Editing Windows 98 (section)

==New and updated features==

===Web integration and shell enhancements===
The first release of Windows 98 included Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1. This was updated to 5.0 in the Second Edition. Besides Internet Explorer, many other Internet companion applications are included such as [[Outlook Express]],<ref name=gs21>{{harvnb|Getting Started: Microsoft Windows 98|1998|p=21}}</ref> [[Windows Address Book]], [[FrontPage Express]],<ref name=gs13>{{harvnb|Getting Started: Microsoft Windows 98|1998|p=13}}</ref> [[Microsoft Chat]], [[Microsoft Personal Web Server|Personal Web Server]] and a Web Publishing Wizard, and [[NetShow]].<ref name=gs17>{{harvnb|Getting Started: Microsoft Windows 98|1998|p=17}}</ref> [[NetMeeting]] allows multiple users to hold conference calls and work with each other on a document.<ref name=gs20>{{harvnb|Getting Started: Microsoft Windows 98|1998|p=20}}</ref>

The Windows 98 [[Windows shell|shell]] is web-integrated;<ref name=gs12>{{harvnb|Getting Started: Microsoft Windows 98|1998|p=12}}</ref> it contains deskbands, [[Active Desktop]], [[Active Channel|Channels]],<ref name=SCv6i6p133>{{harvnb|Smart Computing, June|2000|p=133}}</ref> ability to minimize foreground windows by clicking their button on the taskbar,<ref name=gs9>{{harvnb|Getting Started: Microsoft Windows 98|1998|p=9}}</ref> single-click launching, Back and Forward navigation buttons,<ref name=PCMAGp116/> favorites, and address bar in [[Windows Explorer]], image thumbnails,<ref name=gs55>{{harvnb|Getting Started: Microsoft Windows 98|1998|p=55}}</ref> folder infotips and Web view in folders, and folder customization through [[HTML]]-based templates. The taskbar supports customizable toolbars designed to speed up access to the Web or the user's desktop; these toolbars include an Address Bar and [[Quick Launch]]. With the Address Bar, the user accesses the Web by typing in a URL, and Quick Launch contains shortcuts or buttons that perform system functions such as switching between windows and the desktop with the Show Desktop button.<ref name=gs14>{{harvnb|Getting Started: Microsoft Windows 98|1998|p=14}}</ref> Another feature of this new shell is that [[Dialog box|dialog boxes]]{{clarify|date=October 2019}} show up in the Alt-Tab sequence.

Windows 98 also integrates shell enhancements, themes and other features from [[Microsoft Plus!|Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95]] such as [[DriveSpace]] 3, Compression Agent, Dial-Up Networking Server, Dial-Up Scripting Tool and [[Task Scheduler]]. Windows 98 had its own separately purchasable Plus! pack, called [[Microsoft Plus! 98|Plus! 98]].<ref name=PCMAGp427>{{harvnb|PC Magazine, August|1998|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4c8Qbd14llIC&pg=PA427 427]}}</ref>

Title bars of windows and dialog boxes support two-color gradients, a feature ported from and refined from [[Microsoft Office 95]].<ref name=PCMAGp116>{{harvnb|PC Magazine, August|1998|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4c8Qbd14llIC&pg=PA116 116]}}</ref> Windows menus and tooltips support slide animation. Windows Explorer in Windows 98, as in Windows 95, converts all-uppercase filenames to [[sentence case]] for readability purposes;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.08.windowsconfidential.aspx|title=Windows 'Prettified' Filenames|publisher=Microsoft|work=microsoft.com|access-date=August 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827234228/https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2009.08.windowsconfidential.aspx|archive-date=August 27, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> however, it also provides an option ''Allow all uppercase names'' to display them in their original case. Windows Explorer includes support for compressed [[Cabinet (file format)|CAB]] files.<ref name=RK24>{{harvnb|Resource Kit|1998|p=24}}</ref> The ''Quick Res'' and ''Telephony Location Manager'' [[PowerToys#PowerToys for Windows 95|Windows 95 PowerToys]] are integrated into the core operating system.

