This post lists critical updates and other beneficial updates for Windows 98 Second Edition.
User responsibility for fixing bugs is standard Microsoft procedure to make your PC work properly. You'll need even more updates if you have the original Windows 98 installed.
My guess is that your system would be modified in the safest manner if you install these patches from the bottom of the page up, as the later patches may assume that you have the earlier patches installed.
I've read that the Windows ME operating system has more than a few software compatibility problems, and there is no compelling reason to use it over Win98SE. The Windows XP operating system has many controversial issues (it eXPires), and few advantages if any over Windows98. Based on Microsoft history, it will take years to get most of the bugs out of XP. My best advice is that for the next year or so, if you need to run Windows on modern hardware, it may be best to stick with a fully patched Win98SE. Fully patched means obtaining and applying all of these 20+ fixes.
Microsoft has gotten wise to people like me who save these patches to be able to install Windows98SE without dependance on Microsoft support. They have adopted a strategy which does not allow the user to download the patches any longer. Rather they push the code on your computer, install it then delete it in one step. They put the .exes into a hidden folder C:/WUTemp. The trick is to ask for several updates, (on dialup it takes a while for 15+ MB to download, the installs/deletes don't happen after all of the requested files are transferred) and move or copy the .exes as they are downloaded into the hidden folder before the downloads are finished and the installs begin.
CRITICAL UPDATES
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Q816093: Security Update Microsoft Virtual Machine (Microsoft VM) msjavwu.exe
Flaw in Microsoft VM Could Enable System Compromise
April 09, 2003 For customers using all supported versions of Microsoft® Windows®.
Versions of the Microsoft virtual machine (Microsoft VM) are identified by build numbers, which can be determined using the JVIEW tool as discussed in the FAQ. All builds of the Microsoft VM up to and including build 5.0.3809 are affected by these vulnerabilities.
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Q814078: JScript 5.6 Security Patch for Windows 98, Me and NT 4.0 js56men.exe
3/19/2003 - An attacker may exploit a vulnerability in Windows Script Engine by constructing a Web page that, when visited by a user, runs code of the attacker’s choice with user credentials. The attacker can host the Web page on a Web site or send the page directly to the user by e-mail.
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Q329414: Security Update (MDAC 2.1) q329414_mdacall_x86.exe
This security update applies to a component of Windows known as the Microsoft Data Access Component (MDAC). Please install now to protect your Windows-based computer. For more information, read the associated Microsoft Security Bulletin .
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Q329115: Security Update 329115_W98.exe
This update resolves the "Certificate Validation Flaw Could Enable Identity Spoofing" vulnerability in Windows 98. Download now to prevent an attacker from attempting identity spoofing using certificates.
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Q324929: December 2002, Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer q324929.exe
The "December 2002, Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer" eliminates all previously addressed security vulnerabilities affecting Internet Explorer, as well as additional newly discovered vulnerabilities. This update includes the functionality of all previously released patches. Download now to continue keeping your computer secure.
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Q323759: Cumulative Patch for Internet Explorer q323759.exe
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-047 Originally posted: August 22, 2002
Six new vulnerabilities, the most serious of which could enable an attacker to execute commands on a user’s system. (This update is obsoleted by Q324929)
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Q323255: Security Update 323255_W98.exe
This update resolves the "Unchecked buffer in HTML Help can lead to Code Execution" security vulnerability in Windows 98. Download now to prevent a malicious user from running an unauthorized program on your computer.
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Q323172: Security Update 323172_98.exe
This update resolves the "Flaw in Digital Certificate Enrollment Component Allows Certificate Deletion" security vulnerability in Windows 98. Download now to stop a Web site or HTML e-mail from deleting digital certificates on your computer and preventing you from using the services they are associated with.
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Q320920: Security Update wm320920_71.exe
This update, the "26 June 2002 Cumulative Patch for Windows Media Player," resolves several vulnerabilities in Windows Media Player 7.1. Download now to prevent a malicious user from running code of his or her choice on your computer. This item has been updated since it was released in June, 2002. Microsoft recommends that you install this item, even if you installed it when it was first released.
