A Windows 98 & ME forum. Win98banter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » Win98banter forum » Windows 98 » General
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

First update of Win98SE questions.



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old July 8th 04, 10:00 PM
Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get my real address
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default First update of Win98SE questions.

I run linux at home for most stuff, but there are some sites that
require Windows-specific stuff. I'll be getting back on ADSL soon,
hopefully in the next couple of weeks. The last 6 months on dialup was
P_A_I_N_F_U_L_L after a couple of years on ADSL. On broadband, there's
quite a bit of Windows-only multimedia available.

Being the packrat that I am, I still have the original Win98SE install
CD, the manual with the key, and a second-hand 400mhz Dell with 128 megs
of RAM. After a few false starts, I solved the "CD not found" problem
and got 98SE installed. Sound and network card were found
automagically, and the 98SE box can talk to the linux box via a router.


Chicken and Egg Problem
=======================

The fresh out-of-the-box Win98SE is probably not safe to connect
directly to the net without getting several security patches first.
Microsoft's method of getting security patches requires connecting the
machine to the net... what's wrong with this picture?

My original intention was to...
- download Win98 security patches to my linux machine
- drop the dialup internet connection
- use the Windows ftp client to download the patches from the linux box

Let's just say that Microsoft seems to be extremely hostile to letting
non-MS browsers download security patches. I managed to find a few of
the patches, but I don't think it was anywhere near everything.


My Plan B
=========

The Netgear router has a telnet interface for firewall rules. I got
it blocking ports 0..1023 inbound (TCP and UDP), as well as inbound
syn-packets. I think that I can beef up security even more so that the
initial update can be done safely. I need some additional info first...

Questions, questions, questions
===============================
1) What is the domain name MS uses for running the Windows Update
program? I'll put that domain in the "trusted zone" and all other zones
will be locked down. I'll use Firefox for browsing.

2) Any recommendations for free spyware-defense and anti-virus? I do
*NOT* intend to run *ANY* form of email client on this box, so that's
one less item to worry about. I've already uninstalled Outlook Express.

--
Walter Dnes; my email address is *ALMOST* like
Delete the "z" to get my real address. If that gets blocked, follow
the instructions at the end of the 550 message.
  #2  
Old July 8th 04, 11:01 PM
PCR
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default First update of Win98SE questions.

After the fresh install & perhaps prettying up a few settings, do a full
system backup. This will protect you from most possible mishaps,
including certain critical updates may not take well in your machine.
Also, DirectX9.0b & WMP9.0 may not take well. (They seem to be working
in this Compaq 7470, though.) Also, some do not like IE6 SP1, but I'm OK
enough with it.

Perhaps, first try...
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/cd/order.asp
Security Update CD. It may take a while to come, but it gets you very
far along toward full critical updatitude. And it is free. After this,
you will know whether your machine can take it. (I have not run mine,
only because I am full up of criticals already.) Then, go get the rest
from Windows Update. There won't be many more.

When you do connect to the WEB, you will not get a virus from just
"START button, Windows Update". For me, that button briefly flashes...
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
....then, redirects to...
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp

They are all over the place, really. Another is at "START, Favorites,
Links, Windows Update". It goes to...
http://windows.microsoft.com/isapi/r...indow sUpdate
....which appears to become...
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/default.htm
....& finally...
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp

Also, "IE, Tools, Windows Update" does appear to go directly there, but
it may be an update is required first.


--
Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
should things get worse after this,
PCR

"Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get my real address)"
wrote in message
...
| I run linux at home for most stuff, but there are some sites that
| require Windows-specific stuff. I'll be getting back on ADSL soon,
| hopefully in the next couple of weeks. The last 6 months on dialup
was
| P_A_I_N_F_U_L_L after a couple of years on ADSL. On broadband,
there's
| quite a bit of Windows-only multimedia available.
|
| Being the packrat that I am, I still have the original Win98SE
install
| CD, the manual with the key, and a second-hand 400mhz Dell with 128
megs
| of RAM. After a few false starts, I solved the "CD not found" problem
| and got 98SE installed. Sound and network card were found
| automagically, and the 98SE box can talk to the linux box via a
router.
|
|
| Chicken and Egg Problem
| =======================
|
| The fresh out-of-the-box Win98SE is probably not safe to connect
| directly to the net without getting several security patches first.
| Microsoft's method of getting security patches requires connecting the
| machine to the net... what's wrong with this picture?
|
| My original intention was to...
| - download Win98 security patches to my linux machine
| - drop the dialup internet connection
| - use the Windows ftp client to download the patches from the linux
box
|
| Let's just say that Microsoft seems to be extremely hostile to
letting
| non-MS browsers download security patches. I managed to find a few of
| the patches, but I don't think it was anywhere near everything.
|
|
| My Plan B
| =========
|
| The Netgear router has a telnet interface for firewall rules. I got
| it blocking ports 0..1023 inbound (TCP and UDP), as well as inbound
| syn-packets. I think that I can beef up security even more so that
the
| initial update can be done safely. I need some additional info
first...
|
| Questions, questions, questions
| ===============================
| 1) What is the domain name MS uses for running the Windows Update
| program? I'll put that domain in the "trusted zone" and all other
zones
| will be locked down. I'll use Firefox for browsing.
|
| 2) Any recommendations for free spyware-defense and anti-virus? I
do
| *NOT* intend to run *ANY* form of email client on this box, so that's
| one less item to worry about. I've already uninstalled Outlook
Express.
|
| --
| Walter Dnes; my email address is *ALMOST* like

| Delete the "z" to get my real address. If that gets blocked, follow
| the instructions at the end of the 550 message.


