About this tag
Windows 98 remains a touchstone for retrocomputing enthusiasts, with recent projects demonstrating its surprising capabilities and limitations in 2026. Discussions cover running Linux apps via WSL9x, hacking locked-down internet appliances to run Win98, and using it as a specialized offline tool for legacy gaming and multimedia. The infamous COMDEX 1998 Blue Screen of Death is revisited as a pivotal moment that reshaped Microsoft's demo practices. Community threads also address practical challenges like data recovery from old Win98 drives and running modern AI models on vintage hardware. These conversations highlight both the enduring charm and the security risks of using Windows 98 today.
  1. WindowsForum AI

    xHCI98 1.1.1.0 Raises Windows 98 USB Storage Speeds to 33 MB/s

    xHCI98 is an open-source USB host-controller driver from developer Yeo Kheng Meng. It lets Windows 98 SE, ME, 2000, XP, Vista and 7 use the USB ports on modern xHCI-only PCs, which these systems could not drive before, but only at USB 2.0 speeds. The project describes itself as a WDM generic USB...
  2. WindowsForum AI

    Windows XP, 98 Unsafe for Texarkana Shelter Job Searches

    Five refurbished PCs and a printer are now available to residents at Texarkana’s Salvation Army Center of Hope for resume writing, job searches and online applications. The donation is useful and immediate; the operating-system mix described by donor Philip Judice, however, creates a security...
    • WindowsForum AI
    • Thread
    • public computer lab refurbished computers windows 98 windows xp
    • Replies: 0
    • Forum: Windows News
  3. WindowsForum AI

    WSL9x: Run Linux Apps on Windows 95/98—A Retro Hacking Technical Dare

    Windows 95 and Windows 98 have been out of Microsoft’s support cycle for years, but the latest retro-computing stunt aimed at them feels less like nostalgia and more like a technical dare. A developer known as Hailey has built a “Windows 9x Subsystem for Linux,” or WSL9x, that reportedly lets...
  4. WindowsForum AI

    Compaq iPAQ IA-2 Hack: Running Windows 98 on a Locked MSN Internet Appliance

    Who said Windows 98 was dead? In 2026, retrocomputing keeps finding new ways to embarrass assumptions about obsolete hardware, and this time the stunt lands on a 2000-era internet appliance that once depended on MSN dial-up. What sounds like a novelty hack is actually a revealing case study in...
  5. WindowsForum AI

    Windows 98 in 2026: A Specialized Offline Tool for Retro Computing

    Windows 98 SE can be coaxed into doing a surprising amount of useful work in 2026 — but only if you treat it as a specialized, heavily-curated tool rather than a drop-in replacement for a modern PC. A recent hands‑on test using a Dell Dimension 2100 (an early‑2000s Celeron desktop) demonstrates...
  6. WindowsForum AI

    COMDEX 1998 BSoD: How Microsoft Rebuilt Live Demos and Hardware Validation

    Bill Gates’ off‑hand quip—“That must be why we’re not shipping Windows 98 yet”—did more than defuse an embarrassing on‑stage moment; it helped redraw how Microsoft and the wider industry approach live demos, hardware compatibility, and presentation engineering. A plug‑and‑play scanner that...
  7. WindowsForum AI

    COMDEX 1998 BSOD: How Microsoft Rebuilt Demos with Staging Rooms and USB Testing

    Bill Gates’ wry on-stage line—“That must be why we’re not shipping Windows 98 yet”—has become one of technology’s most enduring demo gaffes, but the fallout was more than an awkward clip: the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) that occurred during the COMDEX Windows 98 demo changed how Microsoft staged...
  8. davidfunk90

    Using old computers

    Is there any way to continue using old computers with Windows on them? I have got a really old computer that is suitable for Windows 98 and a computer that's got Windows 7 hardward and one that's got Windows 10. I keep being told that they are outdate and I am not intelligent enough to get them...
    • davidfunk90
    • Thread
    • compatibility troubleshooting driver support emulation end-of-life software hardware compatibility lifecycle lightweight os retro computing security risks upgrade path virtualization windows 10 windows 11 windows 7 windows 98
    • Replies: 30
    • Forum: Windows Help and Support
  9. J

    Trying to resurrect a old Win98 hard drive

    Hello. I have a old hard drive with Win98 on it. I may be attempting something not possible. Before I smash it I want to pull any old files off of it. Family stuff etc. I unplugged my Win10 drive and plugged this one in. This PC is not the motherboard in which the old 98 drive came from. When...
  10. WindowsForum AI

    Running AI on Windows 98: A Nostalgic Experiment with Modern Implications

    Windows 98 may have long been ushered off the stage, but a recent experiment has breathed new life into this vintage operating system by running Meta’s Llama AI on a Dell machine sporting a modest 128MB of RAM. In a clever blend of nostalgia and modern AI wizardry, this experiment not only...
  11. WindowsForum AI

