America Online

AOL 3.0 for Win/3.1
Most basic version for Win/3.1x. If nothing else, it will get you on the web with a good
browser like the Internet Explorer. This is the best way to go on a 386 because it uses
the least amount of memory and processor resources.

AOL 3.0 for Win/95 The 32-bit
version. I believe it has the Internet Explorer 4.0 integrated into it.

AOL4.0 for Win/3.1 and 95
Most advanced and fully functional version for Win/3.1x. It also works on Win/95 and 98.
Note: Even though recommended for a 486, this program will work on a 386sx as long as you
have the disk space and all the memory you can cram into it (usually about 8 megs). Also,
once the program is installed, AOL downloads and installs updates to the program which can
slow it down on a 386.

Note about AOL: There have
been reports that the 3.0 and 4.0 will no longer connect to AOL and that you must upgrade
to at least 9.0 VR. If you are running Windows 3.1, probably the only way for you to get
online is with a DSL/Broadband connection via a network card and TCP/IP driver, Internet
Explorer or Netscape. If you have Windows 95, you can go as high as 7.0. It won’t like it,
but it will go.

Other Services

CompuServe 3.0 for Win/9.x
For Win/9x.

Browsers

Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer for Win/9x
Highest browser you can get for Windows 95. This is the customized AOL version and the
easiest one to install. Just double-click the executable and it will update Windows
automatically.

I also have: IE 3.03 for NT
3.51 , IE4 for 3.1, 95 , IE4 for
Win/95 , IE5.01 SP2 , IE5.5 SP2 ,
IE5.5 SP2 (zipped) , IE6 SP1 (Full) , IE7 Beta XP , IE7 Beta 2k3

Avant Browser A good Internet
Explorer alternative. Allows multiple windows and many other features. I don’t know if it
works in Win/95 or not.

Firefox 1.0.3
A good Mozilla based browser.

High Encryption Packs

IE4 3.1, NT3.51 , IE4 95/98/NT , IE4 Alpha , IE5 Alpha , IE5 95/98/NT , IE5 3.1, NT3.51 , IE 5.01

Other

Web Publishing Wizard
(95/98/NT)

Wizard to help you publish to the web.

Cheats and Tricks

This is a trick I found on the net where you can
install the Active Desktop component without having to install IE4 and then upgrade it. I
HAVE NOT TRIED THIS, but it sounds like it will work:

Installing the Active Desktop Update along with IE 5.5
SP2

If you just installed Windows and want to upgrade your current version of IE to IE 5.5 SP2
(recommended), you can install the Active Desktop Update at the same time. The option
exists, it has just been hidden. Here’s how to proceed:

1- Download ie5setup.exe (on the desktop or wherever suits you best).

2- Run the program.

3- When the License Agreement appears, hold it right there! Now, open Windows Explorer and
browse to the C:\Windows\temp\ixp000.tmp folder.

4- Locate iesetup.cif and open it in notepad.

5- Under the item [IE4Shell_Win], find the line that says UIVISIBLE=0 and change it to
read UIVISIBLE=1, then save the file. This will enable the hidden Active Desktop Update
checkbox in IE’s installation program.

6- Go back to License Agreement, check “accept” and click the Next Button, then
choose Install Minimal or customize your browser and click [Next] again.

7- You will now see the Windows Desktop Update option immediately under Internet Explorer
5.5 Web Browser. Check both and select the other components you want, then proceed with
the installation as usual.

Installing the Active Desktop Update with IE 5.x already installed

There are several ways of doing this. There is the long and cumbersome Microsoft way,
which is to uninstall IE 5.x, install IE 4.01 with the active desktop update, then
reinstall IE 5.x. Lots of fun on a dialup connection!!!

Or… You can just download the update itself, which is less than 1 MB, and install it
(duh!)

If you prefer the second way, do as follows:

1- Download the update Ie4shl95.cab and extract it to a
temporary folder. Most archive programs such as Winzip or Winrar can handle the .cab
format. You should just double-click the file and see what comes up. If you have no
archiver currently associated with the .cab format, you can download and install the small
Microsoft Cabviewer. To install, simply run cabview.exe to
extract the content, then right-click cabview.inf to install it. You will be able to see
and extract the content of .cab files from Windows Explorer now.