  #3  
Old July 8th 04, 11:01 PM
PCR
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default First update of Win98SE questions.

Once you have a functioning system, especially one close to a clean
install, do a full system backup. If you have multiple partitions, I
guess a backup is a bit more complex. It depends upon the ties between
the Registry & the other partitions, as to whether they must be backed
up concurrently. Also, if you've changed the hardware since the backup,
you may need to change it back before a restore.

http://home.satx.rr.com/badour/index.html Backup & partitioning strategy
http://home.wanadoo.nl/geurt/home.html Extended Operating System Loader
http://powerquest.com/driveimage/ Drive Image
http://www.acronis.com/products/trueimage/ TrueImage
http://www.arjsoftware.com ARJ Archiver
http://www.betterbackup.com/ Retrospect CD Backup
http://www.bootitng.com/ 's BootIt NG, has a variety of backup
capabilities: Copy to HDD, or Image to HDD or to CD. (TBIView, freely
downloadable, can retrieve individual files from an Image.)
Shrink/expand your partitions without data loss. Multi-boot, if you
dare. Free, run from floppy, but pay up as I did if satisfied. To
install & use beyond 30 days, $34.95.
http://www.cdrfaq.org/ CD R/W Backup
http://www.cyberiapc.com/backup.htm MyOwnBackup (MOB) (Free)
http://www.han-soft.com/habt.php Auto Backup (30-day free trial)
http://www.hp.com/cgi-bin/cposupport...&p=hpcdwriter2
Simple Backup
http://www.karenware.com/ PtReplicator (Free)
http://www.lifesaverbackup.com/
http://www.mvps.org/links.html Should have good info
http://www.pcmag.com/ Lots & lots of sturdy downloads. There is a $20
yearly charge now.
http://www.powerquest.com/partitionmagic Partition Magic
http://www.ranish.com/part/ Ranish Partition Manager
http://www.rescue-me.net/gold.html
http://www.simtel.net/pub/dl/58307.shtml Backups
http://www.stompinc.com/bump/bump_details.phtml?stp Backup MyPC
http://www.thirdstar.net/thirdstar_datarecovery.htm Data recovery
http://www.tomsterdam.com/ BU process, performance, etc.
http://www.v-com.com/product/pc_ind.html Partition Commander
http://www.veritas.com Backup apps
http://www.xxcopy.com/ Detailed Procedure Copy (Free)
http://www.zeleps.com/ Partition re-sizer (Free)

All gathered at this site. Whichever you choose, approach it carefully
and verify all is well. After making a copy, run Scandisk/Defrag on it.
If it's an Image, use it's verify option; perhaps, restore it and do a
Scandisk/Defrag.

http://www.pchelpandconsulting.com/links/windows.html WinDrvExpert
http://www.jermar.com/wdrvbck.htm WinDrvBckup free version

Those last two supposedly back up all currently installed drivers, such
that they can be reinstalled. I never tried it but have seen a favorable
report.


--
Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
should things get worse after this,
PCR

"Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get my real address)"
wrote in message
...
| I run linux at home for most stuff, but there are some sites that
| require Windows-specific stuff. I'll be getting back on ADSL soon,
| hopefully in the next couple of weeks. The last 6 months on dialup
was
| P_A_I_N_F_U_L_L after a couple of years on ADSL. On broadband,
there's
| quite a bit of Windows-only multimedia available.
|
| Being the packrat that I am, I still have the original Win98SE
install
| CD, the manual with the key, and a second-hand 400mhz Dell with 128
megs
| of RAM. After a few false starts, I solved the "CD not found" problem
| and got 98SE installed. Sound and network card were found
| automagically, and the 98SE box can talk to the linux box via a
router.
|
|
| Chicken and Egg Problem
| =======================
|
| The fresh out-of-the-box Win98SE is probably not safe to connect
| directly to the net without getting several security patches first.
| Microsoft's method of getting security patches requires connecting the
| machine to the net... what's wrong with this picture?
|
| My original intention was to...
| - download Win98 security patches to my linux machine
| - drop the dialup internet connection
| - use the Windows ftp client to download the patches from the linux
box
|
| Let's just say that Microsoft seems to be extremely hostile to
letting
| non-MS browsers download security patches. I managed to find a few of
| the patches, but I don't think it was anywhere near everything.
|
|
| My Plan B
| =========
|
| The Netgear router has a telnet interface for firewall rules. I got
| it blocking ports 0..1023 inbound (TCP and UDP), as well as inbound
| syn-packets. I think that I can beef up security even more so that
the
| initial update can be done safely. I need some additional info
first...
|
| Questions, questions, questions
| ===============================
| 1) What is the domain name MS uses for running the Windows Update
| program? I'll put that domain in the "trusted zone" and all other
zones
| will be locked down. I'll use Firefox for browsing.
|
| 2) Any recommendations for free spyware-defense and anti-virus? I
do
| *NOT* intend to run *ANY* form of email client on this box, so that's
| one less item to worry about. I've already uninstalled Outlook
Express.
|
| --
| Walter Dnes; my email address is *ALMOST* like