    Steam Reimagined: A Nostalgic Tribute to Windows 98

    A nostalgic twist on a modern classic has captured the attention of PC gamers and retro enthusiasts alike. A talented Redditor, known as Blu-s_Attempt, recently unveiled a concept artwork reimagining Valve’s flagship digital storefront—Steam—as if it were running on the long-retired Windows 98...
  12. E

    Windows XP Teamviewer on Windows98

    Hello guys, Is there any way I can install Teamviewer on Windows98 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  13. Joey1394

    My desktops, Windows OS's

    I have played with windows from Win-3.1, 95a, 95b, 98, 98se, me(crap), 2000pro, xp-(2000 with eye candy), version-7 (best ever). then Windows 8 & 8.1, wanting... Finally Windows 10. But the builds 1511, 6107, 1709, 1803, 1809. I like 1809, despite what others may say it's bad. My MusicBee...
    • Joey1394
    • Thread
    • app dark theme lg g6 musicbee windows windows 10 windows 10 1809 windows 1511 windows 1709 windows 1803 windows 2000 windows 3.1 windows 6107 windows 7 windows 8 windows 8.1 windows 95 windows 98 windows me windows xp
    • Replies: 1
    • Forum: The Water Cooler
  14. Axel PC

    Should I keep these?

    I'm currently in a backup project and I've got ALOT of old software. But should I even make ISO backups of theses old software? I've got old versions of Visual Studio, every Office back to 98, every Windows os back to 98 SE. Have any of ya'll come across a situation where you needed an old...
    • Axel PC
    • Thread
    • archiving backup data preservation disk imaging file management iso legacy systems nostalgia office old school old versions software software redundancy storage system restore tech history visual studio windows windows 98
    • Replies: 2
    • Forum: General Computing
  15. M

    Windows 8 Old game not playing even in proper compatibility modes?

    I have been want to play an old racing game for some time now (Driver By GT Interactive) but it wont load. It was deigned for Windows 98 and 95 and i am running 8.1. I manually found the install file and installed it along with Direct X 6 and Direct X Media. I set the compatibility mode and...
    • mitchfishman5
    • Thread
    • 640x480 8bit color compatibility directx display scaling dpi drivers game settings gaming gt interactive installation issues legacy systems old games old versions racing troubleshooting windows 8.1 windows 95 windows 98
    • Replies: 4
    • Forum: Windows Help and Support
  16. B

    Windows Vista Need expert advice

    without going in to gory details.....I have an older laptop with windows vista on it. I need to put windows 98 on it. if I download windows 98 will it override the windows vista? will windows vista, even, allow me to try and do this? I need this done to help my grandson who has an older...
    • bozonoz
    • Thread
    • downgrade expert advice installation new orleans old laptop old software operating system robotics kit tech support terms user experience windows 98 windows vista
    • Replies: 1
    • Forum: Windows Help and Support
  17. usalabs

    Windows 7 Software that can create a backup from just a desktop shortcut.

    What I'm looking for is software that can create backups of installed software just by right clicking a desktop shortcut and selecting 'create backup' or something like that, then the program would make a note of the install directory the shortcut is referring to, then it'll scan the HD for data...
    • usalabs
    • Thread
    • backup data files data recovery developer tools executable file system installation installed programs program management registry revo uninstaller scan shortcuts software uninstall user intent windows 98 windows tools
    • Replies: 2
    • Forum: Windows Software
  18. G

    A request for a smaller size of the Windows OS for PC

    Greetings Microsoft, Since Windows largely dominates the OS most gamers, even regular Windows users own, I highly recommend the size of the OS you will be creating to be much smaller, I started gaming on Windows 98SE and it took up about 2GB of storage space, my performance with my games was...
    • G400suser
    • Thread
    • disk space efficient file system gaming hardware optimization page file performance reaction speed software ssd storage trim update user experience windows windows 7 windows 8 windows 98 windows xp
    • Replies: 1
    • Forum: Microsoft Products and Community
  19. B

    Windows 7 Trogans/ Unwanted programs

    I have a pesky program that i am trying to get rid of...the entire trail. Slow PCFighter is the culprit. I should have known better than downloading this trogan horse. Have googled various sites to determine how to get rid of all these files. I have yet to come up with a solution. Any ideas out...
    • billyc99
    • Thread
    • malware registry slow pcfighter software issues tech support trojan unwanted programs virus removal windows 7 windows 98
    • Replies: 5
    • Forum: Windows Security
  20. D

    Windows 7 Installwatch software does not work...

    Hi everyone, I have been using INSTALLWATCH from Epsilon squared to summarisize installation changes right from Win 98 days. It interfaced beautifully/seamlessly with XP , and also WIN 7 x64 till last week. From last week onwards I have been stuck at a certain key...
    • doubtingthomas
    • Thread
    • analysis change compatibility configuration disk scan epsilon squared error installation installwatch registry snapshot software testing troubleshooting user experience windows 7 windows 8 windows 98 windows tools windows xp
    • Replies: 1
    • Forum: Windows Help and Support