windows 98

[lizzydrippin]

My friend has been given a computer which she wanted simply for using a web cam to talk to rellies in Australia.The bloke in the computer shop where she went for advice told her that windows 98 is useless and she cant do anything with it, that she needs at least windows 2000 to do anything at all. is this correct?

[webdude]

Win 98 is no longer supported by Microsoft, and it is unlikely that the chip sets and drivers in the machine your friend has acquired will be compatible with todays broadband service providers hardware or software. It is also likely that the machine will have an older processor which will be slower than current PCs, and may not be able to cope with video links. If in doubt - suck it and see!

[lizzydrippin]

thanks alot webdude, so the bloke in the shop wasn't just trying to sell her a new computer then! cheers for your help,

[coolwill]

I have windows 98. Had this computer 9 years I often connect to a friend in aussie. no problem.

[squarebear]

I too use win 98 and have no plans on upgrading as everything works fine on my PC. It certainly seems a lot more stable than Vista.

[fo3nix]

(I really should be on comission..)

You could look into installing Ubuntu.

It's a free operating system, that's better than Windows in many respects. If you just want a simple system for doing video chats etc., that'll otherwise be very reliable, then this could be a good idea. It also comes with software for typing, doing spreadsheets, email, web browsing, etc.

More to the point, there is a version of Skype for it. Skype is the best video chatting system right now (also free), available for most popular platforms.

Here are some links:

http://www.ubuntu.com/products/whatisubuntu

http://www.skype.com

[gobbledegeek]

Depends on how old the computer is that she's been given. If it's old enough to run Win98 then a modern webcam connected via USB probably won't work. Windows XP would be my recommendation.

[ACtheTROLL]

Nothing is ever just "simply" !
you need two things .... a usb port ... and a webcam with windows 98 support (driver disc)
surprisingly .... there are lots of the latter!!!

http://www.google.co.uk/products?sourceid=navc lient&hl=en-GB&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGIH_en-GBGB224 GB225&q=webcam%20%2Bwindows%2098&oe=UTF-8&um=1 &sa=N&tab=wf

see how you get on - but it should be fine

with older kit .... the performance may be affected by slower USB1 - especially if you connect to the internet with a usb modem as well - but a webcam isn't exactly HD video ... so should work fine

(if you have the option ... an ethernet card connecting to a router would speed things up - but only if what you have is too slow)



fo3 ...... lol roflmao!!!!!! - you certainly are a tryer