| Delete the "z" to get my real address. If that gets blocked, follow
| the instructions at the end of the 550 message.


  #4  
Old July 10th 04, 03:41 PM
Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get my real address
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default First update of Win98SE questions.

On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 18:01:16 -0400, PCR, wrote:
After the fresh install & perhaps prettying up a few settings,
do a full system backup. This will protect you from most possible
mishaps, including certain critical updates may not take well in
your machine.


I used an old copy of Partition Magic to make a hidden copy of the C:
partition. If something goes drastically wrong, I'll be able to blow
away the C:, and replace it with the clean one. Only problem is that I
only have room for 2 C: backups on the 98SE machine, and it doesn't have
a CD-burner.

Thanks for the backup-solutions in your second post. But once I get
back on broadband, I'll download and burn a Knoppix CD. I'll then be
able to boot the Knoppix-linux CD on the 98SE machine, and copy over the
raw partition image to the linux machine as a file. I'll be able to take
snapshots of all the partitions and burn them to CD on my linux machine,
as long as I keep each one below 700 megs.

When you do connect to the WEB, you will not get a virus from just
"START button, Windows Update".


In that case, I may as well do the update online once I get
broadband. The router is set to block anything inbound to ports
0..1023, so stuff aimed at ports 135, 137-139, 445, etc will be kept
out.

--
Walter Dnes; my email address is *ALMOST* like
Delete the "z" to get my real address. If that gets blocked, follow
the instructions at the end of the 550 message.
  #5  
Old July 10th 04, 07:37 PM
PCR
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default First update of Win98SE questions.

You are welcome. Looks like you have backup well under control, & that
is the most important thing. I have seen threads in which poster did a
fresh install and was unable to connect to Windows Update. It may have
involved other issues, though, such as the system date ended up off by
months. Windows Update doesn't like that. However, the address of
Windows Update did change. Therefore, that "Security Update CD" may be a
starting point, if your machine can take it...
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/cd/order.asp
Security Update CD. (Also, I read, it requires just two reboots, where
dozens may be done at Windows Update.) Or use the one that they all
redirect to...
http://v4.windowsupdate.microsoft.com/en/default.asp

OK, then.


--
Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
should things get worse after this,
PCR

"Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' to get my real address)"
wrote in message
...
| On Thu, 8 Jul 2004 18:01:16 -0400, PCR, wrote:
| After the fresh install & perhaps prettying up a few settings,
| do a full system backup. This will protect you from most possible
| mishaps, including certain critical updates may not take well in
| your machine.
|
| I used an old copy of Partition Magic to make a hidden copy of the
C:
| partition. If something goes drastically wrong, I'll be able to blow
| away the C:, and replace it with the clean one. Only problem is that
I
| only have room for 2 C: backups on the 98SE machine, and it doesn't
have
| a CD-burner.
|
| Thanks for the backup-solutions in your second post. But once I
get
| back on broadband, I'll download and burn a Knoppix CD. I'll then be
| able to boot the Knoppix-linux CD on the 98SE machine, and copy over
the
| raw partition image to the linux machine as a file. I'll be able to
take
| snapshots of all the partitions and burn them to CD on my linux
machine,
| as long as I keep each one below 700 megs.
|
| When you do connect to the WEB, you will not get a virus from just
| "START button, Windows Update".
|
| In that case, I may as well do the update online once I get
| broadband. The router is set to block anything inbound to ports
| 0..1023, so stuff aimed at ports 135, 137-139, 445, etc will be kept
| out.
|
| --
| Walter Dnes; my email address is *ALMOST* like

| Delete the "z" to get my real address. If that gets blocked, follow
| the instructions at the end of the 550 message.


 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Reinstall Win98SE Juliette General 4 July 2nd 04 02:48 PM
Unable to remove Microsoft Windows Critical Update Notification 4.0 Johnny_B General 9 July 2nd 04 06:16 AM
win98se update, product key not recognized ellen o. General 27 June 24th 04 09:42 PM
Google toolbar page appears at Windows Update? LuckyStrike General 9 June 10th 04 05:19 AM
Win98SE Shutdown Error Skeeve General 2 June 10th 04 01:52 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:23 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 Win98banter.
The comments are property of their posters.