help needeed: Windows98

dabbler2004

I've just reset an old machine to it's factory settings using the supplied restore disc. what I want to know is how can I update Windows on it (i.e. security updates etc. not the OS) seeing as Microsoft no longer supports Win98? It will be used for the internet and e-mail so I need to make sure that it's hacker/virus proof etc.

Is it safe to ask if anyone has these updates on disc ?

seamus

MS no longer supports Win98, but you should still be able to get past updates from Windows Update afaik.

Stick a good firewall on the machine, then try access windows update.

dabbler2004

I should have mentioned that the Win98 machine is dial up but I have another XP PC with broadband so if I can use broadband to download the updates all the better.

Ruu_Old

Is it the second edition of Windows 98?

seamus

http://www.microsoft.com/windows98/downloads/corporate.asp

Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any rollups or service packs that can be applied.

Capt'n Midnight

there was a third party that collected all the old win98 patches
can't remember who they were but you had to trust them

try 98lite - to remove as much IE as possible and use a different browser, this is not because of IE security concerns, but rather that OS files that IE uses haven't been updated.

Firewall , all the malware apps you can think of

copy erd / eru from the CD and run it to backup the registry and startup files on a regular basis - choose a folder instead of A:\ for the save

cfgback also keeps desktops settings,

I'm not sure if windows 9x is vulnerable to the sort of problem with image files that happened at the start of this year. That flaw was with the OS not the browser. And it was the file type not the extension that got it passed to the flawed engine, so blocking image types by extension was trivial to bypass.

If you hadn't said dial up , and all it was to be used for was browsing then for security have a look at a non-microsoft OS.

Ruu_Old

There are some here, looks like there is a sticky for 98/98SE, don't know how good it is though. Unoffical service pack it sez, might be all you can hope for.

dabbler2004

Ruu: it's plain old 98 not SE.
Thanks people, I have plenty there to get me started, I'll use Opera/Firefox for browsing, Thunderbird for e-mail, AVG anti virus, Zone Alarm firewall (older version) AdAware/Spybot Search & Destroy/a-squared Free for spyware/adware/trojans.
If you think I need any other essential programs please let me know.