If you're in a rush and just need to get Windows 98 up and running right away, win98-quickinstall is there for you. [via] "Please don't sue," writes developer Eric Voirin. "I just like old computers."
This is a framework that is intended for creating and preparing Windows 98 installation ISO images in a way that is optimized for extremely quick installation, similar to nLite, but with a completely different method and context. It takes the root file system of an already installed Windows 98 system and packages it, whilst allowing drivers and tools to be slipstreamed at will. For the installer, it uses Linux as a base, paired with some tools to allow hard disk partitioning and formatting, as well as a custom installer with a custom data packing method that is optimized for streaming directly from CD to the hard disk without any seeking. Bottom line, this means that the effort for the user to build an ISO is higher than for example nLite, but the degree of customizability is also massively increased.
It hits becuase I must have reinstalled Windows 98 so many times back in the day. And yet have so many good memories of it! I recall 98SE being a Snow Leopard-esque polish release but also remember it soon being replaced by the mangled horror of Windows ME. Windows XP was good at first, being NT/2000 with benefits, but a security hellscape and, worse, not aesthetic. For reference, embedded below is video of the fastest DOS gaming PC ever.
Previously:
• Dungeon crawler takes place entirely on a Windows 98 desktop
• Want to make a website look like Windows 98? You'll be needing 98.css
• Online viewer for Windows 98's icon set