===Improvements to hardware support===

====Windows Driver Model====
{{Main article|Windows Driver Model}}
[[File:Windows 98 architecture.svg|thumb|The Windows 98 architecture is set up as a tier of layers in which the higher layers depend on any component of the layers below them. The difference between the architectures of this and Windows 95 is that the Windows Driver Model can now be used to access the Windows 98 core and the registry.<ref name=architecture>{{cite web|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/cc768198(v=technet.10)|title=Chapter 28 – Windows 98 Architecture|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|date=February 19, 2014|access-date=October 20, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302054042/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/cc768198(v%3dtechnet.10)|archive-date=March 2, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=PCMAGp325/>]]

Windows 98 was the first operating system to use the [[Windows Driver Model]] (WDM). This fact was not well publicized when Windows 98 was released, and most hardware producers continued to develop drivers for the older [[VxD]] driver standard, which Windows 98 supported for compatibility's sake. The WDM standard only achieved widespread adoption years later, mostly through [[Windows 2000]] and [[Windows XP]], as they were not compatible with the older VxD standard.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/244601/|title=How to troubleshoot unknown devices that are listed in Device Manager in Windows 2000|date=May 7, 2007|work=Microsoft Support|publisher=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070717081308/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/244601|archive-date=July 17, 2007}}</ref> With the Windows Driver Model, developers could write drivers that were compatible with other versions of Windows.<ref name=PCMAGp328>{{harvnb|PC Magazine, August|1998|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4c8Qbd14llIC&pg=PA328 328]}}</ref> Device driver access in WDM is implemented through a VxD device driver, <code>NTKERN.VXD</code>, which implements several [[Windows NT]]-specific kernel support functions.<ref name=RK1322>{{harvnb|Resource Kit|1998|p=1322}}</ref>

Support for WDM audio enables digital mixing, routing and processing of simultaneous audio streams, and [[kernel streaming]] with high-quality [[sample rate conversion]] on Windows 98. WDM Audio allows for software emulation of legacy hardware to support MS-DOS games, [[DirectSound]] support, and [[MIDI]] [[Sample-based synthesis|wavetable synthesis]]. The Windows 95 11-device limitation for MIDI devices is eliminated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may00/articles/pcmusician.htm|title=PC Solutions For MIDI Musicians|work=soundonsound.com|access-date=March 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120110123947/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may00/articles/pcmusician.htm|archive-date=January 10, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> A Microsoft [[Roland GS|GS]] Wavetable Synthesizer licensed from [[Roland Corporation|Roland]] shipped with Windows 98 for WDM audio drivers. Windows 98 supports digital playback of [[audio CDs]], and the Second Edition improves WDM audio support by adding DirectSound [[hardware mixing]] and DirectSound 3D hardware abstraction, [[DirectMusic]] kernel support, [[KMixer]] sample-rate conversion for capture streams, and multichannel audio support. All audio is sampled by the Kernel Mixer to a fixed sampling rate, which may result in some audio getting upsampled or downsampled and having a high latency, except when using Kernel Streaming or third-party audio paths like [[Audio Stream Input/Output|ASIO]] which allow unmixed audio streams and lower latency. Windows 98 also includes a WDM streaming [[class driver]] (''Stream.sys'') to address real time multimedia data stream processing requirements and a WDM kernel-mode video transport for enhanced video playback and capture.

Windows Driver Model also includes Broadcast Driver Architecture, the backbone for TV technologies support in Windows. [[WebTV]] for Windows utilized BDA to allow viewing television on the computer if a compatible [[TV tuner card]] is installed. TV listings could be updated from the Internet and WaveTop Data Broadcasting allowed extra data about broadcasts to be received via regular television signals using an antenna or cable, by embedding data streams into the [[vertical blanking interval]] portion of existing broadcast television signals.

====Other device support improvements====
Windows 98 had more robust USB support than Windows 95, which only had support in OEM versions OSR2.1 and later.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/253756|title=Availability of Universal Serial Bus Support in Windows 95|date=November 15, 2006|work=Microsoft Support|publisher=Microsoft|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304063841/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/253756|archive-date=March 4, 2007}}</ref> Windows 98 supports [[USB hub]]s, USB scanners and imaging class devices. Windows 98 also introduced built-in support for some [[USB Human Interface Device class]] (USB HID) and PID class devices such as USB mice, keyboards, force feedback joysticks etc. including additional keyboard functions through a certain number of Consumer Page HID controls.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/w2kbd.mspx|title=Human Interface Devices Design Guide|publisher=Microsoft|work=microsoft.com|access-date=December 26, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222201727/http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/archive/w2kbd.mspx|archive-date=December 22, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Windows 98 also supports [[UDMA]] and [[Streaming SIMD Extensions|SSE]].

