Windows Update Thinks My OS Is A Mac

I have tried logging onto the WU website and I consistently see the
following message:

"Thank you for your interest in obtaining updates from our site.

This website is designed to work with Microsoft Windows operating systems
only.
To find updates for Microsoft products that are designed for Macintosh
operating systems, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/mac/."

I am running the same Win 98SE that I've always run and have never had any
problems with this site before. Is MS now considering the older versions of
Windows "non-Windows" software?

Why is this happening?
--
{ : [|]=( DaffyD®

If I knew where I was I'd be there now.

"DaffyD®" wrote in message
...
I have tried logging onto the WU website and I consistently see the
following message:

"Thank you for your interest in obtaining updates from our site.

This website is designed to work with Microsoft Windows operating systems
only.
To find updates for Microsoft products that are designed for Macintosh
operating systems, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/mac/."

I am running the same Win 98SE that I've always run and have never had any
problems with this site before. Is MS now considering the older versions
of
Windows "non-Windows" software?

Why is this happening?



Don't know why but it doesn't matter as MS is not comming out with any more
windows updates

"Friendly fire mixup: MS identifies Windows as Mac"
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/03...re_virtual_pc/

Microsoft is apparently still insisting it's a client-side issue, when it is clearly
a server-side issue. It may get fixed if the Windows Update team ever gets past the
Denial stage. :-(

In the meantime, it is a major pain to those who are reinstalling and need to
re-update.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Shell/User, A+
http://dts-l.org/
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"DaffyD®" wrote in message
...
I have tried logging onto the WU website and I consistently see the
following message:

"Thank you for your interest in obtaining updates from our site.

This website is designed to work with Microsoft Windows operating systems
only.
To find updates for Microsoft products that are designed for Macintosh
operating systems, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/mac/."

I am running the same Win 98SE that I've always run and have never had any
problems with this site before. Is MS now considering the older versions of
Windows "non-Windows" software?

Why is this happening?
--
{ : [|]=( DaffyD®

If I knew where I was I'd be there now.

Perhaps Microsoft is subconsciously trying to do you a favor by suggesting
that you should get a MAC?

Check out those MAC vs PC-with-Vista commercials at:

http://www.apple.com/getamac/

More seriously, I have heard that this behavior might be caused by having
too old a version of Internet Explorer. If you have not yet done so, try
upgrading to version 6.

"DaffyD®" wrote in message
...
I have tried logging onto the WU website and I consistently see the
following message:

"Thank you for your interest in obtaining updates from our site.

This website is designed to work with Microsoft Windows operating systems
only.
To find updates for Microsoft products that are designed for Macintosh
operating systems, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/mac/."

I am running the same Win 98SE that I've always run and have never had any
problems with this site before. Is MS now considering the older versions
of
Windows "non-Windows" software?

Why is this happening?
--
{ : [|]=( DaffyD®

If I knew where I was I'd be there now.

"DaffyD®" wrote:

I have tried logging onto the WU website and I consistently see
the following message:

This website is designed to work with Microsoft Windows operating
systems only. To find updates for Microsoft products that are
designed for Macintosh operating systems ...

The 3 replies to your question that I see so far are all half-ass
answers and do not address your question. Your question is relavent
for new installations of 98 that seek an easy and comprehensive way to
bring those new installs up to the most up to date status will all
available patches and fixes.

To answer your question, you must do one or all of the following:

From the IE Tools drop-down menu, select security, then trusted sites.

1) add "*.microsoft.com" to your IE trusted zone (remove the
"require server verification" check)
2) click on the "custom level" button and allow all actions.
3) clear (delete) your IE temporary files
4) clear (delete) your cookies (do this if none of the above
3 items don't fix the problem).

If you do all of the first 3 items, then close and re-start IE (or
shut down and re-start your system) then the odds are good that
Windows Updates will function again. If not, then try item 4 as a
last resort.

Still half-assed. I've done all you suggested and more, and still haven't
gotten in. Mine came up on a new install, with IE 6.1 and already a few
successful visits to WU. Then it suddenly hit the Mac page, and none of the
suggestions here work, except that it is a server-side issue.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com


"98 Guy" wrote in message ...
"DaffyD®" wrote:

I have tried logging onto the WU website and I consistently see
the following message:

This website is designed to work with Microsoft Windows operating
systems only. To find updates for Microsoft products that are
designed for Macintosh operating systems ...

The 3 replies to your question that I see so far are all half-ass
answers and do not address your question. Your question is relavent
for new installations of 98 that seek an easy and comprehensive way to
bring those new installs up to the most up to date status will all
available patches and fixes.

To answer your question, you must do one or all of the following:

From the IE Tools drop-down menu, select security, then trusted sites.

1) add "*.microsoft.com" to your IE trusted zone (remove the
"require server verification" check)
2) click on the "custom level" button and allow all actions.
3) clear (delete) your IE temporary files
4) clear (delete) your cookies (do this if none of the above
3 items don't fix the problem).

