Windows 98: What's in it for you?

Home Office Computing, July, 1998 by Darren Gladstone, Philip Albinus

HELPFUL HINT: Take time at the end of every week to back up all your critical data on separate media (Zip disk or otherwise) and then have the Win 98 system tools perform a full system sweep. This may take a few extra minutes, but if you've ever suffered through a system crash, you'll be glad you did.

Can I use my Win 95 software In Win 98, or will I need to buy new programs?

You'll be able to use most Win 95 applications without a hitch. However, you may have trouble loading utility software, like antivirus or uninstaller packages. These programs can potentially spot changes that are made in your system as a result of Win 98, and either send out a red flag or freeze your system. At press time, Microsoft was addressing this issue.

HELPFUL HINT: Make sure you've registered your Win 95 applications to ensure that you're eligible for either free or inexpensive upgrades to new Win 98 versions.

I'm still using Windows 3.1. Should I make the move to Win 98 or wait for a newer version?

Make the move. According to Microsoft, the company delayed Windows 98's release in order to create an easy upgrade for users of Win 95 as well as Windows 3.1. When we installed Windows 98 on our Win 95 PC, it took 35 minutes and roughly five button clicks. Microsoft claims that upgrades for Windows 3.x users are equally easy.

HELPFUL HINT: If you're unsure about installing Win 98, create a separate partition on your PCs hard disk to test-drive the new OS. To create a partition, check out a partition utility such as Partition Magic (PowerQuest, 800-379-2566, www.PowerQuest.com; $79).

Will the upgrade make the Installation of now hardware easier for me?

If you're like the work-at-home users we hear from, you're fed up with the hassles of installing and reinstalling new hardware. Fortunately, Win 98 is Universal Serial Bus (USB) compliant, which promises to make the installation of peripherals such as scanners, monitors, mice, and video cameras a truly plug-and-play experience. With one plug right into your computer, you're ready to go. If you're lost amid a tangle of wires behind your PC, you'll love USB.

HELPFUL HINT: To save precious home office space, you can daisy-chain a number of devices via the extra ports on the back of USB devices. In addition, you can throw away all those extra power strips for your computer gizmos, because USB devices draw power directly from the computer.

Is my system powerful enough to run Win 98?

Although Microsoft says Windows 98 will work properly on a 486 or higher PC with at least 16MB of RAM, we recommend nothing less than a 90MHz Pentium system with at least 24MB of RAM. The faster your system's speed and the more memory you have, the better your performance will be.

HELPFUL HINT: Prepare to reserve at least 200MB of hard disk space for Win 98 and set aside another 100MB for the installation files. Although these files will swallow up valuable disk space, installing them will save you heartache when you need to load new hardware and programs. Occasionally, Win 98 needs to refer back to hardware drivers during setup. So, if you have the room, copy the Win 98 directory from the CD-ROM and save it to your computer.