[Khalvynnov]

Is there any programs out there that can help my computer surf the web better/faster? I have an old computer to give you an idea of its... I don't know... preformance I can barely run Asherons call on this computer, I tried morpheous, but I think its gearedtowards dial-up rather then ADSL (which I am on, adsl that is).
If I remember correctly this computer is a 233 mhz, some generic 3d card no brand name (or any name for that matter) 2 1.9 gig hd's I think 128 meg ram (not sure on that one) and some other crap I don't know about atm
Also using Windows 98se and Internet Explorer 6


Like I said it's old, not rich enough to afford modern technology lol

[thebriggsdude]

Well not really many to help, but old computers such as that do have a hard time processing all the quick pages coming through. If you can you might could try overclocking it and it would give you a performance boost and try closing all unnecessary programs and such. I have seen p1's take about 30 seconds to even load half a page on dsl.

[walt17]

Try these for a tiny bit of improvement.
Check out what background programs are running and see if you can do without some of them.
Increase the size of your swap file.
Restart your computer at least once a day.

[phr0ze]

When was the last time you reinstalled windows. 98 always gummed up on me after 6 months, but I put it to heavy use back in the day. I tried other things first such as registry cleaners and stuff, but nothing helped as much as a reinstall. If you rename the program files folder and windows folder first, after you reinstall you can take your time to recover data files from those places.

[fredg]

Hi,
I also use Win98SE. My internet connection is the ole telephone line dial-up to my ISP. The only thing I found was InternetTurbo 2000 (around $20) that increased my surfing and downloads from about 4000 bytes/sec up to around 5200 bytes/sec... not very fast, but a noticeable difference.

You may not be able to increase your surfing speed enough to notice a difference.

For your computer speed, you might check out what your computer loads up at boot up, by going to Start/Run , then type in MSCONFIG , and click on OK.
Click on the StartUp tab at top of that window. You can look to the left, and scroll down to see all the programs starting up when you boot up.
You can Left click on any (to remove the checkmark), then click Apply, then OK, and re-boot.
You can always go back and check something again, if you need to.

Also, here are Maintenance steps for Win98/98SE that will help your computer run smoothly, with suggestions on how to use them:

Registry Repair should be done whenever there are problems:

To Repair the Registery:
Turn off the computer; or reboot; then immediately press F8, (or, could be F5) located on top of the keyboard. Keep it press down until an options window comes up, then release it.
(If F8 or F5 doesn't work, then re-boot, and immediately press down the CTRL key, hold down until it comes up to the options screen).
Use the up and down arrow keys on the keyboard to select "Command Prompt Only".
Press Enter
You will now see C:>
Type in SCANREG /FIX (there is a space between the G and the / ).
You will now see C:>SCANREG /FIX
Press Enter
This will take about 5 minutes or so.
When finished, press Enter for OK.
Manually, turn off the computer, wait a few seconds, the turn it back on.
If you don't have the "Command Prompt Only" option, then re-boot the computer normally.
Go to Start/ShutDown, then choose "restart in ms-dos mode".
It will come up to C:\windows.
Type in CD C:\
It will look like C:>windows CD C:\
Press Enter.
It will then be at the C:> prompt.
Then type in SCANREG /FIX
Press Enter
When it returns to the C:> prompt, then manually turn off the computer, and turn it back on.

Win98/98SE Regular Maintenance
All of these should be run whenever Win98/98SE starts giving problems. It will keep the computer running smoothly.

Before doing any of the following; turn off wallpaper and screensavers before re-starting or re-booting the computer.

Safe Mode is best where indicated, because most programs are not running meaning their files are closed, or not in use. This allows them to be scanned much better, repaired, or defragged better.

