Running Windows 3.1? Here's why you should upgrade and how

Want to upgrade from Windows 3.1?  Here's how.

You've got Windows 3.1 installed on your PC, and you like it, but you're curious about Windows 98: you're thinking about upgrading--and there are good reasons why you should. Windows 98 simply works better than Windows 3.1, and it uses new technology to transform an ordinary PC into an advanced entertainment center.

Here are some reasons why you should upgrade:

If you're looking at this page, you're probably thinking about buying a new computer, or at least about upgrading your current system in order to take advantage of the newest advances you've been hearing about. If you're using an old computer, you're probably missing out on the latest technology and Internet breakthroughs. Windows 98 has either built these technologies into its system, or it is designed to support them. For further information, read on!

Internet Integration

• Though you can run the latest version of Internet Explorer on Windows 3.1, it's not built into the operating system as it is in Windows 98. The distinct line that has traditionally separated the Internet from other Windows applications has melted away; with Windows 98, you can gain access to the Web from anywhere in Windows and gain access to any file or program on your computer from the address bar when you're surfing the Web. You can embed a "hot" link in a Word document or in e-mail messages, or type an Internet address in your hard disk's address bar. Plus, you can browse your computer the same way you browse the Web using the Back and Forward buttons, and you can save Web pages and non-Web files under your Favorites menu for quick access to them.
• With Windows 98, you can have a stock ticker, or up-to-the minute news headlines on your desktop. You can customize your desktop by using a Web page, or any other HTML document, as wallpaper. And you can automatically download information from the Internet to temporarily store on your computer and read at a later time.

Easier to Use

• Windows 98 replaces File Manager with Windows Explorer, the Program Manager with the Start button and the desktop. You can still use the Run Command, too, but you'll now find it on the Start button. The Start button and the Show desktop button are always visible on the taskbar. This is convenient because you can always get to the taskbar, no matter where you are or what you're doing.
• Windows 98 comes with fifteen troubleshooting Wizards that provide scenario-based walkthroughs that help you quickly diagnose and solve technical problems.

Easier System Maintenance

• Windows 98 makes system maintenance a snap by employing the Disk Cleanup Wizard, a feature that automatically deletes unnecessary files, and the Maintenance Wizard which helps you set up automatic basic disk maintenance.

Help is Helpful

• Windows 98 has compiled an enormous cache of information to help people take advantage of all it has to offer. Help can be retrieved three different ways: through an Index, by searching, and through a Table of Contents so it's easy to find exactly what you're looking for. Best of all, the help files contain clear, easy-to-follow, step-by-step directions that tell you how to do what you want to do.

Supports New Hardware

• Windows 98 supports the old and new generation hardware; in other words, it supports the hardware you're using now and is prepared for what's to come. For example, the most famous of the new-generation hardware, USB, makes setting up peripheral hardware--things like printers, scanners, digital cameras, and keyboards--as standard as plugging an electrical cord into a wall socket, without having to reboot the way you do with Windows 3.1.

DVD

• Windows 98 supports DVDs, the massive memory disks that look like CDs and CD-ROMs. DVDs can hold a full-length feature movie that you can watch on your computer at home, or when you're traveling or facing a long wait at the airport. Multimedia software applications are also increasingly available on DVDs.

Web TV

• With a TV tuner card, you can watch traditional TV on your computer, or watch Interactive Television. Interactive Television is additional television content broadcast by television producers along with the regular TV show. It might include supplemental audio and video clips, trivia questions, chat sessions, or even e-mail.

Windows Update

• With Windows 98's feature, Windows Update, you can easily download Windows 98 software and new drives from your computer, along with new desktop themes and games from the Internet.