Web Hosting Talk : Other Forums : Web Hosting Lounge : Windows 98 & 95

[-Edward-]

Ok thick me got tricked into teaching a course that i cannot even spell the title off at my local college. And because the students made the course up from saying what they wanted to learn i now have to research on windows 98 and 95.

Where can i find some documentation on these how to install them etc etc and install patches ?.....

[Duster]

Installing Windows is easy enough. There are minor differences that vary with whether it is an upgrade version or an OEM version. Patches can be found on Microsoft's site. Sometimes updated drivers may be needed from the site of a component or peripheral manufacturer.

Most of the rest is knowing what options to choose and which to delete. Also, Windows seems to give you a choice on whether or not to install Online Services (AOL, Compunet, etc.) It doesn't matter if you say NO!, they get installed anyway. Isn't that just like Microsoft? You can make any choice as long as it's our way.

[Chicken]

Has anyone seen the joke MS dialog boxes? I have 3, maybe 4 that I'll post, that are tooo funny. Something to give the kids a laugh for your class

posted: http://www.woobster.com/ms

[Edited by Chicken on 09-27-2000 at 05:57 PM]

[-Edward-]

do you know any online support groups?.

I know myself how to install windows 98 95 and nt but im looking for ways to explain how to do it :-).

[akashik]

I was just about to say try http://www.microsoft.com but then thought better of it....

... Umm, you might try the newsgroups. poke at alt.microsoft.windows (just guessing here). Usenet is still the greatest source of information in the world. I know there is a ton of microsoft newsgroups - it's just a matter of finding the one you need. Especially the relevant FAQ posting on whatever group seems closest.

Personally I'm one of those odd types that likes Windows on a PC, but I own a Compaq so installing it is a matter of 'sticking in the big RED cd for a recovery' Win 98II was pretty much the same. Whack in the CD and poke a button every now and then. I'm not sure there should be a course for it really as it's all pretty self installing. The course *should* be how to remove all the crap (reference to the AOL, ATT&T etc dailup software - fat lotta use in Australia)

Greg Moore
http://www.akashik.net

[Duster]

Exactly. For all its faults (and it has many), Windows does install easily enough, at least in most cases. After installation is where the work begins, getting rid of the junk and unwanted options that Windows puts in anyway (Online Services, setup for MSN, etc.) and organizing things more conveniently.

The only difficulties that come to mind regarding installation are caused by BIOS settings and the hardware. Even with Plug 'n Pray, it can be challenging to get everything working as it should. New computers with USB are easier to configure and do consistently what P'n P does periodically. They make it easy novices to add and configure new components.

[cbaker17]

Perhaps you should just teach the course on all the faults of Windows 95 or 98. Should be more than enough info

[akashik]

So what does everyone run here? I mean all our servers run Apache over Redhat (for the most part), but at home, all alone... what's running?

I've tried Redhat, Mandrake, BeOS, of which ALL have failed badly. If anything all the alternatives have made me more a fan of 'Uncle Bill' than anything they've done themselves. Granted a run a system that's not 'normal' for those installations.

Compaq 1500c Notebook (pII 366mhz 96 meg ram 4 gig HD)
Iomega Zip (100MB) drive
Canon USB scanner
HP Photosmart C30 digital camera (serial con.)
some 2nd hand Philips 'cath tube' external monitor
Xircom 56k Global Access PC card modem.

Even without the 'extras' Mandrake choked on my modem and sent the boot into a loop ( the infamous 'gibberish' screen ) When I finally installed and told it to ignore my modem I got 8 bit graphics at 600x400. (sometimes shakey at 800x600).

Redhat proved to be about the same...

BeOS (the windoze version) installed but failed to boot - it just hung on load.

Corel Linux (as above)

Windows I can punish on a laptop and can key out of the 'blue screen of death' 8 times out of 10. I can run all the USB, or microsoft 'Intellimouse' products I want. I can safely install the literal 'bucketload' of Adobe and Macromedia programs I own with no problem. I can run a music CD through the ROM and have it play through my Altec Lansing powercubes with no effort at all, without having to 'dock' the CR-ROM first.

It sickens me to fall on the side of MS, but I'm sorry to say, unless you're using a very generic system and a ton of freeware, Windows is the way to go...

It crashes.. it chews CPU resources... it's three times (at least) as big as it should be, and a reboot is needed at least two to three times a day, but it's comprehensive, and complete. It's as vanilla as can be for compatibility, and gets me from A to B with a minimum of fuss at 800x600 24, 16 and 8 bit color at my choice.

And if all else fails... I grab what I need onto .zip, go to DOS, and type c:\format, and start all over again *lol*

Linux will be great *one day*... For now Uncle Bill is still the best of a bad bunch in my eyes.

Greg Moore
http://www.akashik.net

[-Edward-]

but still no online support groups lol.

[alchiba]

Technics, to stay on-topic. . .

Unfortunately, the Windows community by and large is not about sharing. However, you could try these newsgroups I found on DejaNews.com:

comp.os.ms-windows.win95.misc
comp.os.ms-windows.win95.moderated
comp.os.ms-windows.win95.setup

Also recommended is one of those "Windows for Dummies" books. There are several out there, and you could pick one whose level would suit your audience. These books are good because they usually follow a coherent path.

Don't laugh! My wife was once saddled with having to teach a course in Latin without ever having formally studied it. Her background is general linguistics, but she was successful simply by staying a chapter or two ahead of her students in the textbook and strictly following the syllabus.

Don't kid yourself. Teaching ain't easy. It's like doing "stand-up" tech support. :-)

[-Edward-]

Thanks ill check them out.

And im slowly gathering that lol.