Gary S. Terhune
2006-02-23 03:15:48 UTC
Several people have asked recently about various Windows Updates. Like how
many have been issued since the Windows Updates Security CD was released,
how many of Win98 Gold's patches were subsumed into Win98SE, etc.
There are two major difficulties in this experiment. First, you can't get to
Windows Updates using Win98 Gold right out of the box. It requires a minimum
of IE 5.01; secondly, Internet Explorer is further an issue because which
updates you are offered depends in great part on what version of IE you have
installed. But it's very difficult to say, "Ignore the IE Updates and only
focus on the non-IE updates," since IE is an integral part of Windows 9x,
especially since the advent of IE 5. A similar issue applies to Windows
Media Player. In a similar vein, many updates that were previously offered
to Win98 users have been made obsolete by newer versions. For instance,
there is no IE 5 version of any kind offered at Windows Updates these days,
only IE6SP1. Thus, the only IE Updates I see before installing IE 6.1 are
those offered to IE 5.01.
In short, there are no simple answers to the questions posed -- no single
answer to the question, "How many updates (and which) were offered to Win98
Gold that were subsumed into Win98SE," because SE included IE 5.01 and WMP
6.4 (I think), thus obviating all IE4 and earlier WMP updates. So, I will do
my best to chronicle and document the steps I'm taking and let others decide
what's important to them. Note: I did *not* return to the bad old days and
peruse the Corporate Updates site for pre-IE5 Updates. Someone else can do
that. I do recall at one time being an expert jockey of said site, but my
mind is fragile these days...
First thing I did was to install Windows 98 Gold (MSDN version which is
essentially the same as retail.) I installed all optional components. I then
installed Service Pack 1, which includes the following:
--Both Y2K Updates
--Active Accessibility update
--Q189591 Computer Does Not Resume To Recognize USB Device From Standby
--Q222600 Bulk Transfer URLs Can Specify More Than 64 Bytes
--Q220586 Computer with Plug and Play Network Adapter Is Not Found (only
affects Win98 systems that were upgraded from Win95)
--Q178979 System Policy to Require Validation by Network May Not Work
--Q216641 Computer Hangs After 49.7 Days
--Q216565 New Dialing Rules for Spain and Italy Require TAPI Update
I did *not* install any Service Packs for IE 4.1 or patches depending on IE4
or it's SPs. Q234680, for instance, is a patch to OE 4SP2.
I then installed IE 5.01, all optional components selected except specific
languages in the Multi-language section. Now I'm able to access Windows
Updates. Upon doing so, there are seven Optional and 20 Critical Updates
offered. One, of course, is IE6SP1. In earlier times, that one would have
been some earlier version of IE. (Note: The Criticals list is mostly in
reverse chronological order because that's the way Windows Updates lists
them.)
-----Optional Components-----
--DirectX 9.0c End-User Runtime
--Registration Wizard Update
--Microsoft .NET Framework version 1.1
--Windows Critical Update Notification 4.0
--Internet Explorer Navigation Sound Update
--Euro Conversion Tool
--Agent 2.0
--------Critical Updates--------
--IE6.1 Note: Because this is offered, no other updates for IE 5.01 are
offered.
--Security Update, February 14, 2002 (note: this is MS02-009)
--Security Update for Windows 98 (KB891711)
--Security Update for Windows 98 (KB891781)
--823559: Security Update for Microsoft Windows
--816093: Security Update for Microsoft Virtual Machine (Microsoft VM)
--814078: Security Update (Microsoft JScript version 5.1, Windows 98 and
Windows NT 4.0)
--Q329414: Security Update (MDAC 2.1)
--Q329115: Security Update (Windows 98)
--Windows Share Level Password Update
--Q323172 Security Update (Windows 98)
--Q323255 Security Update (Windows 98)
--Security Update, May 19, 2000 (note: this is MS00-029)
--Security Update, March 17, 2000 (note: this is MS00-017)
--Q320920 Security Update (Windows Media Player 6.4)
--Security Update 2, November 29, 1999 (note: this is MS99-052
--Security Update November 12, 1999 (note: this is MS99-049)
--Security Update March 7, 1999 (note: the Security Bulletin for this was
updated to MS02-14)
--Security Update November 20, 2001 (note: this is MS01-056)
--Security Update April 2, 2001 (note: this is MS01-017)
Next, without installing any of the above Updates, I installed the Microsoft
Windows Security Update CD. Upon returning to Windows Updates, I discover
the following:
Optional Updates: The same seven optional updates are offered as before.