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Q314147: Security Update Q314147.exe
This update resolves the "Unchecked Buffer in SNMP Service Could Enable Arbitrary Code to be Run" security vulnerability in Windows 98, and is discussed in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-006. Download now to prevent a malicious user from running code of his or her choice or launching a denial of service (DoS) attack on your computer.
The vulnerability exists because a component of the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) agent service that interprets incoming commands contains an unchecked buffer (a temporary data storage area that has a limited capacity). By sending a specially malformed request, it is possible to carry out a buffer overrun attack against an affected system.
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Q313829: Security Update March 7, 2002 q313829.exe
This update resolves the "Unchecked Buffer in Windows Shell Could Lead to Code Execution" security vulnerability in Windows 98, and is discussed in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-014. Download now to prevent a malicious user from running programs on your computer.
The vulnerability results because of an unchecked buffer (a temporary storage area of limited capacity) in the Windows User Environment. An attacker could exploit this vulnerability, and run programs as if he or she were the user.
For more information about this vulnerability, read Microsoft Security Bulletin MS02-014. (This site is in English.)
System Requirements: This update applies to Windows 98.
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Q299618: Security Update, May 24, 2001 q299618.exe
This update resolves several security vulnerabilities in Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 1 (SP1), and is discussed in Microsoft Security Bulletins MS01-015 and MS01-027. It also includes a previously released update, which is discussed in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS01-020. Download now to eliminate multiple certificate validation vulnerabilities and to prevent a malicious Web site operator from running programs on your computer via HTML Help (.chm) files, and executable e-mail attachments, and to prevent malicious Web site operators from making it appear that the content from his or her Web site actually originated from another site, even a trusted or secure Web site.
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Q293818: Security Update, April 2, 2001 crlupd.EXE
This update resolves the "Erroneous VeriSign-Issued Digital Certificates Pose Spoofing Hazard" security vulnerability, and is discussed in Microsoft Security Bulletin MS01-017. Download now to prevent an unauthorized user from running code on your computer by digitally signing programs as "Microsoft Corporation."
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Windows IDE Hard Drive Cache Package 273017USA8.EXE
The Windows IDE Hard Drive Cache Package provides a workaround to a recently identified issue with computers that have the combination of Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) hard disk drives with large caches and newer/faster processors. Computers with this combination may risk losing data if the hard disk shuts down before it can preserve the data in its cache.
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Security Update, May 19, 2000 259728USA8.EXE
This update resolves the "IP Fragment Reassembly" security vulnerability in Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition. Installing this update will minimize the negative effects that fragmented Internet Protocol (IP) datagrams could have on your computer's central processing unit (CPU). IP datagrams are a necessary part of network and Internet communication. If a continuous stream of fragmented IP datagrams with a particular malformation were sent to an affected computer, it could be made to devote most or all of its CPU availability to processing these fragments. The vulnerability does not allow a malicious user to compromise data on the computer or usurp administrative control over it.
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Security Update, March 17, 2000 256015USA8.EXE
This update will eliminate the "DOS Device in Path Name" security vulnerability found in Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition. With this update, you can prevent a malicious user from causing your computer to crash by accessing a file or folder whose path contained certain reserved words.
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Critical Update, March 3, 2000 249863USA8.EXE
Update for Web Connections using SGC. Unable to connect to Web sites using Server Gated Cryptography (SGC)? Some computers may be unable to connect to Web servers using SGC for strong encryption when a secure connection is required. Installing this update will eliminate these connection failures.
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Security Update, January 17, 2000 249973USA8.exe
This update will eliminate the "Malformed RTF Control Word" vulnerability. With this update, you can prevent a malicious user from sending a specially malformed e-mail and crashing your e-mail reader.
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Security Update 1, November 29, 1999 238453US8.EXE
This update eliminates the "Spoofed Route Pointer" and "Fragmented IGMP Packet" vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows 98. Download now to prevent a malicious user from using source routing to obtain network information through your Windows 98 computer, and to protect your computer's performance when it encounters fragmented data packets.
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Security Update, November 12, 1999 245729US8.exe
This update eliminates the "File Access URL" vulnerability in Microsoft Windows® 98. Installing this update will prevent a malicious web site or e-mail message from exploiting that vulnerability to cause your computer to crash or run arbitrary code.
