Well, the end has finally come. Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium will no longer be supported by Microsoft after July 11th. What does that mean to you, the consumer who owns one of these operating systems? Absolutely nothing and everything.

First, let's look at what that announcement really means. Microsoft is no longer going to be offering unpaid support for those operating systems and Automatic Windows Updates will no longer going to give you any more bug fixes or security updates. This means your Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows Millennium won't get another enhancement and any security issues will not be patched.

But the BIG thing is the amount of programs and peripherals that will no longer be able to be purchased new for your computer. (A peripheral by the way is anything that is plugged into your computer like a printer as an example.) So, if you buy a new camera or printer, it may not work on your machine because there won't be a driver for Windows 98.

You might have noticed this happening already. If you have an Windows ME machine you can't use the new, free, antispyware tool Microsoft Defender. You can't download Defender because you don't have Windows XP. (Side note, you also can't use Defender for Windows 2000 even though it is still within its support life cycle.)

In 2007, many anti-virus updates won't be available for Windows 98 and ME. Now you might be asking yourself if you need it or not, since your system is so old. Windows 98 was a very common platform out there on the market, so even though Microsoft is no longer supporting it this does not mean the people that make viruses are going to stop trying to give you a virus. It will just make their job easier if there is no anti-virus software on your machine.

The net net is that anything that worked for you on July 10th is still going to work for you on July 12th just don't expect to go out and buy new things to work with your Windows 98 or ME computer. Are you happy with you have? Great. If you aren't, it is time to get a new computer.

If you have questions about this post or if the end of life announcement for Windows 98 and ME is confusing please give LTOL a call at 530-582-2080 and we will do our best to give you the info you need to make an informed decision.