Updates - Saving Downloads
Unnecessary Loading
Saving Downloaded Updates
The problem is that after completing the downloads, Win98 automatically installs them, tells you when it's done, and eventually prompts you to restart Windows (if needed).
If you later delete your Internet Explorer temporary files, and/or clean your drives of unneeded junk, they will be gone. And if you will ever need to install the same updates all over (i.e. if you reinstalled Win98, or upgrade another Win98 computer), you'll have to download them again.
Follow these steps to save the original installation files and keep them handy for future upgrades:
1. After each update/fix is finished installing, open Explorer (or File Manager), and search for a folder named Msdownload.tmp (short name is MSDOWN~1), usually located under your Windows directory, or if you have more than one hard disk/partition, this folder may reside on your second drive/partition (D).
Some of the automatically installed update files are also found in the MS IE 4/5 temporary cache folders.
It is advisable to empty your Internet Explorer cache prior to downloading updates, to find them easier afterwards.
2. Download ONE update at a time, and then look for any .CAB, .EXE and .INF files in these folders. Move them all to a safe location (i.e. backup disk), and eventually zip them up to save space.
3. Now you can erase the Msdownload.tmp folders from all your fixed drives, which only add to disk space waste.
4. Copy back the files you want from your backups, and (re)install away when needed.
5. To only decompress/extract individual files from an executable (.EXE), without installing the respective update, you can use one of the command line switches, listed at this MSKB page:
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q197/1/47.asp
to run them.
To extract all files from a .CAB, (double)-click (or right-click and select Extract) on a CAB file to decompress its files in the desired folder.
NOTES: Most of these rules, the .EXE command line parameters, and the Cab View extraction are also valid for Windows 95/OSR2 update files.
Windows 95/OSR2 users: CabView.DLL is NOT installed by the OS, but is available as part of Microsoft Power Toys 95 Set [209 KB, free, unsupported
http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/contents/wutoys/w95pwrtoysset/
Right-click on CabView.INF and select Install.
Windows 98 users: CabView is already installed.
6. To install updates from extracted .CAB files, one would presume it's enough to right-click on the respective INF(ormation) file and choose Install. Wrong!
These are "advanced information files", and need to be executed with a command line similar to (from a DOS box prompt)
RUNDLL32.EXE ADVPACK.DLL,LaunchINFSection Filename.INF,Section_Name
You can also create a batch (.BAT) file (using Notepad), to automate this process, and also to extract all files from a .CAB into the current folder, before starting the install:
@ECHO OFF
FOR %%1 IN (*.CAB) DO EXTRACT.EXE /E %%1
FOR %%2 IN (*.INF) DO RUNDLL32.EXE ADVPACK.DLL,LaunchINFSection %%2
EXIT
Note that the INFormation filename and extension (.INF) MUST be entered after the batch filename (separated by a space), but the Section Name is optional (separated by a comma).
This automation method is recommended STRICTLY for files downloaded from the Microsoft Windows 98 Update site.
Unnecessary Loading
Windows 95 could be loading your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files unnecessarily.
This could just be slowing your startup.
To see if they are needed, make backup copies of each file, and rename the file CONFIG.SYS to CONFIG.OLD.
You can rename the file by right clicking on the file and selecting the Rename option. Now, shut down your system and restart.
If everything works as it should, do the same with the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
Make sure to have a emergency boot disk handy, just in case.