Since Microsoft no longer supports Win98 or ME, can you download it for free now?

KDOG

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,525
14
81
Been messing around with Ubuntu linux, but its a nightmare to work with. I can't believe that you have to do all that command line typing to get things to work. Thats just stupid.

I was wondering if it was possible to get Win98 or ME for free now since its no longer supported. Anyone know?
 

drag

Elite Member
Jul 4, 2002
8,708
0
0
No you can't.

You still can't for MSDOS, either.

You have to wait for the copyright to expire and these things enter the public domain.

For Win98 first edition the closest you can get to legally downloading it will be around the year 2068. (United states length of copyright is Life + 70 years, I don't know how that works out for corporations that own copyrights though) I suppose you can wait until then, right?



 

doornail

Senior member
Oct 10, 1999
333
0
0
Originally posted by: dBTelos
Oh-my-god, you took the words right out of my mouth. Check out these articles:

Those two rants were like listening to some deranged, streetcorner transient explain how to fix the economy by screaming about Jesus and Colonel Sanders.
 

drag

Elite Member
Jul 4, 2002
8,708
0
0
Originally posted by: doornail
Originally posted by: dBTelos
Oh-my-god, you took the words right out of my mouth. Check out these articles:

Those two rants were like listening to some deranged, streetcorner transient explain how to fix the economy by screaming about Jesus and Colonel Sanders.

Carefull. I think that this is one of those situations were: "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all". It's not nice to be mean.

:)
 

P0ldy

Senior member
Dec 13, 2004
420
0
0
Yes, another insane aspect of "intellectual property" laws in the US. The death of the artist plus 70 years. A corporation is legally a person. If a person never dies, how does this benefit the public domain?

Anyway. If you can outlive Microsoft, and the person(s) who buy their trademarks/patents/copyrights after that, and then 70 years (assuming said persons aren't lobbying Congress for yet another extension of copyright), you can download it "for free."
 

Missing Ghost

Senior member
Oct 31, 2005
254
0
76
I think ms-dos is freely available. Or if it's not it's weird cause you can download it so easily. There is even win98se floppies that you can download to do things like fdisk and format etc. I think there is also free-dos and caldera dos and other clones like that.
 
Nov 29, 2005
160
0
0
WHY would u want a copy of win98 or winME ? what are you using right now ? winXP ? thats what im using since 2001. In addition to alternating linux live-CD and hd-installs :) linux and its different variety of distros family are changing almost everyday.. so it will never be boring like Microsoft OS :)
 

KDOG

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,525
14
81
Well I put Linspire on the other computer that I'm referring to....my dad gave me a copy that he had. It still won't play DVDs - just like Ubuntu. I don't know what I can install on this other thing. My dad also gave me a copy of Windows ME that he had laying around and that hangs on start up.
 

nweaver

Diamond Member
Jan 21, 2001
6,813
1
0
Originally posted by: KDOG
Well I put Linspire on the other computer that I'm referring to....my dad gave me a copy that he had. It still won't play DVDs - just like Ubuntu. I don't know what I can install on this other thing. My dad also gave me a copy of Windows ME that he had laying around and that hangs on start up.

does your XP install play DVD's out of box?


Also, linspire is the most craptastic distro I have ever seen, I would probably recommend a patched XP system then Linspire (dropped into X as root with no password=bad)
 

Hyperblaze

Lifer
May 31, 2001
10,027
1
81
Originally posted by: sigs3gv
Originally posted by: dBTelos
"I can't believe that you have to do all that command line typing to get things to work."

Oh-my-god, you took the words right out of my mouth. Check out these articles:

http://www.rose-hulman.edu/%7Efreemawa/articles/archive/linuxwrong.php
http://www.rose-hulman.edu/%7Efreemawa/articles/archive/linuxcare.php


Linux is only hard for those that have assimilated with Windows.

I read the articules.....laughed a bit, and then it was over.

meh. He's got the right to his own opinion as far as I can tell. I know other folks like that.
One thing I do consider funny however is that the guy considers himself a geek and finds
Linux too hard to use? That makes him a hyprocrit.


 

KDOG

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,525
14
81
Well,nevermind! I got the copy of WinME to work. Gonna tweak it tomorrow.....
 

Stumps

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2001
7,125
0
0
Originally posted by: dBTelos
"I can't believe that you have to do all that command line typing to get things to work."

Oh-my-god, you took the words right out of my mouth. Check out these articles:

http://www.rose-hulman.edu/%7Efreemawa/articles/archive/linuxwrong.php
http://www.rose-hulman.edu/%7Efreemawa/articles/archive/linuxcare.php
it's funny cause it's true

quote:

So the next time someone tries to tell you that you should uninstall Windows ("Winblows," if they're really creative) and install their favorite iteration of Linux because it will let you do more/ save you money/ give you oral sex, punch them in the face. And then yell as loud as you can, "People don't care about Linux and they never will!"