If you do all of the first 3 items, then close and re-start IE (or
shut down and re-start your system) then the odds are good that
Windows Updates will function again. If not, then try item 4 as a
last resort.

snip

To answer your question, you must do one or all of the following:

From the IE Tools drop-down menu, select security, then trusted sites.

1) add "*.microsoft.com" to your IE trusted zone (remove the
"require server verification" check)
2) click on the "custom level" button and allow all actions.
3) clear (delete) your IE temporary files
4) clear (delete) your cookies (do this if none of the above
3 items don't fix the problem).

If you do all of the first 3 items, then close and re-start IE (or
shut down and re-start your system) then the odds are good that
Windows Updates will function again. If not, then try item 4 as a
last resort.


That "solution" is unlikley to work...it looks more like a registry problem
of some type.

Bull. First of all, my reply states the main reason this issue is occurring
at_the_current_time, with the misidentification as a Mac.....it is a server issue,
despite MS' belief that it is a client-side issue.

Secondly, although custom security settings can affect the ability to get anywhere
on WU in general, with default security settings one should be able to get into WU
without the procedures you describe. Number 2 should not ever be necessary ("click
on the "custom level" button and allow all actions").

As Gary mentioned, following your procedure does not allow entry to WU at this time,
because it is a server issue, as I stated.

BTW, you left out the *most* important step "for new installations of 98," quoting
your reply (which BTW is not what the OP asked about in particular), which is to
first install IE6. All the fiddling with security setting and cookies and the TIF
is a waste of time if IE6 is not installed after a new 98 installation and prior to
going to WU, as WU will not let one in with an older browser.
--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Shell/User, A+
http://dts-l.org/
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


"98 Guy" wrote in message ...
"DaffyD®" wrote:

I have tried logging onto the WU website and I consistently see
the following message:

This website is designed to work with Microsoft Windows operating
systems only. To find updates for Microsoft products that are
designed for Macintosh operating systems ...

The 3 replies to your question that I see so far are all half-ass
answers and do not address your question. Your question is relavent
for new installations of 98 that seek an easy and comprehensive way to
bring those new installs up to the most up to date status will all
available patches and fixes.

To answer your question, you must do one or all of the following:

From the IE Tools drop-down menu, select security, then trusted sites.

1) add "*.microsoft.com" to your IE trusted zone (remove the
"require server verification" check)
2) click on the "custom level" button and allow all actions.
3) clear (delete) your IE temporary files
4) clear (delete) your cookies (do this if none of the above
3 items don't fix the problem).

If you do all of the first 3 items, then close and re-start IE (or
shut down and re-start your system) then the odds are good that
Windows Updates will function again. If not, then try item 4 as a
last resort.

"glee" wrote in message
...
Bull. First of all, my reply states the main reason this issue is
occurring
at_the_current_time, with the misidentification as a Mac.....it is a
server issue,
despite MS' belief that it is a client-side issue.

Secondly, although custom security settings can affect the ability to get
anywhere
on WU in general, with default security settings one should be able to get
into WU
without the procedures you describe. Number 2 should not ever be
necessary ("click
on the "custom level" button and allow all actions").

As Gary mentioned, following your procedure does not allow entry to WU at
this time,
because it is a server issue, as I stated.

BTW, you left out the *most* important step "for new installations of 98,"
quoting
your reply (which BTW is not what the OP asked about in particular), which
is to
first install IE6. All the fiddling with security setting and cookies and
the TIF
is a waste of time if IE6 is not installed after a new 98 installation and
prior to
going to WU, as WU will not let one in with an older browser.


Yep...that's quite true...
A fresh install of win98 should only need IE6 installed to get to the update
page...
all that other stuff mentioned is fairly useless.

However I have seen some win98 systems that have been running for a while
with some registry problems...
not be able to get into the update site...
There's not usually an easy fix unless the problem has been caught recently
and a registry restore could do the trick

glee wrote:

Bull.

A week ago I posted my experience that I was sitting in front of 4
win-98 machines within the span of a few minutes, and the WU site
functioned for 2 of them and for the other two I got the "mac"
message.

I performed the 4 steps I mentioned in the previous post (and deleted
my hosts file - I doubt that was necessary but I did it anyways) and I
got it to work on a third machine, and I did it several days later on
the fourth.

So my experience as of a week ago was that (a) win-98 machines do not
universally encounter this issue, and (b) I have MADE it work on 2
machines where they were experiencing that issue. That tells me that
while there may be a problem on MS's server, that there ARE things
that can be done on the client machine to remedy the situation.

BTW, you left out the *most* important step "for new
installations of 98," quoting your reply (which BTW
is not what the OP asked about in particular), which is to
first install IE6.

My response was not intended to be even a basic guide to "how to
perform a new install of win-98".

You are referring to that portion of my response where I was
countering other's comments (philo I think) where they were saying
that there are no new (and never going to be any new) updates for
win-98. I was countering by saying that it is still useful, if not
preferred, to be able to access the WU site when performing a new
install of 98 as part of bringing the OS up to date, hence it IS
relavent to explore and correct the "mac message" situation.