• Recommend:
• 0 Comments

Microsoft to Ship Windows 98 Update

Second Edition adds NetMeeting, IE5, and various bug fixes.

By Peggy Watt, PCWorld   

The company is also posting Windows 98 Service Pack 1 on its Web site as a free download at about the same time. The Service Pack, which primarily offers bug fixes, is included in Windows 98 Second Edition.

Windows 98 Second Edition adds NetMeeting 3.0, Internet Connection Sharing, Internet Explorer 5.0, and new drivers, including some for new USB devices.

It also includes all bug fixes released since Windows 98's debut. Among them is a fix for a bug that sends information about your system hardware to Microsoft when you register new software online. That glitch, discovered in March, affects only users who have ethernet adapter cards, but it raised great concern among privacy-conscious Netizens. Also fixed is a bug that causes Windows 98 to crash after it has been running for 49.7 consecutive days.

Windows 98 Second Edition Updates, for users already running Windows 95 or Windows 98, can be ordered through Microsoft's Web Site (or by phone; contact information is on the site). It will cost $19.95, and includes documentation for Internet Explorer 5 and the Internet Connection Sharing software. Microsoft said earlier that this update would be available in June.

Hardware manufacturers will begin shipping systems preloaded with Windows 98 Second Edition in early summer, according to a Microsoft representative.

Scott Spanbauer contributed to this report.