87. End of the Road for Windows
98, Me
By Andrew D. Wright
If you are still using Windows 98 or Windows Millennium (or Me for short),
then you probably already know that Microsoft is not planning to issue any
more updates after July 11th, 2006. In fact, Microsoft has announced that
a critical security flaw in Internet Explorer for these versions of
Windows will not be patched.
What are your choices? If your computer has a 233 MHz processor or better,
at least 64 MB of RAM or memory and 1,800 MB of free hard drive space,
then you should think about upgrading to Windows XP, you meet Microsoft's
minimum system requirements.
WIndows XP will be supported and updated for years to come. Already there
are some new programs that have no Windows 98 or Me versions.
There are also other Operating System alternatives such as Linux, which
comes in a number of different varieties.
Windows 98 and Me users can buy themselves some more time with some simple
precautions.
First, stop using Internet Explorer as your primary web browser. Both
Mozilla Firefox and Opera are free web browsers that continue to support
Windows 98 and Me and are updated regularly with security patches. Opera
even supports Windows 95 users. Internet Explorer for Windows 98 and Me is
tightly integrated with the Windows Operating System, will not be patched
further and is already vulnerable to attack.
Your web browser is always being exposed to the world at large and is a
frequently exploited method of access to your computer. It needs to be
secure.
Second, if you have not done this already, it is a good idea to get a
firewall. If your computer is on a high speed connection using cable or
DSL, then you should have a router, available for around $50 at any
electronics store, between the cable or DSL modem and your computer.
This is to protect your computer against network-based attacks exploiting
vulnerabilities already known and yet-to-be-discovered in Windows 98 and
Me.
If you are a dial-up user, you may already be protected against attacks
using the commonly exploited ports like 135, 137, 139, and 445. Either way
it's a good idea to protect yourself with a software firewall. High speed
users without routers can use software firewalls for protection too.
Commercial anti-virus providers frequently include software firewalls with
their products and there are also no cost firewall software products
available.
All Windows users should already be running a regularly updated anti-virus
program anyway, but in the interest of thoroughness, anti-virus software
is compatible with Windows 98 and Me and is strongly recommended.
When the final updates for Windows 98 and Me come out July 11th, Windows
98 and Me will be complete. After downloading all the various Windows
Updates, it would be the perfect time to make a full backup of your
system.
There are free and commercially available programs that will let you take
an image of your hard drive you can use to recover from some disaster like
a total hard drive failure or messed-up software installation.
Mozilla Firefox (free): http://www.mozilla.com/
Opera (free): http://www.opera.com/
The Mousepad runs every two weeks. It's a service of Chebucto Community
Net, a community-owned Internet provider. If you have a question about
computing, email mousepad@chebucto.ns.ca or
click here. If we use your question
in a column, we'll send you a free mousepad.
Originally published 2 July 2006