Windows 98 introduced [[Advanced Configuration and Power Interface|ACPI]] 1.0 support which enabled ''Standby'' and ''[[Hibernation (computing)|Hibernate]]'' states. However, hibernation support was extremely limited and vendor-specific. Hibernation was only available if compatible (PnP) hardware and [[BIOS]] are present, and the hardware manufacturer or OEM supplied ACPI-compatible drivers. However, there are hibernation issues with the [[FAT32]] file system,<ref name="98I/O"/> making hibernation problematic and unreliable.

Windows 98, in general, provides improved — and a broader range of — support for IDE and SCSI drives and drive controllers, floppy drive controllers and all other classes of hardware as compared to Windows 95.<ref name="98I/O">{{Cite web|url=https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/cc768180(v%3dtechnet.10)|title=Chapter 10 – Disks and File Systems|website=Microsoft Docs|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|language=en-us|access-date=April 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324082745/https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/cc768180(v%3dtechnet.10)|archive-date=March 24, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> There is integrated [[Accelerated Graphics Port]] (AGP) support (although the USB Supplement to Windows 95 OSR2 and later releases of Windows 95 did have AGP support). Windows 98 has built-in DVD support and [[Universal Disc Format|UDF]] 1.02 read support. The Still imaging architecture (STI) with [[TWAIN]] support was introduced for scanners and cameras and Image Color Management 2.0 for devices to perform [[color space]] transformations.<ref name=RK509>{{harvnb|Resource Kit|1998|p=509}}</ref> Multiple monitor support allows using up to nine multiple monitors on a single PC, with the feature requiring one [[Peripheral Component Interconnect|PCI]] graphics adapter per monitor.<ref name=gs75>{{harvnb|Getting Started: Microsoft Windows 98|1998|p=75}}</ref> Windows 98 shipped with [[DirectX]] 5.2,<ref name="maxpcdoctor">{{cite journal |title=SLI Odd Couples |journal=[[Maximum PC]] |date=January 1999 |volume=4 |issue=1 |page=75 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IgIAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PP79 |access-date=October 10, 2019 |issn=1522-4279 |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929062320/https://books.google.com/books?id=IgIAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PP79 |url-status=live }}</ref> which notably included [[DirectShow]]. Windows 98 Second Edition would later ship with DirectX 6.1.<ref name="98qaNYT">{{cite web |author1=J. D. Biersdorfer |title=Q & A: Windows 98, 2d Edition |url=http://movies2.nytimes.com/1999/08/12/technology/12ask.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=October 10, 2019 |date=August 12, 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010193003/http://movies2.nytimes.com/1999/08/12/technology/12ask.html |archive-date=October 10, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Networking enhancements===
{{Main article|Winsock}}
Windows 98 networking enhancements to [[TCP/IP]] include built-in support for [[Winsock|Winsock 2]], [[Server Message Block|SMB]] signing,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887429|title=Overview of Server Message Block signing|publisher=Microsoft|work=microsoft.com|access-date=June 22, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101120173639/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/887429|archive-date=November 20, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> a new IP Helper API, [[Automatic Private IP Addressing]] (also known as link-local addressing), [[IP multicast]]ing, and performance enhancements for high-speed high bandwidth networks. [[Multihoming]] support with TCP/IP is improved and includes [[Routing Information Protocol|RIP]] listener support.

The [[DHCP]] client has been enhanced to include address assignment conflict detection and longer timeout intervals. [[NetBIOS over TCP/IP|NetBT]] configuration in the [[Windows Internet Naming Service|WINS]] client has been improved to continue persistently querying multiple WINS servers if it failed to establish the initial session until all of the WINS servers specified have been queried or a connection is established.

