Windows 98: Personally I Like it!

By Patrick Evans, Campus Wide Networks Computer Support Specialist

Since Microcomputer Maintenance will begin shipping Windows 98 on their new machines (see "Campus Computing News" for more information), it seemed like a good time to print a review of the product. -- Ed.

Contrary to popular opinion, I am not a Microsoft drone. Yes, I like Microsoft. Yes, I like the Windows 95 operating system. And yes, I even like Internet Explorer 4.01. With all that said, I also knew Windows 98 would be a superior operating system to Windows 95.

When the chance to begin beta testing of the Windows 98 Consumer Preview (beta 3) came along back in February, I readily jumped at the opportunity to see were the future of desktop computing was headed. With the final release of Windows 98 back on June 25th, the future became manifest. Let me tell you why, and no....I'm still not a drone.

I have seen the future, and it is FAT32

First of all, I don't particularly like having two or three drive letters assigned to a hard drive. FAT 16 is limited in supporting up to 2GB per drive, and especially limiting in an ever larger-sized and cheaper priced hard drive world. Because FAT32 is more efficient with disk space by using smaller clusters (e.g. 4kb clusters for drives up to 8GB in size); a 10 to 15% increase in drive space can be realized. Also, in a networked environment like UNT, drives larger than 4GB tend to crowd out network drive letters. (Two GB each for C and D drives, E drive for the CD-ROM, and F: as the first network drive). However, if multiple drives aren't an issue for you, don't worry Windows 98 works just fine on FAT 16.

Coming from a hardware background, I tend not to readily trust software upgrades. So when it was time to install Windows 98, I decided to do a clean install. And for my money, this have proven itself to be the easiest and most painless way to be up and running Windows 98 in no time.

Booting from the startup disk and choosing Large Disk Access support (FAT32), the boot disk loaded the necessary tools to access my CD-ROM drive and begin installation of Windows 98. If you've ever had to reinstall Windows 95, or had to install it from scratch, you know how incomplete Windows 95 is in telling you what it is doing at any given time in the installation process. Microsoft has placed much more emphasis on user confidence during the installation process, not unlike the step by step process enjoyed by Macintosh users. And whether you are a novice or a seasoned Windows 95 user, the options presented during the installation are much clearer in what they are trying to convey.

Finally, I had Windows 98 installed. From blank drive to functioning O/S, in about thirty-five minutes. So what did I get? What did I now have in Windows 98 that made it the preferred O/S of choice to me?

What's so good about Windows 98?

• Familiarity: It's just like Windows 95 -- To go from Windows 95 to Windows 98 takes a near-zero learning curve for the end-user. In no way is it like the jump from Windows 3.1x to Windows 95. Also, having come from an OEM version of Windows 95 (4.00.950b) with Internet Explorer 4.01 installed, I was already used to the whole Active Desktop approach that IE 4.0 brings to Windows. However, don't let that faze you; Windows 98 offers a "classic" look to the desktop that acts and feels just like Windows 95. But familiarity wasn't the only thing.

• Configuration: It's almost as easy as apple pie. -- Within three minutes, I had configured both my desktop display and folders (removing the Active Channel Bar in the process), and enjoying single window, one-click browsing of my local and network drives. (Yes, Windows 98 had correctly identified my network card and had given me rudimentary network connectivity). One reboot, a few minutes later, and I had not only easily installed the Novell IntranetWare Client for Windows 95, but had enabled TCP/IP for accessing the Internet.

• Robustness: Steve Austin move aside. -- Any seasoned user knows what a General Protection Fault (GPF), or an Invalid Page Fault can result in; lock ups, freezes, you name it. Well, Microsoft heard your pleas, and while I can't guarantee that you'll never run into these issues again, chances are you'll see less of them. Why? Well, in large part to Windows 98 being an incremental upgrade; that is, Windows 95 works; Windows 98 works better. Three years of bug reports, patches, fixes, service packs, and upgrades -- Microsoft had a lot of valuable data in which to build from.

• User Maintenance: Hi-tech shade tree. -- As my mother is fond of saying, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and it appears the people in Redmond have mothers who've said the same thing. The user now has more tools at their disposal to not only deal with driver conflicts and the likes, but to actually know where their system stands functionally at all times. Scandisk and defrag are still around, but now can be set up on a time schedule convenient to the user. Changes in individual files, be they from additions of new software, or deletions of old programs, can be spotted with the System File Checker (SFC). In addition, once a changed file has been detected, System File Checker gives the user the option of restoring the previous file. In addition to SFC, Microsoft System Information is a new tool in Windows 98 that will warm the hearts of Network Managers and techies alike. Offering basic and detailed information ranging from Hardware Resources, Components, and Software Components, the chore of digging for a free Interrupt Request (IRQ), or determining which files are loaded at startup, can be easily seen and easily interpreted. And that is just the start of the standard tools available, not to mention the free Resource Kit tools (e.g. TweakUI) available on the Windows 98 CD-ROM. Finally, Microsoft has included an automatic Windows Update option. Windows Update allows Internet capable users to access Microsoft's web site, and in just a few clicks of the mouse, Active Update can scan your system for critical, recommended, device driver and optional updates. In addition, this will be the channel for future fixes and upgrades to Windows 98 when they arise.

So, should you switch to Windows 98?

If you are a Windows 3.1 user - - most definitely. Windows 3.1's time has come and gone. Its 16-bit operating system just isn't up to the flexibility that 32-bit architecture can offer. Not to mention Windows 3.1's lack of Year 2000 support. Sixteen-bit applications are supported in Windows 98, so you can still use most of those games and applications you just can't part with. But what if you are a Windows 95 user? Well, I would say yes, go ahead and upgrade. This is especially true for those users who have Internet Explorer 4.0x and like the web interface it offers. In í98, the browser and the O/S have been fully integrated, so the integration issues previously experienced in Windows 95 have been resolved. As a final word of caution, please take the time to make sure your hardware is supported. Microsoft sets minimum hardware requirements, but realistically this only reflects minimal use of the Windows 98 potential.

I think you get the idea. I think Windows 98 is the best consumer oriented Wintel based operating system out there today. I like Windows 98. And I am still not a drone.n