Windows 95 Vs 98: Is It Worth The Upgrade Cost?

Q. I'm currently using Windows 95 and I'm quite happy with it. Now Microsoft wants $100 from me for an upgrade to Windows 98. Is it worth it? Does it fix something in Windows 95 that might cause me trouble? - John Kenner

A. Windows 98 is a definite improvement on Windows 95, so if you're setting up a new computer - and if you don't have the resources to install and run Windows NT - you'll want to put Windows 98 rather than Windows 95 on it. You'll find Windows 98 easier to install and more stable than Windows 95.

That said, if you already have Windows 95 and you're not having any problems, you'll want to take a close look before forking over the dollars to upgrade to Windows 98. Fact is, Windows 98 is more of a tweaking of Windows 95 than a major new version of Windows. Many of the most significant new features - such as Internet Explorer 4.0 and Active Desktop - are already available for download by Windows 95 users at no charge. Windows 98 does offer a few new and enhanced utilities. The new disk defragmenter, for example, has been enhanced to optionally rearrange files on the hard drive, with the result being faster loading of applications. The new Disk Cleanup utility a great help in keeping as much disk space available as possible. Once you've configured the utility, a single click is all it takes to get rid of temporary files, temporary Internet files, deleted files in the Recycle Bin, unwanted Windows 98 uninstall files, and ActiveX and Java applets downloaded from the Internet. And the new Tune-Up Wizard lets you schedule the chores to take place when you're not around needing to use the machine.

Also, Windows 98 offers the more efficient FAT32, or file allocation table, file system, previously available only in Windows 95 OSR2, which was not made available to consumers as a retail package. The main benefit of FAT32 that most users will notice is more efficient storage of files on the hard drive, which means more free disk space. The strongest argument for most users to upgrade to Windows 98 is if you need Win 98's support for new hardware, including IEEE 1349 (Firewire), DVD players, TV tuner cards, the Advanced Graphics Port (AGP) and, as noted above, the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI). The new operating system also provides support for PC Card32 and IrDA infrared connections. And if you've got a device that employs the new Universal Serial Bus - which allows for higher speed connections, hot swapping, and the attaching of multiple devices to a single port - you'll certainly want to upgrade to Windows 98, unless you're one of the relatively few who bought computers loaded with Windows 95 OSR2.1. That version of Windows 95 is the only other version to support the USB.

Q. How do I determine what to open a file with? Sometimes when I try to open a file I get a dialog box that says "OPEN WITH" and asks what application I want to open the file with. But the list has something like 50 different options, such as QuickView and WordPad. I went to WordPad to open the file and it came up as mishmash of fancy characters. So without having to guess all the time how do I determine what to open the file with? - Hubert Kinder.

A. Files can have any extension you want to give them, so there's no sure way of knowing what application to use to open a file just by looking at its extension. There are, however, a number of publications that list common extensions and their associated applications. You can, for example, find a good list on the Web at http://www.delphi.com/navnet/faq/extguide.html. If you see a file ending in .PCX, for example, you'll find that it's a type of bit-mapped graphics file. If you try to open it in a word processor you will, indeed, see a mishmash of strange characters. Try opening it in an image-editing program.

Q&A by Patrick Marshall appears Sundays in the Personal Technology section of The Seattle Times. Questions can be sent by e-mail to ptech@seatimes.com or pgmarshall@worldnet.att.net or by postal mail at Q&A/Technology, The Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111.