[[Network Driver Interface Specification]] 4 support means Windows 98 can support a wide range of network media, including [[Ethernet]], [[Fiber Distributed Data Interface]] (FDDI), [[Token Ring]], [[Asynchronous Transfer Mode]] (ATM), [[ISDN]], [[wide area network]]s, [[X.25]], and [[Frame Relay]]. Additional features include NDIS power management, support for [[quality of service]], [[Windows Management Instrumentation]] (WMI) and support for a single [[INF file]] format across all Windows versions.<ref name=RK572>{{harvnb|Resource Kit|1998|p=572}}</ref>

Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking supports [[Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol|PPTP]] tunneling,<ref name=PCMAGp135>{{harvnb|PC Magazine, August|1998|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4c8Qbd14llIC&pg=PA135 135]}}</ref> support for ISDN adapters, multilink support, and connection-time scripting to automate non-standard login connections. Multilink channel aggregation enables users to combine all available dial-up lines to achieve higher transfer speeds. [[Point-to-Point Protocol|PPP]] connection logs can show actual packets being passed and Windows 98 allows PPP logging per connection. The Dial-Up Networking improvements are also available in Windows 95 OSR2 and are downloadable for earlier Windows 95 releases.

For networked computers that have user profiles enabled, Windows 98 introduces Microsoft Family Logon which lists all users that have been configured for that computer, enabling users to simply select their names from a list rather than having to type them in.<ref name=RK798>{{harvnb|Resource Kit|1998|p=798}}</ref>

Windows 98 supports [[IrDA]] 3.0 which specifies both Serial Infrared Devices and Fast Infrared devices, which are capable of sending and receiving data at 4&nbsp;Mbit/s. Infrared Recipient, a new application for transferring files through an infrared connection is included. The IrDA stack in Windows 98 supports networking profiles over the IrCOMM kernel-mode driver. Windows 98 also has built-in support for browsing [[Distributed File System (Microsoft)|Distributed File System]] trees on [[Server Message Block]] shares such as Windows NT servers.<ref name=RK688>{{harvnb|Resource Kit|1998|p=688}}</ref><ref name=RK690>{{harvnb|Resource Kit|1998|p=690}}</ref>

UPnP and NAT traversal APIs can be installed on Windows 98 by installing the [[Windows XP]] Network Setup Wizard.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa939488(WinEmbedded.5).aspx|title=Network Setup Wizard Down Level Setup|date=April 14, 2010|work=[[Microsoft Developer Network]]|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=April 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022192342/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa939488(WinEmbedded.5).aspx|archive-date=October 22, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> An [[Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol#L2TP/IPsec|L2TP/IPsec]] [[Virtual private network|VPN]] client can also be downloaded. By installing Active Directory Client Extensions, Windows 98 can take advantage of several Windows 2000 [[Active Directory]] features.

===Improvements to the system and built-in utilities===

====Performance improvements====
Windows 95 introduced the 32-bit, protected-mode cache driver VCACHE (replacing SMARTDrv) to cache the most recently accessed information from the hard drive in memory, divided into chunks. However, the cache parameters needed manual tuning as it degraded performance by consuming too much memory and not releasing it quickly enough, forcing paging to occur far too early. The Windows 98 VCACHE cache size management for disk and network access, CD-ROM access and paging is more dynamic compared to Windows 95, resulting in no tuning being required for cache parameters.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc768196.aspx|title=Chapter 26 – Performance Tuning|date=February 20, 2014|work=[[Microsoft Technet]]|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|access-date=April 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826132326/https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc768196.aspx|archive-date=August 26, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> On the FAT32 file system, Windows 98 has a performance feature called MapCache that can run applications from the disk cache itself if the code pages of executable files are aligned/mapped on 4K boundaries, instead of copying them to virtual memory. This results in more memory being available to run applications, and lesser usage of the swap file.

