PTE on old, under-powered notebook PC

[LumenLux]

I've had the occasion today to play with a 10-year-old (?) IBM Thinkpad E600 and now have a few observations and questions. Any similar experience or comment is welcome.

The notebook Is Pentium II, 96 mb ram, Win98SE. I was surprised to see that this setup ran quite nicely a PTE show (.exe) created in 2004. After some effort of updating a few things, (Adobe Flash, etc.) I found that Lin's That Rainbow, on YouTube would even do acceptably if HD was not selected. With HD selected, things would bomb or freeze. The observations on which I would especially like feedback:

1. Try as I might, I could not run any .flv (downloaded from YouTube or elsewhere). Even after downloading codec packs, and various players, including Media Player Classic, VLC, ffdshow. Are some of you using Win98SE successfully for playing flash files resident on your PC's?

2. Further playing with PTE-produced .EXE files, I find that a Test.exe created today (on a current pc, fade transitions only) with PTE V4.48 will run on the PIIm 96mb, Win98 SE. The same three-slide, same music, Test.exe when created today with PTE V5.6, will not run on the same notebook. Is this known by everyone else? Or by Igor? I realize it may have been a planned and published condition of the newer PTE (animation?) versions of PTE?

[JRR]

2. Further playing with PTE-produced .EXE files, I find that a Test.exe created today (on a current pc, fade transitions only) with PTE V4.48 will run on the PIIm 96mb, Win98 SE. The same three-slide, same music, Test.exe when created today with PTE V5.6, will not run on the same notebook. Is this known by everyone else? Or by Igor? I realize it may have been a planned and published condition of the newer PTE (animation?) versions of PTE?

Did you have the acceleration turned off ?

I am NO expert , but I understand that will make a difference.

[Igor]

We don't support Windows 98/Me anymore in v5.6.

if it really necessary we could do it, but new slideshows use hardware acceleration and require more powerful PCs.

[LumenLux]

Thank you Igor for the information. Totally understandable. I was also wondering if Flash video is also not viewable with Win98, or if more ram would make it possible?

[nobeefstu]

Robert,

I was also wondering if Flash video is also not viewable with Win98, or if more ram would make it possible?

You will have to check Flash Player site on this to verify ... but I believe your problem may be that the current Flash Player versions dont support installation to Win 98.

Alot of the new players, programs, and software out there now only support XP and newer. Even if you have XP ... many require XP-Sp2 minimum.

[Conflow]

Lumenlux,

Your Win '98 problems ~ we have 3 Win'98se Computers in everyday working for some of our

Industrial-Clients. The PC's are used to download 'Machine-Code' into EProms and EAroms.

To try and answer your questions and help other '98 Owners, viz:-

1)

Win'98 is 'dead' but Win'98se is very much alive ~ 1000's of machines still in operation.

2)

You need to make sure that you a copy of ActiveX 6,or7,or 8 installed on the '98se thats vital.

ActiveX 9+ won't work properly with Win'98se.

3)

PTE 4.49 works perfectly on Win'98se with (minimum) 128Kb.Ram but much better with 256.Kb.

but 'Uninstall' Adobe Reader (use Cute-Pdf Reader) and uninstall any old version of Norton-AV.

Use a "Lightweight AV" behind a Firewall or acquire a LAN-Distributor with Firewall.

4)

Yes, Flash will work provided its one of the "older" Players,ie: Macromedia.6 or Flash-Player.6

LINK: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/otherversions/

The Best PC.Resources for Win'98se (type win'98se in search-window).

(They have a final 'Wrap-Up' of all Win'98se Drivers etc)..is:-

LINK: http://majorgeeks.com/

The Best Program Resource for Win'98se is 'Snapfiles' (Clk.Freeware tab) at:-

LINK: http://www.webattack.com/

All the best with the '98se...

(See attachment)

Brian.Conflow.

[LumenLux]

Thank you gentlemen! In this digital/internet age, there is always more-than-abundant information. But it is always so nice when real people you can trust, can funnel the information that is sought. Thank you.

[sanewcomb]

I would check to see if the machine had the latest DirectX drivers for Win98 installed. I forget what version that is, but the Microsoft site will show you. We have a Win98 machine and updating the DirectX drivers allows it to play P2E 5.x shows. It will show most of them pretty good if you restrict the pixel dimension of the show. Probably the easiest way to do this is in windowed mode, maybe 640x480 or 800x600.

Steve Newcomb

Tucson, AZ USA

[LumenLux]

Thanks Steve, I can't remember what I updated and what I did not. Your own experience with PTE 5.xx on Win98SE is useful. And if I failed to state it earlier, my Win98 is Win 98SE.

[Conflow]

Lumenlux and Steve,

To avaoid confusion, let me clarify a point:-...I had already mentioned Active/DirectX in my #6 Post above.

Active-X and Direct-X are one and the same thing depending on the terminology used in your part of the World.

Copied from my #6 Post above:-

2)..."You need to make sure that you have a copy of ActiveX 6, 7,or 8 installed on the '98se thats vital.

ActiveX 9+ won't work properly with Win'98se"....

Hope this clears up any confusion,

Brian.Conflow.

[LumenLux]

Active-X and Direct-X are one and the same thing depending on the terminology used in your part of the World.

Brian.Conflow.

This has been a question/confusion. Thank you.

[Conflow]

Lumenlux and Steve, No:2

An Apology,

I had written..."Active-X and Direct-X are one and the same thing depending on the terminology used in your part of the World"...

In essence this anomoly of terminology is true ~ however I have been corrected by a Microsoft collegue that this is incorrect !...

The confusion has come about with the fact that version numbers of "DirectX 6,8,9,10" just happen to coincided with the exact versions

of "ActiveX 6,8,9,10" over the past few years. No only that but minor upgrades of each have virtually followed the same No: sequence.

To put things straight, the Win '98.Se will work correctly with DirectX-6 or 8 and depending on 'driver-updates' will work on DirectX-9.

Similarily anything that uses Multi-Media Players such as 'Flash' or 'Macromedia' will require the appropriate ActiveX-Control 6,8,9.

ActiveX-Control 10 will not work on Win-'98Se ~ and I am led to believe that DirectX-10 will not work either.

My apology, it just goes to show that these things must be put under the 'Microscope' and not taken for granted...

Brian.Conflow.

[LumenLux]

Lumenlux and Steve, No:2

An Apology,

I had written..."Active-X and Direct-X are one and the same thing depending on the terminology used in your part of the World"...

In essence this anomoly of terminology is true ~ however I have been corrected by a Microsoft collegue that this is incorrect !...

The confusion has come about with the fact that version numbers of "DirectX 6,8,9,10" just happen to coincided with the exact versions

of "ActiveX 6,8,9,10" over the past few years. No only that but minor upgrades of each have virtually followed the same No: sequence.

To put things straight, the Win '98.Se will work correctly with DirectX-6 or 8 and depending on 'driver-updates' will work on DirectX-9.

Similarily anything that uses Multi-Media Players such as 'Flash' or 'Macromedia' will require the appropriate ActiveX-Control 6,8,9.

ActiveX-Control 10 will not work on Win-'98Se ~ and I am led to believe that DirectX-10 will not work either.

My apology, it just goes to show that these things must be put under the 'Microscope' and not taken for granted...

Brian.Conflow.

I'm beginning to think maybe I was comfortable in my "confusion."

But really, thank you again. Glad you didn't leave us out on a limb.