w98feats

The Next Generation of Windows 95

Microsoft has been hard at work on the next upgrade to Windows 95, which has been code-named "Memphis". The final product is called Windows 98, and it is now available!

Some of the features of Windows 98 are listed below.

Windows 98 Features:

Internet Explorer 4.0: merged with the operating system, making the desktop active.

Multi Monitor Support Allows two or more monitors/video cards to be connected, and all be part of the desktop.

USB & Fire Wire Support: Universal Serial Bus and 1394 IEEE high-speed interfaces

DVD: Digital Video/Versatile Disk support, the successor to CD-ROMs

On Now ACPI: Advanced Configuration & Power Interface to allow systems to seem to turn on instantly, and save power (especially on laptops)

Web-based Updates: automatically update your system via the internet

Backup Enhancements: a much more feature-rich backup program, written by Seagate Software.

FAT32: Originally only available with the OSR2 version of Windows 95, FAT32 will now be part of Windows 98, including a utility to allow current FAT drives to be converted to FAT32.

Faster: Startup, Shutdown, and loading of applications will be much faster than today.

Zero Administration: Designed to allow corporations to easily administer desktop computers.

Windows 3.1 Migration: For those still using Windows 3.x, tools will be included with Windows 98 to ease migrating.

Web TV: Support for various TV-tuner cards (such as ATI's All-In-Wonder).

Troubleshooting Wizards: Troubleshooting Wizards included in Windows 98 address the following areas: Network, Modem, Startup Shutdown, Print, DriveSpace 3, Memory, MS-DOS Programs, Display, DirectX, Sound, The Microsoft Network, Hardware Conflict, Dial-Up Networking, Direct Cable Connection, and PC Card

Setup Enhancements: A streamlined setup system makes installation of Windows 98 much easier

Maintenance Wizard: An automatic scheduler that runs defrags, scandisk, and other routine tasks automatically.

Remote Access Server: RAS, previously only available in the Plus 95 pack, is included in Windows 98. This allows a Windows 98 system to act as a dial-in server.

Display Enhancements: Also previously only available in the Plus Pack, Windows 98 includes font smoothing, full window drag, and other display enhancements.

PC Card Enhancements: Support for PC Card32, 3.3volt PC Cards, and multi-function PC Cards.

Microsoft maintains a few pages of information about Windows 98 on their web site.

Wayne Smith