Windows 98 registry handling is more robust than Windows 95 to avoid corruption and there are several enhancements to eliminate limitations and improve registry performance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc768201.aspx|title=Chapter 31 – Windows 98 Registry|publisher=Microsoft|work=microsoft.com|date=February 20, 2014 |access-date=August 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170826175408/https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc768201.aspx|archive-date=August 26, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The Windows 95 registry key size limitation of 64&nbsp;KB is gone. The registry uses less memory and has better caching.<ref name=RK1437-8>{{harvnb|Resource Kit|1998|pp=1437–1438}}</ref>

[[Disk Defragmenter (Windows)|Disk Defragmenter]] has been improved to rearrange program files that are frequently used to a hard disk region optimized for program start.<ref>{{cite book|title=Introducing Windows 98, Second edition}}</ref> Despite this, the quirk of the hard drive being rescanned if the contents of the hard drive had changed (denoted by the message "Drive contents changed....restarting.") is still present in this version, and remains identical to that of Windows 95. If it gets stuck on the same area too many times, the program would then ask the user to either continue scanning or give up. This quirk was removed with Windows Me's version of Disk Defragmenter, which can also work on Windows 98 or Windows 95 if it is simply copied over.<ref>{{Cite web|title=PC Hell: Defrag Does Not Complete - Solutions|url=https://www.pchell.com/support/defrag_does_not_complete.shtml|access-date=2020-07-19|website=www.pchell.com|archive-date=July 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702071708/http://www.pchell.com/support/defrag_does_not_complete.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

Windows 98 also supports a ''Fast Shutdown'' feature that initiates shutdown without uninitializing [[device drivers]]. However, this can cause Windows 98 to hang instead of shutting down the computer if a buggy driver is active, so Microsoft supplied instructions for disabling the feature.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/187607|title=How to Disable Fast Shutdown in Windows 98|work=Microsoft Support|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090505123756/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/187607|archive-date=May 5, 2009}}</ref> Windows 98 supports write-behind caching for removable disk drives. A utility for converting [[FAT16]] partitions to FAT32 without formatting the partition is also included,<ref name=PCMAGp123>{{harvnb|PC Magazine, August|1998|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4c8Qbd14llIC&pg=PA123 123]}}</ref> however it is not compatible with [[DriveSpace]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=www.helpwithwindows.com |last2=HelpWithWindows.com |first2=Arie Slob |date=14 July 1998 |title=Windows 98, FAT32 |url=http://www.helpwithwindows.com/windows98/fat32.html |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=HelpWithWindows.com |archive-date=March 6, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240306205648/http://www.helpwithwindows.com/windows98/fat32.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Other system tools===
A number of improvements are made to various other system tools and accessories in Windows 98. Microsoft Backup supports differential backup and [[SCSI]] [[Tape drive|tape]] devices in Windows 98. Disk Cleanup, a new tool, enables users to clear their disks of unnecessary files. Cleanup locations are extensible through Disk Cleanup handlers. Disk Cleanup can be automated for regular silent cleanups.<ref name=SCv6i6p44>{{harvnb|Smart Computing, June|2000|p=44}}</ref>

Scanreg (DOS) and ScanRegW are Registry Checker tools used to back up, restore or optimize the [[Windows registry]]. ScanRegW tests the registry's integrity and saves a backup copy each time Windows successfully boots. The maximum number of copies could be customized by the user through "scanreg.ini" file. The restoration of a registry that causes Windows to fail to boot can only be done from DOS mode using ScanReg.<ref name=PCMAGp325>{{harvnb|PC Magazine, August|1998|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4c8Qbd14llIC&pg=PA325 325]}}</ref>

[[Msconfig|System Configuration Utility]] is a new system utility used to disable programs and services that are not required to run the computer.<ref name=PCMAGp342>{{harvnb|PC Magazine, August|1998|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4c8Qbd14llIC&pg=PA342 342]}}</ref> A Maintenance Wizard is included that schedules and automates [[SCANDISK|ScanDisk]], Disk Defragmenter and Disk Cleanup.<ref name=gs79>{{harvnb|Getting Started: Microsoft Windows 98|1998|p=79}}</ref> [[Windows Script Host]], with [[VBScript]] and [[JScript]] engines is built-in and upgradeable to version 5.6. [[System File Checker]] checks installed versions of system files to ensure they were the same version as the one installed with Windows 98 or newer. Corrupt or older versions are replaced by the correct versions.<ref name=PCMAGp131>{{harvnb|PC Magazine, August|1998|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=4c8Qbd14llIC&pg=PA131 131]}}</ref> This tool was introduced to resolve the [[DLL hell]] issue and was replaced in Windows Me by [[Windows File Protection|System File Protection]].