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Security Update, September 9, 1999 TelnetUp.EXE
Malformed Telnet Argument. This update eliminates a vulnerability in the Telnet client that ships as part of Windows 98. The vulnerability could allow a web page to take malicious action on the computer of the user who visited the page.
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Security Update, September 7, 1999 q240308.EXE
Update for Security Vulnerabilities in "Scriptlet.typlib" and "Eyedog" ActiveX Controls. This update eliminates the "scriptlet.typlib/eyedog" security vulnerability. Without this update, these ActiveX controls can be maliciously used to perform unauthorized actions on a user's computer.
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Security Update, April 21, 1999 dhtmled4.exe
Info & Privacy Update. This update eliminates a vulnerability in DHTML Edit control, an ActiveX control, which is distributed with Internet Explorer 5 and that can be downloaded for use in Internet Explorer 4.0. The vulnerability could allow someone to read information that you have loaded into the control, and it also could allow files with known names to be copied from your local hard drive.
RECOMMENDED UPDATES
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Windows Share Level Password Update 273991USA8.EXE
This update resolves the "Windows Share Level Password" vulnerability in Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition.If a computer that is linked to a network has File and Print Sharing enabled, and has at least one password-protected folder shared, it may be possible for a user on the network to gain unauthorized access to the folder. This vulnerability exists because of the way the password feature of share level access is implemented for Windows 98 and Windows 98 SE computers. A malicious user can exploit this vulnerability and use a special client utility to gain access to a share without knowing the entire password, and may be able to retrieve, modify, or delete any file within that share. Download now to prevent unauthorized access to files that are shared over a network that uses share level security. For more information about this vulnerability, please read Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) Article Q273991.
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Windows 98 Second Edition Mapped Drives Shutdown Update 260067USA8.EXE
This update resolves a shutdown issue in Windows 98 Second Edition, where Windows may stop responding if there are a significant number of mapped network drives on your computer. The larger the number of drives that are mapped, the more likely the problem may occur. For more information on this update, please visit Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) Article Q260067.
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Windows 98 Second Edition 1394 Storage Supplement 242975USA8.EXE
April 2000 Update. Download this component to install a Safe Removal utility that allows you to safely stop a Plug and Play storage device prior to physically unplugging the device. This component also includes an update for 1394 drivers, to resolve issues related to the surprise removal of peripheral devices.
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Windows 98 Large IDE Update 243450USA8.EXE
This update addresses an issue on Windows® 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition computers that have an integrated device electronics (IDE) hard disk that is larger than 32 gigabytes (GB) in size. If you use the protected-mode (graphical) version of ScanDisk to perform a thorough scan (which includes a surface scan) on an IDE hard disk that is larger than 32 GB, ScanDisk may report errors on every cluster after approximately cluster number 967,393. More information regarding this update can be found in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB), Article Q243450.
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Windows 98 Second Edition Shutdown Supplement 4756us8.exe
Addresses shutdown issues on systems with specific hardware/software configurations running Windows 98 Second Edition. These issues include systems restarting when selecting shutdown and systems hanging on shutdown. NOTE: This supplement has been updated as of November, 1999.
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------------------------- patch application order -------------------------
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---------------------- Win98SE RECOMMENDED UPDATES ----------------------
1) 4756us8.exe
2) 243450USA8.EXE
3) 242975USA8.EXE
4) 260067USA8.EXE
5) 273991USA8.EXE
--------------------- Win98SE CRITICAL UPDATES 1999-2003 ------------------------
1) dhtmled4.exe
2) q240308.EXE
3) TelnetUp.EXE
4) 245729US8.exe
5) 238453US8.EXE
6) 249973USA8.exe
7) 249863USA8.EXE
8) 256015USA8.EXE
9) 259728USA8.EXE
10) 273017USA8.EXE
11) crlupd.EXE
12) q299618.exe
13) q313829.exe
14) Q314147.exe
15) wm320920_71.exe
16) 323172_98.exe
17) 323255_W98.exe
18) q324929.exe
19) 329115_W98.exe
20) q329414_mdacall_x86.exe
21) js56men.exe
22) msjavwu.exe
The more you see, the more you know.
The more you know, the more you see.
