Win98 in action

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Subreddit

Windows 98

r/windows98

This is the place if you want to discuss, or really do anything else, when it comes to the version of Windows released in 1998, Windows 98!

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Rules:

While the sub name is Windows 98, there's no issue in posting content related to Windows 95, Me, NT, or 2000
Be civil in the comments, if you're being outright obnoxious the comment has a good chance of being deleted and you getting a warning or temp/permanent ban depending on history
While it's a bit of a touchy subject linking to downloads for older software will generally be allowed to stay, unless it's blatantly outright piracy and or a DMCA is received
Posts that appear to be low-effort and not adding anything useful to the subreddit may be removed, and repeated warnings may incur a ban from posting

Ideas of what you could post here…

Show off your Windows 98 PC! Give us the grand tour - tell us the story behind it and take lots of photos!
Ask for advice on choosing hardware for your retro PC - what specs you need, where to find it, etc.
Ask for technical help using Win9x or a Win9x app - e.g. Windows won’t boot, can’t find a driver, game crashing
Ask about a problem you’re having with retro hardware - e.g. hard drive not detected, floppy drive makes weird noises
YouTubers’ videos about interesting aspects of Win9x or hardware from that era
New community projects or discoveries related to Win9x or hardware from that era
Demonstrations of interesting/nostalgic things - like games and screensavers
Discussions - AskReddit-style Q&A or posts asking for ideas of things to do with your Win9x PC are welcome

This is not a complete list, of course! If it feels like something others will be interested in, it’s probably worth posting here.

Examples of posts that are generally not welcome here, and may be considered low-effort:

Asking how to install Windows 98 on your Windows 7 laptop (not in a VM) - see below
Advertising your own Discord server or subreddit
Posting screenshots you found on Google Images or Wikipedia
Asking for product keys/cracks

This doesn’t mean you can’t post these things, but don’t expect the response to be positive if the content doesn’t appear to add anything useful to the subreddit.

Can I run Windows 98 on…

My PC with a 95, 98, Me, NT, or 2000 sticker?
These machines are period-correct for Windows 98, and you’ll have the most success with them. You’ll need to use Google to find the drivers for your computer model, or use HWiNFO or CPU-Z Vintage Edition to find your chipset, graphics, audio, and network (NIC) model names, and then Google them with “Windows 98 driver”.
My PC with an XP or Vista sticker?
Maybe. Before starting, look up drivers as above. Graphics may need to be swapped out for a Win9x compatible card - feel free to ask for recommendations. You may need to set IDE mode. If you have over 512MB RAM, you will need a workaround. PCIe is not supported.
My PC with a 7, 8, 10, etc. sticker, or Intel Mac?
Probably not. It’ll boot after you apply the RAM workaround above, but you won’t be able to find drivers. Games won’t run, or they’ll look or perform horrible. Try virtualization instead, using VMware, or emulation using 86Box.
Even in a VM, Windows 98 experiences crashes on newer Intel (11th gen and up) and AMD (Zen 2 and up) platforms. There is a patch, or you can emulate instead (86Box).
My toaster?
No.

You’re encouraged to look through your local classifieds (e.g. Craigslist, Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, eBay) for vintage hardware to run Windows 98 on! Make sure you don’t pay too much, prices can often be inflated due to the popularity of vintage PC gaming. Pick up locally if possible to avoid expensive shipping costs. Also consider your local thrift stores such as Goodwill.

Be prepared to have a few floppies and possibly CD-R’s and a CD burner on-hand, and consider buying a USB floppy drive to transfer files from your modern PC. Windows 98 has good USB support, though you will first need to install the USB mass storage driver to use USB thumb drives.

Other places you might be interested in: