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Windows 98

1998 → 2006 · Windows

Released on 25 June 1998 in more than 40 countries. Made for home users, it was the upgrade that "works better and plays better".1

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Released
25 June 19981, 2
Made for
Home users1
Upgrade price
About $109 in the US, from Windows 95 or 3.11
Support ended
11 July 20064

Works better, plays better

Microsoft called Windows 98 the upgrade that "works better and plays better". Bill Gates said it was the first version of Windows designed specifically for home users.1 It opened programs and shut down faster, and new wizards helped people fix problems. Support for USB made adding joysticks and digital cameras much easier. A PC could read DVD discs or, with a TV tuner card, show television.1, 2

A Windows 98 desktop in teal. The Start menu is open, with a blue side band reading 'Windows98', Windows Update at the top, then Programs, Favorites, Documents, Settings, Find, Help, Run, Log Off and Shut Down. Favorites is highlighted and shows Channels, Links and Software Updates. Behind it, a My Computer window with Back, Forward and Up buttons, an address bar and drive icons. The taskbar has the Start button, four small Quick Launch icons and the clock.
Illustration · not a screenshot Our drawing of Windows 98. It kept the core look of Windows 95, built around the Start menu, but made parts of the desktop work more like the web.3 See the real screen

The web on the desktop

Windows 98 used Internet Explorer technologies to make finding information quick and easy, whether it was on the PC or on the internet.1 The new Quick Launch bar let you start programs without going through the Start menu or looking for them on the desktop.2

Close-up of the bottom left of the Windows 98 screen: the lower part of the Start menu with Help, Run, Log Off and Shut Down, and the taskbar below it with the Start button and four small Quick Launch icons: a globe, a letter, the desktop and a star.
Illustration · not a screenshot Close-up of our drawing of Windows 98: the Start button and, next to it, the Quick Launch bar.2 See the real screen

Key moments