Thoughts: Win98

I'm a child of the 90s. I have been watching a lot of YouTubers that build their very own Windows 98 SE machines. Obviously, there are many pros and cons to this. Mixed thoughts too. It's very impressive how far computers and technology has progressed.

Surprisingly, through emulation or tweaks, we can get many old games working on modern hardware and machines. We have also seen many favourites on GOG and other platforms. I was happy to play The Elder Scrolls Adventures: Redguard (1998) for the first time in modern times.

What are your thoughts about Windows 98 SE builds? Do you think it would be worth it trying to build your own custom Windows 98 SE machine? Or do you feel it would have very little purpose today? Some components can be difficult to find or very expensive, but for the older people among us, a trip back to the 90s - 2000s is lovely indeed.

If you were to build a actual possible custom Windows 98 SE, what would you build? What do you think is doable? What would be the purpose? Or do you think sticking to modern machines is the way to go?

If anyone out there has a WIN98 SE machine, I would love to hear about it.

 

when i had it i couldnt get wireless to work or maybe i can with cd driver...im thinking of getting win 98 too,,put a bunch of files on it and read offline....offline can be great

yet i think its not password secure ,maybe no computer is

 

In our fast-changing digital world, running Win 98 will always be limiting and challenging. Is bluetooth even a thing in the world of Win 98? And yet, if it gives you joy, and esp. if you have the time, etc. - then why not? When I pick my hobbies, I don't much care what other people think - and maybe you shouldn't either? Go for it! It's not like you can only ever use one OS.

 

I am not a huge "retro gamer". In the past I have tried older games titles on Windows 10/11 and thankfully I have managed to get them working. Titles such as Lego Racers 2, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Theme Park World, The Simpsons: Hit & Run, Empire Earth + AOC expansion. Had some issues like Lego Rockraiders, I know of a modern fan remake of that. I also got a NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) emulator to try Zelda, a game simple but somewhat fun. I was thinking of turning an old Raspberry Pi into a game emulator or maybe a Pi-hole for my home network. The only benefit of an older computer would be to get some of those too old titles working, such as Rockraiders. Also to take into account the YouTubers do it for a hobby they get a lot of enjoyment from, reliving past memories and building machines they could only dream of in the past.

 

I never got rid of my Win98 PC.. I keep a 98 & XP PC around just in case. The Win 98 was for a MAME arcade, but also for a certain program I need to read eproms.

 

I was happy to rid myself of Win 98 computers. It was NOT plug and play so finding drivers for peripherals was a huge pain.
I too keep two XP computers around as well as a 2K that needs a new power supply. I keep them for programs I like.

 

usb drives seldom work on 98

 

That is why there is a USB driver pack someone put together. https://www.philscomputerlab.com/windows-98-usb-storage-driver.html

 

I have or perhaps had a universal Win 98 driver. It worked for most but not all things plugged in. It was a headache at times. I was more than happy to rid myself of that issue when plug and play came along.

 

Win 3.1... 95... 98... truth be told, the first Windows OS I didn't 'hate' was XP. And the first I actually liked was Win 7. Win NT architecture over Win 9.x any day!

 

I also liked Windows 2000. I made the mistake of buying a laptop with ME instead of Win 2000. I eventually installed Win 2K to replace ME.

 

Any specs or recommendations you suggest if someone was to build a WIN98 SE machine? What hardware would you buy?

Also the WEECEE WIN98 fan project looked cool, but not for sale. Also doesn't support 3D rendered games, sadly. https://circuitmaker.com/Projects/Details/rasteri/weeCee

 

You can't buy NEW Win98 hardware.

 

buy "old" hardware

 

Buying used PC hardware is always dicey.

 

driver booster site app wont configure any hardware?