While the Security CD included DirectX9, it wasn't the latest version,
DirectX 9.0c. An additional thirty-four Updates are offered, all of them
Language Support.
Critical Updates: 10 are offered, of which
--905915 (IE 6.1)
--837009 (OE 6.1)
--833989 (IE 6.1)
--908519 (a recently discovered networking issue, "Embedded Web Font
Vulnerability", that affects all 9x and NT systems.)
--904706 (DX 9)
--896358 (HTML Help vulnerability)
--888113 (Hyperlink Object Library vuln.)
--891711 (Cursor & Icon Format vuln.)
--891781 (DHTML Editing Component ActiveX vuln.)
--816093 (Security Update for Microsoft Virtual Machine)
That last one for VM is the only one remaining from the previous list. The
rest are either more recently discovered vulnerabilities or are patches to
the software installed by the Security CD.
I then installed all ten Critical Updates. Upon returning to Windows
Updates, no further Critical Updates are offered. The same seven optional
Updates are offered. I then installed DirectX 9.0c (which must be installed
separately.) Upon returning to Windows Updates, no further Critical Updates
were offered. I proceeded to install the remaining six Optional Updates.
Returning to Windows Updates yet again, I find two additional Critical
Updates.
--873374 (GDI+ Detection Tool -- Why I wasn't offered this earlier, I don't
know.)
--.NET Framework SP1
I installed both, and ran the GDI+ Detection tool. It seemed to say that I
had some kind of vulnerability, but I found no useful remedies, nor am I
sure what app it was flagging. This is a clean install. Anyway, after
installing the .NET Framework SP1, that was it. No more Updates offered.
Now, there remains at least one variation to try: What happens when I
install the Security CD right after installing WIn98. Are *all* of the
earlier issues I patched with most of Windows 98 Service Pack 1 covered?
Furthermore, there is WIn98SE to research, and finally, we'll see if we can
positively identify the specific patches from Win98 Gold that were subsumed
into SE -- besides the IE-specific ones. Stay tuned...
many have been issued since the Windows Updates Security CD was released,
how many of Win98 Gold's patches were subsumed into Win98SE, etc.
There are two major difficulties in this experiment. First, you can't get to
Windows Updates using Win98 Gold right out of the box. It requires a minimum
of IE 5.01; secondly, Internet Explorer is further an issue because which
updates you are offered depends in great part on what version of IE you have
installed. But it's very difficult to say, "Ignore the IE Updates and only
focus on the non-IE updates," since IE is an integral part of Windows 9x,
especially since the advent of IE 5. A similar issue applies to Windows
Media Player. In a similar vein, many updates that were previously offered
to Win98 users have been made obsolete by newer versions. For instance,
there is no IE 5 version of any kind offered at Windows Updates these days,
only IE6SP1. Thus, the only IE Updates I see before installing IE 6.1 are
those offered to IE 5.01.
In short, there are no simple answers to the questions posed -- no single
answer to the question, "How many updates (and which) were offered to Win98
Gold that were subsumed into Win98SE," because SE included IE 5.01 and WMP
6.4 (I think), thus obviating all IE4 and earlier WMP updates. So, I will do
my best to chronicle and document the steps I'm taking and let others decide
what's important to them. Note: I did *not* return to the bad old days and
peruse the Corporate Updates site for pre-IE5 Updates. Someone else can do
that. I do recall at one time being an expert jockey of said site, but my
mind is fragile these days...
First thing I did was to install Windows 98 Gold (MSDN version which is
essentially the same as retail.) I installed all optional components. I then
installed Service Pack 1, which includes the following:
--Both Y2K Updates
--Active Accessibility update
--Q189591 Computer Does Not Resume To Recognize USB Device From Standby
--Q222600 Bulk Transfer URLs Can Specify More Than 64 Bytes
--Q220586 Computer with Plug and Play Network Adapter Is Not Found (only
affects Win98 systems that were upgraded from Win95)
--Q178979 System Policy to Require Validation by Network May Not Work
--Q216641 Computer Hangs After 49.7 Days
--Q216565 New Dialing Rules for Spain and Italy Require TAPI Update
I did *not* install any Service Packs for IE 4.1 or patches depending on IE4
or it's SPs. Q234680, for instance, is a patch to OE 4SP2.
