'Unofficial' Windows 98 SE Service Pack Is Updated

The independent developer who released unsanctioned service pack updates for Windows 98 Second Edition, struck again Wednesday, as he rolled out version 2.0 of the cumulative patch.

Dubbed the "Unofficial Windows 98 SE Service Pack 2.0," the update is a collection of fixes posted by Microsoft, as well as other enhancements added by Alper Coskun, a Turkish computer engineering student. The last update Coskun assembled was released a year ago.

Although Microsoft produced a Service Pack for Windows 98 in 1999, it never rolled out one for Second Edition. Meanwhile, free support for Windows 98 SE ended in 2003. However, users can still retrieve Windows 98-related information from the online support center, and the Redmond, Wash.-based developer occasionally releases security vulnerability patches for the aged operating system.

Coskun's service pack includes more than 100 bug fixes gleaned from Microsoft's Windows Update site and various technical support documents. The self-extracting, self-installing service pack, however, doesn't include updates to separate-but-integrated software such as Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, or Windows Media Player.

Coskun's site even has a legal disclaimer; the fine print reads: "This software is provided 'as-is,'" and "Use of Unofficial Windows 98 Service Pack may invalidate any guarantee and or warranty expressed in your Windows End User License Agreement(s)."

The adventurous can download the free service pack from Coskun's Web site.