1. Scandisk
Start in Safe Mode by:
Re-boot the computer, and immediately after starting up, Press and hold down, F8, at top of keypad.
When the options show on the screen, use the up and down arrow keys on the keyboard to select
"Safe Mode".
Press Enter
After it boots to Safe Mode, go to Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools, and click on Scandisk.
(It is faster if set on "Standard", the "Thorough" usually is not needed and takes a long, long time).
Click on "Start" and let it run until finished.

2. Defrag
When Scandisk is finished, click on "Close".
Now, go back to the same place, but this time, click on "Defrag".
Click on OK, and wait until it finishes (might take 1 hour if not done within a month).
After it finishes, Click on OK or whatever.
Then, re-boot.

The following Boot Disk has to be done only one time.

Also, a "must have" is a Boot Disk, for Win98/98SE. One never knows when the computer might not load windows and go to the desktop... it does happen.

Here are steps to make one:

Insert the Win98/98SE CD in the CD-ROM drive.
Go to Start/Programs/Windows Explorer
Double click on D:/ , if that is your CD-ROM drive letter.
Find and open the folder; Tools/Mtsutil/Fat32ebd (stands for Emergency Boot Disk)
Double click on the file Fat32ebd.exe and follow the instructions to create the Boot Disk.
Then remove the CD from the CD-ROM.

Now, we must test the Boot Disk to see if it works.
Shut down the computer; then turn it back on with the Boot Disk still in the computer.
When a screen comes up, use the up and down arrows on the keyboard to select "Boot with CD-ROM support". Then press Enter.
It will show some things about the computer, and then come up to the A:> prompt.
Now, insert a CD (any will do) into the CD-ROM.
Wait until it "spins" and the light goes off.
Now, at the A:> prompt, type in DIR D:
It will now look like A:>DIR D:
It should show all the files on the CD.
If so, the Boot Disk is good. If NOT, repeat all the above.
If it's good, then remove the CD, manually turn off the computer, and remove the Boot Disk. Turn on the computer and it's ready to go.

Here are some "tweaks" for Win98/98SE that really work well.

Win98SE Tweaks for better performance
http://www.speedguide.net/read_articles.php?id=170

To extract files: here are steps:
Extract the following from c/cabs/cab53 and cab54.
(Right click on a Cab, then left click on View).
To extract a file then seen, Right click on the file,
Then Left click on Extract.
Vcomm.vxd
Vdmad.vxd
Configmg.vxd
Vdd.vxd
Vmouse.vxd
Ntkern.vxd
Vflat.vxd
Extract to:
c/windows/system; and also to:
c/windows/system/vmm32.

Win98SE USB Updates:
http://www.usbman.com/win98seusbguide.htm

Also, for Win98/98SE; any ONE of the following programs WILL, normally, cause problems:
1. Microsoft's DirectX 9.0c
2. Sun Java; any versions, such as j2re 1.4.1 or 1.4.2. (use the Tools, Internet Options, Advanced tab, under the heading "Java VM", the only check mark should be by "JIT compiler for virtual machine.....".
3. Microsoft's Internet Explorer & Outlook Express Cumulative Security Patches from Windows Update.

Just for information:
If you wish to add or subtract from an Experts' reputation, or show appreciation or discontent with an answer, click on the "balance scales" icon by the Experts' name. You can then choose what you wish.

Best wishes,
fredg

[nightrider099]

Thanks for the useful information.. friends if you anyone need to make speed test means just try use this http://www.ip-details.com/internet-speed-test/ link and got accurate result from here... hope its help for you all..

[cmeeks]

IE 6, Win 98 and a dial up connection are not optimum. However you are aware of this. The amount of data needed to render a web page today as opposed to back in 2000 has greatly increased, so to view a page you are downloading more on average than you would have some 10 years ago. Though I am not sure if IE 6 supports all the content currently available on the web. With your current system and connection "fast" connections are not in the cards. You could try a lightweight Linux distro like Puppy or Tiny Core, these will not speed up your internet speeds but will run faster (Especially in the case of Tiny Core) Than Win 98.