I then installed IE 5.01, all optional components selected except specific
languages in the Multi-language section. Now I'm able to access Windows
Updates. Upon doing so, there are seven Optional and 20 Critical Updates
offered. One, of course, is IE6SP1. In earlier times, that one would have
been some earlier version of IE. (Note: The Criticals list is mostly in
reverse chronological order because that's the way Windows Updates lists
them.)
-----Optional Components-----
--DirectX 9.0c End-User Runtime
--Registration Wizard Update
--Microsoft .NET Framework version 1.1
--Windows Critical Update Notification 4.0
--Internet Explorer Navigation Sound Update
--Euro Conversion Tool
--Agent 2.0
--------Critical Updates--------
--IE6.1 Note: Because this is offered, no other updates for IE 5.01 are
offered.
--Security Update, February 14, 2002 (note: this is MS02-009)
--Security Update for Windows 98 (KB891711)
--Security Update for Windows 98 (KB891781)
--823559: Security Update for Microsoft Windows
--816093: Security Update for Microsoft Virtual Machine (Microsoft VM)
--814078: Security Update (Microsoft JScript version 5.1, Windows 98 and
Windows NT 4.0)
--Q329414: Security Update (MDAC 2.1)
--Q329115: Security Update (Windows 98)
--Windows Share Level Password Update
--Q323172 Security Update (Windows 98)
--Q323255 Security Update (Windows 98)
--Security Update, May 19, 2000 (note: this is MS00-029)
--Security Update, March 17, 2000 (note: this is MS00-017)
--Q320920 Security Update (Windows Media Player 6.4)
--Security Update 2, November 29, 1999 (note: this is MS99-052
--Security Update November 12, 1999 (note: this is MS99-049)
--Security Update March 7, 1999 (note: the Security Bulletin for this was
updated to MS02-14)
--Security Update November 20, 2001 (note: this is MS01-056)
--Security Update April 2, 2001 (note: this is MS01-017)
Next, without installing any of the above Updates, I installed the Microsoft
Windows Security Update CD. Upon returning to Windows Updates, I discover
the following:
Optional Updates: The same seven optional updates are offered as before.
While the Security CD included DirectX9, it wasn't the latest version,
DirectX 9.0c. An additional thirty-four Updates are offered, all of them
Language Support.
Critical Updates: 10 are offered, of which
--905915 (IE 6.1)
--837009 (OE 6.1)
--833989 (IE 6.1)
--908519 (a recently discovered networking issue, "Embedded Web Font
Vulnerability", that affects all 9x and NT systems.)
--904706 (DX 9)
--896358 (HTML Help vulnerability)
--888113 (Hyperlink Object Library vuln.)
--891711 (Cursor & Icon Format vuln.)
--891781 (DHTML Editing Component ActiveX vuln.)
--816093 (Security Update for Microsoft Virtual Machine)
That last one for VM is the only one remaining from the previous list. The
rest are either more recently discovered vulnerabilities or are patches to
the software installed by the Security CD.
I then installed all ten Critical Updates. Upon returning to Windows
Updates, no further Critical Updates are offered. The same seven optional
Updates are offered. I then installed DirectX 9.0c (which must be installed
separately.) Upon returning to Windows Updates, no further Critical Updates
were offered. I proceeded to install the remaining six Optional Updates.
Returning to Windows Updates yet again, I find two additional Critical
Updates.
--873374 (GDI+ Detection Tool -- Why I wasn't offered this earlier, I don't
know.)
--.NET Framework SP1
I installed both, and ran the GDI+ Detection tool. It seemed to say that I
had some kind of vulnerability, but I found no useful remedies, nor am I
sure what app it was flagging. This is a clean install. Anyway, after
installing the .NET Framework SP1, that was it. No more Updates offered.
Now, there remains at least one variation to try: What happens when I
install the Security CD right after installing WIn98. Are *all* of the
earlier issues I patched with most of Windows 98 Service Pack 1 covered?
Furthermore, there is WIn98SE to research, and finally, we'll see if we can
positively identify the specific patches from Win98 Gold that were subsumed
into SE -- besides the IE-specific ones. Stay tuned...
--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User