Windows 98 Setup simplifies installation, reducing the bulk of user input required.<ref name=RK22>{{harvnb|Resource Kit|1998|p=22}}</ref> The Windows 98 Startup Disk contains generic, real-mode [[Parallel ATA#ATAPI|ATAPI]] and [[SCSI]] CD-ROM drivers that can be used instead in the event that the specific driver for a CD-ROM is unavailable.<ref name=RK75>{{harvnb|Resource Kit|1998|p=75}}</ref>

The system could be updated using Windows Update.<ref name=PCMAGp131/> A utility to automatically notify the user of critical updates was later released.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/PersonalComputerWorldMagazine|title=The Update update|last=Nott|first=Tim|magazine=[[Personal Computer World]]|date=May 1999|access-date=October 27, 2019|page=234}}</ref>

Windows 98 includes an improved version of the [[Dr. Watson (debugger)|Dr. Watson]] utility that collects and lists comprehensive information such as running tasks, startup programs with their command line switches, system patches, kernel driver, user drivers, DOS drivers and 16-bit modules. With Dr. Watson loaded in the system tray, whenever a software fault occurs (general protection fault, hang, etc.), Dr. Watson will intercept it and indicate what software crashed and its cause.<ref name=PCMAGp131/>

Windows Report Tool takes a snapshot of system configuration and lets users submit a manual problem report along with system information to technicians. It has e-mail confirmation for submitted reports.<ref name=PCMAGp342/>

====Accessories====
Windows 98 includes [[Magnifier (Windows)|Microsoft Magnifier]],<ref name=SCv6i6p31>{{harvnb|Smart Computing, June|2000|p=31}}</ref> Accessibility Wizard and [[Microsoft Active Accessibility]] 1.1 API (upgradeable to MSAA 2.0.) A new [[HTML Help]] system with 15 Troubleshooting Wizards was introduced to replace [[WinHelp]].

Users can configure the font in [[Notepad (Windows)|Notepad]]. [[Microsoft Paint]] supports GIF transparency. [[HyperTerminal]] supports a TCP/IP connection method, which allows it to be used as a Telnet client. [[Imaging for Windows]] is updated. [[System Monitor]]—used to track the performance of hardware and software—supports output to a log file.<ref name=RK1221>{{harvnb|Resource Kit|1998|p=1221}}</ref>

====Miscellaneous improvements====
* [[Telephony Application Programming Interface|Telephony API]] (TAPI) 2.1
* [[Distributed Component Object Model|DCOM]] version 1.2
* Ability to list fonts by similarity determined using [[PANOSE]] information.
* Tools to automate setup, such as Batch 98 and INFInst.exe, support error-checking, gathering information automatically to create an [[INF file]] directly from a machine's registry, customizing IE4, shell and desktop settings and adding custom drivers.
* Several other [[Resource Kit]] tools are included on the Windows 98 CD.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/247024/en-us|title=Tools Included with the Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit|work=Microsoft Support|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915025631/https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/247024/tools-included-with-the-microsoft-windows-98-resource-kit|archive-date=September 15, 2017|access-date=April 17, 2019}}</ref>
* Windows 98 has new system event sounds for ''Low Battery Alarm'' and ''Critical Battery Alarm''.
* Windows 98 also introduced new and updated system sounds. The new startup sound for Windows 98 was composed by Microsoft sound engineer Ken Kato, who considered it to be a "tough act to follow".<ref name="SpeakHertz">{{cite web|url=http://speakhertz.com/6706/interview-343-industries-audio-manager-ken-kato|title=Interview: 343 Industries Audio Manager – Ken Kato|date=February 19, 2014|website=SpeakHertz|access-date=April 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190417135108/http://speakhertz.com/6706/interview-343-industries-audio-manager-ken-kato|archive-date=April 17, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Windows 98 shipped with [[Flash Player]] and [[Shockwave Player]] preinstalled.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Macromedia+Shockwave(TM)+and+Flash(TM)+Players+Incorporated+Into...-a020957947|title=Macromedia Shockwave(TM) and Flash(TM) Players Incorporated Into Windows 98|work=Free Online Library|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520225041/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Macromedia+Shockwave(TM)+and+Flash(TM)+Players+Incorporated+Into...-a020957947|archive-date=May 20, 2017|access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref>