Windows 98
Win98 was released with Internet Explorer (IE) and full Universal Serial Bus (USB) support. It was followed by Win98 Second Edition (SE) with greater hardware support and IE5. Win98SE is still viewed by many computer users as an outstanding OS. Here are a few useful Win98 tips.

Help
Win98SE’s Help feature is more helpful and easier to use than in previous versions. To use it, click Start and select Help from the menu. Then click the Index tab, type in the topic you need help in the text box, and click the Display button. At this point you will receive a list of related additional topics. Choose the one that best describes your problem and click the Display button. Displayed in the right pane are step-by-step procedures for your particular area in question. When you are finished with the Help topic, choose File, Exit. If there are tips or tricks that you would like added to the computer’s Help window, there is a way to retain this information for subsequent use. In your Help window, choose Options + Annotate. In the Annotate dialog box, type your notes that relate to the other items in Help. As you type your notes, use the cursor keys and the Delete and Backspace keys to edit them. After you have typed your notes, click Save. A tiny paperclip icon will show that your notes have been clipped to the Help page. To view those notes, click on the paperclip.

Visual Aide
Should you have trouble reading onscreen text because of its small size, try the Magnifier with Win98. To use this feature that acts like a magnifying glass, click Start, Programs, Accessories, Accessibility and Magnifier. Set the options you want. You can hover over the border to get the resize cursor and drag it lower to make the “Magnifier” area larger. When you no longer need this aide, maximize the Magnifier and choose Exit.

Registry Checker
Registry Checker is a free tool built into Win98 that scans the Registry every time your PC starts up. If a problem is detected, it automatically replaces the Registry with a daily, new backup copy. Registry Checker keeps five complete backup copies of your Registry for a five-day incremental history. Restoring the Registry manually is a four-step process: (1) Select Start, Shut Down, Restart in MS-DOS mode, and OK. (2) Type scanreg /restore from the command prompt. (3) Choose the latest good version of the Registry from the list of the last five backups named Rbnnn.cab (CAB), where nnn starts at 000 and date/time stamps. The screen also shows Started or Not Started for each backup, meaning that the particular copy of the Registry has (or hasn't) successfully started your system. (4) Click Restore. If the restore is successful, Registry Checker tells you. If there is a problem, an error message appears. If the latter occurs, try restoring the next oldest CAB. You can manually run Registry Checker from the System Information applet's Tools menu. However, this interface can not restore but only makes a backup copy.

Customizer 2000
If you'd like to make changes to Win98, consider installing Customizer2000, a Windows customization program.

Shut down
If you have trouble shutting down Win98SE, click on Start, Shut Down. When the dialog box comes up, disregard OK and double-click the words Shut Down.

MS-DOS more screen space
Although some people regard MS-DOS as a thing of the past, Win98's Microsoft-Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) prompt is still important for many users. You may, in fact, have some MS-DOS programs, such as games, that must be run using command-line instructions in MS-DOS. If you work in MS-DOS mode a great deal, make the window larger by pressing Alt+Enter. The MS-DOS window now takes up your full screen. Press Alt+Enter again to return back to the original window size.

Windows Millennium
WinMe is the follow-on to Win98. The simultaneous release of Win2000 and WinMe announced Windows 9x’s swan song and indicated Win2000’s status as a gateway to Windows’ future for business use. There are three versions of WinMe. One is a Promotional version that upgrades only Win98. It will only be available until January 2001. The second is an Upgrade version that upgrades Win95/98. The last is a Full version that requires no previous operating system. If you are installing WinMe to a new hard disk, use the Full version. Although WinMe has many new features, it is viewed by some as a minor upgrade to Win98 that offers little change over Win98 SE. Many computer experts recommend sticking with Win98SE until you purchase a new computer that has WinMe installed on it. There are less installation problems with WinMe when upgrading Win98SE than with Win95/98.

Here are a few useful WinMe tips:

• Win95/98 to WinMe Upgrade Installation
ScanDisk program should be run first prior to upgrading from Win98 to WinMe. During setup WinMe will also run ScanDisk, but instead of fixing errors the setup routine halts if there are any of them. In Win98, click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, ScanDisk and select the Thorough test so it automatically fixes all errors. 