I have done this to a customer (read linux nerd, with red slurpy spilt down the front of his white AMD shirt"after he called me a "windows wanker" because I was selling a PC to another customer and it came with WinXP.
 

shoRunner

Platinum Member
Nov 8, 2004
2,629
1
0
Originally posted by: Hyperblaze
Originally posted by: sigs3gv
Originally posted by: dBTelos
"I can't believe that you have to do all that command line typing to get things to work."

Oh-my-god, you took the words right out of my mouth. Check out these articles:

http://www.rose-hulman.edu/%7Efreemawa/articles/archive/linuxwrong.php
http://www.rose-hulman.edu/%7Efreemawa/articles/archive/linuxcare.php


Linux is only hard for those that have assimilated with Windows.

I read the articules.....laughed a bit, and then it was over.

meh. He's got the right to his own opinion as far as I can tell. I know other folks like that.
One thing I do consider funny however is that the guy considers himself a geek and finds
Linux too hard to use? That makes him a hyprocrit.

he's completely right though, linux will NEVER catch on until your grandmother can use it as easy as windows...which will probably never happen. its hard for the common person to use, if you so out of touch with reality to realize this, pity to you.
 

drag

Elite Member
Jul 4, 2002
8,708
0
0
Originally posted by: shoRunner
Originally posted by: Hyperblaze
Originally posted by: sigs3gv
Originally posted by: dBTelos
"I can't believe that you have to do all that command line typing to get things to work."

Oh-my-god, you took the words right out of my mouth. Check out these articles:

http://www.rose-hulman.edu/%7Efreemawa/articles/archive/linuxwrong.php
http://www.rose-hulman.edu/%7Efreemawa/articles/archive/linuxcare.php


Linux is only hard for those that have assimilated with Windows.

I read the articules.....laughed a bit, and then it was over.

meh. He's got the right to his own opinion as far as I can tell. I know other folks like that.
One thing I do consider funny however is that the guy considers himself a geek and finds
Linux too hard to use? That makes him a hyprocrit.

he's completely right though, linux will NEVER catch on until your grandmother can use it as easy as windows...which will probably never happen. its hard for the common person to use, if you so out of touch with reality to realize this, pity to you.

You make it sound like Windows is easy to use.

It's not.

It's more accurate to say that people are used to how Windows works on a superficial level.
 

Zugzwang152

Lifer
Oct 30, 2001
12,134
1
0
Originally posted by: drag
No you can't.

You still can't for MSDOS, either.

You have to wait for the copyright to expire and these things enter the public domain.

For Win98 first edition the closest you can get to legally downloading it will be around the year 2068. (United states length of copyright is Life + 70 years, I don't know how that works out for corporations that own copyrights though) I suppose you can wait until then, right?

The company can also give up their copyrights, and/or start distributing it with an open license. Fat chance for MS, but I would suspect as time passes on, they will spend less and less effort fighting Win 9x piraters. ;)
 
Nov 29, 2005
160
0
0
^^ agrees with what the person above said .. "as time passes on, they will spend less and less effort fighting Win 9x piraters."
 

Noema

Platinum Member
Feb 15, 2005
2,974
0
0
Not even Win 3.1 is legally downloadable for free, much less 98 or ME.

I wouldn't get near any of those (I'd love to install 3.1 on a virtual machine or something for a nostalgia trip though) with a 10-foot pole anyway. :laugh:
 

Noema

Platinum Member
Feb 15, 2005
2,974
0
0
Originally posted by: drag

You make it sound like Windows is easy to use.

It's not.

It's more accurate to say that people are used to how Windows works on a superficial level.

Agreed. I installed Ubuntu on my father's computer and he uses it for web browsing, word processing and email sending. He can do all this tasks perfectly without even touching the console and typing anything in the terminal.

Sure, he probably wouldn't be able to install Ubuntu, or partition the hard drive, or anything like that.

He wouldn't be able to do those things in Windows either.
 

erikistired

Diamond Member
Sep 27, 2000
9,739
0
0
Originally posted by: drag
Originally posted by: doornail
Originally posted by: dBTelos
Oh-my-god, you took the words right out of my mouth. Check out these articles:

Those two rants were like listening to some deranged, streetcorner transient explain how to fix the economy by screaming about Jesus and Colonel Sanders.

Carefull. I think that this is one of those situations were: "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all". It's not nice to be mean.

:)

what if you're embarrased to be a windows user because you could possibly be grouped with someone like that? is it okay then?
 

erikistired

Diamond Member
Sep 27, 2000
9,739
0
0
Originally posted by: KDOG
Well,nevermind! I got the copy of WinME to work. Gonna tweak it tomorrow.....

winME is the most evil operating system ever. you're pretty much supporting the devil by running it. just fyi.
 

Armitage

Banned
Feb 23, 2001
8,086
0
0
You're kidding right? M.S. will never release any of their old OS for free - their old stuff is their biggest competitor as it is.

Regarding the always stupid "linux will NEVER catch on until your grandmother can use it as easy as windows" comment ... grandma will use whatever you teach her to use. At the level that grandma uses the computer Linux is as easy or possibly even easier to use then Windows. For one, she doesn't need to worry nearly as much about security and such.