2- After extracting Ie4shl95.cab the temporary folder should count 26 files, 27 if you
extracted in the same folder where you had Ie4shl95.cab. Locate ie4shell.inf, right-click
it and select Install. If a message pops up complaining of a missing file Wallpapr.htm,
just ignore it. Restart your computer as instructed.

3- When windows is back up, it is likely that your start button won’t work at this point.
To correct this, you’ll need to execute a “repair” of your Internet Explorer. To
do so, open My Computer, then Control Panel, and then Add/Remove Programs. Now select
Microsoft Internet Explorer from the list, then click the [Add/Remove] button and select
the repair option, then click [Ok].

4- Now reboot again, and you are done!

Note: This update will replace explorer.exe in C:\Windows with an updated version
(4.72.3612.1700) and you cannot go back.

Note: If your desktop icons look garbled, you’ll need to repair them. If you don’t already
have it, i suggest you download and install Tweak UI 1.33 and
use the repair tool in it.

Want to download the entire
IE6 for all versions? Here’s another trick I found and it works. TIP: If you have a
Windows Update Setup Files folder on your computer already, move or rename it or all the
data in it will be overwritten. Here’s the trick:

Internet Explorer (IE) 6.0 went final on August 28,
2001. When IE 5.5 came out, MS published a way for administrators to download the full
version of Internet Explorer for all Operating Systems to your hard drive. I took a shot
and changed their instructions to work with Internet Explorer 6 and it worked. You can use
it on all Windows platforms except 3.1x & 95.

To download the full version of Internet Explorer 6 SP1 for all Windows 98 and above
Operating Systems (including NT 4.0 SP 6a (Go to Start->Run and type “winver”
without the quotes to check your version of NT)) , follow these instructions:

Create a folder at the root of C:\ and name it “Windows Update Setup Files”
without the quotes. I have seen the installation fail if the “Windows Update Setup
Files” folder is not at the root of the C: drive.
If you have a previous folder with that name, empty it and reuse the empty folder. You
could also save your previous update files to another folder in case you ever want to
reinstall the previous version of Internet Explorer.

Download the ie6setup.exe file into the folder you just created from HERE

or to go directly to the English version of the file:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/ie6sp1/finrel/6_sp1/W98NT42KMeXP/EN-US/ie6setup.exe

After the file is downloaded into the Windows Update Setup Files folder you created, Go to
Start->Run and type in exactly (or just copy and paste it):

“C:\Windows Update Setup Files\ie6setup.exe” /c:”ie6wzd.exe /d
/s:””#E”

You must include all of the quotes (6 of them).

Click OK.

Accept the EULA:

Click Next

You will get to a box where you can now download IE6 for all versions of Windows at once,
just check them all off or choose just the Operating Systems you want. If necessary,
change the download path at the top of the window to: C:\Windows Update Setup Files

Click Next

finish downloading

You can save the Windows Update Setup Files folder to a server or to a CD so you can do
future installations on other machines. You must first copy the Windows Update Setup Files
folder to the root of the C: drive of the machine you are doing the update on. Then open
the Windows Update Setup Files folder and just double click the ie6setup.exe file to begin
the installation.

If given the choice during the upgrade to do a Typical or Minimal upgrade (NT, 98 &
maybe ME), I always choose the Minimal option and check off all the options I want. So in
this case Minimal is more.

It’s best to be connected to the Internet because the updater wants to check the
signatures of the files. If you don’t have an Internet connection available, you can still
do the update, but it will take longer and you may have to click Ignore, Continue or OK (I
can’t remember exactly) to complete the upgrade.

Happy browsing

Getting an error? Here’s a workaround. If you run the ie6setup.exe file and get the error
stating ” Setup has detected a newer version of Internet Explorer already installed
on this system. Setup cannot continue.”

we can get around this by running ie6setup.exe with the quiet switch from a command
prompt. Go to Start->Run and type in “cmd” without the quotes and click OK

type “cd \” without the quotes and press Enter on your keyboard.

Next, type “cd Windows Update Setup Files” without the quotes and press Enter on
your keyboard.

Next, type “ie6setup /q” without the quotes and press Enter on your keyboard.

The installation should run and finish automatically.

Other Installation Issues? Try this command:

“C:\Windows Update Setup Files\ie6setup.exe” /c:”ie6wzd.exe /d:1
/s:””#E”