Enhancing Windows 98 with Microsoft Plus! (Unboxing & Exploration)

Thanks to Linode for sponsoring this video!

Today we're taking a look at Microsoft Plus! for Windows 98. This enhancement package was released alongside the operating system in 1998, and it brought a handful of utilities and games to your computer!

Chapters:
00:00 - Unboxing
03:22 - Installation
07:11 - Maintenance Wizard Improvements
09:05 - Golf 1998 Lite
13:41 - Lose Your Marbles
18:26 - Spider Solitaire
19:45 - VirusScan
21:41 - Deluxe CD Player
24:41 - Desktop Themes
31:39 - Organic Art Screensaver
34:00 - Picture It! Express
37:24 - Disk Cleanup Improvements
41:15 - Compressed Folders
41:47 - Outro

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● Music/Credits:
Background Music:
"The Thought of You", "A Night Alone", "A Brand New Start", "Sixteen Twenty Five", "By The Fireplace", "Supreme", "Ersatz Bossa" and "Rest" from the YouTube Audio Library

Outro Music: Silent Partner - Bet On It
Source: YouTube Audio Library

Some materials in this video are used under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, which allows "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, commenting, news reporting, teaching, and research.

#MichaelMJD #Windows98 #Microsoft

[chrisdigitalartist]

I agree MJD. Windows used to be fun. That is what is missing now. There is no fun! It needs more customization. Sure can still change icons, cursors, sounds...but only one color and in windows 11, no color title bars...and you can't change system fonts! You can change every little thing you can think of in the 9X Shells. I still love that old classic look.

[fpdctsi]

Back then we didn't have internet and not that many games. For the most part this was how I played with the computer- changing themes, listening to the sounds, watching the screen savers, not to mention Paint and Encarta Encyclopedia. Good times, good times...

[ArtDumbster]

The comments were talking about how smooth the transition to the sponsor was
And it still surprised me, love the video!

[NoahClevinger]

I have very fond memories of me and my cousin spending so many hours on our family's old Windows 98 computer. Those were some really fun times.

[GYTCommnts]

"Organic Art" was a thing back in the day. There were CD software about it, from the author of the idea, one of them being "Organic Art Deluxe" for PC. The software was meant to be some sort of artistic expression, with base forms moving in a way that formed a pattern, making shapes and in some cases filling the screen. A similar example of what it did was the victory effect of the classic Solitaire game, with the cards leaving a trace behind. Was something similar, but with lots of combinations. Somewhat hypnotic for a while, pushing the rendering limits of the hardware back then, a little. You can find the CDs archived, even a later website about the software still online, maybe not totally functional. Cool stuff maybe worthy of just a short video on its own, with the details and showing better examples with more powerful hardware or by emulation. It maybe similar a bit too (for understanding it) to the Winamp AVS plugin and some of the visualizations and presets (other subject on its own, the classic Winamp, that I still use nowadays and it keeps being great for an all around mp3 / audio player for Windows).

[LordHorst]

That startup sound sure is amazing. I even set up my Linux PC to play the Win98 startup sound.

[Koofteh]

If I remember correctly, the Active Desktop themes were just animated GIFs. Back then it was super cool to have an animated wallpaper but Active Desktop would crash like once an hour.

I bought this thing back in the day for my P2 HP Pavilion. Deluxe CD Player was actually my favourite feature, I think it was the first CD player to connect to CDDB which became Gracenote.

[kkaysix]

I remember seeing the Windows 98 computers at my local electronics store as a kid with the cool Plus themes and went home spending hours working out how I could do the same with my parents Windows 98 PC...I obviously didn't get very far! (as I didn't know it was a seperate product to the standard Windows 98 back then!)

[XMD]

Cathy the comic strip finished on October 3, 2010. Foxtrot Finished on December 30, 2006. Doonesbury, Garfield and Peanuts are still active.

[WindowsOnWindows]

26:15 Actually LOLing! The crash dialog timing was perfect. The sound just makes it even better. I fricking love Windows 9x. 😂

[diablow]

My dad had bought this pack sometime around 2000 or 2001. Still miss them days, thanks for uploading, MJD!

[fabiandimaspratamathesecond]

I remember when we were a child customizing the wallpaper and theme of our computer class' PCs we sitting in.. lol. Windows 95 & 98 have so much customization options including the gradation of the title bar! I miss this. Some of the computers had 98! Plus installed, some were not. And our computer teacher was cool. He allowed us to play games 30 minutes before the class was ended.

Back then I also had Pentium II 233 MHz PC at my home and it has Windows 98 with Plus! Entertainment Pack installed. I remember there were Garfield and Peanuts (Snoopy) theme pack.

Still, good times.

[Vlad-]

Man, I love the Windows 95Plus! thing, I had it when came out, and always wanted a 98Plus. I waited for years, and looked online years ago, but didn't found it. I tough my knowledge of its existence was a dream! I am so glad this exists. Might try to find it again and install it :D

[scajk]

The Space theme was originally in Plus for Kids and became one of the default themes included in Win 98 & Me. I remember it because it was my 2nd favorite theme after Science.

[Karcade]

I remember the Space theme! I got hand-me-downed my dad's win98 pc and recall this was his fave theme because he's a trekkie. You sir just unlocked a memory in my mind.

[tallpaul]

It amazes me how it did not seem that long ago when I bought and installed Plus! on my Windows 98 PC. Packard Bell 486DX2 66Mhz upgraded with Intel Pentium overdrive 83Mhz CPU, 8MB RAM, 2.1 GB Fujitsu HDD upgrade, 2MB VRAM upgrade, and 8X CD-ROM upgrade. Things were so much simpler back then.

[DavidWonn]

Ah the nostalgia of when add-on Plus! CDs and resource kits actually had some useful stuff on them. I often used Plus! 95 for some of the themes and the handy ability to see window contents while dragging, which was already present by default in NT 3.51 and up.

[thatguywiththemitsu]

I bought this in 1999, just because of "Cityscape" theme. Wallpaper and sounds of start and stop is awesome.

[andyz]

I had Plus! 98 as a kid and got days of entertainment from themes and screensavers alone.

[PhirePhlame]

I think Golf 98 is one of those that has a two-click timing bar. That is, you click while it's rising for power, and then again while it's going back down to determine your angle. See how a second yellow guideline appears after your first click?
I'm no golf fan, but I played enough Mario Golf to recognize what looks like a similar (if more dynamic than MG) system.