another DRM thing. Not that the updaters include anything like that, but they could potentially be installed along with them and Microsoft wouldn't have a way to remove what is a protected part of the operating system.

Windows needs to be treated like a toy. You only install it to run certain personal favorites but otherwise never to be used on a regular basis. A nice Linux distro for your main system. And not one that has a deal with Microsoft.

That gives us a lot of choices.

[soporific]

Max_04, on Aug 30 2007, 05:02 AM, said:

This Auto-Patcher can run some risk?

Read here:

http://www.neowin.ne...t=view&id=42266

I've just read the FULL-ON NEWS !!!!!

Having thought about this for 10 seconds, my initial reaction is this ...

Auto-Patcher for Windows 98se will continue to be developed in the same way and same fashion as i have done so far. Nothing will change if i have anything to do about it.

I haven't received any legal type emails ... i feel left out! Where's mine?

This post has been edited by soporific: 29 August 2007 - 06:20 PM

[MichelleD]

Just got a new computer with Vista home edition already installed

Acer Aspire E700
Vista Home Premium
Intel Quad Core
2030 MB Ram
32-Bit OS
Radeon X1650

Found a lot of my Adobe Software doesn't run, or doesn't run well in Vista so I installed Virtual PC and Win 98 SE with an old Win 98 CD... it had a hole in it and still ran. Anyways I was looking for updates and found this site. Thanks for all the hard work.

I used the June auto update on the first page... I assume thats the most recent, but I can't see the last time the post was edited.
I will install July next.

This post has been edited by MichelleD: 30 August 2007 - 01:29 AM

[soporific]

MichelleD, on Aug 30 2007, 05:28 PM, said:

Anyways I was looking for updates and found this site. Thanks for all the hard work.

i'm just chuffed you chose this thread to say hello ... for this i say thanks, and can you now please excuse me while i go and scratch another "1st poster to MSFN" on the side of my car ... i've got quite a collection but there's others who ran out of space a long time ago, so please check out any projects or web pages by messers Gape and MDGx ... and there's others as well i can't list you all

MichelleD, on Aug 30 2007, 05:28 PM, said:

I used the June auto update on the first page... I assume thats the most recent, but I can't see the last time the post was edited.I will install July next.

to clarify:

-- the June sp2 is latest FULL release
-- July is latest UPDATE release
-- August FULL coming within the week ...

[briton]

Max_04, on Aug 29 2007, 03:02 PM, said:

This Auto-Patcher can run some risk?

Read here:

http://www.neowin.ne...t=view&id=42266

If you look at the fact that Microsoft are fully aware and in touch with sites such as WindizUpdate, you will know that they are not trying to stop "3rd party updating". Naturally, they are concerned that if they endorse/allow/ignore any sites which actually store the updates themselves on 3rd party servers (as opposed to Microsoft servers (1st Party) or the user's own storage (2nd Party), they will end up being involved if malicious code gets into the updates.

As Microsoft don't provide official support for Win98 and earlier versions of Windows (even though you can get tons of Win98 stuff from their servers which is nice of them), they are hardly likely to attempt to shutdown this kind of autopatcher site ESPECIALLY if there is never a report of malicious code emanating from here!

Conclusion? Get your autopatcher etc from the links here and not from some helpful site elsewhere.