Number 197 - October 1999

Windows 98 Second Edition
from Q&A by Patrick Marshall Seattle Times, July 18, 1999
Q. I consider myself a novice and fairly unknowledgeable PC user. Your recent columns have generated the following questions for me.     1. How does one tell if they have the first or second edition of Windows 98, let alone the 4.0 or 5.0 version of Internet Explorer? My software was installed in mid-July '98.     2. What advantages does one version have over the other?     3. What advantage would one have in retaining both IE 4 and IE5 versions?     4. How does one go about uninstalling IE4 prior to installing IE5?        R. G. Alexander A. First of all, you can count on your version of Windows 98 being the first edition, since the second edition is only just recently available. The Windows 98 second edition includes several enhancements to Windows 98. First, the new version of Windows Includes Internet Explorer 5.0 as well as Net Meeting 3.0, an on-line conferencing program. There's also increased support for hardware, especially hardware designed to use the Universal Serial Bus.	Since you already have the first edition of Windows 98, you can add those new features by going to the following URL and downloading those individual features: http://microsoft.com/windows-98/downloads. Alternatively, you can order a CD with the second edition updates for $19.95 plus $5 shipping and handling from the same Web site.     To determine what version of Internet Explorer you're running, just go to the help menu and click on About Internet Explorer. If you're using IE4, you'll definitely want to upgrade to IE5. IE5 offers faster performance, largely thanks to better caching techniques, and greater stability than IE4. You'll also the search tools to be significantly improved.     There is no advantage I'm aware of to retaining both IE4 and IE5. The option is provided only for those who worry about compatibility of the programs,     From what I've seen, however, users have reported far fewer problems with IE5 than with IE4.     To uninstall IE4, just call up the Control Panel and select Add/Remove Programs. Then select Internet Explorer 4 and click on the button to remove it.
Number 197 - October 1999