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Topic: All Windows 98/ME Support Ending on July 11/06 |
Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 30 Jun 2006 11:46 am |
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This is a warning to anybody on the SGF who is still running on Windows 98 or M.E., that all support from Microsoft will end on July 11, 2006. After they pull the plug officially there will be no more Windows Updates available for your OS.
Following on the heels of this termination of support, Symantec and other security software vendors are dropping support for Windows 98 and ME. You will not receive any further anti-virus definition updates as these companies discontinue writing them for your OS. See my topic about Symantec's announcement on this SGF page.
In order to secure your OS with the latest updates and patches you should visit Windows Update ASAP and download everything available and install it. Better yet, reinstall Windows over itself, replacing all same-name and newer files, then visit Windows Update and run it multiple times until all updates and patches have been installed.
Then go buy some disk imaging software that will run on Windows 98/ME (like Norton Ghost), create an image of the existing setup, and burn it to CDs or DVDs. This will give you a means of reinstalling a clean, up to date Windows 9x/ME operating system, if your computer gets invaded by spyware, or viruses, or general file corruption sets in.
To be safe you should retire these computers from connecting to the Internet and replace them with Windows XP machines. Sometime in 2007 Microsoft will be releasing it's new flagship OS - Vista (formerly named Longhorn). Some major computer builders may be offering a free or low priced upgrade to Vista, once it is released to the public. Vista will not run on older hardware, nor will it operate many of the scanners on the market today. A lot of software will cease to work under Vista. Vista requires processors clocking faster than 1 Ghz, and at least 512 MB of fast RAM.
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Bob "Wiz" Feinberg
Moderator of the SGF Computers Forum
Visit my Wiztunes Steel Guitar website at: http://www.wiztunes.com/
or my computer troubleshooting website: Wizcrafts Computer Services,
or my Webmaster Services webpage.
Learn about current computer virus and security threats here.
Read Wiz's Blog for security news and update notices
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Chip Fossa
From:
Monson, MA, USA (deceased)
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Posted 30 Jun 2006 12:04 pm
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Wiz,
I have 2.93Ghz and over 1000RAM, and an 80GB hard drive. Windows XP. Should I be OK?
Chipper |
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 30 Jun 2006 12:35 pm
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Chip and others who want to find out if their computer is ready for an upgrade to Vista.
Download the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor Tool and run it for an assessment. It will identify any hardware or software that will not run on Vista in it's log.
Note that you will need to have Microsoft .NET Framework installed and updated before you can install and run this tool. You can download the .NET framework via the Windows or Microsoft Update site, using the Custom option.
These downloads are only available to legally licensed customers running Windows XP SP2.[This message was edited by Wiz Feinberg on 30 June 2006 at 01:37 PM.] |
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Wiz Feinberg
From:
Mid-Michigan, USA
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Posted 4 Jul 2006 8:46 pm
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Heads-up!
Just a reminder to Windows 98 and ME users that all support from Microsoft ends on Tuesday, July 11, 2006.
"Support for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition (Me) ends on July 11, 2006. Microsoft will end public and technical support by this date. This also includes security updates."
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Bob "Wiz" Feinberg
Moderator of the SGF Computers Forum
Visit my Wiztunes Steel Guitar website at: http://www.wiztunes.com/
or my computer troubleshooting website: Wizcrafts Computer Services,
or my Webmaster Services webpage.
Learn about current computer virus and security threats here.
Read Wiz's Blog for security news and update notices
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erik
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Posted 5 Jul 2006 1:57 am
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They should really permit this stuff to remain available at places like download.com. It is pure selfishness to discontinue support for a product and withdraw all related patches from the public.
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-johnson
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