Anti-virus software should also be run with the latest signature files. Next disable your anti-virus software, to include any anti-virus routines built in to your Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) setup, before installing WinMe. If you do not follow this procedure, the setup of Me can cause problems on your PC with your anti-virus checkers. 

New Drivers are needed if you have any peripherals connected to your personal computer (PC), such as scanner, modem, etc. Check the manufacturers’ Web sites for new drivers optimized for WinMe and then install them prior to upgrading to this OS. Backup your files on Win98 as a precaution. 

Close Programs and end tasks to ensure a smooth installation of Me. Use each application’s Close process rather than Ctrl+Alt+Delete. 

• ReadMe Files
ReadMe Files should all be studied prior to installation. Before installing WinMe, find these files in D:\add-ons\document\textfile where X: is your CD drive. To read these files before starting the install process, hold down the Shift key while inserting the WinMe CD into the CD drive of any PC running Windows and then run Notepad. Make sure you make an Emergency Disk before installing Windows Me. If WinMe hangs up during start-up, booting from this diskette will be your only way to get to a DOS prompt to fix the problem. Save System Files for Windows 98 when prompted to do so during installation of WinMe in the event your PC has problems installing this new OS. After a successful installation of WinMe, you can delete these old, saved files with the Add/Remove program on your Control Panel. Some of the programs that WinMe requires you to uninstall all Norton Internet Security, Network ICE’s BlackICE Defender, PGP Personal Privacy, and several early versions of GoBack. You can reinstall these programs after obtaining updated versions. Microsoft provides advice on the best way to disable GoBack and PGP in a text file. See Hdblock.txt in the D:\add-ons\document\hdblock folder of the WinMe CD. 

DOS
One of the major differences between Win98 and WinMe is the capability to access DOS. For example, Win98 allows the user to run a DOS prompt instead of Windows by holding down the Ctrl key during bootup. WinMe, on the other hand, does not allow the user to boot to DOS to speed the startup of this OS. In addition, it eliminates the support device drivers that load before Windows. However, you can still open DOS with WinMe. There is a utility called WinMeDOS.com that restores this feature for WinMe to boot to DOS prior to Windows. It’s available at: <www.geocities.com/mfd4life_2000>.

Whistler
"Whistler" is the code name and successor to WinMe and Win2000. It is currently in Beta 1 phase and will be the first version of Windows to unify the Win9x and NT platforms. Whistler will combine both WinMe and Win2000 and let all Windows business and home user OS’ share one OS. There is no upgrade path from Win95. Microsoft should release Whistler in mid 2001 with two editions, Personal and Professional. It will be designed according to the .NET (pronounced “dot net”) initiative. This OS will address the Internet’s growing importance and will seek to transform the Web from a group of remotely hosted sites to a collaboration of services. .NET will allow the user to update any device, such as a pager, alarm clock, home entertainment center, etc., and then have that information automatically updated on all of your other devices. The following principles will govern the development of .NET compliant products and services: Improved User Experience Puts People in Control, Ease of Use/Simplicity, Internet Standards, and Business Integration and Opportunity.

Blackcomb
“Blackcomb” is the code name for the follow-on to Win2001. Although little is known about Blackcomb by the public at this time, it will undoubtedly give a personal computer additional capabilities than Whistler for controlling multiple consumer devices plus more Internet services features.

Summary
Along with the aforementioned advancements in OS’, many computer experts see enhanced improvements to desktop personal computers with Digital Video Discs-Random Access Memory (DVD-RAM) drives, more network and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) connections, and Pentium 4 processors with 2GHz speed capabilities by the fall of 2001. There will, of course, be high-end memory choices for hard drives and RAMs built into these computers. Currently you can find a new 81.9GB EIDE hard drive with faster transfer rates rated in megabytes per second (MGps). We can also anticipate affordable 17-inch and lower priced liquid-crystal display (LCD) monitors. In conclusion, the future continues to hold promise for even greater innovations in computer technology.